Captivate Talent

📍 Where should your startup set up shop in the US? For startups expanding stateside, choosing the right location isn’t just about picking a city—it’s a strategic decision that can impact hiring, fundraising, customer acquisition, and even your future exit. So, how do you decide? In this clip, Daniel Glazer breaks down 8 key considerations when choosing a US headquarters: ✅ Proximity to customers – Are your users concentrated in a specific region? ✅ Access to investors – Being near early-stage VCs can be an advantage. ✅ Talent availability – Does the city have the specialized talent you need? ✅ Cost of doing business – Some cities are significantly more affordable than others. ✅ Time zone and HQ alignment – Managing teams across multiple time zones can be tricky. ✅ State and local incentives – Some cities and states compete for startups with tax breaks and resources. ✅ Travel logistics – Being near a major airport hub can make cross-country travel easier. ✅ Future acquisition strategy – Positioning near potential acquirers could create long-term advantages. These factors can make or break a company’s expansion success. Watch the clip for Daniel’s insights, and check out the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eXQAXnn8

Welcome to the team, Matt Giovati! 🌟 We’re excited to introduce Matt Giovati, who has joined Captivate Talent as a Senior Recruitment Consultant on our GTM team! 🎉 Matt is a seasoned recruiter with a strong background in executive search and first GTM hires for VC-backed startups. He has spent years partnering with founders and revenue leaders to build high-performing go-to-market teams, specializing in sales, marketing, customer success, and growth roles. Here’s what you should know about Matt: ✅ Started his recruiting career in 2017 and learned executive search from industry veterans ✅ Has placed first GTM hires and leadership roles at high-growth startups across Seed to Series C/Series D ✅ Specializes in building revenue teams from the ground up ✅ Passionate about film, live music, and the beach (you’ll probably find him at a concert or by the ocean on the weekends 🌊🎶) We’re thrilled to have Matt on board and can’t wait to see the impact he’ll make! 👏

Expanding to the US? It’s a big move—and one that doesn’t come with a clear playbook. 📖 For Roi Ravhon, CEO & Co-Founder of Finout, expanding into the U.S. market meant finding a sales leader who could do more than just build a strategy. He needed someone who could sell, execute, and help the company break into a new market—without spending a year just mapping out a plan. That raises a key question for international startups: When is the right time to hire your first VP of Sales in the U.S.? Do you wait until you’ve established product-market fit, or do you bring in leadership earlier to help shape the go-to-market motion? In this clip, Roi shares his experience navigating this decision—why he chose to hire before having significant U.S. traction, the challenges of defining the right profile, and the pitfalls of bringing in the wrong person. 📺 Watch the clip, and check out the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/ep95YFjW

Congrats to Chris McArdle on his new role at Resonate as Chief Revenue Officer 🎉 Resonate is a consumer data company that leads the way in predictive consumer intelligence, providing proprietary, privacy-safe consumer and consumer data for insights, analysis, and activation. Chris is an industry expert with deep expertise in the consumer analytics, SaaS, and data space. He has built and scaled incredibly high-performing teams at companies like Smartly and Neustar and has experience with publicly held, venture, and private equity-backed organizations. In his most recent role, Chris served as a trusted advisor and operating partner to NextEra's portfolio companies, helping founders launch their businesses. At Resonate, Chris will be responsible for scaling the sales teams through his best-in-class leadership style and accelerating revenue growth, propelling Resonate to the next level! Thanks to Bryan Gernert, Meredith Nichols, SHRM-SCP, and the rest of the team at Resonate for partnering with us on this successful placement. Also, a big shout out to Casey Erickson for filling this key role! Again, a big congrats to Chris. We are so excited for you! 🚀"

Congrats to Leslie Na on her new role at RapidCanvas as Vice President of Business Development 🎉 RapidCanvas is an AI platform that combines the precision and automation of AI agents with the deep domain knowledge of human experts to deliver reliable and measurable business outcomes. Leslie is a highly accomplished Sales Leader with 17 years of experience in driving revenue growth and exceeding targets across CPG and Tech industries. Her notable track record includes tenures at prestigious companies like P&G, Danone, and Ibotta. Leslie is also a Board member of Naturally Colorado, where she helps to organize marquee events, educational webinars, and networking opportunities. At RapidCanvas, Leslie will take on the critical role of driving sales and pipeline development within the CPG vertical in the US. She will support regional sales teams and steer thought leadership initiatives, while collaborating with product and marketing teams to enhance CPG market solutions. Thanks to RapidCanvas for partnering with us on this search. And a big shout out to Katie Ostrander and Madison Mosack for filling this key role! Again, a big congrats to Leslie! We are so excited for you and can't wait to see the incredible impact you'll make at RapidCanvas 🚀

Welcome to the team, Justin Jensen! 🚀 We’re excited to announce that Justin Jensen has joined Captivate Talent as a Senior Recruitment Consultant on our GTM team! Justin brings nearly a decade of experience in early-stage SaaS recruiting, helping VC-backed, PE, and bootstrapped startups build world-class revenue teams. With a background in sales leadership and executive search, he’s been on all sides of the hiring process—giving him a unique, candidate-first approach that sets him apart. Some quick facts about Justin: ✔️ Ranked #1 in his first year of recruiting, hitting 422% to goal ✔️ Top performer for five years straight at TalentReach ✔️ Specializes in Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, and Sales Engineering roles ✔️ Former amateur boxer (but don’t worry, he’s only throwing punches for top talent now!) Join us in welcoming Justin to the team 👏

The evolution of RevOps has transformed it from a support function into a proactive driver of growth and alignment. When organizations give RevOps the autonomy and authority it deserves, the impact is clear: seamless collaboration, early problem-solving, and a stronger foundation for long-term success. “When RevOps is empowered as a strategic department, it bridges cross-functional gaps, aligning teams and driving course corrections before issues arise.” – Lonny Sternberg, former VP of RevOps at Vestwell and AudioEye Is your RevOps team equipped to play this strategic role? In our latest blog, we explore how RevOps is reshaping SaaS companies and what steps leaders can take to embrace its full potential. Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/e9sqBkxW

Earlier this week, we announced that Kendra Morales has joined Captivate Talent as our new Head of GTM & Operations. Today, we’re excited to share more about the incredible experience she brings and how she’ll be elevating our go-to-market recruiting and operations. From scaling teams to driving operational excellence, Kendra is already making an impact. Learn more about her story and what her role means for Captivate Talent in our latest announcement: https://lnkd.in/gtiTNan2

Exciting News: Welcome Kendra Morales to Captivate Talent! 🚀 We’re thrilled to welcome Kendra Morales as our Head of GTM & Operations at Captivate Talent! 🎉 With 26 years of experience in early-stage tech startups—spanning VC-backed, PE, and bootstrapped companies—Kendra brings a wealth of expertise in GTM hiring, executive search, and scaling high-growth teams. She’s played a pivotal role in building leadership teams for groundbreaking organizations, from human genome mapping to global nonprofits. Before joining Captivate Talent, Kendra led teams at Candidate Labs and Betts Recruiting, where she helped companies grow through strategic hiring and operational excellence. As a veteran recruiter since the early 2000s, she’s seen multiple tech cycles and knows how to navigate them to connect companies with the right talent. 💡 Beyond Recruiting: Kendra is an avid hiker, camper, and music festival enthusiast who loves dropping into new yoga studios, volunteering, and spending time with her husband and their two rescue dogs, Luckie and Frannie. She also founded and ran a successful nonprofit for eight years, serving the homeless and working poor. Join us in welcoming Kendra to the team! 👏

As RevOps evolves into a critical growth driver for SaaS companies, the demand for skilled talent has never been higher. However, finding candidates who can balance strategic foresight with hands-on execution is no easy task. The key? Start with alignment. Assess your GTM gaps, prioritize your needs, and focus on the expertise that will make the biggest impact. By narrowing down must-haves, you can streamline your hiring process and attract top RevOps talent. “Hiring managers want strategic yet hands-on RevOps talent, but these ‘unicorn’ candidates are rare. Aligning on GTM gaps and prioritizing needs is key to success.” – Bri Doyle, Director, RevOps Recruitment at Captivate Talent Curious about how RevOps is evolving and why hiring the right talent is essential to success? Dive into our latest blog to learn more: https://lnkd.in/e9sqBkxW