Hiring for your startup
Between establishing product-market fit, winning over your first customers and raising funding, the early days of building a startup are fraught with challenges. But once you move into the growth phase, there’s a whole new set of hurdles to overcome.
Inevitably, there will come a point when the founding team can no longer manage everything alone. And as the business races to keep up with demand, hiring can become critical fast.
Often, founders are doing this for the first time, under pressure, facing fierce competition for talent.
And the stakes are high. Get it wrong, and there’s the financial cost of going back to the drawing board, not to mention a slowdown in momentum, a distraction from growth operations, and a hit to team morale.
What to look for in your executives
Early startup hires should plug skills gaps for the founders. However, there also has to be cultural and values alignment.
In a fast-paced environment, employees often have to be adaptable under pressure and willing to muck in on tasks outside their remit. It also helps if team members connect on a personal level, and share a passion for the problem they’re solving.
Leigh Jasper, founder of construction-tech giant Aconex, has said he looked for intelligence, problem-solving skills, humility and curiosity in early hires.
“Of course, we looked for smart people,” he said.
“But I look for those that are smart and decent. Someone that you’d be happy to be stuck in an airport with.”
Designing a hiring strategy that supports growth
Jasper also makes the case for thinking ahead; anticipating when you’ll need to increase headcount, and leaving plenty of time for the process. Hiring in a panic increases the chance of getting it wrong, he said.
Building a structured hiring strategy early can reduce this risk. Identify the gaps that need filling and the key attributes you’re looking for in each new role, and build a consistent interview process for prospective candidates.
As Justin Angsuwat, HR expert and chief people officer at Culture Amp, explains in this article, for founders inexperienced in hiring, a pre-defined structure allows for equitable comparison of candidates. At this stage, it can be easy to focus on the wrong things, he says.
“We either have a long list of criteria for stuff that isn’t super important, we over-anchor on extroverted attributes or domain expertise as the most important thing to look for, or we don’t even know what ‘good’ looks like.”
Founder-led or executive-led? Managing the shift
Building a company from scratch requires a certain set of skills and a particular expertise.
Leading a company through a growth phase requires something a bit different. And, while some founders are comfortable and skilled at both, others might prefer to step away from the day-to-day leadership responsibilities, feeling the CEO role isn’t suited to them anymore.
Bringing in an experienced CEO can free up founders to focus on their areas of expertise, while giving the business the best chance of ongoing success.
A smooth transition, here, should clearly define the ongoing role of the founder, and ensure cultural, values and mission alignment in whoever is stepping into the CEO role.
Openness and respect are crucial here; respect for the deep expertise and learnings of the founder, for the skills the new leadership brings, and for the employees navigating the transition.
A change in leadership is a huge milestone for any business. But it can represent a genuinely positive step for all individuals involved, as well as the business.
In 2025, Laura Henshaw, co-founder of wellness startup Kic, announced she would be stepping down as CEO of the startup, as it gears up for further growth. In a LinkedIn post, she named long-time advisor Jane Martino as the new head of the company.
This move appears to have been a smooth and natural extension of an informal partnership, and a matching of values and culture, while also bringing in an experienced hand to manage the next phase of growth.
Support for building a strong team
If you’re hiring for the first time, Angsuwat recommends leaning on your networks, asking other founders what they value in various roles, and what has worked for them. Once your networks know you’re hiring, they might even send trusted talent your way.
Founder Education programs can also offer guidance here. LaunchVic’s Basecamp program is designed to help founders attract quality executives and build high-performing teams, as they prepare to scale.
For founders further on in the journey, our 30X30 coaching program is designed to pressure-test and strengthen leadership teams, helping them solve critical challenges as they scale, while also connecting them to other startups in similar positions.