In Austin, where venture capital firms, research institutions, and local government initiatives actively support AI innovation, both emerging startups and established enterprises compete for Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) who combine technical fluency with strong communication and research skills. Partnering with an experienced recruiting agency enables organizations to clearly define their ideal candidate profile and secure top talent with rare skill sets.
SDRs play a critical role in building customer pipelines by researching prospective buyers, qualifying inbound and outbound leads, and delivering personalized outreach through channels such as LinkedIn, email, and cold calling. Across the AI industry, organizations are increasingly shifting away from volume-driven prospecting in favor of highly targeted strategies that ensure strong alignment between buyer needs and solution capabilities.
Many of Austin’s AI startups sell into complex markets such as enterprise infrastructure, cybersecurity, robotics, and applied AI. As a result, these SDRs are often expected to demonstrate a higher level of technical aptitude than their peers in other industries. Top performers leverage this expertise to conduct deeper account research, identify relevant use cases, and tailor outreach to prospects whose business models, tech stacks, and operational challenges align with the solution.
The most effective SDRs pair technical fluency with strong communication and relationship-building abilities. Technical buyers typically expect discovery-led conversations and clarity around how a solution integrates with existing data pipelines, APIs, and cloud infrastructure. In contrast, less technical stakeholders often prefer clear explanations of business outcomes such as cost reduction, reliability, and time to value. SDRs who can adapt their messaging across these audiences are best positioned to facilitate productive conversations that secure acquisition and retention efforts.
Below are the top ten recruiting agencies for SDRs in AI in Austin. These firms learn about the required technical proficiency, industry and buyer persona experience, and the specific personality traits that your company wants in its new hires. By leveraging extensive talent networks and specialized market expertise, these firms help AI organizations build high-performing sales teams that accelerate revenue growth.
1. Betts Recruiting
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Austin, Betts Recruiting is North America’s leading talent partner for scaling tech companies in need of top go-to-market (GTM) professionals. The firm has combined niche expertise with a tech-enabled approach to place high-performing sales development representatives (SDRs) at numerous AI organizations operating in Austin, including Zendesk, AlertMedia, and Yotpo.
Betts’ proprietary sourcing platform, Betts Connect, enables recruiters and hiring managers to filter through tens of thousands of GTM candidates to quickly identify professionals who meet precise criteria. The platform helped Zendesk, a customer service platform provider, dramatically reduce sourcing time from twenty hours per hire using LinkedIn Recruiter to just one hour per hire through Betts Connect. With interview rates around 40%, the company was ultimately positioned to hire 50 sales representatives that year.
Recruiters leverage Betts Connect during traditional search engagements to improve sourcing efficiency and accuracy. The platform is also available through the firm’s subscription-based Recruitment as a Service (RaaS) model, which allows unlimited hires for an annual fee and includes dedicated recruiter support alongside self-sourcing access.
Betts pairs its strong Austin presence with deep industry expertise to provide consultative guidance on scaling revenue-generating teams, building enterprise-ready GTM organizations, and accessing talent beyond traditional networks. Its forward-looking approach to hiring in the age of AI makes it a valuable partner for companies seeking candidates who are aligned with your long-term growth goals.
2. Franklin Fitch
Founded in 2011, Franklin Fitch is a leading specialist in IT infrastructure recruitment, with its U.S. headquarters in Austin and additional offices in London, Cardiff, and Frankfurt. The firm partners with early- and growth-stage companies to place go-to-market, network, cloud, data, DevOps, security, and IT talent.
Franklin Fitch is a strong partner for organizations seeking technically fluent SDRs, especially across domains such as AI, DeepTech, cybersecurity, and FinTech. Recruiters take a consultative approach, seeking to understand your company’s short- and long-term hiring needs, internal culture, and ideal candidate profile to conduct targeted market mapping and competitor analysis.
3. 3Search
Founded in 2014, 3Search recruits GTM candidates for high-growth organizations across the U.S. and U.K., with expertise spanning domains like AI, enterprise software, FinTech, HealthTech, and SaaS. The firm recently expanded its U.S. presence with the launch of an Austin office, complementing its established locations in New York City, London, and Manchester.
3Search applies its proprietary “Advise, Attract, Develop” model to each partnership, combining personalized consultation, strategic role positioning, and continuous upskilling support. Recruiters focus on defined skill sets, industries, or seniority levels to deliver specialized guidance.
4. Pursuit
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Dallas, Pursuit exclusively recruits sales and marketing talent for tech and medical organizations, with particular expertise in SDR hiring. The firm emphasizes long-term relationship building and actively promotes your company’s role and vision to attract top candidates.
Pursuit delivers a personalized hiring process designed to be repeatable and scalable as teams grow. The firm is well-suited for organizations committed to building teams of high-performing, culturally-aligned sales teams rather than merely filling open roles.
5. Treeline Inc.
Treeline Inc. has specialized exclusively in sales recruiting since 2001. The firm offers a range of recruiting solutions to accommodate varying budgets and leverages its proprietary talent platform to enable efficient sourcing across each engagement model.
The Treeline Talent Tracking System is an employer-centric sourcing platform that streamlines candidate evaluation and communication. The self-sourcing model, which allows unlimited hires during a fixed thirty-day period, is ideal for companies experiencing short-term hiring surges.
The platform features comprehensive profiles of more than 200,000 sales candidates, along with recruiter summaries and detailed insights into prior experience, sales approach, quota attainment, average deal size, and sales cycle length.
6. QC Growth
Founded in 2023, QC Growth provides sales-focused recruiting, consulting, and coaching services for Seed to Series A startups across AI, SaaS, developer tools, and open source. The firm applies a hands-on approach to help organizations build their first sales teams and drive sustained revenue growth.
QC Growth leverages a network of candidates with experience selling in early-stage environments to match you with adaptable, coachable talent. The firm also supports clients in refining job descriptions, interview processes, and offer strategy to ensure long-term hiring success.
7. Rocket
Rocket has partnered exclusively with startups since 2017 to place go-to-market, product, operations, and engineering talent. While the firm’s primary recruiting hubs are New York City, San Francisco, and Toronto, it leverages a specific screening process to identify high-quality remote candidates across North America, including Austin.
Recruiters evaluate each remote candidate’s technical aptitude, self-direction, written communication skills, documentation practices, and ability to navigate ambiguity. The firm applies a consultative approach to contextualize each candidate’s experience to align with the client’s specific hiring needs.
8. Aldebaran Recruiting
Aldebaran Recruiting has placed sales, marketing, and public relations talent across the technology, e-commerce, retail, and life sciences industries since 2001.
The firm has an office in Austin and emphasizes a quality-driven headhunting approach when sourcing passive candidates. Recruiters narrow each search to five to ten highly targeted prospects whose skills, experience, personality, and values meet your requirements.
9. Robert Walters
Founded in 1985, Robert Walters is a premier, full-service recruitment consultancy with offices in 30 countries. The firm operates a specialized recruiting team that partners with VC-backed technology startups in the Austin area.
Recruiters leverage data-driven insights into industry trends, salary benchmarks, and talent availability to inform each search. They also conduct comprehensive screening processes, evaluating candidates through behavioral and situational interviews, skills assessments, and reference checks.
10. Scion Staffing
Founded in 2006, Scion Staffing is an executive search, direct-hire, and temporary staffing agency with offices across the U.S., including Austin. The firm combines rigorous screening processes, deep market expertise, and a technology-focused recruiting division to support local tech companies.
Recruiters assess each candidate’s technical sales acumen, communication skills, relationship-building capabilities, and culture alignment through interviews, assessments, and reference checks. Scion Technology, a specialized subdivision of Scion Staffing, provides access to a specialized talent pipeline within the AI sector, strengthening the firm’s ability to deliver technical SDRs.
Compensation Trends for SDRs in AI in Austin
Austin-based SDRs earn average base salaries and on-target earnings (OTE) comparable to their peers nationwide. However, their OTE potential tends to be lower than that of SDRs in other U.S. time zones.
| NY / SF | Pacific | Mountain | Central | Eastern | Remote | |
| Base | OTE | Base | OTE | Base | OTE | Base | OTE | Base | OTE | Base | OTE | |
| SDR (Recent Grad) | $50-$70K | $80-$90K | $55-$70K | $80-$90K | $55-$70K | $70-$85K | $55-$70K | $70-$85K | $55-$65K | $75-$90K | $50-$70K | $70-$95K |
| SDR (6 Months+) | $60-$80K | $80-$100K | $60-$75K | $85-$100K | $60-$70K | $85-$100K | $60-$75K | $80-$100K | $65-$80K | $85-$100K | $60-$80K | $85-$100K |
For deeper insights into the market trends influencing these ranges, explore our annual Compensation, Enterprise Compensation, and Executive Compensation guides. Our proprietary Comp Engine also provides up-to-date salary benchmarking for all GTM roles based on real placements made in the past six months.