Headhunting Designed for ClimateTech Startups

Climate Tech’s Biggest Challenge: Recruitment

People are the solution, and I’m committed to finding them. (Founder’s Letter)

Climate Change is forcing the world to adapt; it’s time recruitment firms did as well. Climate change is transforming the world. Climate tech startups need to succeed if we want to reverse this trend. But most companies never even make it to their series B funding round. What’s happening?

Some say there isn’t enough capital. Some say it’s a lack of Product-Market Fit.

The real problem is talent.

Competent people are at the heart of every successful company. They are the agents of change, and for a problem as complicated as climate change, quality people are our scarcest resource.
Nothing meaningful gets done properly without the right talent. Can’t find PMF? The right founding team would. Can’t raise money? Investors would change their tune if you have a sales team crushing it in the market.

It all boils down to talent.

But recruiting is hard. That’s why people use recruitment firms.

There’s just one issue. There is no recruitment firm tailor-made for early stage climate tech startups.

Most recruitment firms target businesses flush with cash. The past decades have proved this as a guaranteed successful model. After all, 30% of a ~$350k salary is a juicy fee. Given this info, it’s not hard to understand why as soon as a Series B announcement hits the press a horde of commission-hungry recruitment consultants light up the phones of all those CEOs.

Compare this to recruiting an early-stage talent who might make $150k. Add to that, most early-stage startups could never afford to pay a 30% success fee.
It’s no wonder all major recruitment firms have neglected this portion of the market.

If the need for talent is so important to early-stage climate tech startups, why the hell are recruitment firms not servicing them at rates they can afford?

I’ll let you in on a little secret. Early-stage startups are strapped for cash and don’t hire as many people as a Series B. The types of folks that are brave enough (or perhaps crazy enough?) to join an early stage, high risk startup are incredibly hard to recruit. To solve climate change you need unicorn talent, there’s no getting around that.

My friends, this is the reason recruitment firms have not built a product for early-stage climate tech startups. But I’ve got good news.

This is no longer the case.

Introducing ErthTech Talent, a flexi-cost recruitment firm tailor-made for early-stage climate tech startups (pre-Seed, Seed, Series A) to access headhunting services at discounted rates.
Over the past 4 years, I’ve recruited in climate tech and have spoken with hundreds of early-stage founders. I’m here to solve the talent challenge for climate tech. These people are literally saving the world. We are beyond excited to work with these world-saving visionaries.

And it’s so affordable most people don’t believe us.

Our service cost is calculated based on the stage of funding you’re at. Keep in mind–this is not some CV forwarding service. This is pure, gritty, needle-in-the-haystack headhunting. We’ll go places no one has gone before to find you the best talent possible for your role. All in the name of solving climate change.

I have a 100% close rate. In every job I’ve worked, I’ve successfully found and closed top candidates, even in cases where my client needed a ‘unicorn’. Persistence is key.
After we find them, we use every trick in the book to attract them to an interview. To earn a candidate’s trust, we find out what matters most to them and make that the cornerstone of our plan. Relationships are what matter.

Once we’ve earned their trust, we help you understand their objections and motivators so you can successfully close them and bring them happily onboard your team. Together, you’ll work on literally saving the world.

Did you think it stops there? Nope! (We are a tad relentless)

Once they have accepted, we ensure their resignation goes smoothly. (Don’t worry; we have a resident former mafia guy to ensure they don’t even think about accepting a counteroffer).

On their first day, we send them a dozen roses (we are still debating that). And we check in on them several times in the first few months to make sure they are happy with the role.

All jokes aside, ensuring alignment is far more important than just getting a technically suitable person. In the past years, we have seen so many climate startups hire people who were spot on from a tech perspective but culturally not aligned with the company. No one wants that kind of ending.

So, what about pricing? Easy!

Unlike most firms, we aren’t afraid to share our prices because transparency is key in any business relationship, especially when we are collectively trying to reverse climate change.
Our baseline fee is a 20% (!) contingent fee. And, as noted above, depending on the stage of funding you’re at, the fee is automatically reduced.

For Pre-Seed and Seed companies, you’re looking at a 50% haircut. That’s right, a 10% contingent recruitment fee for a retained level of service (usually 30% with an upfront retainer).
Once you graduate to Series A, the discount is still 25% (final fee of 15%).

Only once you raise that coveted Series B round will our fee go up to the baseline of 20%. And that’s only if you don’t qualify for other optional discounts–all based on your preference.

To get on the waiting list to access these services (no, we can’t help everyone just yet), fill out this form, and we’ll be in touch.

Silas Mähner – Founder – ErthTech Talent

PS: bonus points to any applicants who are subscribers to the CleanTechies Podcast 😉

“Silas understood where we were going and what could help us get there. He helped us find a Chief Revenue Officer – who came in and secured a customer in the first month. We’re now seeing more customers convert and product market fit thanks to him. A clear return on investment.”

“You have generated more high-quality candidates for tough-to-fill positions in two weeks than our TA team generated in the last 6 months. I just looked at the [redacted]’s resume, and said to myself, I knew these types of candidates existed!!”