Sales hiring for VC-backed startups
Alternatives to generic recruiting agencies for Seed sales hiring
By Arshnoor Kohli, Founder, Vektor
Last updated
Published · 6 min read
Direct answer
Generic agencies optimized for large-company TA often miss Seed sales hires: slow cycles, resume-forward slates, and fee structures built for enterprise buyers. Better options are niche contingency with mock-call vetting, a focused in-house contractor for volume, or founder-led sourcing for one critical seat. Pick based on urgency, seat difficulty, and how much signal you need before interviews.
When a generalist agency is the wrong tool for founding AE search, and what Seed teams should use instead: niche contingency, in-house, or founder-led sourcing.
If your last agency sent polished LinkedIn profiles and no evidence the person can sell your product, you do not have a sourcing problem. You have a vetting and niche problem.
Alternatives worth considering: a sales-specialist contingency partner with pay-on-start economics; a fractional recruiter embedded for 90 days; founder outbound into warm networks for a single founding AE; or a small retained search only for rare leadership mandates.
Do not default to retained for AE seats at Seed. Retained fits scarce leadership. Contingency with clear SLAs and live selling tests fits founding AE and SDR seats better.
Whatever model you pick, demand the same filter: structured pre-screen plus a mock call on your product. Without that, every channel becomes a resume lottery.
Compare models in the agency vs in-house and contingency vs retained spokes, then book a call if you want Vektor to run the search end to end.
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