Business Development Lead - Cycles Prime

About Cycles Prime

Cycles Prime is building the neutral clearing layer that interconnects every settlement network in digital‑asset markets. Rather than competing with custody, prime brokerage, or bilateral rails, we sit above them—privately netting exposures across venues so trading firms can unlock trapped liquidity and slash capital usage.

Cycles Prime is a clearing solution for crypto trading firms that helps preserve working capital and reduce reliance on credit lines. It requires no collateral, no asset escrow, and introduces no new counterparties or novation of contracts. Instead, it uses a graph-flow algorithm and advanced privacy technology to identify multilateral obligation cycles that can be netted—privately and provably—without moving cash.

About Cycles 

Cycles Prime is the first go‑to‑market product built on the Cycles protocol, an open clearing protocol reshaping the landscape of payments and credit. It represents a visionary leap in redefining both monetary policy and the foundational structure of payment systems.

By clearing the most debt for the most people with the least amount of money, Cycles enables innovative credit and settlement applications, such as clearing clubs and their extensions. It fosters a risk-reducing environment for stablecoins, lending protocols, decentralized exchanges, mutual credit systems, and more.

Its architecture is built on a TEE-based ZK-rollup, executing a graph flow algorithm over collections of encrypted intents.

About the Role

As our first Business Development Leader, you’ll play a mission-critical role in establishing Cycles Prime as the go-to clearing layer in crypto. You’ll recruit and onboard top-tier trading firms, embed with them during ramp-up, and lead our go-to-market execution as we scale from pilot to open network.

In this role, you will:

• Recruit and onboard consortium members: Source, pitch, and close new trading firms (prime brokers, OTC desks, market-makers, custodians, and exchanges) to join the Cycles Prime network. Your job is to grow the network’s reach, credibility, and clearing volume.
• Be the point person for every integration: Serve as the trusted partner to participating firms as they begin using Cycles Prime in their daily workflows. Understand their pain points, ensure successful onboarding, and build long-term relationships anchored in real usage.
• Operate in the trenches: Work closely with firms as they ramp up, troubleshoot operational issues, and navigate the nuances of adoption. Your responsiveness and problem-solving skills will be key to building trust and driving stickiness.
• Own the go-to-market: Lead the charge from an invitation-only pilot to becoming the de facto standard in multilateral crypto settlement. You’ll help define how Cycles Prime is positioned, priced, and adopted—and set the foundation for future distribution channels built on the Cycles protocol.

This is a hands-on role that blends BD, partnerships, product strategy, and execution—with a clear path to General Manager of the Prime business line as we scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the pipeline – Source, qualify, and close prime brokers, OTC desks, market‑makers, and settlement venues for the Cycles Prime network.
• Lead the pilot – Coordinate onboarding, manage daily ops, and convert pilot users into long‑term partners.
• Shape the product – Translate market feedback into product requirements; work hand‑in‑hand with engineering to refine UX, APIs, and reporting.
• Craft commercial models – Structure pricing, fee schedules, and partnership terms that align incentives across the network.
• Tell the story – Build collateral, speak at industry forums, and position Cycles Prime as the clearing layer of choice for digital‑asset trading.
• Measure & iterate – Own KPIs across adoption, volume cleared, and revenue; use data to drive continuous improvement.

What we look for in a successful BD Lead:

• 3+ years in business development, sales, or partnerships at a prime broker, OTC desk, market‑maker, or institutional exchange (crypto or TradFi).
• Deep understanding of clearing & settlement workflows, capital efficiency, and credit risk management in trading environments.
• Rolodex of contacts across trading firms, liquidity providers, and prime services.
• Track record of sourcing and closing complex, multi‑stakeholder deals.
• Product intuition—you can translate messy market feedback into crisp PRDs.
• Startup mentality: bias for action, comfort with ambiguity, and ownership mindset.
• Excellent written & verbal communication; able to influence C‑suite and technical teams alike.

What sets us apart

Cycles is a spin-out from Informal Systems, offering the chance to join a startup backed by an experienced team and seasoned investors. Informal Systems fosters a strong, collaborative, remote-first culture that prioritizes results, innovation, and ownership. The Cycles team brings deep expertise in economics, product development, and software engineering, while the broader company has extensive theoretical and practical experience in distributed systems.

Some of our benefits include:

• A unique, caring and friendly culture (learn more about how we work here)
• 25 days (5 weeks) of paid vacation annually, plus 3 Spiritual Days
• Company closure from December 25th to January 1
• Annual Lifestyle benefits (reimbursements for gym memberships, fitness equipment, etc)
• A remote-first, flexible work environment
• A home-office stipend to set you up for success
• Annual company retreats
• Paid parental leave
• ….. and many more!

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity in our organization. We are committed to equal employment opportunities and encourage applications from people of all race, religion, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.