Candidate: “I’d love to work in a fast-moving startup.” 🚀 Also candidate: 🤷♂️ Doesn’t want ambiguity. 🤷♂️ Doesn’t want hybrid, let alone onsite. 🤷♂️ Doesn’t want to do a tech test. 🤷♂️ Doesn't value equity. 🤷♂️ Oh, and wants $100k more than market. At that point, it’s not a hiring process, it's hunting for purple squirrels! 🐿 Here’s the thing: early-stage companies can’t give you everything. But they can give you one thing that corporates can’t - impact. Your fingerprints on the product. Your decisions in production. Your code in front of users. That’s the trade-off. That’s the value. Engineers, would you take a little less comp for more impact? Or does the pay always come first?

𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆? Let’s be real. Your résumé shows your skills. Your social media shows you. In India, the USA, UAE, or the Philippines — Employers check both before they hire. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗳𝘆 — We verify your credentials and your online reputation. Because in today’s world, it’s not just about what’s on paper. It’s about who you are — online and offline. Quinfy. Hiring with trust, everywhere. 🌍

'You can't hire a co-founder, you partner with one.' This phrase is obvious for co-founders but I’ve been thinking that it needs to be expanded to the entire founding team of a startup. I got a WhatApp from a founder based in Europe who I've known for years. He's starting a new AI company and wants to move to San Francisco for one reason: to hire a team. The thing is, it's tough to hire the best founding team members, especially in SF. Instead, you need to attract them. These aren't just employees filling a role, they are the earliest partners in a mission. They are taking on immense risk for pay-cuts and betting their careers on a vision that is still just a glimmer. Plus they have endless choices if they really that good. So here's how I'd approach building a core team: 💥 Find people with a strong shared belief, ones who are so bought into the mission that they'd do it for free (but you'll still pay them 😻) Their belief is the most important currency you have as a founder building a team. 💥 A toll-taking attitude. These are people who don't just want a seat at the table, they're willing to take on the toll of the journey. They understand that the job description is a loose guideline and that they'll be asked to do things no one else can or will. This actually excites and motivates them. 💥 The ability to fight well. Conflict is inevitable. The right team members are those who are not only willing to disagree but who can do it constructively without attacking people personally. Pressure test this when you meet them, they will appreciate the candor and intellectual sparring. Don't just look for talent, find co-conspirators - usually a tight knit group united by a shared purpose. I'd love to hear other tips for attracting an amazing founding team, especially in this AI obsessed talent market.

When it comes to hiring, it's essential to evaluate a candidate's capabilities and knowledge alongside their career path. The skill sets required can differ significantly between established tech giants and startups. While big tech firms may have a pool of talented individuals, excelling in that environment doesn't guarantee success in a startup. In smaller companies, the focus often shifts to hands-on involvement, minimizing managerial tasks to optimize ROI. Startups look for candidates skilled in practical work and capable of inspiring their team. This approach prioritizes tangible contributions over engaging solely in upward communication and office politics. While I may not have had a remarkable career, my journey to the US five years ago at 33, with no prior experience living abroad, taught me the value of independent thinking. While not akin to Elon Musk's 'first principle thinking,' I always approach challenges with unbiased, critical thinking to arrive at my own solutions.

Want to know the number one reason why companies fail when hiring in LATAM? 🤔   We all know how startup life is. We've all been there.   Everything moves at the speed of light, which means there's little to no time to stop and think about why you do things, let alone document how to do them.   But the key difference between the companies that are struggling and the ones that are crushing it is simple:   👉 The ones that are crushing it, have clear, well documented processes in place for their team to follow.   Why are processes so important?   Because in order to document a process correctly, you need to STOP and THINK.   WHY are we doing this? HOW and WHEN do we want our team to do this? You get the point.   The compounding effect of having solid SOPs in place results in:   → Better onboarding for new team members → Which leads to higher retention → Which leads to a better service → Which leads to a company that's truly crushing it   How are your SOPs looking? Do they need a refresh?   Keep this in mind the next time you onboard a new team member! 🙌   ⭐️ Bonus: If possible, record a short video showing your team how to do things alongside the written SOP. Sometimes it’s much easier to watch someone do it to understand what needs to be done clearly. This is what we do at Proppel, and it's worked really well for us.

I get this question a lot. What do you look for in a founder? But here’s the better question: What makes someone worth backing when the road gets rough? Because most pitches sound great in a quiet room. But it takes more than a perfect pitch to run a successful business. The founders who stand out tend to share a few things: 1. They’re clear on how to execute. They don’t just talk about their vision. They understand how to build, hire and scale their business. 2. They stay calm under pressure. Even when the numbers don’t add up, they can make decisions and keep moving. 3. They focus on the customer. They’re obsessed with solving the problem, not just showing off the product. 4. They’re coachable. They take feedback seriously and use it to grow. The biggest mistake I see? Polishing the pitch, but skipping the groundwork. The reality is investors don’t back ideas. They back people who can deliver. So if that’s you, I’m listening.

Promises don’t build companies — productive people do. And our process finds them for you. Every company claims they’re “finding the best talent.” Every job portal looks the same — crowded. Even new-age #startups are copying the same old model with AI approaches, hoping it will bring something new. Too many “solutions” already exist. Tools. Portals. Platforms. But let’s be honest — Do they really build your team? After spending years deep inside the world of recruitment, we discovered something simple — yet powerful. Hiring doesn’t need more tools. It needs a process. Because building big isn’t easy. But with the right people — it becomes unstoppable. And even today, we keep refining what we started. Because we believe every individual is made for something special. AT VDIT, Not another hiring platform. A process built for growth.

In 2025, I have directly hired 23 C-1 & C-2 profile at prosperr.io Here is my learning- 1) Good talent comes only with good cash compensation. 2) Never hire for only skill. In fast growing startups the grits and perseverance is important. 3) Never hire people/remove them if you’re sure that they “hostage the system”. 4) Clean 5% of people annually to increase the bar of competence. 5) Never hire people/ remove them who blame others for their poor performance. 6) Try to check your own self if you/manager is reason for poor performance of the team. 7) Seniors like Managers/ Directors/ VP are working for their brand or company brand. Remove them ASAP if they prioritise their growth over company. 8) Execution is important than Leadership. 9) Beaware of people who have low conviction in the space. Startup engines are run by “conviction”. The chase of sustainable unicorns 🦄 start with hiring a sustainable & aggressive team.

I don’t want to hire more people. People are hell. That’s what a Founder told me last week. And honestly, I get it. The first time around, he scaled fast, offices, managers, headcount. He hated every minute. This time, he’s keeping it lean. Deliberately small. It’s easy to romanticize “scale.” But for many founders, growth doesn’t just multiply opportunity, also, multiplies chaos. There’s a quiet group of builders out there choosing sanity over scale. Fewer people. Cleaner processes. Deeper ownership. Sometimes success isn’t growing bigger, it’s growing calmer.

I don’t want to hire more people. People are hell. That’s what a Founder told me last week. And honestly, I get it. The first time around, he scaled fast, offices, managers, headcount. He hated every minute. This time, he’s keeping it lean. Deliberately small. It’s easy to romanticize “scale.” But for many founders, growth doesn’t just multiply opportunity, also, multiplies chaos. There’s a quiet group of builders out there choosing sanity over scale. Fewer people. Cleaner processes. Deeper ownership. Sometimes success isn’t growing bigger, it’s growing calmer.