Updated September 2026
The best recruiting firms for Series A startups in 2026 include Funded.club for fixed-fee searches across most roles, Dover, Paraform and Recruiting from Scratch for engineering and general hiring, Betts Recruiting for go-to-market roles, and Hunt Club, Riviera Partners and Daversa Partners for leadership. The right pick depends less on the firm and more on the model that suits each hire in your plan.
After a Series A, hiring stops being a string of one-off searches and becomes a plan covering several functions at once. That changes the question. Instead of finding one favourite firm, most teams do better building a small mix of models matched to the hires they actually need.
The Series A recruiting shortlist
Listed by model, with Funded.club first. For every provider other than Funded.club, check their own site for current pricing, terms and services.
1. Funded.club
A fixed-fee recruiting partner for funded startups, working across engineering, product, sales, marketing, operations, customer success and leadership. One dedicated recruiter runs each search, and the fee is agreed upfront, from $4,900 to $21,900 per hire. Suits teams hiring across several functions who want predictable costs.
2. Dover
An applicant tracking system combined with access to on-demand recruiters. Suits founders who want to run hiring themselves on one platform and add recruiting help when they need it.
3. Paraform
A recruiter marketplace where many independent recruiters can work a role. Suits well-defined roles where you want breadth and your team has time to review submissions.
4. Recruiting from Scratch
A tech recruiting firm working with startups. Suits teams whose Series A plan is weighted towards technical hires.
5. Betts Recruiting
A recruiting firm focused on sales, marketing and go-to-market roles. Suits the first commercial hires that often follow a Series A.
6. Hunt Club
A network and referral-led recruiting firm, often used for leadership hires. Suits heads of function where warm introductions matter.
7. Riviera Partners and 8. Daversa Partners
Riviera Partners is an executive search firm focused on technology and engineering leadership. Daversa Partners is an executive search firm working with venture-backed and growth-stage companies. Both suit VP and C-level searches.
9. Wellfound
A startup jobs marketplace where founders post roles and screen applicants. Suits roles where good candidates are actively looking and you have time to screen.
Match the model to the hire, not the firm to the company
The counter-intuitive point for Series A founders is that no single model is the cheapest or the best across a whole plan. A job post can be ideal for a customer success hire and a poor fit for a VP Engineering. Executive search suits a C-level role and would be heavy for a mid-level engineer.
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Write out your plan, then mark each role with the model that suits it. You will usually end up with two or three providers, which is easier to manage than it sounds as long as each one owns clearly separate roles.
How the models compare
| Model | How you usually pay | Who does the searching | Often suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contingency recruiting | A percentage of salary, typically 20 to 25%, when someone is hired | The recruiting firm | Hard-to-fill roles where you only want to pay for results |
| Executive search (retained) | An upfront commitment paid in stages during the search | A search firm with a dedicated team | VP and C-level hires |
| Recruiter marketplace | Set by the platform, check its site | Several independent recruiters | Common profiles where breadth helps |
| ATS with on-demand recruiters | Set by the platform, check its site | You, with recruiter help when needed | Founder-led hiring with some support |
| Job marketplace | Set by the platform, check its site | You | Roles with strong inbound interest |
| Fixed-fee recruiting | A fixed fee agreed upfront, split between advance and offer acceptance | One dedicated recruiter | Most roles across a growing team |
A worked example: the senior engineer in your plan
Take an illustrative senior engineer on a $140,000 base salary, a hire that appears on many Series A plans. Swap in your own numbers.
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At 20 to 25% contingency, the fee is $28,000 to $35,000. On Funded.club's fixed fee, it is $11,500. If your plan includes three engineers at that level, the difference is roughly $49,500 to $70,500, before you reach the leadership hires where percentage fees grow fastest. You can check every band on our pricing page.
Where Funded.club fits
Funded.club has helped 500+ startups from Seed to Series D since 2019, across North America, Europe and APAC, with a fully remote team of recruiters. We agree a low fixed fee upfront, averaging 6 to 9% of salary, with part paid as an advance at the start and the balance when your candidate accepts.
One dedicated recruiter runs each search end to end. First screened candidates arrive within 7 days, the average time from kick-off to hire is 33 days, and our fill rate is 100%. Supernova (YC W19) made 22 hires with us, with a 27-day average time to hire. For a deeper comparison, see our guide to the best recruiting companies and your first 10 hires after funding.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best recruiting firm for a Series A startup?
It depends on the hire. Many Series A teams use a fixed-fee or specialist recruiter for engineering and go-to-market roles, and an executive search firm such as Riviera Partners or Daversa Partners for C-level searches.
How much do recruiting firms charge Series A startups?
Contingency firms typically charge 20 to 25% of first-year salary. Funded.club charges a fixed fee from $4,900 to $21,900 per hire. Other models price differently, so check each provider's site.
Should a Series A startup use more than one recruiting firm?
Often, yes. Give each provider clearly separate roles so nobody competes for the same candidates, and keep one person internally tracking the whole plan.
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