VCs & Investors
I partner with you as a trusted technical hiring lead. I make sure the money you've invested isn't wasted on the wrong hiring methods, so portfolio companies build strong teams and protect runway.
SmartHiring.Tech
Dear Founders: Your Hiring Process Is a Game of Chance.
I turn it into a data-driven system - so every euro goes toward execution, not mistakes.
Your Partners & Clients
I work with investors and founders who care about capital efficiency and hiring quality.
I partner with you as a trusted technical hiring lead. I make sure the money you've invested isn't wasted on the wrong hiring methods, so portfolio companies build strong teams and protect runway.
You've raised and need to hire software engineers, but you likely don't have the in-house knowledge to do it well. I bring structure, technical depth, and a repeatable process so you hire right the first time.
You have a lot on your plate and little time to spend on hiring. I offload technical interviews from you so you can focus on what matters more: building the MVP, culture fit, and product.
What This Delivers
I save you time, money, and painful mistakes.
Non-tech founder hiring first engineers
You don't have a CTO yet - I become your technical hiring partner so you can focus on product-market fit. Research shows CTOs in growing startups spend 50%+ of their time on hiring.
Your first hire defines your technical DNA. I verify they can actually build in a startup - not just solve puzzles. Studies put the total cost of a bad senior tech hire at $240,000+.
Stop guessing who's good. Get structured, data-driven signals on every candidate. Structured technical interviews explain ~26% of performance variance vs ~4% for unstructured.
Hire the right engineer the first time and start building immediately - no three-month learning curves. Structured onboarding can cut ramp time in half; median time-to-productivity in engineering is 90 days.
Every salary euro goes toward output, not onboarding someone who can't deliver. Bad hires drain team productivity by 30–40% and increase star-performer turnover.
I build you a repeatable framework so you'll know how to evaluate engineers - even without a technical co-founder. Structured assessments are far more predictive than gut feeling.
The Research
Most hiring relies on gut feeling. The research shows it doesn't work - and the cost is measurable.
One bad senior hire costs $240k+
Fees, lost salary, onboarding, team drag, vacancy, and replacement add up. Viva IT, INOP. Poor performers drag team productivity 30–40% and increase star turnover. Tesseon.
Unstructured interviews ≈ coin flip
They explain only 4% of job performance. Structured technical interviews explain 26%. Research, Airswift.
Founders and CTOs pay a time tax
Founders lose ~40 hours/month on hiring; CTOs spend 50%+ of their time on it. A standard funnel burns 4.5–10 man-hours per candidate. GoHire, ITMAGINATION, OHO.
From Risk to Clarity
Review of your funnel, job descriptions, and signal gaps.
Challenges built around YOUR real problems - no Big Tech templates.
Structured coding, system design, or architecture interviews - only where they match the role.
No random DSA or system design unless the position heavily demands it.
I use AI for meeting notes and transcription so every recommendation is backed by tangible, fact-based reasons - not vague impressions.
Written Hire / No-Hire reports that replace gut feeling with data.
Structured assessments explain ~26% of job performance vs ~4% for unstructured.
Investment
Stop paying for placements. Start investing in hiring infrastructure. Choose the tier that fits your stage.
Trial engagement
For validating fit on 1–2 critical candidates.
€250
1–3 roles or key hire
For startups hiring 1–3 roles or investors de‑risking a key hire.
€4,500
Scaling multiple roles
For VC‑backed startups scaling multiple roles.
from €10k
| Feature | Starter | Scale | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interviews | 1 | 10 / month | 20 / month |
| Feedback reports | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| JD consulting | up to 1h | up to 3h | up to 5h |
| Team training | — | — | up to 5h |
| Hiring audit | — | up to 3h | up to 5h |
| Price | €250 | €4,500 | from €10k |
The more you hire, the more you save — and the stronger your hiring signal becomes.
Evidence-Based
Benchmark from optimized technical hiring (filling 5 roles).
Sources: Hatchways, GoHire.
You save 288.5 hrs and ~$64,875 per 5 hires - plus founder time (e.g. 40 hrs/month) and avoided mis-hire cost (~$240k per bad senior hire).
For a typical engagement (e.g. 3 senior hires), value from fees avoided, time reclaimed, and one mis-hire avoided. Sources.
Even without counting mis-hire avoidance, time and fee savings alone justify a multiple of the engagement cost (600%+ ROI).
Credibility
I'm not a recruiter. I'm an engineer and acting engineering manager who's been on both sides of the table - and I've seen hiring go wrong enough to fix it properly.
Scoutbee (managed 3 engineers, led architecture), Shopify (Senior Full-Stack, mentored juniors, performance reviews), Zalando (Acting EM, built AdTech team, defined hiring and onboarding). 10+ years in agencies, startups, and Big Tech.
Hired 10+ engineers, managed up to 5. 100+ technical interviews conducted, 200+ as a candidate. I assess fairly and say no when it's not a fit.
Podcast guest on failures in tech hiring. I focus on bias-aware assessment, calibration, and repeatable bars - not gut feeling or LeetCode theatre. You get the technical truth, not HR polish.
Client Voice
"Elman brought strong technical depth and clear structure. He provided detailed, actionable feedback that made our hiring decisions much easier. I'd recommend him to any team looking for an effective technical interviewer."
Product Lead | AI Startup Founder
Book a free 20-minute audit of your hiring process. No buzzwords - just data and a clear plan.
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