Founder Resources

Recruiting Insights for Human Performance Brands and Environmental & DeepTech Startups

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

Sriram Ramachandran
"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

Kraig Ward 8/3/26 Kraig Ward 8/3/26

The Bearhug Network: Check Out This Week's 27 Freshly Vetted Executive Profiles (out of 254+) Added Across Consumer Brands & Enterprise Tech. All Ready and Waiting Right Now To Take Your Call.

This week's featured selection from the hundreds of executives who went live on the Bearhug Network includes 27 profiles worth slowing down for. A few stand out. An engineer who built Google Street View from prototype to global scale, then built Lyft's autonomous driving division before its acquisition by Toyota, now leads R&D on a platform trained on more real-world driving miles than any simulation can replicate. A British infrastructure executive brings 40 years across gas distribution, transmission, and national water services, with board roles on both the regulated operator side and the commercially autonomous subsidiary side. A CISO holds the senior security seat at an international investment bank under full EU regulatory scrutiny and co-founded a peer community of senior CISOs focused on AI security risk. One marketing leader grew a mission-driven outdoor brand from startup to nine figures, owned three consecutive Amazon Prime Day records, and built a DTC channel compounding at 30 percent annually. A sales leader built licensed merchandise production from scratch on properties spanning a zombie franchise and a superhero title from a top comic publisher.

Kraig Ward 7/27/26 Kraig Ward 7/27/26

The Bearhug Network: Check Out This Week's 45 Freshly Vetted Executive Profiles (out of 278+) Added Across Consumer Brands & Enterprise Tech. All Ready and Waiting Right Now To Take Your Call.

This week's featured selection from the hundreds of executives who went live on the Bearhug Network includes 45 profiles worth slowing down for. A few stand out. A three-time chief executive ran a government lottery technology company through global expansion, led a SoftBank-backed mobile distribution business across more than 100 countries, and now chairs a climate tech platform with the first Verra-approved AI soil carbon methodology. A quantum-AI infrastructure product leader brings 30-plus years spanning EDA logic synthesis, semiconductor CEO experience, and a decade of venture partner diligence on what actually scales. A CMO scaled a Scandinavian heritage outdoor brand's retail and DTC channels simultaneously without diluting the brand, earning Forbes recognition along the way. A CDO helped flip a global apparel brand to 70 percent direct after running country-level P&Ls at Europe's dominant home-improvement marketplace. A geography CFO ran DTC, wholesale, and regulatory complexity across Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan, India, and Latin America for a global athletic brand. And an operator built the first water tech accelerator in Asia-Pacific, scaling to seven cohorts and 50-plus portfolio companies.

Kraig Ward 7/19/26 Kraig Ward 7/19/26

The Bearhug Network: Check Out This Week's 43 Freshly Vetted Executive Profiles (out of 301+) Added Across Consumer Brands & Enterprise Tech. All Ready and Waiting Right Now To Take Your Call.

This week's featured selection from the hundreds of executives who went live on the Bearhug Network includes 43 profiles worth slowing down for. A few that stand out. A CRO who led marketing through a 20x expansion at a sales intelligence platform, then ran revenue at an agentic AI company that hit profitability with 500% year over year growth. A CMO who rebuilt brand, ecommerce, and omnichannel infrastructure across a multi-brand cookware portfolio in 60+ countries, earning an EVP promotion in short order. A brand executive who architected an NFL franchise rebrand mid-season, carried that instinct into an MLB front office, and now leads brand strategy for a live entertainment portfolio approaching a centennial and a possible IPO. A sales leader who took a bike parts distributor network from 10 to 42 partners, then delivered 350% unit growth in Mexico for a European tire brand. A CEO who has run PE-backed integrations three times, once unifying four analytics and CRM businesses across seven countries into a single entity sold to a global data leader, then repeating the pattern at a global retail SaaS platform and a tech-enabled services business.

Kraig Ward 7/12/26 Kraig Ward 7/12/26

The Bearhug Network: Check Out This Week's 42 Freshly Vetted Executive Profiles (out of 191+) Added Across Consumer Brands & Enterprise Tech. All Ready and Waiting Right Now To Take Your Call.

This week's featured selection from the hundreds of executives who went live on the Bearhug Network includes 42 profiles worth slowing down for. A few that stand out. A COO who held the full operating system together at a consumer goods manufacturer shipping to 120-plus countries while deploying AI-driven automation across finance and supply chain. A CFO turned dual COO who built a golf media brand's finance function from scratch, closed a nine-figure Series A, and expanded operations across 3 countries, all while representing the company externally to private equity and strategic media investors. A marketing executive who took a security enterprise from sub-$100M to high-9-figure revenue while launching a new consumer sub-brand from zero. And a finance leader currently managing a live restructuring at a PE-backed action sports accessories brand, unwinding a standalone retail footprint while redirecting capital toward wholesale and DTC. Each one reflects the kind of operating depth boards call for when growth outpaces the infrastructure built to support it, and the search for the next leader typically starts well before any job description gets written.

Kraig Ward 7/6/26 Kraig Ward 7/6/26

The Bearhug Network: Check Out This Week's 33 Freshly Vetted Executive Profiles (out of 254+) Added Across Consumer Brands & Enterprise Tech. All Ready and Waiting Right Now To Take Your Call.

This week's featured selection from the hundreds of executives who went live on the Bearhug Network includes 33 profiles worth slowing down for. A few that stand out. One executive held the CFO and Co-CEO seat simultaneously at a Swiss sportswear brand through an NYSE IPO, fourfold revenue growth, and APAC expansion that nearly doubled in a single year. Another spent 17 years inside Nike running Greater China and then CEEMA, crossed into automotive as VP EMEA at Tesla, and now chairs a B Corp certified footwear brand scaling from 49 million to 91 million pounds in four years. A third built legal, compliance, ESG, and communications infrastructure from scratch as a footwear portfolio grew nearly fivefold and went public. A fourth scaled global field marketing through an IT security company's public offering, then rebuilt go-to-market for a developer platform used by millions of builders. A CHRO has spent a career stewarding people infrastructure across five production facilities and more than 525 branded retail locations at a 120 year old American manufacturing institution. Finance, brand, and people leaders dominate this week's slate, all ready to take your call.

Kraig Ward 6/29/26 Kraig Ward 6/29/26

The Bearhug Network: Check Out This Week's 43 Freshly Vetted Executive Profiles (Out of 196+) Added Across Consumer Brands & Enterprise Tech. Ready and Waiting To Take Your Call.

This week's featured selection from the hundreds of executives who went live on the Bearhug Network includes 43 profiles worth slowing down for. A few that stand out. A CFO who led finance through the sale of an active lifestyle hydration brand to a global health science conglomerate, with additional CFO stints across natural snack, footwear, and DTC food and beverage. A CCO who built the commercial organization that carried a water bottle brand from launch to the number 1 position at Target, Walmart, and Dick's Sporting Goods inside 4 years, servicing 90,000 store locations simultaneously. A CMO who built the marketing architecture that converted a western lifestyle brand's pop culture moment, tied to country music, prestige TV, and a multi-year NFL quarterback partnership, into lasting consumer loyalty. A CLO who protected a premium activewear brand's trademark and trade secret portfolio across hundreds of stores and dozens of countries, earning a Counselor's Power 50 recognition in the process. A CTO who rebuilt an entire technology stack as a comfort apparel brand climbed from DTC startup to nine-figure omnichannel operator with doors at Nordstrom, Target, and DSW opening simultaneously.

Kraig Ward 6/25/26 Kraig Ward 6/25/26

The Bearhug Network Highlights This Week's 31 Freshly Vetted Executive Profiles Out of 320+ Across Consumer Brands and Enterprise Tech, All Ready and Waiting To Take Your Call Today

This week's featured selection from the hundreds of executives who went live on the Bearhug Network includes 31 profiles worth slowing down for. A few that stand out. A commercial leader who built international distribution for a wellness recovery technology brand across 60-plus countries, threading distributor relationships through Europe, Japan, SE Asia, and Australia as the brand scaled into official partner status with the NBA, NFL, and PGA Tour. A merchandiser who built buying instincts at specialty running and outdoor retail before earning the VP seat at a multi-sport manufacturer, carrying floor-level credibility into premium brand scale. An operator who held global planning, supply chain, and operations at a nine-figure wellness technology company through European big-box retail expansion and cross-border logistics for millions of devices annually. And a CMO and Chief Brand Officer whose resume spans an iconic outdoor footwear brand, a premier mountain resort, a global action sports platform, and the defining purpose-driven apparel company in the industry, all 3 disciplines at once.

Kraig Ward 6/15/26 Kraig Ward 6/15/26

The Bearhug Network: Check Out This Week's 34 Freshly Vetted Executive Profiles (Out of 261+ Added) in Consumer Brands and Enterprise Tech, All Ready To Take Your Call.

This week's featured selection from the hundreds of executives who went live on the Bearhug Network includes 34 profiles worth slowing down for. A few that stand out. One footwear director rose from intern to Global Footwear Product Director at one of the largest athletic brands in the world, owning multi-season franchise creation across performance innovation and consumer positioning simultaneously. A PE-backed industrial CEO has led a nonwoven filtration manufacturer post-acquisition and taken a storage platform through a full hold cycle before that. A CFO has held that seat at 4 distinct companies spanning healthcare services, manufacturing, and industrial safety, plus a regional GM role inside a global conglomerate. And a DTC strategy executive ran the global digital flagship and membership infrastructure for the highest-revenue category at the world's largest athletic brand during a full go-to-market restructuring.

Kraig Ward 6/15/26 Kraig Ward 6/15/26

We Did What No Executive Search Firm Has Ever Done. This 90 Second Video Shows You Exactly What You're Looking At and Why It Matters…

Executive search firms have kept their databases behind closed doors for decades. You hire the firm, pay the retainer, and only then do you get to see who they know. We decided that model was backwards. If we're confident in the people we know, why not prove it? The Bearhug Network is a cross-section of over 20,000 vetted executives and emerging leaders across consumer brands and enterprise tech, developed over 30 years and searchable by function, expertise, stage experience, and keywords. Each profile outlines the problems they've solved, what they've built, and the relationships they bring to the table. This short video explains what you're looking at and why it matters.

Kraig Ward 6/10/26 Kraig Ward 6/10/26

The Best Brand Builders and General Managers Are Already Out There Looking for Their Next Move Right Now, and the Only Real Question Is Whether You Find Them First or Someone Else Does

Forty-one senior executives entered the Bearhug Network this week, and the functional depth skews toward the problems most growth-stage and PE-backed consumer businesses are actively trying to solve. Marketing and Brand leads with nine profiles, from a CMO who built four marketing functions from scratch and grew a baby gear brand tenfold, to a director who held retention at 98.6% through a SaaS company's public offering. General Management follows with eight, including an operator who ran a 17-brand outdoor recreation portfolio and delivered eight figures in annual savings through shared services. Product and Design and Sales and Commercial each add seven. Operations rounds out the core with five. The remaining profiles span Digital, Legal, People, Finance, and Customer Success.

Kraig Ward 6/3/26 Kraig Ward 6/3/26

Someone Is Going to Ask You "Who Do You Know?" This Week. Here Are 45 Vetted Answers Across Product, Sales, Operations, Marketing, and General Management That You Can Send in Under a Minute.

Forty-five executives moved through the Bearhug Network this week across nine functional areas, and the concentration of depth in a few of them is worth paying attention to. Product and Design leads with nine profiles, including operators who built AI-native developer tools at global cloud scale and a merchandising director who climbed from shipping and receiving to running six categories at an outdoor retailer. Sales and Commercial follows with eight, spanning enterprise channel architects who generated partner ARR at ten-figure scale to commercial operators who solved the brand protection versus distribution tension across three PE-backed outdoor portfolios. General Management and Operations tie at seven each, anchored by a GM who spent 29 years at one brand and handed off a fortress balance sheet and a supply chain executive who rebuilt an entire sourcing strategy from scratch after combined tariffs made China nonviable. Marketing, Digital, Engineering, Data, and Finance round out the group. Every profile is vetted. Every name is protected. See someone worth meeting? Click once. We handle the intro.

Kraig Ward 5/29/26 Kraig Ward 5/29/26

How 10 Years Trying to Improve Executive Search Finally Clicked When I Locked Myself in My Office for 21 Days With 7 AI Agents and Built Something for You That Doesn't Exist Anywhere Else.

Every CEO, investor, and board member has been asked the same question at the worst possible time: "Who do you know?" A portfolio company needs a commercial leader yesterday. A fellow founder is quietly looking for a COO. A board you sit on is debating whether the current VP of Sales can get them to the next stage. And the honest answer is usually some version of "let me think about it and get back to you," which is code for "I don't have time to dig through my network for you right now." Meanwhile, on the other side of the market, thousands of exceptional operators and functional leaders are open to what's next but invisible to the people who would hire them tomorrow if they knew they existed. The best opportunities at the executive level are filled through closed networks before a job board ever sees them. The math is working against both sides. The people with the deepest benches don't have time to play matchmaker. The people with the most to offer can't get in front of the right decision-makers. We spent 10 years and 18 mostly failed experiments trying to solve this problem. Then we accidentally built the solution in 21 days.

Kraig Ward 3/6/26 Kraig Ward 3/6/26

Bearhug Recruiting Operates Two Executive Search Practices. Here's Why We're Expanding Our Outdoor Practice Into the Full Human Performance Brand Category, and Why the Timing Has Never Been Better.

Most Human Performance Brands don't lose their growth window because the product stops being great. They lose it because the leadership team that built the brand to $30M was never designed to take it to $100M. The skills that create early traction are fundamentally different from the ones that build scalable infrastructure, activate a community as a revenue engine, and navigate the omnichannel complexity that comes with real scale. And something else is happening right now that most brands aren't seeing yet. A wave of technically sophisticated GTM talent is quietly exiting the tech sector, operators who spent years building and selling the tools that power consumer brands, who understand DTC economics, channel conflict, and data infrastructure from the outside in, and who are ready to bring that lens inside the brands themselves. The window to hire these people before your competitors do is open. It will not stay open. Leadership gaps compound quietly. The wrong person in a critical seat for twelve months doesn't just cost a salary. It costs the trajectory.

Kraig Ward 2/16/26 Kraig Ward 2/16/26

The Most Expensive Line Item in Venture Isn’t on the Cap Table — It’s the Compounding Cost of Human Capital Mistakes

Human capital risk is not invisible. It is unmanaged. After reviewing dozens of portfolio hiring patterns and pressure-testing them against real board dynamics and founder strain, a clear pattern emerges. Most funds underwrite product and market risk rigorously while assuming people risk will sort itself out. It doesn’t. Early mis-sequenced hires create quiet drag. Leadership gaps stretch founders thin. Reactive recruiting narrows optionality and increases burn. The signal is subtle but compounding. Momentum slows. Hiring quality drops. Execution strain rises. Not because the opportunity is weak, but because orchestration is missing. Human capital discipline is not a recruiting expense. It is a leverage decision. When managed deliberately at the fund level, velocity improves across the portfolio. When it is not, friction compounds at the exact moment scale requires precision.

Kraig Ward 12/16/25 Kraig Ward 12/16/25

The Hidden Cost of Underpaying Your CEO: What Capital-Efficient Series B Companies Get Wrong About Executive Compensation

Series B CEO compensation is not broken. It is misaligned. After benchmarking CEO pay across Series B companies and pressure-testing it against real board dynamics and operator behavior, a clear pattern emerges. Many companies are anchoring CEO compensation to earlier-stage norms while expecting enterprise-grade execution. Capital efficiency has become a rationale for restraint, when in reality it should create leverage. By Series B, the CEO role shifts from survival to orchestration: building a senior team, managing complexity, and translating strategy into repeatable execution. Underpricing that role quietly filters out the leaders most capable of taking a company to $100M-plus. The signal is subtle but decisive. Top-tier operators disengage early. Executive hiring slows. Decision cycles stretch. Not because the business is weak, but because leadership leverage is capped. CEO compensation is not a cost decision. It is a positioning decision. When aligned correctly, everything downstream moves faster. When it is not, execution friction compounds at the exact moment speed matters most.

Kraig Ward 11/28/25 Kraig Ward 11/28/25

(November 2025) AI’s Grip on Venture Funding Tightens as CEO Hiring Jumps and Job Signals Diverge — Creating a Market Where disciplined Leadership Decisions Define the Winners

November ’25 Update: The exec hiring market has not slowed. It has tightened. Tech layoffs continue to cool, with about 114K cuts, which shrinks the talent surplus as top operators get snapped up instantly. CEO and board searches surged in October, rising more than 50 percent and almost 30 percent month over month, while GTM demand fell. This points to a shift toward structural upgrades at the top. Shutdown delays have blurred the data again, but the late September report showed 119K jobs added and unemployment rising to 4.4 percent, with weekly claims drifting upward. The signal is friction, not failure. AI funding remains dominant. Through the first half and into Q3, AI startups captured more than 64 percent of U.S. venture dollars and reached a 377 billion annualized run rate, while non-AI SaaS remains constrained, with 100M-plus rounds down from 147 in 2021 to only 21 in the past year. Company formation is steady but matured, with births near 322K and closures continuing to moderate. For founders, capital is concentrated, hiring is selective, and leadership choices matter more than ever. Here is your pulse on what is shifting and what to do next.

Kraig Ward 10/25/25 Kraig Ward 10/25/25

(October 2025) With AI Now Commanding Two-Thirds of Venture Capital, Executive Hiring Hits a Post-Pandemic High as Job Growth Stagnates — Ushering in a New Era of Selective, Disciplined Scaling

October ’25 Update: The exec hiring market hasn’t cooled — it’s gotten selective. AI now commands nearly two-thirds of all U.S. venture dollars, while traditional SaaS funding continues to contract. Executive hiring, meanwhile, just hit a new post-COVID high — up 14% quarter-over-quarter — even as broader job growth stalls. Government shutdown delays have blurred the official data, but private reports show a clear slowdown: ADP estimates 32K jobs lost in September, with August’s gain revised to –3K. Unemployment is holding near 4.3%, and jobless claims sit around 218K — signaling friction, not failure. Tech layoffs have eased (~98K YTD), but the aftershocks still shape the talent pool as the best executives get snapped up almost instantly. At the same time, AI’s share of venture funding has become overwhelming. In 1H 2025 alone, AI startups raised $377 billion globally — more than all of 2024 — and the top 1% are still commanding 3–10x higher valuations than non-AI peers. For most SaaS founders, capital has become a zero-sum game, pushing leadership teams to prove discipline, profitability, and AI fluency from day one. Whether you’re a founder chasing transformative talent or an investor guiding portfolio hires, here’s your quick pulse on what’s shifting — and what to do next.

Kraig Ward 10/23/25 Kraig Ward 10/23/25

Free Report: The 27 Most Painful & Expensive Mistakes Early & Growth Stage Tech Startup CEOs Make Before Launching an Executive Search —And How to Avoid Every One of Them

Most early & growth-stage tech startup CEOs don’t fail to hire great executives because they’re too early or too unknown. They fail because they’re following the wrong playbook. The usual model — post a job, tap your network, hope for luck — collapses the higher you go. A-players aren’t browsing job boards; they’re busy building someone else’s rocket ship. After years running executive searches for early and growth-stage CEOs, we’ve seen the same 27 setup mistakes sabotage searches again and again — all completely preventable. The truth is, most searches fail in the setup, before the first outreach is even sent. Once that glitch happens, everything downstream breaks. This 5-page report outlines those 27 mistakes — and how to avoid every one. A quick 5-minute read that could save you hundreds of thousands in direct losses, and millions in opportunity cost.

Kraig Ward 9/26/25 Kraig Ward 9/26/25

Bearhug Recruiting Places Joel LeBlanc as COO at TraceAir, the Enterprise Software Platform Modernizing Land Development and Construction with AI & Drone Data, to Drive Growth To $100M Milestone

Most founders assume they’ll scale past $100M on product-market fit, funding, or a killer sales playbook. The harsher truth? Companies stall because of people — the wrong execs left in the wrong seats for too long. That’s why TraceAir’s decision to bring in Joel LeBlanc as COO is pivotal. He’s a proven operator who has scaled businesses from tens of millions into the hundreds of millions, while building cultures that hold under pressure. In this post, we break down why Joel’s placement matters, what founders get wrong about timing exec upgrades, and the contrarian lesson: don’t wait for a stall. Replace B-players with true A-players before they drag down culture, morale, and revenue.

Kraig Ward 9/25/25 Kraig Ward 9/25/25

This 10-Second Test Exposes Underperformers (+ Why Most Founders Never Use It) — Until Growth Stalls, They Hit the $10M Wall, & See Hidden B-Players Dragging Down Culture, Morale, & Revenue.

Most startups never break through the $10M wall—and the reason is hiding in plain sight. The scary truth is that many of your highest-paid leaders would fail a simple 10-second test: can you clearly explain how they move the needle? We break down the 5 KPIs every role must have, how to spot underperformers, and why replacing just one wrong leader can create an instant surge in culture and revenue.

"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’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
"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
“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
“Bearhug helped one of our portfolio companies hire almost their entire US C-level team, that enabled the business to scale from 1 to 20M+ over the last 4 years. They are truly awesome.”

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

Gaurav Manglik
"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
“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
"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
"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

Founder Resources

"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 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 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.”

“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!"

"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!"

“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.”

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

"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."

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

"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.”

"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’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."

"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!"

“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!"

“Bearhug helped one of our portfolio companies hire almost their entire US C-level team, that enabled the business to scale from 1 to 20M+ over the last 4 years. They are truly awesome.”

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

"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."

“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.”

"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."

"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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Free Report: The 27 Most Painful & Expensive Mistakes CEOs Make Before Launching an Executive Search (and How to Avoid Them)