You are hiring for impact, not headcount. Whether you need one critical hire or you are scaling a full team, we help founders and lean talent leaders fill high leverage roles without dragging the process out for months. Expect fast calibration, weekly check ins, and a curated shortlist built around clear outcomes for the role.
Our Services
How We Help You Hire
Three engagement models designed to match your stage, urgency, and hiring volume.
Contingency Search
A success based search for a specific role. We run the search and you pay only when you hire.
Best for
- One off hires
- Teams that want flexibility
- Searches where timing is important but not mission critical urgent
Retained Search
A dedicated search engagement with upfront commitment. We prioritize your role and run an end to end process until it is filled.
Best for
- Leadership and highly specialized roles
- Mission critical hires where you want maximum focus
- Teams that want a committed partner from kickoff through close
Embedded Recruiting
A recruiter embedded into your team on a contract basis. You get ongoing recruiting capacity and support across multiple roles.
Best for
- Scaling teams with multiple open roles
- Founders who want an internal style recruiting partner
- Teams that need consistent throughput month over month
Our Process
How Engagements Work
A simple, high clarity process that keeps momentum from kickoff to signed offer.
Kickoff and Calibration
Align fast so everyone hires to the same bar.
- Define role outcomes and success metrics
- Align on compensation range and expectations
- Build interview plan and scorecard
- Review 3 live candidate examples together
- Lock must haves before sourcing begins
Targeting and Outreach
Launch focused outreach with speed and precision.
- Build detailed target profile
- Leverage a16z talent network
- Leverage LinkedIn Recruiter and AI sourcing tools - JuiceboxGPT
- Expand into broader market for passive talent
- Share weekly progress and adjust fast
Screening and Shortlist
Send fewer, stronger candidates.
- Align on key interview questions first
- Run structured screens against real criteria
- Evaluate strengths, gaps, and role fit
- Deliver curated slate, not volume
- Prioritize highest fit matches
Offer and Close
Close with momentum and clarity.
- Manage offer strategy and positioning
- Keep candidates warm throughout process
- Support negotiation and acceptance
- Align on start date and onboarding
Post Hire Integration and Retention Check Ins
Support beyond the signed offer.
- 30 day alignment check with manager and hire
- Confirm onboarding progress and expectations
- 60 day impact and retention review
- Identify early risk signals
- Stay involved if adjustments are needed
No black box. Weekly updates, fast feedback loops, and a process designed to keep momentum.
What We Cover
Roles Across Every Function
From individual contributors to C-suite executives, we recruit across the functions that drive startup growth.
Product
Design
Marketing
Sales
Operations
People / HR
Seniority range: IC through C-suite. If it helps a startup scale, we've placed it.
Why Founders Connect
What Makes Us Different
We're operators turned recruiters. Here's what that means for you.
Startup Native Recruiters
We are recruiters who have worked inside early stage startups. We know what good looks like at pre seed through Series D because we have hired, built teams, and lived the trade offs firsthand.
Speed Without Shortcuts
First shortlist in as little as 5 business days. We move fast because our outreach is focused, our network is deep, and our screens are structured to surface real signal early.
Culture Plus Performance Fit
We screen for working style, values alignment, and the behaviors that drive results in your environment. Better fit means stronger execution and higher retention.
Transparent Pricing
Clear fee structure upfront based on your hiring needs, whether it is one hire, a critical search, or scaling volume. No surprises, just predictable costs and a straightforward engagement.