Your New Lead Investor Moment…
Is Your Highest-Leverage Hiring Moment

I help lead investors deploy a repeatable post-round “Partner Value Pack” that improves founder execution in the first 30–60 days, without building internal headcount or pretending VC works like PE.

👉 Book a Conversation to See Live Examples of Each Component

Built for:

Funds consistently raising $100M+ vehicles (Fund III+ behavior)
Partners actively leading rounds right now
Lead investors who routinely drive the first 1–3 critical hires post-financing

Not for:

Funds in maintenance mode
Firms unsure they’ll raise the next fund
Teams with a locked-in talent partner and zero appetite to change anything

Note: Before you schedule, skim the 1-page overview [here]

“VC's need to start considering how to supercharge their investments with additional value. So far, money and connections is about all I've ever seen effectively offered.”

— T.S., Co-Founder, high-growth VC-backed Bay Area robotics startup

The problem (in VC terms)

The first 30–60 days after a round is when execution gets set.

Founders make 1–3 people decisions that quietly decide the next 12 months:

who owns revenue
who runs product
who drives ops and cadence
what gets sequenced now vs. what gets deferred

These decisions rarely explode on impact.

They tilt trajectory, and by the time they show up in board meetings the damage is already compounding.

What’s missing is not effort.

It’s orchestration at the exact moment leverage is highest.

What founders actually want from their investors

Founders don’t need more advice. They need leverage.

In practice they care about:

Distribution
Talent access they can’t unlock on their own
Downstream capital introductions that don’t destabilize the cap table

Most funds do the same three moves.

Founders can feel the sameness.

The differentiated fourth move

Most VC value-add is:

intros to capital
intros to customers
intros to talent

That’s table stakes.

The Partner Value Pack is a repeatable fourth move:

a post-round execution snapshot and hiring-sequencing reset (fast, practical, founder-facing)
a short list of stage-appropriate operators pre-warmed to your platform
a pre-cleared path to retained execution if outside hiring help becomes unavoidable

Built to deploy right after financing, when:

urgency is high
optionality collapses fast
the lead partner sets the board tone

“This is a much needed solution. As one of my board members always says: “Most startup problems are recruiting problems”. This is a real answer to that.”

— S.H., CEO, Bay Area VC-backed Health AI patient access startup

What’s inside the Partner Value Pack

1) Signal

Board-Ready Execution Snapshot (pre-close or immediately post-close)

A structured diagnostic that surfaces:

leadership readiness
sequencing logic
headcount plan realism
process maturity
likely execution strain post-round

Output: decision-grade clarity for the lead partner and founder.

Not a recruiting proposal. Not fluff. A practical reset.

2) Access

Pre-warmed Operator Bench (opt-in, role-aligned, stage-appropriate)

Instead of “start from zero when urgent,” we build optionality early:

map the “2–3 stages ahead” talent pool
pre-warm operators to your platform and thesis
maintain an opt-in bench segmented by function

When urgency hits, you’re not begging the market. You’re activating relationships.

3) Execution

Post-Round Fast Lane (pre-cleared terms + launch cadence)

When external hiring becomes unavoidable, friction kills momentum:

vendor shopping
pricing resets
onboarding lag
misaligned expectations

This removes the reset button:

pre-cleared terms
milestone structure
defined SLAs
accelerated launch cadence

Execution is not “more searches.” It’s less wasted time when time matters most.

What this looks like in real life

A round closes.

Before the first board meeting cadence hardens:

Signal clarifies what’s real, what’s missing, and what must happen first
Access creates immediate optionality around the next 1–3 critical hires
Execution removes delay if you choose to run a retained process

For founders, it feels like relief. For lead partners, it feels like being unusually useful.

Why this exists

Human capital is still the most mispriced risk variable in venture.

Not because “recruiting is hard.”

Because the cost of mis-sequencing is rarely measured, and it compounds faster than anyone wants to admit.

This is designed to turn the fund’s vantage point into leverage, in the only window where leverage is reliably available: right after financing.

Click here to see our list of recent placements + learn about our zero risk “performance partnership” guarantee.

👉 Book a Conversation to See Live Examples of Each Component

"Bearhug’s process was absolutely thorough. From market coverage to real-time visibility, nothing was left unexamined. We landed the perfect person for the moment. 10/10."

Brett Carlson
“Bearhug helped us hire all of our GTM function heads. Monthly sales have grown ~3x. Plus our team freaking loved working with them!”

Ivan Lvov
“Bearhug's a N of 1 at what they do. Any VC portfolio company with go-to-market hiring would be very lucky to work with them.”

Ryan Alshak
“I’ve recommended Bearhug to my board and will promote them to the other startup founders in my network. They've done an amazing job!"

Somya Kapoor
"Your level is above 99% of recruiters because of the obsessive detail you go through to truly understand both the candidates and the role. Most firms say they go deep, but Bearhug actually does. That’s why we got the outcome we wanted, in the timeframe we needed."

Brett Moyer
"Bearhug helped us hire damn great department heads who've all built out strong teams. We’re growing 10% MoM & have expanded to 30 states!"

Maria Khokhlova
"Bearhug's approach was structured & methodical which helped us ferret out candidates we simply would not find through other means."

Sriram Ramachandran
"Bearhug's in a category of its own. It's not even fair to compare them to other recruiters. Their process and work product blew me away."

Kourosh Zamani
"Bearhug found our winning candidate within 7 days. Towards the end, it felt like they were our own Chief People Officer."

Himanshu Gupta
“Working with Bearhug was worth every penny and every minute. I now have a new standard for how I'll recruit for all future hires.”

Robert Romano
"Of the 55 Executive Search Firms I've worked with, none had the follow-up, professionalism, thoroughness & enthusiasm as Bearhug Recruiting."

Richard DeFrancisco
“Bearhug's unwavering drive & persistence gave me the confidence they'd get the job done. We found an amazing "diamond in the rough!"

Aaron Elder
"Now I really know what it means to be a "great recruiter". I'm afraid there is an impossible gap between Bearhug and the rest."

Dmitry Korolev
"Bearhug's hiring window was solid. The process was solid. Our needs were met effectively which is why I’ve come back for all our GTM roles."

Rohit Gupta
"The experience with Bearhug was like a breath of fresh air. We hired a great new CEO and the way they serviced us was amazing.”

Josh Hailpern
“Bearhug helped one of our portfolio companies hire almost their entire C-level team. That business has scaled from 1 to 20M+ over the last 4 years. They are an amazing partner for exec hiring for series A/B startups!”

Anton Fedorov
"I’ve worked with dozens of search firms, and Kraig and the Bearhug team are truly something special. They put more thought into their work than almost anyone I’ve met in business."

Jay Potter
"Kraig, we are thrilled to formally finish the process. Congratulations on your helping us get an amazing new executive to our company!"

Vangelis Mihalopoulos
"Having seen Bearhug from both sides, as a candidate & client, their approach is unmatched. Radical transparency and hands-on coaching delivered results that felt like a miracle."

Jon Kerry-Tyerman
“I want to commend the Bearhug team for being such excellent partners to our entrepreneurs and the larger PeakSpan team. We really appreciate and value our relationship with you!"

Phil Dur
"The Bearhug team is one of the top executive search firms in the nation. They have a very unique perspective on building and scaling companies and I highly recommend their work!"

Spencer Dusebout
"Bearhug’s process was extremely structured, efficient, and effective. Unlike anything I’d ever experienced. The level of detail and organization gave me total confidence at every step."

Jason Murante
“Kraig and the Bearhug team are one of the best startup recruiting firms I have ever met.”

Gaurav Manglik
“Bearhug’s outreach stood out immediately — specific, contextual, and focused on real impact. The process was collaborative, transparent, and the most thoughtful I’ve ever experienced."

Amit Shrivastava
“Bearhug’s approach was refreshing — transparent, knowledgeable, and focused on adding value from the start. Their approach turned a high-stakes role into a smooth, confidence-building experience.”

Nick Ezzo
"Bearhug is the recruiting partner high-growth businesses need — experienced, transparent, and realistic about what’s possible in senior searches. They bring urgency and deep preparation to every step."

Colin Parker
"Bearhug does things differently. The process was thoughtful, transparent, and executed with a level of rigor and insight I didn’t expect."

Doug Brown
"I was initially skeptical, but Bearhug quickly proved different — down-to-earth, empathetic, and thorough. They exceeded all expectations and delivered a great outcome for both sides.”

Matt Fox
"Getting to know the Bearhug team through such a thoughtful, structured process was a standout experience. Any high-growth startup needing specific executive hires should expect not just results, but a process that makes candidates want to join."

Walter Rowland

Your New Lead Investor Moment… Is Your Highest-Leverage Hiring Moment

The problem (in VC terms)

What founders actually want from their investors

The differentiated fourth move

The Partner Value Pack is a repeatable fourth move:

What’s inside the Partner Value Pack

1) Signal

2) Access

3) Execution

What this looks like in real life

Why this exists

"Bearhug’s process was absolutely thorough. From market coverage to real-time visibility, nothing was left unexamined. We landed the perfect person for the moment. 10/10."

“Bearhug helped us hire all of our GTM function heads. Monthly sales have grown ~3x. Plus our team freaking loved working with them!”

“Bearhug's a N of 1 at what they do. Any VC portfolio company with go-to-market hiring would be very lucky to work with them.”

“I’ve recommended Bearhug to my board and will promote them to the other startup founders in my network. They've done an amazing job!"

"Your level is above 99% of recruiters because of the obsessive detail you go through to truly understand both the candidates and the role. Most firms say they go deep, but Bearhug actually does. That’s why we got the outcome we wanted, in the timeframe we needed."

"Bearhug helped us hire damn great department heads who've all built out strong teams. We’re growing 10% MoM & have expanded to 30 states!"

"Bearhug's approach was structured & methodical which helped us ferret out candidates we simply would not find through other means."

"Bearhug's in a category of its own. It's not even fair to compare them to other recruiters. Their process and work product blew me away."

"Bearhug found our winning candidate within 7 days. Towards the end, it felt like they were our own Chief People Officer."

“Working with Bearhug was worth every penny and every minute. I now have a new standard for how I'll recruit for all future hires.”

"Of the 55 Executive Search Firms I've worked with, none had the follow-up, professionalism, thoroughness & enthusiasm as Bearhug Recruiting."

“Bearhug's unwavering drive & persistence gave me the confidence they'd get the job done. We found an amazing "diamond in the rough!"

"Now I really know what it means to be a "great recruiter". I'm afraid there is an impossible gap between Bearhug and the rest."

"Bearhug's hiring window was solid. The process was solid. Our needs were met effectively which is why I’ve come back for all our GTM roles."

"The experience with Bearhug was like a breath of fresh air. We hired a great new CEO and the way they serviced us was amazing.”

“Bearhug helped one of our portfolio companies hire almost their entire C-level team. That business has scaled from 1 to 20M+ over the last 4 years. They are an amazing partner for exec hiring for series A/B startups!”

"I’ve worked with dozens of search firms, and Kraig and the Bearhug team are truly something special. They put more thought into their work than almost anyone I’ve met in business."

"Kraig, we are thrilled to formally finish the process. Congratulations on your helping us get an amazing new executive to our company!"

"Having seen Bearhug from both sides, as a candidate & client, their approach is unmatched. Radical transparency and hands-on coaching delivered results that felt like a miracle."

“I want to commend the Bearhug team for being such excellent partners to our entrepreneurs and the larger PeakSpan team. We really appreciate and value our relationship with you!"

"The Bearhug team is one of the top executive search firms in the nation. They have a very unique perspective on building and scaling companies and I highly recommend their work!"

"Bearhug’s process was extremely structured, efficient, and effective. Unlike anything I’d ever experienced. The level of detail and organization gave me total confidence at every step."

“Kraig and the Bearhug team are one of the best startup recruiting firms I have ever met.”

“Bearhug’s outreach stood out immediately — specific, contextual, and focused on real impact. The process was collaborative, transparent, and the most thoughtful I’ve ever experienced."

“Bearhug’s approach was refreshing — transparent, knowledgeable, and focused on adding value from the start. Their approach turned a high-stakes role into a smooth, confidence-building experience.”

"Bearhug is the recruiting partner high-growth businesses need — experienced, transparent, and realistic about what’s possible in senior searches. They bring urgency and deep preparation to every step."

"Bearhug does things differently. The process was thoughtful, transparent, and executed with a level of rigor and insight I didn’t expect."

"I was initially skeptical, but Bearhug quickly proved different — down-to-earth, empathetic, and thorough. They exceeded all expectations and delivered a great outcome for both sides.”

"Getting to know the Bearhug team through such a thoughtful, structured process was a standout experience. Any high-growth startup needing specific executive hires should expect not just results, but a process that makes candidates want to join."

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Your New Lead Investor Moment…
Is Your Highest-Leverage Hiring Moment