Quick Facts / Tips
Startup recruiting usually happens in the spring.
Cold emails work! There’s usually no formal process; reach out to companies that look interesting (don’t know where to start? click here)
Deciding what size company you’d like to work at
- Pre-seed: the youngest “type” of company; a lot of variation here since it is really culture-dependent. The company may be pre-product, so work likely consists of market research, analyzing trends, and identifying potential gaps in the market that you can fill. Good if you are interested in:
- Product Development: Developing a minimum viable product (MVP) that solves a real problem for the target market while being resource-efficient. This involves understanding customer needs, market research, and rapid iteration.
- Customer Acquisition: Acquiring initial customers and early adopters to generate traction and revenue. This involves identifying target customer segments, devising customer acquisition strategies, and optimizing conversion funnels.
- Seed: the company likely has some users / beta testers and is iterating on early feedback. Good if you are interested in:
- Product Development: Refining the product based on early feedback and market validation while preparing for scalability. This involves enhancing features, optimizing user experience, and addressing technical challenges to support increased demand.
- Operational Efficiency: Enhancing operational efficiency and scalability across key functions such as sales, marketing, customer support, and logistics. This includes implementing streamlined processes, adopting automation tools, and optimizing resource allocation.
- Series A: some product/market fit has been proven with the seed round. Main focuses will be scaling operations and retaining customers. Good if you are interested in:
- Scalability of Operations: Ensuring that the startup's operations can scale effectively to accommodate increased demand, expanded customer base, and growing product complexity. This involves optimizing processes, infrastructure, and resources to support rapid growth.
- Customer Retention: Scaling customer acquisition efforts to drive user growth and revenue while maintaining a focus on customer retention and satisfaction. This involves refining marketing channels, optimizing conversion funnels, and implementing strategies to increase customer lifetime value.
- Series B and beyond: focusing on accelerating growth, expanding market presence, and solidifying the company's position as a leader in its industry. Good if you are interested in:
- Market Expansion: Expanding into new markets, verticals, or geographic regions to capture additional growth opportunities. This may involve tailoring the product offering to different customer segments, localizing marketing strategies, and navigating regulatory requirements in new markets.
Startup Lists