FAQ | Startup Recruiting Questions Answered

Q: Where is Funded.club based?

Funded.club is a remote recruiting team working across North America, Europe and APAC, so your recruiter works in your market and time zone. Funded.club was founded in 2019 and is legally registered as Funded.club B.V.

What does Funded.club do?

Funded.club is a fixed-fee recruiting partner for funded startups and fast-growing teams across North America, Europe and APAC. We help startups and scale-ups hire top talent at 70% less than traditional agencies. Fixed fees from $4,900 per hire, first candidates in 7 days, dedicated recruiter per search. We've served 500+ startups across six continents since 2019.

Where is Funded.club based?

We're a remote recruiting team working across North America, Europe and APAC, so your recruiter works in your market and time zone. Funded.club was founded in 2019 and is legally registered as Funded.club B.V.

Is Funded.club a funding platform or an investor?

No. Funded.club is a recruiting partner only. The name refers to the funded startups we hire for. We don't raise money, invest in startups or offer financing or trading products, and we're not connected to similarly named firms such as Funded Traders Club.

How is Funded.club different?

Three things: (1) Fixed fees: you never pay a percentage of salary, (2) We're a startup ourselves, so we understand runway, speed, and founder priorities, (3) Dedicated recruiter per search with weekly reporting and full transparency. 67% of our placed candidates are still in role after 24 months.

How much does a startup recruiter cost?

Traditional recruiters charge 20-30% of a candidate's annual salary. Funded.club charges fixed fees from $4,900 to $21,900 per hire, typically 6-9% of salary. No commissions, no percentage of salary, no hidden costs. Part of the fee is paid as an advance when the search starts and the balance when your candidate accepts an offer. See Funded.club project pricing here.

Do I pay anything upfront?

Yes. Part of your fixed fee is paid as an advance when the search begins ($1,500 on a $4,900 Growth search, $4-5k on Premium searches) and the balance is due when your candidate accepts an offer. The advance covers the intensive headhunting work in the first weeks of a search. If we don't deliver a shortlist of at least 3 qualified candidates within 30 days, you can claim it back in full.

First-time customers can ask to defer the advance until we share your first candidates.

Why do you ask for exclusivity?

Our fee is low and fixed because a dedicated recruiter commits to your search from day one. That only works if we aren't racing other recruiters for the same candidates, so while a search is running we ask to be the only external recruiter on the role. Paying the advance (or confirming our terms in writing if your advance is deferred) confirms that.

What if we hire someone we found ourselves?

Once a search has started, the success fee applies to any hire for that role, however the candidate was found. That's part of how a fixed fee stays low: we're paid for filling the role, not per CV. If you already have candidates in your pipeline, tell us before the search starts.

Why is the success fee due when an offer is accepted?

An accepted offer is the point where our work on the search is done, so that's when we invoice, even if your new hire starts later. If they don't start, we find a replacement free of charge. If they leave during a 45-day probation period, we can run a replacement search for 45% of the original fee.

What happens if a search runs past 60 days?

If we've already delivered a shortlist of at least 3 qualified candidates that you've interviewed and the role is still open after 60 days, we may charge a top-up equal to the original advance to keep searching. If we haven't delivered that shortlist, there's no top-up.

How long does it take to make a hire?

First qualified candidates within 7 days. Shortlist of 3-5 pre-screened candidates within 14 days. Average time-to-hire across all searches is 35 days.

What types of roles do you recruit for?

Engineering, product, sales, marketing, operations, finance, and leadership, from individual contributors to C-level executives. We specialise in the roles startups hire after funding: Account Executives, CTOs, Lead Developers, VP Sales, CFOs, and Data Engineers.

Which job titles do you fill?

Account Executives, VP Sales, SDRs, CTOs, Lead Developers, Software Engineers, Data Engineers, Product Managers, CFOs, Finance Managers, Heads of People, and more. We focus on the roles startups actually need after a funding round.

Who are your customers?

500+ startups and scale-ups across six continents, from pre-seed to Series C+. Customers include YC-backed companies, Techstars alumni, and brands like Digital Science (€511k saved), Supernova (€210k saved), WeTravel, Bosch, and The Ocean Cleanup.

Do you offer guarantees?

Yes. Every hire comes with a replacement guarantee. 67% of placed candidates are still in their role after 24 months. See full terms and guarantees here.

How do you find candidates?

A combination of AI-powered sourcing and experienced human headhunters. We search across LinkedIn, specialist communities, referral networks, and our own database. Every candidate is pre-screened by real human recruiters for skills and startup culture fit before you see them.

When should a startup hire a recruiter?

Most startups benefit from a recruiter right after a funding round, when speed matters and the founding team's time is better spent on product and customers. If a role has been open for 30+ days or you're spending more than 10 hours a week on hiring, it's time.