Ground Up Ventures’ Post

We are excited to announce our lead investment in Draftboard, a recruitment marketplace for referral-based hiring. The premise of the platform is simple. More than 80% of companies offer referral bonuses for new hires, but they limit those bonuses only to their own employees. Draftboard wants to change that: employers can post their referral bonuses publicly for the world to see; any user can then join the platform as a ‘scout’ and refer quality candidates within their network in exchange for a referral bonus upon a successful hire. We think it is a win-win-win situation: companies can tap into a completely new pool of talent; scouts can act as “headhunters” by monetizing their network of friends and family for real rewards; and job-seekers can more easily find new employment opportunities. At Twelve Below, our belief is that recruiting, at its core, is about people, networks, and trust. That’s the premise behind Draftboard, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with Zach Roseman, his team and our friends at ANIMO Ventures, Founder Collective and GroundUp as the company sets out to democratize recruiting for everyone.

What better time to announce Draftboard’s $4.1M funding round than under the shadow of attack drones and cruise missiles? 🤣 About 2 years ago I was sitting on my couch and had an idea to completely disrupt how companies hire. I sat on it for almost 6 months. Because I was afraid I’d actually have to go build it. Like lots of other people, I kept a list of startup ideas, even though I had zero desire to be a founder. When I consulted that list after leaving IAC, I confirmed what I thought: they all sucked. But when this new idea hit, it was different. Finally, after months of hesitating, I decided to explore it, however tentatively. I fleshed out the vision & opportunity in a 3-page essay - I needed to test if the logic withstood the rigor of actually writing it out. I asked a close friend (Shlomo Dalezman) about the technical feasibility of it. I sketched dozens of wireframes on a whiteboard. I found a great designer in South Africa to build out some super simple mockups and put together a 13-page deck. And then it was go time. 18 months later we’ve got thousands of scouts referring candidates. We’ve had 70 companies list their roles. We’ve had almost $1M in referral bonuses posted. And we’re just getting started. But I wouldn’t be here with my incredible investors, and that’s why I’m thrilled to announce this round of funding. Taylor Greene knew within ten seconds that Twelve Below was all-in. Amanda Herson met me for coffee on a brisk fall day and I knew she & Founder Collective would be an incredible asset. David Stark & Ground Up Ventures are just as incredible as partners as I knew they would be, and deserve serious credit for getting me to - for the first time - seriously consider taking the founder leap. And Nico Berardi and Antonio Osio at ANIMO Ventures are avid - and active - supporters every day. Between them and the dozens of angels and friends & family, I and my amazing team count ourselves incredibly fortunate to get to build this vision out with all their support. The journey is long and arduous, but the goal is worth it. Onwards and upwards. Draftboard team: Steven Sosnick Dzmitry Shokel Dzmitry Shavel Estee Rebibo Mikalai Rudak Siarhei Rudak Yasmin Levin Sam Goldberg Alexey Kibrik #hiring #techcrunch #funding

🎉 We're thrilled to announce a major milestone for Draftboard! 🚀 We've raised our Seed Round to fuel our mission of revolutionizing the hiring process. We couldn't be more excited about this next chapter and are grateful for your continued support! 🌟 Read all about it in our feature on TechCrunch below #hiring #hr #recruitment

Every day, I write a lot of cold emails and LinkedIn messages to acquire new clients for Hiretal. Some of them say yes Some of them say no. There's this founder who gave me a detailed explanation of his company situation  on why it isn't the right time to reach out to him. I was surprised he took a lot of time to draft the reply and send it over. I asked him what made him write the response, and he said this: "We are a start up too - going through the same challenges of additional revenue - i have to treat you the same way, i would like to be treated by prospects." It reminded me of a very important lesson by my teacher, GMCKS: 'Treat others as you want to be treated I receive a lot of NO's everyday, but this NO is truly special as it made me feel 10x better As a startup founder, did any of your prospect say NO and you felt special? Comment down

I recently found an insightful read by Cassidy Williams that’s essential for anyone on the job hunt, particularly if you’re targeting startups. With the job market being so competitive, small teams often need to implement strategies to manage the flood of applications. Even minor details, like functional LinkedIn links and well-thought-out responses, can significantly impact your chances. It may seem tedious, but putting extra effort into your application truly makes a difference. Give this article a read and elevate your application game! https://lnkd.in/d5ha8C8c

What are your thoughts on receiving #creativeCVs? 🔖 Sometimes they can showcase your skills and help you stand out from the crowd, but they don't work for everyone. Check out Lauren Richardson's thoughts on them in this piece on Startups 👇 https://lnkd.in/efU_Yf6m #Creativity #DigitalPR #Throwback #Recruitment

Are you a Startup or Small Business thinking about investing in Recruiting Software? 🤔 Find out why more and more companies are making this investment and how Frankie can help. #RecruitmentSoftware #Startup #TryFrankie

📣 𝗠𝗜𝗖 𝗗𝗥𝗢𝗣 𝗠𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 📣 - Alexandra C., Founder of Recfindr, joins me on the latest Never Mind The Job Spec podcast to discuss her career journey that started when she was contemplating a career in law, then went totally left-field into the recruitment industry, establishing her own recruitment agency during lockdown, and now launching the Rectech platform, Recfindr 🚀 .📣 📣 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅'𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆...📣 📣 Our conversation starts with some light-hearted banter about the Founder’s journey and the importance of wifi, and then we dive straight into Alex's insights and reflections on the recruitment industry, and we start to discover the early experiences that have shaped her 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵. Alex candidly emphasises the ethical challenges in the recruitment industry, reflecting on experiences that required a 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀, and we explore her transition into her entrepreneur phase. We learn why she co-founded Tale during lockdown motivated simply by her desire to create a more ethical and candidate-centred recruitment experience, and we start to get glimpses of the origins of Recfindr, as she started to exploring combining her expertise in Fintech combined with recognising the value of specialised recruiters based on a niche model. If you know Alex, you'll know she is a real presence across platforms like Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, and we explore her approach and success with content creation and we deep-dive into her thoughts on the significance of creativity, resilience, and a solution-oriented mindset, as essential traits for Founders facing the uncertainties of entrepreneurship. 📣 📣 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗡 - 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗞𝗦…📣 📣 📣 📣 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 - she announces her ambitions for Recfindr over the next year, and her plans for angel investment to further enhance the platform's features and expand its user base. 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗅 📣 📣 To watch the full conversation, check out our 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 channel and be sure to 𝗦𝗨𝗕𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗕𝗘, or +𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 us on 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀 or 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 - all links in the 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 below #femalefounder #femalefounders #recfindr #foundersjourney #founder #founders #humancentred #nevermindthejobspec #rectech

Identify key roles and skills needed for your startup. This ensures you attract candidates who are the right fit and can contribute effectively. 🧩💼 #RecruitmentStrategy #StartupSuccess https://lnkd.in/dg7HnuvT

The biggest hiring mistake I see first-time founders make at the offer stage is making an offer when 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 instead of when 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 is ready. Why is this so bad? As soon as you start talking comp, it changes the dynamic of the conversation…  - The convo becomes all about negotiation  - Candidates start to feel like you’re “selling” them  - Many candidates start to hold their cards closer to their chest and it becomes more challenging have a heart to heart about other dimensions outside of comp That’s why I always like to ask one simple Q before moving to offer:  → “We're all super excited. Assuming we can get to a fair place on comp, 1-10, how likely are you to join?” When I hear 6 or 7, I know I have a lot of work to do. Rather than jump into the offer details, I usually take a step back and ask questions, understand motivations, and see what I can discover.  → “What would it take to get you to an eight? A nine? A ten?” It’s important to uncover and get aligned on these things first, because as soon as you start talking comp, it becomes a lot harder to have an open convo about these other dimensions. (which are equally as important, if not more!) Welcome to Startup Hiring 101 part 20 (link in comments 👇 ), which covers the 1-10 Q, pre-offer checklists, how to structure an offer & negotiate, best practices for presenting an offer, creative ways to close after making an offer, dealing with competition, counter offers, renegs, and exploding deadlines… whew, a lot, I know 😅 ‎ This is the last post in the Startup Hiring 101 series (for now!) — it’s been real! Excited to shift gears though, and start posting more content geared towards growth companies & large Enterprises, starting with data-driven benchmarks based on our unique data set of 1000s of customers & 100M+ data points.