The questions every founder asks
before the first call

Every engagement we take on is executed using a retained search methodology — deep discovery, market mapping, and targeted outreach to passive, high-impact talent. That means we build a complete picture of the market before we present a single candidate. The difference is incentive alignment: clients do not pay until the right hire is successfully delivered. You get the depth and discipline of a retained firm with the accountability of an outcome-aligned fee structure. It's the model we believe executive search should have always been built on.

We do not spray resumes or run volume recruiting. Every search is deliberate, confidential, and outcome-driven — led directly at the senior level. Traditional firms often front-load fees and hand off execution to junior associates. We do neither. Our process is built around market intelligence, not activity metrics. We don't measure success by how many candidates we surface. We measure it by whether the right leader ends up in the seat — and stays there.

All engagements are led directly by senior leadership and are never handed off to junior recruiters. From the first discovery call through offer negotiation and close, you work with the same person who mapped the market, evaluated the candidates, and built the shortlist. This ensures continuity, accountability, and a level of candidate insight that's impossible to get secondhand.

The firm is intentionally lean. While work is led directly by me, I have a senior consulting recruiting bench that I bring in as needed for larger or parallel team build-outs. Everyone on that bench has worked directly for me at executive search firms I previously built and scaled. They know our methodology, our standards, and our expectations — because they helped shape them. You'll never encounter a junior recruiter or an outsourced researcher on any engagement.

Fees are earned upon successful delivery — meaning you do not pay until the right candidate has accepted and started. For select engagements, we also structure hybrid or equity-aligned models tied to long-term value creation. This is particularly relevant for early-stage companies where cash conservation matters and where the impact of the hire extends well beyond the first year. We're happy to walk through the specifics on a call — fee structures are always transparent and agreed upon before any work begins.

Most searches reach a signed offer within 45 days. Timelines depend on the complexity of the role, the depth of the talent market, and the level of confidentiality required. Some executive-level searches close faster when the market is well-defined. Others — particularly in emerging technology sectors or highly confidential situations — may require a longer runway. We move with urgency without cutting corners, and we'll give you an honest timeline estimate before we start.

We start with a deep intake session — understanding the role, the business context, the team dynamics, the culture, and the specific outcomes the hire needs to deliver. By the end of the first week, we've built the initial market map, identified the primary sourcing channels, and begun confidential outreach to the highest-priority targets. You'll have a clear picture of our strategy, the landscape, and what to expect before we ever present a candidate.

We stand behind every placement. If a hire doesn't work within an agreed-upon guarantee period, we reopen the search at no additional cost. That said, our 93% retention rate at 24 months reflects the rigor and depth we apply on the front end. We'd rather take an extra week to get it right than risk a placement that doesn't last.

As involved as you want to be. Some clients want weekly updates, shortlist reviews, and collaborative candidate debrief sessions. Others prefer that we run the entire process end to end and come back with finalists ready for a final interview. We adapt to how your team operates and how much bandwidth you have. Either way, you'll always know exactly where things stand.

We support executive leadership placements, P&L leaders, Board and advisory roles, senior technical leaders, and full organizational build-outs. That includes CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CTOs, GMs, and VPs across Engineering, Product, Operations, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain—along with CROs/CCOs, VP Sales, and VP/Head of Global Sales. We also build high-impact advisory boards that help founders navigate key inflection points and accelerate credibility and execution as they scale from early-stage to enterprise markets.Every search is run with the same methodology and rigor, regardless of level. There is no “light” version of our process.

Yes—primarily venture-backed and growth-stage technology companies across multiple sectors. Our work spans energy and climate (including fusion), batteries, advanced hardware and semiconductors, quantum computing, warehouse robotics and automation, AI and cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, proptech and legaltech, regulated and public-safety/law-enforcement technologies, and AI-enabled medical devices. This breadth isn’t a lack of focus—it reflects long-term partnerships with founders and investors across technology cycles. We go where the inflection points are, and we bring pattern recognition from building teams across sectors that most firms rarely reach.

Yes. We frequently design and execute full team build-outs — not just filling individual roles, but helping define the organizational structure, sequencing leadership hires in the right order, and running parallel searches across engineering, product, operations, and manufacturing. We do this both domestically and internationally. This is where our experience as operators — not just recruiters — makes the biggest difference. We understand how teams need to be built because we've been on the inside of companies doing it.

Most often at inflection points where hiring decisions directly affect valuation, credibility, and execution. That includes companies preparing for or closing a funding round, scaling from product-market fit into growth, launching manufacturing or hardware programs, navigating a leadership transition, or restructuring an executive team ahead of an acquisition or IPO. If the hire matters to the outcome of the company — that's when we get the call.

We work across the full company lifecycle — from Series A companies making their first senior leadership hire to pre-IPO and public companies restructuring entire executive teams. Stage matters less than stakes. If the hire is critical to what happens next, we're the right partner regardless of where the company is in its journey.

Yes — and we frequently do. Before a search begins, we often help clients define the role itself, including scope, title, reporting structure, compensation benchmarking, and how the hire fits the broader organizational roadmap. This is especially valuable for founders making their first VP- or C-level hire, or for companies entering a new phase where the leadership needs look different from what came before.

Regularly. VC and PE firms engage us to support portfolio companies with critical leadership needs — whether it's placing a CEO into a new investment, building out a technical team post-acquisition, or providing talent diligence ahead of a deal. We understand what investors are looking for in a leadership team because we've been on both sides of that conversation for two decades.

Yes. We've executed searches across North America, Europe, and Asia — particularly for companies scaling manufacturing operations, opening international offices, or building distributed technical teams. Our approach adapts to local markets while maintaining the same rigor and methodology we apply domestically.

Yes. Much of our work is confidential and long-term in nature. Client names, references, and representative engagements are shared selectively and often under NDA. We're experienced in managing searches that involve leadership transitions, pre-announcement hires, stealth-mode companies, and other situations where discretion is non-negotiable.

That's completely fine — and more common than you'd think. Some of our strongest client relationships started as informal conversations months before a formal engagement began. We're happy to talk through where you are, what the right timing looks like, and what you should be thinking about before you pull the trigger. No commitment, no pressure. When you're ready, we'll be ready.