Speaker Acquisition Specialist

The people on an Inc42 stage define the quality of the room.

From marquee summits and invite-only retreats to closed-door roundtables, executive programmes and courses, we bring together some of the most influential founders, investors, business leaders and emerging voices shaping India’s startup economy.We’re looking for a Speaker Acquisition Specialist to help build that network.

You will own the speaker pipeline end-to-end: identifying the right people, researching and curating them for different Inc42 properties, crafting outreach that gets responses, building relationships, and taking conversations from the first message to a confirmed participation.This is not just an event coordination role. Your job is to continuously expand Inc42’s access to the people shaping India’s startup and business ecosystem.

If you can spot the right voice before everyone else does and turn a cold LinkedIn message into a confirmed speaker, we want to hear from you.

About Inc42 MediaInc42 is India’s #1 startup media & intelligence platform, informing, educating and empowering startup and business leaders through incisive journalism, market intelligence, research, curated events, communities and executive programmes.Since 2015, Inc42 has grown into one of the most authoritative voices on India’s startup economy. We have broken stories around some of the ecosystem’s largest transactions, tracked the evolution of India’s fastest-growing startups and industries, and built platforms that bring together the country’s leading founders, investors and business leaders.Our reporting has been cited and followed by publications including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters and TechCrunch. Through our intelligence platform, we track 10,000+ startups, publish in-depth industry research, and organise some of India’s most sought-after gatherings for startup and business leaders.

The Inc42 Impact50 Mn+ people reached every month55,000+ stories published150+ events organised100+ research reports launched500+ startup applications received every month350+ brands worked with

What You’ll OwnSpeaker Research & CurationEvery Inc42 property needs a different room and therefore a different stakeholders as speakers.You will:Understand the audience, format and objective of each Inc42 property before building its speaker universeResearch and curate highly relevant founders, investors, CXOs, industry leaders, experts and emerging voicesBuild speaker shortlists based on relevance, credibility, expertise, seniority and fit for the conversationGo beyond obvious names to identify rising leaders and perspectives that can make a session genuinely valuableKeep a strong pulse on startups, technology, business and emerging industry trends to know who Inc42 should be speaking to next

Outreach & Speaker AcquisitionGetting the right person into the room often starts with one great message.You will:Craft sharp, personalised invitations across email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and other outreach channelsBuild and execute outreach strategies for different speakers and Inc42 propertiesDrive conversations from initial outreach through follow-ups, negotiations and final confirmationFind creative routes to reach difficult-to-access founders and leadersMaintain strong follow-up discipline without making outreach feel transactionalOwn speaker acquisition targets and pipelines across multiple events simultaneously

Speaker Relationships & ExperienceA confirmed speaker should become part of Inc42’s network, not disappear after one event.You will:Act as the primary relationship owner for speakers from first contact through post-event engagementBuild long-term relationships with founders, CXOs, investors, communications teams and key ecosystem stakeholdersUnderstand speaker interests, areas of expertise and preferred formats to identify future opportunitiesEnsure every interaction with Inc42 feels thoughtful, organised and seamlessCoordinate speaker requirements including profiles, photographs, briefing notes, calendar blocks and pre-event callsWork closely with content, marketing, production and operations teams to ensure smooth execution

Speaker Intelligence & DatabaseYou will help build one of Inc42’s most valuable internal assets i.e. its network.You will:Build and maintain a structured, continuously evolving speaker databaseCategorise contacts by company, sector, expertise, designation, location, seniority, relationship strength and relevanceTrack outreach history, participation, preferences and relationship contextContinuously add new founders, leaders, brands and emerging voices to the pipelineEnsure the database remains accurate, searchable and genuinely useful across Inc42 teams

Tools You’ll Work WithYou should be comfortable using or quickly learning:Google Workspace: Docs, Sheets, Slides and CalendarCRM and database tools: Airtable, Notion, HubSpot or similarLinkedIn and LinkedIn Sales Navigator for research, prospecting and outreachEmail and outreach platforms: Gmail, Mailchimp or similarScheduling tools: Google Calendar, Calendly or similarVirtual meeting/event platforms: Zoom, Google Meet, StreamYard or similar

What We’re Looking For3–5 years of experience in speaker acquisition, events, media, partnerships, community, public relations or a similar roleA degree in Journalism, Mass Communication, English, Marketing, Business or a related fieldExcellent written and verbal communication — particularly the ability to write outreach that feels personal, sharp and persuasiveStrong research instincts and the ability to quickly understand companies, industries and peopleA genuine interest in India’s startup, technology and business ecosystemStrong interpersonal skills and confidence interacting with founders, CXOs and senior industry leadersExcellent organisation and follow-through across multiple simultaneous conversationsThe ability to work independently, move quickly and operate comfortably with changing prioritiesStrong judgement around who matters, who fits, how to approach them and when to follow upPersistence without being pushy — you know when to follow up, when to change the approach and when to find another route inA proactive mindset: you spot gaps, anticipate problems and solve them before they become bottlenecks

You’ll Probably Thrive Here IfYou’re naturally curious about who is building what, who is becoming influential, and who everyone will be talking about six months from now.You enjoy building relationships, you’re comfortable opening doors that aren’t already open, and you get genuine satisfaction from putting the right people in the right room.