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 9/7/26 Kraig Ward 9/7/26

The Bearhug Network: Check Out This Week's 16 Freshly Vetted Executive Profiles (out of 77+) 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 16 profiles worth slowing down for. A few that stand out. A commercial operator who led the partnership strategy behind more than 70% of new revenue for a B2B fleet payments platform across two consecutive years, while also building embedded banking and payroll lines from concept to scale. A sales director who grew a single distributor channel 63% inside a century-old institutional sports equipment manufacturer, built through trade show presence and spec-writing relationships with architects and facilities planners. A product executive who ran bat, glove, helmet, and apparel development as one integrated operation at the top bat brand in MLB, through nearly 30% compounded growth and a nine-figure acquisition. A wholesale director who scaled the Eastern US business for the brand that defined non-alcoholic craft beer, growing retail presence across Whole Foods, Kroger, and Costco during a stretch of 50%+ dollar sales growth. And a product leader who navigated Matterport's full hardware and software portfolio through its acquisition by CoStar Group.

Kraig Ward 9/1/26 Kraig Ward 9/1/26

The Bearhug Network: Check Out This Week's 16 Freshly Vetted Executive Profiles (out of 89+) 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 16 profiles worth slowing down for. A few that stand out. A finance leader who built the CFO function twice at bootstrapped apparel brands, taking one from scrappy accounting to boardroom ready without ever touching a public company or PE bureaucracy. An operator who served as de facto GM and CPO through the full rebuild of a shuttered merino wool label, reconstructing product, supply chain, and wholesale relationships simultaneously with zero runway for error. A product director who built Wahoo's entire indoor running category from scratch inside a company with no running DNA, positioning KICKR RUN against established incumbents. A supply chain executive with a JD in Procurement Law who rose from senior manager to Global VP at a nine-figure workwear institution, then rebuilt procurement infrastructure from the ground up at a mid-market outdoor living company. 16 profiles this week, with product and design carrying the heaviest weight, and a hiring pool built for anyone trying to move fast before the quarter closes.

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.

"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.”

The Bearhug Network: Check Out This Week's 16 Freshly Vetted Executive Profiles (out of 77+) Added Across Consumer Brands & Enterprise Tech. All Ready and Waiting Right Now To Take Your Call.

The Bearhug Network: Check Out This Week's 16 Freshly Vetted Executive Profiles (out of 89+) Added Across Consumer Brands & Enterprise Tech. All Ready and Waiting Right Now To Take Your Call.

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

"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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