How I Ended Up in Startup Recruiting (and Why I’m Here to Stay)

I’m the founding talent hire here at Infisical, which is an all-in-one platform to securely manage application configuration and secrets. Every hire matters, and I get to be part of the processes that help shape the company’s future. My path here wasn’t straight: I bartended through college, earned a talent internship with Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), tried agency recruiting, and eventually found the sweet spot in a startup.

Along the way, I realized I’ve always liked working with people, influencing outcomes, and seeing things through from start to finish. Early on in my career, I found outlets for my preferences, but now my instincts are translating to real ownership here at Infisical.

Discovering Recruiting

I got my start in recruiting at a VC firm, an unbelievable opportunity that I’m very grateful for. I was new to the tech world, and as the sole intern for the talent team, I had access to unlimited resources to learn from world-renowned talent operators. Everything was a learning curve, from understanding startups at different stages to seeing how teams across all kinds of verticals operate. I loved helping portfolio companies find the talent they needed to grow.

It taught me what “great” actually looks like. Over time, I started to really enjoy it, not just the candidates, but the process of understanding markets, spotting potential, and learning how teams succeed. That’s where I started building taste and judgment in identifying talent and where I realized recruiting could be more than just filling roles—it could shape the future of a company.

From Theory to Practice

After my internship at a16z, I moved into agency recruiting. This was where I really got to put everything I’d learned into practice. I worked with multiple early-stage startup teams, talking to candidates all day, moving roles forward, and learning how to operate at speed.

It taught me how to spot talent, read a market, and run recruiting processes end to end, skills that I would carry into every role after.

What Felt Missing

After spending time at both the VC firm and agency recruiting, I had a lot of skills under my belt: I could find talent, run processes end to end, and move quickly. I had worked with multiple early-stage startups, seen different strategies, and gotten the reps that sharpened my instincts.

But something was missing. Agency work started to feel transactional. Once a candidate signed, sure, I could stay connected, but I never saw first-hand the impact of their work or why hiring them mattered beyond a commission check.

Companies felt like accounts, candidates felt like inventory. I realized I wanted to be closer to the outcomes of my work: take full ownership, work alongside founders, and see how the hires I made truly shaped the company.

For recruiters coming from agency backgrounds, the in-house path offers something different. Instead of focusing on volume or placements, you get to see the direct impact of your work, help shape a team, and build relationships that last beyond the offer.

Why Startup Recruiting is Different

What I love most about recruiting at a startup is not the hustle; it’s the ownership and the impact. I get to work directly with our founders, learn how they think about building a company, and translate that into the team we’re growing. Every role I hire for shapes the company’s trajectory, and I can see the results of my work in real time, from the people joining the team to the culture they help form.

I’m constantly learning by doing, testing new sourcing strategies, iterating on processes, and figuring out what works for our candidates and the company. I get to influence candidate experience, design processes from scratch, and experiment in ways that would not be possible at a larger company. There’s a lot of responsibility, but that also makes it incredibly fulfilling. I’m not just filling roles. I’m helping build the foundation of the company.

Working with a tight knit team also comes with amazing perks that go beyond day-to-day work. Our offsites take us to incredible places like Tokyo, Bali, and Rio, and the team has a strong culture I haven’t felt since playing college rugby. That sense of camaraderie and shared purpose makes the fast pace and high stakes feel energizing rather than exhausting.

The Reality of Startup Recruiting

Being the first talent hire at a startup is intense. I’m full stack:

• Sourcing
• Screening
• Coordinating interviews across time zones globally
• Running recruiting operations to keep candidates moving through the pipeline.

I also report to three founders with different priorities, and I’m responsible for making every candidate’s experience as smooth as possible.

As much as I try to structure a day, we’re moving fast with limited support. Every hire matters, and every mistake is visible to the people running the company. Some days it feels like running on adrenaline, but that is also what makes it worth it. That’s the environment I’ve found to love the most. Everyone else is doing the same in their respective functions, and we’re feeding off each other’s work ethic and ability to move quickly.

Who This Path Is (And Isn’t) For

I get it. Some roles can be cushy, predictable, and offer a great work-life balance. I have hobbies too, like fishing, riding my motorcycle, and spending time with friends, but I’ve learned that great outcomes require real sacrifice. Early-stage recruiting can be ambiguous and hard.

I once met with a VC founder who asked me: would you rather step into a clearly defined role, where the processes are built and you’re just maintaining what exists, or join a company where, in five years, you could look back and say, “I built that”? That question stuck with me. This path is not about comfort or predictability. This is about being part of something you can truly shape.

This role is ideal for people who enjoy problem-solving, designing systems, and thinking strategically about how teams grow. You need to care about results, not just activity, and be willing to experiment, iterate, and adjust as you go.

For the right person, the challenges are energizing. You get to work closely with people, test what works, and see the direct effects of the decisions you make. This path is not easy, but if you thrive on responsibility, influence, and building something lasting, it can be deeply rewarding.

It’s also a great next step for new grads or early-career recruiters who want exposure to high-impact work and the chance to learn by doing alongside founders.

It’s Time to Build

“It’s Time to Build” is a core principle at a16z, and it has stuck with me since my internship there. When I first got into recruiting, I wanted to stay in VC forever. The work hooked me because it gave me exposure to incredible talent and founders and the chance to help startups grow. But I realized that in order to have the credibility I wanted, I needed to actually build.

Right now, that means taking action, learning by doing, testing, and shaping how Infisical grows its team. This is where I can take everything I’ve learned, apply it fully, and see the outcomes of my work directly. Every hire, every process, and every experiment matters.

Infisical is a place where recruiters can learn, grow, and make a real impact on a team and company from day one.

If that resonates with you, apply to our team here: https://infisical.com/careers