Executive search for startups

Hire proven executive leaders.
Scale with certainty.

We connect you with C-Suite and senior leaders who've already scaled startups like yours. Since 2015, we've specialised in executive search for early-stage tech businesses across SaaS, FinTech, and HealthTech.

Trusted by fast-growing tech businesses

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Executive talent that unlocks growth

Hiring the right leaders for your business is the difference between stalling and scaling. We run executive search for startups across FinTech, SaaS and HealthTech, headhunting proven, often off-market, leaders in the UK & US. Our experience means we deliver fast, while you focus on your business.

  • Team builders

    We place proven leaders with the experience to attract, hire and upskill GTM, engineering, operations, and product teams.
  • Scale experience

    Our candidates all share the same experience - they have scaled early-stage startups and high-growth companies. They know what it takes and get hands-on when it matters.
  • Fast impact

    We connect you with experienced leaders who deliver impact in weeks, not months - building, hiring, and clearing bottlenecks.
  • Stay business focused

    From kickoff to placement, we manage every step and deliver senior leaders who own delivery and teams, freeing you to focus on product, customers and investors.
  • Structured assessment

    We run evidence-led selection with scorecards, structured interviews and discreet references - clear rationale and comp data so decisions are fast and defensible.
  • Offer to onboarding

    We handle the offer, close and assist with onboarding. Compensation benchmarking, offer design, and 30/60/90 support to hit early KPIs and show week-one traction.

Build your leadership team

Executive hiring is sensitive. We're experienced in running confidential, targeted searches that protect your brand while raising your profile with in-demand leaders. We map the market, approach off-market talent, and deliver a vetted shortlist within 5 business days, with a 30-day average time-to-fill rate.

Not every leader thrives in a fast-paced startup. Our C-suite and senior network is comprised of individuals who have scaled from 10 to 100+ head teams, navigated fundraising, launched GTM playbooks, and built high-performing cultures. You can expect hands-on leaders who make a measurable business impact from day one.

Following our initial brief we'll build a tailored role scorecard and provide insights on each candidate's motivations, demonstrable relevant experience, and highlight any shortfalls to consider. We also help shape the offer to position you as the most competitive choice.

Key leadership positions we fill

We’ve been helping tech startups scale their executive teams since 2015. These are just some of the roles we've helped our clients hire.

Chief Executive Officer
Chief Commercial Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Revenue Officer
Country Manager
VP of Sales
Chief Technology Officer
Enterprise Sales Director
VP of Engineering
Chief Marketing Officer
Chief Product Officer
VP of Marketing
ExecutiveRetained

Executive Search

Best for C-level and VP hires you can't afford to get wrong.

The result: executive search with diligence, finalist referencing, and strong closing support.

  • Leadership alignment workshop + a clear, compelling role narrative
  • Full retained search + market mapping
  • Referee identification and referencing plan
  • Candidate assessment brief (motivators, risks, leadership style, references summary)
  • Compensation modelling + negotiation strategy
  • Closing plan with counter-offer defence and pre-start engagement
  • Enhanced guarantee/replacement terms
Board-Level AlignmentEnhanced Guarantee

Retained fee in instalments

Executive search case studies

View all
Bottlepay logo

Bottlepay, a FinTech startup in the Bitcoin and micropayments space, partnered with Wilson Grey to hire its first Chief Product Officer, who joined nearly three years before the company’s acquisition by NYDIG for circa $300m.

FINTECH

Stage:

Seed | 20+ headcount

Main role:

Chief Product Officer

Time to fill:

21 days

Livepeer logo

Livepeer, a New York-based Series B startup building a decentralised video streaming network on Ethereum, partnered with Wilson Grey to hire a Marketing Director to support global growth.

SAAS

Stage:

Series B | 30+ headcount

Main role:

Marketing Director

Time to fill:

39 days

1 / 2

FAQs

We recruit C-suite and senior leadership hires for tech startups and scale-ups, including CEO/COO, CFO, CRO/VP Sales, VP Marketing/Growth, CTO/VP Engineering, VP Product, and Head of Data/AI. If you’re unsure whether your role fits, use the contact form, and we’ll advise quickly.

Our core markets are FinTech, SaaS, and HealthTech, and we’ve recruited in these sectors since 2015. We also support Robotics and AI-native startups hiring senior leaders.

Yes. Because our client base is early-stage and growth tech businesses, we only represent leaders with recent, first-hand experience building and scaling in this environment.

Yes. Once we align on the person spec, we map the market and proactively approach the right people. We agree upfront which competitors to target or avoid, and run outreach discreetly. We’ll align on messaging and only disclose your company when appropriate.

You can typically expect a shortlist within 5 working days of briefing. Total time-to-hire depends on interview availability and notice periods, but we optimise for pace without compromising quality.

We start with a structured briefing and define a scorecard for success in the role, including compensation parameters (base, bonus, and equity), so the search is aligned to the market. We then run market mapping and headhunting, present a curated shortlist, and support interviews through to offer and start date, including compensation benchmarking and offer design where needed. To begin, we need the outcomes you want in the first 6–12 months, the reporting line and team context, and your must-have experience. If you don’t have a finished job description, we can help you shape it.

Every candidate is screened against the scorecard, with structured interviews focused on track record, leadership style, and operating cadence. We also provide you with candidate referee details to help you complete your own due diligence.

Yes. We also help UK and US-bound startups hire senior leaders internationally, including the US (notably New York, Austin, and the San Francisco Bay Area). If you’re hiring elsewhere, we’ll confirm feasibility and approach.

Executive search is typically retained and split into two stages: an engagement fee on signing and a completion fee once the candidate accepts and starts. We’ll confirm the exact structure upfront so you can budget with confidence.

We’re built for startups and scale-ups, and the leaders we represent have done this journey before. By only submitting prescreened candidates who clear a high bar, we’ve achieved an 89% fill rate and an average 30-day time-to-fill, often faster depending on a client's diary.

Start your search

We know that finding the right talent for your business is crucial. That’s why we offer a stress-free hiring experience.

By submitting this form, I agree to the privacy policy.

Bryn Robinson logo

They took the time to really understand our needs and quickly sent strong candidates. There was clear communication throughout, and their advice was crucial to us securing our preferred candidate.

Bryn Robinson
Bryn Robinson
Unbiased

Uncover exceptional talent

Preview some of the best candidates we represent. Click profiles to discover their potential for your team.

View all profiles

Sales Engineering Director

Pursuing opportunities to act as the strategic integrator across Sales, Product, and CS - unifying fragmented teams and driving a consistent, value‑led GTM motion.

£180k Permanent Immediately available
SaaSSales Engineering
View all profiles

Director of Product Management

A seasoned product leader with over 14 years of experience, I specialize in building and scaling high-impact B2B SaaS products for small to large enterprise customers and leading cross-functional teams across geographies. I’ve led multiple product lines, including Messaging, AI Chatbots, Surveys, NLP Insights and Integrations, and have built and managed cross-functional teams across geographies. I’ve also driven EU market expansion efforts, shaping product localization, launching data centers, and optimizing go-to-market strategies and sales processes.

£130k Permanent 1 month
Product StrategyProduct Launch
View all profiles

Chief Customer Officer

Seeking a VP or Chief Customer Officer opportunity in a high-growth B2B SaaS business that needs a strategic, hands-on leader who stays close to customers and the operational detail, and brings clarity to ambiguity. Throughout my career, I’ve built and led post-sales teams and operating models that drive predictable onboarding, adoption, renewals and expansion, while developing leaders and helping people build successful careers.

£165k Permanent 14 days
Scaling TeamsPost-sales systemsRevenue growth