Every sales CV says 140% of quota. We ask their old manager.
Your first sales hire is the first person to sell your product who isn’t you. We find people who’ve done it early, and we confirm their numbers before you meet them.
Who it’s for.
Founders still closing every deal themselves, about to make their first go-to-market (sales, growth and marketing) hire.
- Seed to Series A
- Founder-led sales, 0-2 reps
- Early revenue, and a pipeline that stops when you get busy
Sound familiar?
“I’m still closing every deal myself and it’s eating the product roadmap.”
“Our last AE talked a great game in the interview. Six months later, nothing closed.”
“Everyone’s quota attainment is 120% on paper. How do I know who’s telling the truth?”
How we handle it.
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We work out which seller you need.
Define: a founding AE who builds the playbook is a different hire from an AE who runs one. We agree which, what great looks like, OTE and equity benchmarks, and the interview plan.
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We find people who’ve sold early.
Find: we headhunt reps who sold without a big brand behind them. Early sales hires, small-team AEs, people who built pipeline from nothing.
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We check the numbers.
Vet: claimed results (quota attainment, pipeline, revenue) confirmed with former managers, plus documents if the candidate agrees to share them. A live role-play or case exercise, checked with our anti-cheat. And ID, right to work, employment history and references confirmed through work email.
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3-5 people, then a signed offer.
Shortlist and Hire: 3-5 vetted reps by an agreed date, each with an interview pack. We handle scheduling, feedback, offer, negotiation and notice period.
The roles we fill for you.
Why it holds up.
6 months
Every hire is guaranteed for six months (guarantee terms). Pay as they stay: spread the fee across their first number months, so your runway stays yours.
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Track record, confirmed.
Quota attainment, pipeline and revenue checked with the managers who saw it happen. Documents too, if the candidate agrees to share them.
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A live role-play, not a chat.
Every shortlisted rep runs a live role-play or case exercise, checked with our anti-cheat. You see how they sell, not how they interview.
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Interview tech we built ourselves.
From the team that built zero-friction interview anti-cheat. Built on interview technology used by 20,000+ recruiters.
Questions, answered.
Should my first sales hire be a founding AE or a sales leader?
Usually a founding AE: someone who’ll sell, write down what works and hand you a playbook. A leader with no playbook to run tends to hire before the motion is proven. We’ll talk it through in Define.
How do you confirm a candidate’s numbers?
We speak to their former managers about quota attainment, pipeline and revenue. Documents like commission statements come in if the candidate agrees to share them, and never otherwise.
Do you hire SDRs too?
Yes. SDRs and BDRs, vetted the same way with a live role-play. This early, we’d usually suggest an AE before them.
What does a founding AE cost?
It depends on stage, market and location. You’ll get an OTE and equity benchmark in Define, and our salary guides have the ranges.