Launching early-stage,
VC-backed startups

We partner with Seed -> Series B founders to hire their first real leaders across Engineering, Marketing, GTM, and Finance.

The best companies don’t win by hiring more people. They win by hiring the right people.

The best companies don’t win by hiring more people. They win by hiring the right people.

Sam Altman, OpenAI

Launchd

who we've partnered with


  • Felicis

We work the way founders work

Clear scope, direct calibration, and tight feedback loops.  We align on what the startup actually needs, not just the job description, and run a focused search with weekly updates and zero noise. 

Senior ML Engineer

Ideal Profile

  • System architecture ownership exp.

    Essential

  • Designed scalable data pipelines

    Essential

  • Production-level code quality

    Essential

  • Stakeholder communication exp.

    Ideal

  • Only corporate/enterprisey exp.

    Not a match

Senior ML Engineer

Ideal Profile

  • System architecture ownership exp.

    Essential

  • Designed scalable data pipelines

    Essential

  • Production-level code quality

    Essential

  • Stakeholder communication exp.

    Ideal

  • Only corporate/enterprisey exp.

    Not a match

Senior ML Engineer

Ideal Profile

  • System architecture ownership exp.

    Essential

  • Designed scalable data pipelines

    Essential

  • Production-level code quality

    Essential

  • Stakeholder communication exp.

    Ideal

  • Only corporate/enterprisey exp.

    Not a match

Founder Level Calibration

Before we start, we pressure test the role.  What does “great” actually look like at your stage?  What will this person own in 12 months?  How will your board evaluate the hire? We align on the bar, and remove ambiguity before the search begins.

Network Sourcing

We source from the hidden market - elite engineers, builders, and ex-founders who never apply to jobs. Our network-driven sourcing gives you access to talent your competitors will never see.

Searching network…

LinkedIn & Socials

VC Talent Networks

Events & Meetups

GitHub Contributors

University & Lab Alumni

Research Communities

ArXiv authors

Searching network…

LinkedIn & Socials

VC Talent Networks

Events & Meetups

GitHub Contributors

University & Lab Alumni

Research Communities

ArXiv authors

Candidate Matching…

LinkedIn

IT services

Founders

Screened

Submitted

Interviewing

Candidate Matching…

LinkedIn

IT services

Founders

Screened

Submitted

Interviewing

Candidate Matching…

LinkedIn

IT services

Founders

Screened

Submitted

Interviewing

Candidate Matching

We screen and match candidates for the attributes that matter in early-stage startups: adaptability, autonomy, senior-level execution, and deep technical skill. Only candidates aligned with your bar move forward.

Search Ownership

We run the search so you can run the company. Scheduling, feedback loops, compensation calibration, close strategy. You focus on evaluation, we handle everything else.

David Graham

ML Engineer

Interview Loop

Next Interview

Mon 15th Dec

Schedule

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

Recruiter Screen

10:00 am to 11:30 am

Technical Assessment

11:30 am to 1:00 pm

David Graham

ML Engineer

Interview Loop

Next Interview

Mon 15th Dec

Schedule

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

Recruiter Screen

10:00 am to 11:30 am

Technical Assessment

11:30 am to 1:00 pm

David Graham

ML Engineer

Interview Loop

Next Interview

Mon 15th Dec

Schedule

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

Recruiter Screen

10:00 am to 11:30 am

Technical Assessment

11:30 am to 1:00 pm

"The 2 hardest things you’ll have to do when building a startup are recruiting and talking people out of leaving."

"The 2 hardest things you’ll have to do when building a startup are recruiting and talking people out of leaving."

Marc Andreessen, a16z

Bridging the gap between founders, VCs and talent

Why the world's leading founders and VCs are chossing Launchd

Quality product

We focus on the first critical hires that early-stage founders rely on, and we understand the need for the stage your company is at.

Venture-aligned network

Access to operators and talent from a16z, Felicis, and top-tier startup communities gives us unmatched headhunting leveraging

Selected Partners

We take on a limited number of searches per quarter and hone in on our area of expertise - critical startup roles”

Mission-Critical Roles We Hire for Early-Stage Startups

Launchd headhunts senior engineers, leaders, and GTM talent that accelerate product development and startup growth.


Engineering

Engineering


Founding engineers who build, ship, and scale product for venture-backed startups.

Leadership

Leadership


Senior leaders who shape engineering strategy and high-performance teams.

GTM

GTM


Commercial hires who drive revenue, adoption, and early market tracion.

A small team of exceptionally talented people can build something orders of magnitude better than a large team of average people.

A small team of exceptionally talented people can build something orders of magnitude better than a large team of average people.

Elon Musk, X

Get in Touch

Building a team or filling a critical role? Send us a message and we’ll get back to you shortly.