Increasingly VC firms are functioning as one-stop-shops for all your starting up needs; Some have dubbed this the Andreessen-ification of venture, where the definition of investment becomes more about resources beyond just cash, as money is easier to come by for startups than connections and experience.
Like A16Z, Greylock and Kleiner Perkins, First Round Capital is hitching its horse to this trend, bringing on Scribd’s Head of Business Operations and Recruiting Jack Leidlein as its new Head of Talent.
In the role, Leidlein will function very much like Andreessen’s Shannon Calhan, who basically is a talent agent for startups, scouring the valley for and recruiting its most sought engineers for portfolio companies. Prior to Scribd, Leidlein was Senior Director of Operations at ShareThis and Director of Operations at Songbird among other things.
What sets First Round’s strategic move apart from that of the firms listed above is that it’s a true early-stage player; Bringing on a formal talent recruiter is usually a pricey get for most early-stage funds.
Leidlein tells me that he plans on spending a lot of his day-to-day at First Round meeting with portfolio companies, founders, and other heads of talent in order to parse the needs and challenges involved in recruitment. He will also deal with inbound talent.
Taking the arduous task of recruiting off of your founders hands so they have time to focus on shipping is one way to make your fund work smarter not harder. Smart. Let’s see if it works (aka, helps land more deals).
Source:http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/02/first-round-capital-brings-on-scribds-jack-leidlein-as-head-of-talent/
Like A16Z, Greylock and Kleiner Perkins, First Round Capital is hitching its horse to this trend, bringing on Scribd’s Head of Business Operations and Recruiting Jack Leidlein as its new Head of Talent.
In the role, Leidlein will function very much like Andreessen’s Shannon Calhan, who basically is a talent agent for startups, scouring the valley for and recruiting its most sought engineers for portfolio companies. Prior to Scribd, Leidlein was Senior Director of Operations at ShareThis and Director of Operations at Songbird among other things.
What sets First Round’s strategic move apart from that of the firms listed above is that it’s a true early-stage player; Bringing on a formal talent recruiter is usually a pricey get for most early-stage funds.
Leidlein tells me that he plans on spending a lot of his day-to-day at First Round meeting with portfolio companies, founders, and other heads of talent in order to parse the needs and challenges involved in recruitment. He will also deal with inbound talent.
Taking the arduous task of recruiting off of your founders hands so they have time to focus on shipping is one way to make your fund work smarter not harder. Smart. Let’s see if it works (aka, helps land more deals).
Source:http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/02/first-round-capital-brings-on-scribds-jack-leidlein-as-head-of-talent/
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