Offering
Retained Executive Search
Retained search for key GTM positions at Series A to pre-IPO B2B SaaS companies. We build the mandate before we build the slate.
What it is.
Retained executive search for key GTM positions: CRO, CMO, VP Sales, VP Marketing, VP RevOps, Customer Success, Solutions Engineering leadership, and Partnerships. Sold as a retainer, never contingency.
Who it's for.
CEOs of Series A to pre-IPO B2B SaaS companies in MarTech, eCommerce, Composable Commerce, Supply Chain SaaS, and Enterprise AI, and investors where they control the mandate.
What it delivers.
A mandate that defines what the business actually needs, a short slate of people who fit it, and structured support through the first months after the hire.
Overview
Most searches fail before the first candidate is called. The company does not yet know what it is buying, so the search optimizes for a job description instead of an outcome.
Retained Executive Search starts upstream. We build a mandate, not a job description: the business context, the outcomes required across the first year, the failure modes to avoid, the team this person will build, and what the board expects. We establish the sales motion before we build the candidate profile, because a great enterprise seller can fail at a Series A company where the motion is different.
Internal data explains yesterday. External intelligence predicts tomorrow.
Who this is for
CEOs and founders who know the next GTM hire is the plan, not a line item. Investors, where they control the mandate.
We work only in MarTech, eCommerce, Composable Commerce, Supply Chain SaaS, and Enterprise AI. We have never worked outside them. The failure modes in these markets are specific and repeat, and we would rather know them before your search than learn them during it.
We work exclusively on retainer, with a deliberately small number of mandates at a time.
What’s involved
The mandate.
Business context, first-year outcomes, failure modes, the team to be built, and board expectations, agreed before recruiting starts.
Motion before profile.
We define how this role must sell, market, or serve before deciding who could do it.
Short slates.
We submit short. Volume submission moves the screening burden onto your calendar, and executive attention is the scarcest thing you have.
Cognitive Fit Assessment.
Kolbe, a licensed third-party instrument, gives a read on how a candidate instinctively approaches problems and execution. It is one input to a human decision, never a screen or a cutoff.
Human judgment throughout.
Every advancement decision is made by a person.
After the hire.
Structured check-ins through the first months, so issues surface while they are still easy to fix.
Outcomes
500+
GTM placements across 170+ SaaS clients, since 2000
1 in 4
Submittals historically hired
44 days
Average close — individual contributor roles
63 days
Average close — executive roles
Two-year placement retention
Placements promoted within two years
Repeat client rate
A measured rate, not a guarantee.
Retained only. 3 to 5 mandates at a time.
Demandware: 16 executive placements. TRG placements delivered 27% of Demandware's market cap at acquisition.
Vendavo: 13 placements across sales, services, and product, completed in 60 days.
The only executive recruiter ever admitted to the MACH Alliance.
Frequently asked questions
Is this retained or contingency search?
Retained only, 3 to 5 mandates at a time. We work exclusively on retainer, never contingency, with a deliberately small number of mandates running concurrently.
What roles do you place?
Key GTM positions: CRO, CMO, VP Sales, VP Marketing, VP RevOps, Customer Success leadership, Solutions Engineering leadership, and Partnerships.
How long does a search typically take?
Average close is 44 days for individual contributor roles and 63 days for executive roles, based on historical placements.
What markets do you work in?
MarTech, eCommerce, Composable Commerce, Supply Chain SaaS, and Enterprise AI — we have never worked outside them.
What happens after the hire?
Structured check-ins through the first months, so issues surface while they are still easy to fix — part of what the engagement includes, not a separate add-on.