Startup Recruiting Guide
SDR hiring playbook for early-stage startups
By Arshnoor Kohli, Founder, Vektor
Last updated
Published · 7 min read
Direct answer
Hire SDRs after you have a rough repeatable motion and someone who can coach outbound. At Seed and Series A, base often sits roughly $55K to $80K with OTE and small equity, and a focused search can fill in about 2 to 4 weeks. Do not hire a pod of SDRs before messaging and CRM hygiene exist.
When to open an SDR seat, what good looks like, and how long the search should take at Seed and Series A.
Prerequisites before you open the req
You need a basic ICP, a CRM, and an owner who will review call recordings weekly. Without that, SDRs create noise and churn in under a quarter.
If founders are still the only closers and product is unfinished, fix the bottleneck first. SDRs amplify a motion; they rarely invent one.
Profile and comp signals
Prefer startup-caliber hustle and coachability over big-company title. Look for high-activity outbound evidence and clean job progression.
Illustrative Seed/Series A bands often land base near $55K to $80K with OTE above that and equity commonly in the 0.02% to 0.15% range depending on stage. Calibrate with Market Data before you publish a number.
| Stage | Base band (illustrative) | Search timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Seed | $55K–$75K | 2–3 weeks |
| Series A | $60K–$80K | 2–4 weeks |
| Series B | $65K–$85K | 3–4 weeks |
Interview loop that predicts ramp
Use a live outbound exercise, a discovery critique, and a values screen. Score activity realism and learning speed, not polish alone.
Plan 30/60/90 ramp metrics before day one. Vacancy cost is real, but a wrong SDR poisons territories and brand in market.
Related reading
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