Startups aimed at serving consumers attract a large share of attention from would-be hires. Who wouldn’t want to work for a company their friends and family immediately know?
Startups in the business-to-business sector might not have the same name recognition but they face similar challenges picking the right talent as business-to-consumer companies. Last night, the Enterprise Tech Meetup in New York held a panel on best practices in hiring, specifically for startups in the B2B, enterprise sector.
Conrad Wadowski, Enterprise Tech’s lead organizer, brought together David Teten, partner with ff Venture Capital; Sean MacIsaac, chief technology officer with Yext; Debbie Madden, executive vice president with Cyrus Innovation; and Daniel Chait, co-founder of Greenhouse.
I served as the moderator for the discussion, which brought more than 90 attendees to Microsoft’s offices on Avenue of the Americas, eager to learn efficient ways to navigate the talent pool for new hires as well as how to land jobs at enterprise startups.
Madden said startups in this sector should exploit all available sources, such as networking amongst peers and job boards, rather than stick to one channel. “People have to see your name five times before they recognize that you exist,” she said. Her company, Cyrus Innovation, develops custom software for startups and enterprises.
“Hiring good talent in New York City right now is hard,” Madden said. “It’s not getting any easier because a lot of enterprise companies are coming in.”
Getting the word out about what makes the startup unique can make it more appealing and drive applicants to eagerly knock on the company’s door, Teten said. Ff Venture Capital specializes in backing early stage companies with disruptive business models.
“You have to think about what’s your angle,” he said, and offered up the fitness-friendly environment at ff Venture Capital, where it’s not uncommon to see
