Business Development Lead

Business Development Lead – Strategic Partnerships (Venues, Communities and Corporates)
Blithe is hiring a Business Development Lead in Bengaluru to turn leads into signed venues, apartment communities and corporates, and to build the sales team that repeats it.
Role at a Glance
Role: Business Development Lead – Strategic Partnerships
Location: Bengaluru: HSR office and on-ground field visits (in person)
Type: Full time
Experience: 2 to 4 years in B2B or field sales, partnerships or business development
Reports to: The founder
Team: Starts with a sales executive and a Growth + Sales intern; you build the team from there
Travel: Up to 75% on the field across Bengaluru
Languages: English and Hindi; Kannada or Telugu is a plus
Compensation: Base plus performance incentive (see below)
The Opportunity
Blithe (SocialMagic Consulting Pvt Ltd) is a Bengaluru platform where creators, venues and communities host experiences and people discover and book them. We earn when events fill, so a partner counts only once it hosts events and sells tickets.
You will own the conversion side of growth. Lead generators, our founders and inbound enquiries bring in venues (cafes, pubs, breweries, art studios, activity hubs), apartment communities, corporates and colleges. You turn those leads into signed partners who run events on Blithe, and you hand each one to community operations with a first event date.
You start as a player-coach: you close the first deals yourself, in person, across Bengaluru. Within about six months you build and lead the sales team that repeats it. This is a strategic role for someone who wants to build a sales function from zero, working next to the founders.
Key ResponsibilitiesConvert and Close
Take leads from our lead generators, founders and inbound enquiries and move them to signed partners: venues, apartment communities and their resident committees (RWAs), corporates and colleges.
Run face-to-face pitches with owners, floor managers, RWA committees and HR or admin heads; show how hosting Blithe events lifts footfall and revenue.
Structure and negotiate hosting terms. Blithe sells all tickets at partner venues, with no platform fee on venue events.
Take every signing to a dated first event; a signed partner with no event does not count.
Build the Team
Hire, train and coach sales executives and interns; write their scorecards and 30-60-90 day plans with the founders.
Run the weekly rhythm: pipeline review, field days, win and loss notes.
Work with the founders on the incentive plan, and track the sales that drive it.
Pipeline and Reporting
Keep every lead, stage, next step and date in the CRM.
Report weekly: pipeline value against target, win rate and sales cycle; forecast monthly sales and flag risks early.
Partner Handover
Hand each partner to community operations with terms, contacts and a first event plan, and stay accountable until the second event.
Match organizers and creators to venue slots so partner venues fill.
Market and Pitch
Turn field feedback into better decks, scripts and offers every fortnight, and run localized outreach campaigns with the marketing team.
Track competing platforms and the objections venues and corporates raise.
What You BringMust Have
2 to 4 years in B2B sales, field sales, partnerships or business development, with partnership deals you sourced or converted.
A record of beating a target, which you can describe with numbers.
Comfort pitching owners and decision-makers in person, including walk-ins.
Strong negotiation and communication in English and Hindi.
A self-starter's habits: you build from near zero with little supervision and keep every lead in a CRM.
Willingness to be on the field up to 75% of the time across Bengaluru.
Good to Have
Hospitality, events, community or two-sided marketplace experience.
Experience leading or mentoring at least one person.
Kannada or Telugu speaking skills.
Existing relationships with Bengaluru venues, RWAs or corporate HR teams.
How We Measure the Role
Pipeline coverage: At least 3 times next quarter's sales target.
Win rate: 15% by Dec 2026, 20% by Mar 2027.
Sales cycle, first call to deal: 60 days, then 50 days.
Monthly sales: At least ₹1 lakh, rising with the plan toward about ₹8.9 lakh by Mar 2027.
Time from signing to first event: 14 days or less.
Team: Each new hire productive within 60 days.
"Sales" means events at partner venues once their first event is held, plus college, corporate and apartment community events. Tickets sold through creators on the online marketplace do not count.
Compensation Structure
Total Annual Compensation (CTC): ₹4.80 Lakhs – ₹6.00 Lakhs per annum (Base + Monthly Performance Incentives)
Fixed Base Pay: ₹25,000 – ₹30,000 per month (₹3.0L – ₹3.6L per annum)
Performance Incentive: Up to ₹20,000 per month based on sales targets, paid out monthly starting from ₹1 Lakh in sales revenue achieved.
Monthly Earning Potential: Up to ₹50,000 per month (Base + Variable).
Equity & Ownership (ESOPs): Attractive ESOP allocation for top performers after initial 6 months, giving you real equity ownership in Blithe as we scale.
Perks & Field Allowances
Field & Travel Allowance: 100% reimbursement for official field movement and travel across Bengaluru.
Mobile & Data: Monthly cell phone and data plan reimbursement.
Work Culture: Flexible schedule, paid time off (PTO), paid sick leave, and direct founder mentorship working out of startup hubs in HSR Layout and Koramangala.
What You Gain
Founder access: You work side by side with the founders and shape the sales strategy as well as run it.
Ownership: You own the partnerships vertical and build the team behind it, from the first hire.
Network: You build relationships across Bengaluru's hospitality, venue, community and corporate circles.
Growth: A path to a head-of-sales role as the team scales.
Environment: A small ambitious team working from startup hubs in HSR and Koramangala.
How We Hire
Apply with your CV and a short note (about 150 words): one partnership you closed, the steps you took and the numbers.
Screening call (30 minutes) with a founder.
Scenario round (60 minutes) with the founders: a venue conversion case and a corporate case, worked step by step.
Field day: pitch a venue with a founder, or a mock pitch, followed by feedback.
References and offer, usually within two weeks of the first call.

Work arrangement
No