Business Development Lead, Japan

About the Company:

World is building a real human network designed to accelerate people in the age of AI. As bots and autonomous agents reshape the internet, people, institutions, and applications need a trusted way to confirm who is a real human while preserving privacy. Our products make this possible: the Orb verifies real people, World ID proves it privately, and World App enables and distributes the new applications made possible by this technology. Together, they form a new layer for AI internet.

We’re one of the fastest-growing networks in tech. More than 17 million people across 160 countries have verified with World ID, and we complete over 350,000 verifications each week. World App is already among the most used wallets globally. Developers are integrating World ID to build safer online experiences and create spaces where real people can participate, earn, and be recognized in ways AI simply can’t replicate.

World was founded in 2019 and launched globally in 2023. We are more than 400 people across hardware, software, AI, cryptography, mobile engineering, and global operations. Our teams come from OpenAI, Tesla, SpaceX, Apple, Google, Stripe, Meta, Coinbase, Palantir and MIT Media Lab. We’re backed by leading investors, including a16z, Khosla Ventures, Bain Capital Crypto, Blockchain Capital, Variant, Tiger Global, and Coinbase Ventures, as well as prominent operators and founders across fintech and AI.

World has been featured on the cover of TIME Magazine, highlighted in Fast Company’s Next 5 in Fintech, and explored in a Bloomberg deep dive. The New York Times, Bankless and TechCrunch have all recognized our progress in identity, cryptography, AI, and global-scale hardware deployment. Our leadership is also named to the Time AI 100.

We are looking for an entrepreneurial, execution-focused Business Development Lead to drive the growth of our commercial efforts in Japan. This person will play a key role in two go-to-market initiatives — Orbs for All (merchant-hosted Orb deployments) and World ID Rewards (merchant-sponsored offers and loyalty campaigns for verified users).

The ideal candidate combines enterprise sales expertise, negotiation skills, and startup agility. You’ll be directly responsible for securing partnerships with supermarkets, shopping malls, vending machine networks, and other large operators, while leading a lean contractor-based sales team. This is a foundational role in one of World’s most strategic markets, offering the opportunity to shape how Japan experiences and adopts our protocol.

• Own the end-to-end sales funnel in Japan, from enterprise prospecting to closing and activation.

• Secure device placement across high-traffic networks such as supermarkets, malls, vending operators, and kiosks.

• Build and execute local go-to-market strategies that align with Market Ops milestones.

• Use market insights and performance data to refine targeting, incentives, and campaign strategy.

• Recruit, onboard, and manage a field-based sales team (initially contractor-based).

• Define training, targets, and incentives to drive acquisition and activation.

• Foster a culture of resilience, accountability, and transparency.

• Own key enterprise relationships, including anchor accounts and national chains.

• Lead complex negotiations with landlords and operators, including rental fee structures.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Device, Logistics, and Market Ops to localize execution.

• Track and report KPIs such as Orb installations, partner count, and reward redemptions.

• Ensure compliance with local legal and policy standards.

• Implement scalable systems for partner support and performance monitoring.

• 7+ years in sales, business development, or enterprise account management, ideally in tech, retail, payments, or vending/kiosk industries.

• Proven track record of securing and negotiating location-based partnerships (e.g. ATMs, vending machines, photobooths, or charging stations).

• Strong negotiation and relationship management skills.

• Experience building and leading high-performing sales teams, including contractors.

• Comfort working in fast-moving, ambiguous startup environments.

• Fluent Japanese and strong business-level English (English is secondary but required for cross-border collaboration).

• Mission-aligned, curious about privacy-preserving identity and decentralized systems.

Nice to Have:

• Experience scaling merchant networks or channel partnerships.

• Familiarity with Web3, rewards/loyalty platforms, or identity systems.

• Knowledge of Japanese consumer behavior, retail, or regulatory environments.