Kacey Harris

Forerunner Ventures' $500M Fund and the Growing Opportunity in Consumer Tech Kirsten Green’s Forerunner Ventures, known for its early investments in Warby Parker, Away, and Glossier, has closed its latest $500 million fund, signaling strong confidence in the consumer tech sector despite the challenges of the past two years. With a focus on seed to Series A investments, the firm will write checks between $1 million and $20 million, raising its total assets under management to nearly $3 billion. Despite a tough market, Green remains bullish, stating that AI’s rise is driving consumer expectations for more personalized, high-quality products and services. Recent investments include AI-driven startups like Daydream and MindTrip, indicating Forerunner’s commitment to evolving with emerging tech trends. Implications for Hiring: As consumer tech heats back up, law firms need to start strategically hiring emerging companies associates and partners. With the return of investor confidence in this sector, especially in AI-enabled startups, firms need talent that can navigate early-stage investments, growth, and complex IP issues. Being ahead of the curve in these areas can position your firm as a key player in the evolving landscape. The Implication of Doing Nothing: Failing to act now means missing out on the next wave of high-growth consumer tech companies. As the market warms up, firms that aren't proactive in securing top talent could fall behind, missing valuable opportunities to work with the startups and investors leading the charge in this space. https://lnkd.in/ejDJuhUY

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ACCEPTING INTERVIEWS: #manufacturing Account Executive - REMOTE *Jan/Feb start* This founder led & owned (no vc funding) SaaS co out of #seattle is looking for their FIRST Account Executive 7+ year old co has supported 3K+ clients & 100k assets 🎯 Company: 🎯 - Software as a Service (SaaS) + consulting - #AI & #Automation solution (not overly technical) - loT, generative #ai for #oem - #AWS Partner - works with Siemens, Hitachi, Microsoft & MORE - Soc 2 cert - $75-$500k ARR for multi year deals (Deal size) - Increase "after sale" services 🎯 ICP & Territory + Travel: 🎯 - Sell into manufacturing companies that are missing revenue when it comes to maintenance & repair (shortening repair cycle, providing manufacturing companies production machines w/ immediate instructions o how to find the part & fix) eliminating down time and "non manufacturer" parts used after market - Sell into US based manufacturing cos (all across the US) with several prospects being in #central - Some travel (1-4x a year) US based for a few days based on what leads you and the founders think are worth visiting in person to shorten the sales cycle and get to clo$ed won + attending industry events - Founders open to you living ANYWHERE in the US but Central or South- Eastern state (Chicago, Georgia, Tennessee) 🎯 Leadership: 🎯 - Company has been "founder" led with the two co founders for years, they have tried hiring SDR teams out of India but due to the relationships focused approach are wanting to hire a full cycle "Account Executive" that does field sales as well (meet clients in person while closing deals via zoom) - Leaders (Founders) are heavily involved in marketing (webinars, events) lots of case studies and relevent info to build pipeline - Engineering team is out of India - One founder is US based and the other UK based (the UK based leader is the sales and marketing expert, and the person you will sit down with every week for your one on one) biweekly company "stand up" 🎯 Startup life & KPIs + Sales org: 🎯 - This is the first time they are hiring a US based founding sales hire, so the right rep will have the experience needed to build pipeline & process - 100 touches a day, 5 contact points per decision maker/champion per month MAX - very consultative - Apollo (contacts, sequencing, buyer intent signals) - MEDDIC sales methodologies - The right candidate is open to sourcing & attending events with the founders and bringing on #ai ideas 🎯 Comp: 🎯 - AE Profile: $75-$110k base 50/50 split - SDR PROFILE: $65k base $120k OTE (for SDRS looking to close!) potentially more - uncapped - source leads and get a % of closed won working with the founders until YOU feel comfortable you can close (will be vetting discovery and process for #sdrs who feel they are ready to CLOSE to be prepared when you meet me - DB) - $500-$1500 health bonus/month "traditional" benefits one day #manufacturingsoftware #manufacturingsaas #productionsoftware

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Check out three M13 portfolio companies currently hiring - Bento (gobento.com) & Lifeforce are making strides in the future of health, while the team at Rho is building the future of fintech. Scroll through to learn more about each and how you can fuel their missions 🚀 #hiring #brightertogether #m13 #bento #lifeforce

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Recruiting Ops and Enablement are often widely used terms but not the same. Unsure of what your org needs? Check out this helpful chart and definitions from Growth by Design Talent's Mike Joyner. #recruitingoperations #recruitingenablement #talentops

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Excited to host a 30-minute panel at Andreessen Horowitz Tech Week in SF on Wednesday, October 9. If you're a founder or sales leader at a high-growth startup who predominantly sells into the enterprise, you won't want to miss this discussion. Our expert panelists will share invaluable insights on: - Breaking through to key decision-makers - Structuring an efficient sales process - Proven techniques for closing high-value deals

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AE based in #sanfrancisco? Working on 3 solid roles 1) Enterprise AE - Seed stage, $4M in funding, $3M in ARR - $175/350k tons of upside as ENT AE 1 - SF based, 5x a week in the office - selling a rev-tech platform - exp in analytics ideal 2) Mid Market AE - same org as above - SF based 5x a week in office - go go go - not methodical or slow - $125/250k tons of upside as they scale - If you can hang on, it'll be a fun and wild ride 3) SMB AE - Series A, $12M in funding, $7M+ in ARR in 18 months - SF Based, 3x a week in the office (flexible when) - selling an AI API tool to engineering leaders - $200k, but no rep is under $300k #AI #HIRING #AccountExecutives

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Navigating equity compensation for early employees can be challenging for startup founders. After unsuccessfully searching for an approach we felt comfortable sharing with founders, we decided to create one ourselves. Today, we're excited to share a new framework to make sizing equity grants easy and transparent for founders. In this post, we cover: -🔍 Key questions to ask when creating early equity grants -📊 Important definitions and concepts -💡 Guidelines for equity allocation, including multipliers, premiums, and discounts -📈 Tips for managing equity as your company grows -🧮 An easy-to-use equity calculator to perform this exercise on your own Whether you're a Pre-Seed, Seed, or Series A founder, this guide will provide you with the information needed to confidently make informed decisions about equity grants for your team. https://lnkd.in/gji_pU6s

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I just met with the one of the top VCs in Phoenix. Here's how they believe AZ can be one of the top startup states in the next 10 years: 1. Company Formation ⏩ Starting more startups ⏩ Growing big companies ⏩ Selling for big exits 2. Capital Velocity ⏩ More investments into AZ startups ⏩ Reinvesting back into AZ once you've exited 3. Community Vibrancy ⏩ Small/Medium/Big creators hyping up AZ ⏩ Attractive events that bring true value And the community is thriving: Shawn Allard w/ private meetups for SMB owners Sean Huntington 🍯 w/ Founders N Funders events Josue Romero w/ AZ Tech Founder meetups Josue Romero and Daniela Santangelo with Freeway (amazing dashboard to see AZ venture stats + event calendar) No better time to be an AZ Founder 🌵🚀 *** Side Note: can we find a better name to unite the startup valley? YesPHX is okay Silicon Desert is okay but way too cliche at this point

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Billionaire Steven Cohen’s venture capital arm, Point72 Ventures, is pivoting away from fintech and crypto after laying off its five investors specializing in those areas, Forbes has learned, and will shift more focus to investing in artificial intelligence and defense technology startups, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. Since peaking in 2021, venture funding for fintech is down 70%, while money is pouring into AI startups, outstripping non-AI startups in recent months. https://lnkd.in/eNMkkDEe For more information on open positions, we are working on globally with our Portfolio Clients then contact Andrew Robinson FREC, louise robinson or Rebecca Beauchamp call us on +44 (0)1923 312435. Why not follow Paradigm Recruitment on: https://lnkd.in/gssS9BWN #paradigmrecruitment #hiring #careers #startup #recruitment #IPO #cybersecurity #cybercareers #cyberjobs #startupjobs #cloud #cloudsecurity #security #cloudsecurity #AI #Boiometrics #Analytics #MachineLearning #ThreatIntelligence #DarkWeb #IAM #PAM #CIAM #SIEM

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Compensation indexing continues to be an asymmetric game. Companies continue to have access to voluminous amounts of data across multiple benchmark sets (Pave, Carta) as well as private VC benchmarks. Candidates, meanwhile, have access to some of the benchmark sets -- but are often in the dark about how to use it correctly. The biggest challenge? The benchmarks sometimes aren't reflective of what Tier 1 compensation looks like for companies, even when filtered for Tier 1 markets. Case in point: for product marketing, in SF, for companies valued between $25-$100M (most Series A cos) -- Pave doesn't even have enough data to confirm what a typical variable compensation looks like. And the quoted median base at the P3 level (Sr. PMM, Product Marketing Lead)? $126,437 (🧐!) with a "very high confidence" grade next to it. Jumbled leveling charts, unclear titling, and numbers like this create confusion in the market, whether it's for IC or leadership roles. This is where search firms come in. In any given Sr. PMM search we're probably talking to more than 50+ candidates, getting real time compensation data and compensation expectations. Our own private benchmarks show that Sr. PMMs in SF command much, much more. No wonder candidates are confused --- even companies have trouble getting it right when the underlying data requires an interpretation lens! So the best approach is often the simplest approach: just go out into the field and get the data, real time.

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The Prelude team has done some truly amazing work. I know transitions are hard on understaffed recruiting teams right now, especially when you’re happy with your vendor. The thing I’m most excited about with candidate.fyi is the ease of implementation. If you’re impacted by the Prelude sunset, me know if you have any questions I can help guide you through!

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Carta's H1 2024 data confirms companies have become leaner and salary benchmarks have remained flat across much of their ecosystem. Here are my key takeaways from Carta's latest data release: 🗒️ Salary and equity stability: Salaries and equity for new hires have stayed unchanged since September 2023. This suggests a new normal for compensation packages, following significant drops in previous years. 🗒️ Hiring trends: Hiring activity has not picked up. January through April 2024 saw fewer new hires than any corresponding months in the past four years. Total net headcount remained flat. 🗒️ Decline in Layoffs: Although layoffs are still occurring, the number of monthly job departures has steadily declined this year, which feels like progress. 🗒️ High turnover in recent hires: Nearly a quarter of employees hired in 2022 left their company before their first work anniversary, which is super costly to companies. 🗒️ Geo-located compensation: Smaller startups are more likely to adjust pay based on location. Nearly 90% of startups valued under $25 million do this, compared to 71% of companies valued at $1 billion or more. Also, 41 of 54 major US markets saw startup pay move closer to the top market rates, with big jumps in midwest cities like Columbus and Cincinnati. Leaner teams and flat pay packages show that companies have become far more intentional with their finances given this economy. As Peter Walker says, "Bragging rights have very quickly moved from "total employees" to "revenue per employee". It will be fascinating to see if startups can hold onto these more fiscally responsible practices if and when larger financing rounds return. Note: Don't miss the addendum that includes updated benchmark equity values for advisors, early employees, and startup board members. The full report is linked in the comments below 👇

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We just posted this week’s venture capital investment summary (11 featured companies!) spanning early & growth-stage US based Environmental Technology & Enterprise Software startups! Check it out and make sure to give these tenacious up and coming startups some love! 🚀

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Should ZipRecruiter reassess leadership? -->> https://lnkd.in/eHf6wemw In this episode, we dive deep into: - Paradox Innovation Day - VONQ's US Departure - CV Wallet / Resume Wallet's Triumph - Vangst, acquisition and its implications for the #cannabis #job market - Veritone Hire's Road Ahead - A critical view on ZipRecruiter, Nike, and Bayer's leadership mishaps. - Who'd You Rather? with Take2 AI and Paraform Expect a snarky blend of analysis, insight, and entertainment as we dissect brand consolidation, #AI's growing role in #recruitment, and the nuances of navigating the cannabis market. -->> https://lnkd.in/eHf6wemw #ChadCheese #RecruitmentPodcast #FutureOfWork #InnovationInRecruitment #Leadership #AIRecruitment

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Thinking about hosting an event for people in Phoenix who are interested in investing in startups pre series A (Angel, pre seed, seed) but don’t know where to start. We’d cover: - various ways to invest in startups (direct, LP in syndicate, LP in fund, etc.) - how and where to source great deals - how to pick winners with a thoughtful portfolio construction strategy - how to get those founders to give you allocation - how to be a good investor “post-investment” (and why that matters) - various investing misconceptions that are often touted in AZ and misguided Would be free, open to anyone, and hopefully very informative. Anyone in?

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It still amazes me how underutilized referrals are. Not only are they key to success in a commercial role but the key to unlocking doors in your daily life. Referrals are more than just endorsements—they're trust in action. This candidate just broke into the SaaS space during a more challenging time than we've seen in recent years, especially for expats - but he leveraged his network. Getting this hearfelt message out of the blue was just another reminder of the impact you can make in someone's life as a recruiter. Win-Win. #referrals #SaaS

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I recently listened to Zach Perret, founder of Plaid, on the 20VC podcast discussing his evolution in recruiting. His mindset shift resonated with me. Here are three key takeaways: ▶ Be yourself and do it. Cold emails and genuine curiosity unlock unrecruitable people. People love to talk about things they're passionate about. ▶ Embrace the hunt. The best founders love to compete for talent. They understand the value each person can bring and don't like losing. This skill will also translate into founder-led sales. ▶ Hire for "Spike". This is essential when building an early team. I often think of it as the shape of a "T"—someone with deep expertise in one area but is open and curious to learn and contribute in other areas outside their core strength.

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We just posted this week’s venture capital investment summary (10 featured companies!) spanning early & growth-stage US based Environmental Technology & Enterprise Software startups! Check it out and make sure to give these tenacious up and coming startups some love! 🚀

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How to attract software sales staff back to the office? Recent articles highlighted the drive to bring staff back to the office 5 days a week, with Law firms and Financial Services paying a premium to attract talent back to the office 5 Days a week At Santa Monica Talent we are noticing that the trend of “5 Days a week in the office” is most pronounced in sales teams within the technology marketplace. But why specifically sales teams? 🧑‍ In March ‘24, the number of jobs in the UK listed as fully remote fell compared to March ‘23. Also, flexible jobs only made up 16.5% of total vacancies on the job boards in Feb 2024. 5 Days a week in the office Within the tech sector it's mostly the sales team asked to come into to create a high energy culture. Which makes sense - sales managers still put emphasis on this type of working environment to get the most from their team. Plus, if your sales function has a lot of junior employees, there is a need to nurture and train them which is more difficult remotely. There is also a perception that being in the office gives sales teams quicker access to necessary information from marketing and product, peer-to-peer learning is improved, and meetings and stand-ups run more smoothly. However, remote teams do save on operational costs and it improves their own work satisfaction. Performance is also largely based on managerial and company culture rather than working location. But how does Sales talent feel about this?  From our conversations, around 75% of candidates will not even apply for jobs that do not offer some hybrid working. ➡️ 25% - Want fully remote work ➡️ 50% - Want flexibility, 3 days in the office with 2 days remote work ➡️ 25% - Happy to be in the office 5 days week For employers, this means potentially missing out on the lion’s share of the available talent pool. Is there a solution?  Isn’t it fair to say that most sales roles have an element of research, admin and email marketing that could be suited to a home environment?  Therefore, is there room to find a balance between office and remote, home-based work? Or would employers be prepared to pay a higher salary to get the top 10% of talent back in the office 5 Days a week, like how the Law firms are paying a premium to attract staff back to the office. 3 different options are being offered, not just software sales. 1, Increased base salary for "5 days a week" in the office - Like Law firms 2, Day rate, 2 or 3 days only - Mostly Marketing and HR.  3, 10%+ less on the base for Hybrid, allowing staff to move further out of the main cities. (More common in the US) Working location can be a factor in attracting talent, but they also need to fit your company ethos and culture. Finding that balance is key for setting the foundations for a high-performing sales function. Get in touch to discuss your sales talent plans. ➢ You can DM me on LinkedIn or feel free to email [email protected] for a confidential discussion.

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