Startup Ecosystem Associate

Backblaze External Website

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About The Position

The Startup Ecosystem Associate is the operational engine behind the Backblaze Flamethrower Startup Program. This is a high-ownership role for someone early in their career who wants to learn the full arc of ecosystem building — from running the day-to-day mechanics of a startup program to eventually sitting across the table from a Series A founder or a VC partner. You will work closely with and directly support the Director of Startup & Developer Relations, who is the external face of the program. That means a lot of your early work happens behind the scenes: keeping the program running cleanly, processing applications thoughtfully, managing credit workflows, and making sure every founder who comes through has a good experience. This is not a role for someone looking to attend conferences and collect business cards. It’s a role for someone who is comfortable getting into the trenches, takes pride in operational excellence, and understands that the credibility to work with VCs and founders gets earned through execution — not assumed. If you’re the kind of person who wants to be running a program like this yourself in a few years, this is a strong path to get there.

Requirements

• 2–4 years of experience in startup ecosystems, accelerator operations, VC-adjacent roles, community management, or startup program management
• Demonstrated comfort with operational and administrative work — you don’t see “getting into the details” as beneath you; you see it as how you earn the right to operate at higher levels
• Strong written communication skills: you can write a clear, warm founder email and a tight internal summary with equal ease
• Organized and self-directed — you manage your own workload, don’t need to be chased, and proactively flag issues before they become problems
• Genuine curiosity about startups, infrastructure, and the developer ecosystem

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience at an accelerator, VC firm, startup studio, or developer-focused platform company
• Existing familiarity with cloud infrastructure, data platforms, or developer tooling (you don’t need to be an engineer, but you should be able to have a real conversation with one)
• Experience using HubSpot or a comparable CRM for pipeline tracking and lifecycle management
• Comfort with travel and non-standard hours for events and ecosystem activities

Responsibilities

• Own the Flamethrower application pipeline: review, triage, and process inbound applications against ICP and eligibility criteria
• Manage credit allocation, track usage, and maintain accurate program records in HubSpot, SalesForce and supporting tools
• Coordinate founder onboarding — ensuring accepted startups get oriented, activated, and connected to the right resources quickly
• Handle program correspondence and serve as a responsive point of contact for founders navigating the application and onboarding process
• Maintain the health of program data: conversion tracking, activation rates, usage signals, and cohort reporting
• Build and refine the operational playbooks that will scale this program as volume grows
• Support the Director in managing and expanding relationships with VCs, accelerators, and startup community organizations
• Represent Backblaze and the Flamethrower program at select events, meetups, and ecosystem touchpoints when the Director needs coverage or a second presence
• Identify high-quality applicant sources and help develop referral relationships with seed funds, accelerators, and community programs
• Collect structured feedback from founders — on the program, the product, and the experience — and synthesize it into actionable input for the team
• Help spot breakout startups in the cohort early: usage signals, growth traction, referral potential
• Coordinate handoffs with Sales for high-potential startups approaching graduation from the credits tier
• Work with Marketing on ecosystem-facing content, founder spotlights, and program announcements
• Surface product friction and developer experience gaps to DevRel and Product through founder feedback loops

Benefits

• Healthcare for family, including dental and vision
• Competitive compensation and 401K
• RSU grants for full-time employees
• ESPP program
• Flexible vacation policy
• Maternity & paternity leave
• MacBook Pro to use for work, plus a generous stipend to personalize your workstation
• Childcare bonus (human children only)
• Fertility treatment and support
• Learning & development program
• Commuter benefits
• Culture that supports a healthy work-life balance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees