Account Executive, Crypto Vertical

Sardine is building a dedicated go-to-market motion for the crypto vertical. This AE role is the first US seat in that motion, reporting solid-line into our Sales team and dotted-line into the GM, Crypto & Payments.

Your account set is crypto-native: exchanges, wallets, custodians, on/off-ramps, stablecoin issuers, and L1/L2 ecosystems. You will own new business across this segment and carry the primary field presence at conferences where these buyers actually make vendor decisions.

This is a platform displacement role. The dominant competitors in this segment are entrenched point solutions. The deals you close will consolidate fragmented vendor stacks onto Sardine's integrated risk and compliance platform spanning fraud, KYC/KYB, AML/transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, device intelligence, and case management. Regulatory deadlines (MiCA, the GENIUS Act, and similar) are active deal catalysts you will be expected to use. The GM owns vertical strategy, deal structure, and executive relationships. You own pipeline generation, qualification, and close.

What you'll be doing:

• Build and maintain a qualified pipeline across crypto-native account segments. Conference presence is the primary channel. You will be on the floor at Consensus, Token2049, Permissionless, and comparable events, developing relationships that convert to pipeline.
• Run multi-threaded discovery sessions with compliance, risk, legal, and technical buyers simultaneously. Crypto deals rarely close through a single stakeholder.
• Position Sardine as a full-stack compliance and onboarding orchestration platform. You need to credibly speak to AML/TM, KYC/KYB, sanctions, and device intelligence as integrated surfaces, not add-ons.
• Structure and negotiate complex, multi-module platform deals. Work with Solutions Engineering on technical scoping, and with the GM on commercial structure, pricing, and contract terms.
• Use regulatory forcing functions including MiCA, the GENIUS Act, and BCB Resolution 520 as deal urgency where they apply. You need to understand why they matter, not just reference them.
• Feed vertical market intelligence back to the GM and product teams: competitor moves, product gap patterns, deal structure objections.
• Collaborate cross-functionally within Sardine to close deals and provide market feedback from the crypto segment.

What you’ll need:

• 5+ years of B2B SaaS sales experience with at least 2 to 3 years selling into crypto-native companies. Time in fintech without crypto-specific buyer exposure does not substitute.
• A network at the compliance, risk, and product leadership level inside crypto exchanges, custodians, wallets, or stablecoin platforms. This network is a first-round filter, not a nice-to-have.
• Working fluency in AML/TM, KYC/KYB, and sanctions as they apply to crypto. You need to hold a credible conversation with a Chief Compliance Officer or VP of Risk without SE support for the basics.
• Demonstrated ability to run multi-threaded, multi-month sales cycles with multiple internal stakeholders on both sides of the deal.
• Experience structuring and closing platform deals: multi-module, multi-year. Not transactional SaaS subscriptions.
• Willingness to travel to crypto industry conferences and client sites. Travel demand for this role is higher than a standard enterprise AE position.
• Ability to work with a GM who owns deal strategy and an SE team who supports technical scoping. Clear ownership boundary: you own pipeline and close.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and writing skills.
• Proven ability to work across a matrixed, globally distributed organization.