Tech

16 important people to know if you want a job at a growing startup

must know recruiters in VC firms 2x1
First Round Capital; Redpoint Ventures; Otto Baba/Brandon McGanty; Operator Collective; Samantha Lee/Business Insider
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After a rough start to the year, startups are hiring again. Do you want to work at a hot-and-growing startup?

The secret to landing such jobs might surprise you. Rather than sending a resume directly to the startup, a better method may be to meet the "talent partners" who work for the startup's venture capital investors. 

Portfolio companies often lean on them to help them find the right people to hire.

Our first-ever list of the top people to know if you want to work at a startup highlights top talent partners at venture capital firms. We considered factors like experience, scope of work, and the caliber of companies in their network.

We spoke to 16 of these partners, all of whom specialize in recruiting for their portfolio companies. They told us how their jobs have changed in a pandemic-world and on what advice they have for companies and job-seekers right now.

There's never been a more interesting time to work at a startup, talent partners agree. And when it comes to finding the perfect candidates, they have whole world in their hands.

"While Covid-19 has resulted in tragic layoffs across sectors, remote work has also opened up access to opportunities on a global level that we've never seen before," said Nicole North, an executive talent partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. Her advice: "Apply for the job at that high growth start up in Lithuania and the one in your backyard. Why not?"

Subscribe to Business Insider to read the full list of important people to know if you want to work a startup, including tips and insight from each of them.

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Melia Robinson
Melia Robinson is a reporter at Business Insider covering how lawyers are changing how they work and bill in the age of artificial intelligence — and about the tech companies racing to serve them.Melia first joined Business Insider in 2013. She lives in New York City.