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The Antler Talent Network - Rethinking First Hires for Startups

Behind every successful company, there is a whole team of great minds. Having a strong co-founding team is key but having incredible early employees onboard can be equally important for a company's success at the very beginning. Finding the right early employees can be hard as oftentimes they need to have a certain mix of skills, as well as be go-getter, have an entrepreneurial mindset, and be willing to operate both on a strategic level and doa the groundwork. We built The Talent Network - to help our portfolio companies scout and hire the best talent from the very beginning.

Antler

Company

January 7, 2021

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Hiring top talent can be a big challenge for startups. With no brand yet, limited resources and budgets, it can be difficult to attract the first employees to join. At the same time, those who want to work in early-stage companies find it hard to discover those startups and the opportunities they offer.

That's how the Antler Talent Network was born. The Talent Network is an internal Antler product that gives our portfolio companies access to a pool of highly qualified talent where they can search for great early employees.

What is this Talent Network?

The Talent Network comprises experienced professionals, who are actively looking to work in and engage with early-stage startups. This is a pool of highly vetted and selected individuals whom we believe will make great first hires for startups.

It is created to bring the best and most diverse talent from across the world right in front of our founders - helping them discover strong leads and build a high-performing early team which will have a massive impact on the startup's success and in turn our success as well.

With this, Antler is not only providing advice to our portfolio companies (through coaching and resources), and capital (investments and grants), but also access to pre-screened talent (i.e. through the Talent Network).

How does the Talent Network work and what are its benefits?

This platform allows our portfolio companies to filter great talents based on location, skills and industries.

Do you know amazing people who are looking to work in early-stage companies? Refer them by sending their LinkedIn profile or CV to Prerna Sharma, Associate Partner at Antler (prerna@antler.co) today!

The benefits of being a part of the Talent Network for people looking to work in startups:

  •  Be the first in line to be discovered for career opportunities by Antler portfolio companies and our partners for c-suite executive and leadership roles.
  •  Receive regular insights and updates about Antler and its portfolio companies in your inbox.
  •  Get invited to some selected Masterclasses led by top entrepreneurs or VCs across the globe.
  •  Be part of Antler's regular meetups and socialize with other people in the network and Antler Founders.
  •  Get early invites for Antler's Demo Day (currently virtual) nearby the city you are based in.

    • Who is part of the Talent Network?

    These brilliant people are coming to our network through different channels. The main sources are:

    1. Strong talents we meet daily as part of interviewing founders. These are candidates who are potential GREAT first hires in a young startup.

    2. Highly recommended referrals - these are individuals who come strongly and highly recommended by our founders, investors, advisors & partners.

    This network will keep growing as we meet amazing people every day. Please contribute to it by referring awesome people around you! If you know amazing people who are looking to work in early-stage companies, send their LinkedIn profile or CV to Prerna Sharma, Associate Partner at Antler (prerna@antler.co) and she will invite them to the network.

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