Corporate Development and Ventures Lead

The Team:

Datadog is seeking an extremely talented professional to drive product strategy, source great startups, build a network of VC and Founders, execute acquisitions and venture investments, and help run the “Datadog for Startups” program. You will be a key partner to Datadog’s founders and startup founders and highly visible at the most senior levels of Datadog. The group reports directly to the CEO.

We are looking for an innovative and strategic thinker who is passionate about Datadog and the future of developers and AI. The ideal candidate enjoys driving new product development ideas, likes to “roll up sleeves and get hands dirty”, is hungry for more responsibility, and puts the company’s interests first. Superb communication and a willingness to develop strong negotiation skills are essential. This role includes managing relationships that may be unconventional in nature and have broad implications across Datadog. The team is small and values authentic, strong-willed, technical individuals who think creatively and proactively.

The opportunity:

The ideal candidate will combine their sourcing work — identifying startups, attending meetups, and leveraging a strong founder and VC network — with our internal product roadmaps and insights from product and engineering leaders to identify and assess new market opportunities. They will prioritize initiatives, lead due diligence and valuation analyses, negotiate term sheets and contracts, develop strategic recommendations, and support post-deal integration alongside key leaders.

You will:

• Develop a deep understanding of Datadog’s products and potential new markets for further expansion, especially related to AI
• Identify opportunities for M&A and Datadog Ventures through direct engagement with senior business leaders, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists
• Work closely with senior product and engineering leaders to assess potential acquisitions and investments
• Partner with business and product teams to comprehensively assess expansion opportunities and build internal and external consensus
• Lead all pre-transaction diligence efforts
• Identify value creation opportunities and risks in potential transactions
• Bring transactions over the finish line
• Engage with the startup community, early-stage VCs, and key internal stakeholders to help build the Datadog for Startups program
• Play a critical role in negotiating large, highly-complex partnerships with the major cloud hyperscalers
• Work with cross-functional groups within Datadog, including Product, Operations, Engineering, Legal, Finance, Tax, and Accounting teams

Requirements:

• Demonstrated technical knowledge via either work experience (as a software engineer/product manager/VC/etc.) or through a Computer Science (or equivalent) degree, is required.
• Some experience in financial modeling, forecasting, analysis, and financial reporting.
• Capable of building and maintaining a network of relationships to facilitate deal flow
• Self-starter who excels in technically-demanding, fast-paced, and fluid environments
• Ability to prioritize multiple stakeholders and projects with limited resources

Datadog is a monitoring service for hybrid cloud applications, assisting organizations in improving agility, increasing efficiency, and providing end-to-end visibility across the application and organization. These capabilities are provided on a SaaS-based data analytics platform that enables DevOps and other teams to accelerate go-to-market efforts, ensure application uptime, and successfully complete digital transformation initiatives.