7 recruiting agencies for seed to Series B startups, compared on fees (15% to 25%), time to hire, and who each fits. Every claim linked to a source.
The best recruiting agency for most startups hiring engineers in 2026 is Recruiting from Scratch: contingency only, 3 to 5 candidates per role, and a 29-day average time to hire. Pick Paraform if you want several recruiters working one hard role at once. Pick Dover if you'd rather run the process yourself and pay a recruiter by the hour. For a VP Engineering or CTO search, go to Riviera Partners. For nearshore engineers from Latin America, Tecla. And if you want candidates who already said yes to startups, Clera.
The catch with every list on page one for this search: most are written by an agency ranking itself first. We built Clera, so we're not neutral either. We put ourselves at #7, gave ourselves a real downside, and linked every claim so you can check it.
The short version
| Agency | Best for | Pricing model | Key stat | One limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recruiting from Scratch | Engineers at Series A to D | Contingency, % of first-year salary | 29-day average time to hire | Fee % not published |
| Paraform | Hard roles, fast | About 25% contingency | 10,000+ recruiters in network | One of the higher fees here |
| Dover | Founders who want control | Hourly, set by each recruiter | Free hiring software tier | You pay hours even with no hire |
| Hunt Club | Leadership hires | Retained search, fee not published | Network-sourced referrals | Not for your third engineer |
| Riviera Partners | CTO and VP Engineering | Retained search, fee not published | 1,800+ clients since 2001 | Slow and expensive for early stage |
| Tecla | Nearshore engineers | One scoped rate per hire | 50,000+ vetted professionals | Latin America talent only |
| Clera | Candidates who want startups | 15% success fee | 227,665 candidates | Thin on very niche roles |
How we picked
We started with every agency and marketplace in the top results for this search, plus the ones founders recommend in public threads. We kept the ones that work with seed to Series B companies, publish how they charge, and back their numbers on their own site. We dropped firms that only list stats without a source, firms that mainly do enterprise volume hiring, and one executive firm whose site gave us nothing to verify beyond client logos.
For context, we used Clera's own open-roles data (aggregates only) to figure out what an early-stage salary, and so a placement fee, actually looks like right now. We built Clera. It's on this list, at #7, with the same fields as everyone else.
1. Recruiting from Scratch
Best for: Series A to D startups hiring software and AI engineers.
What it is: A technical recruiting firm in New York that pairs automated sourcing with recruiters who learn your stack.
The specifics: The firm reports a 29-day average from kickoff to signed offer, 300+ placements, 150+ client companies, and a 90+ client NPS, all per its homepage. The pitch is 3 to 5 strong candidates per role instead of 50 resumes.
Why it made the list: It is contingency with no retainer and no upfront fee, which is the right risk split when cash is tight.
Downside: It doesn't publish its fee percentage. You'll get a number on a call, and you'll want to compare it against the rest of this list.
Pricing: A percentage of first-year salary, paid only on hire.
2. Paraform
Best for: One or two hard roles that need to close fast.
What it is: A marketplace where independent recruiters and search firms compete to fill your role, with AI matching recruiters to jobs.
The specifics: Paraform says it has 10,000+ recruiters, 1,000+ client companies, and a 27-day average time to hire, per its homepage. It raised a $20M Series A led by Felicis in June 2025, with customers including Palantir, Cursor, and Decagon.
Why it made the list: Several specialists on one role means more shots at a rare profile, and you still pay only on hire.
Downside: Paraform's own Series A pricing guide puts the fee around 25% of first-year salary, one of the higher fees on this list.
Pricing: About 25% contingency.
3. Dover
Best for: Pre-seed and seed founders who want to run hiring themselves and buy recruiter time as needed.
What it is: Free hiring software (job posts, candidate pipeline, inbox sync) plus a marketplace of fractional recruiters.
The specifics: The free tier covers unlimited users and jobs and 100+ job board integrations. A premium tier is $199 a month. Recruiters set their own hourly rates, per Dover's pricing page.
Why it made the list: It's the cheapest way to look organized from day one, and hourly help fits a startup that hires two people a year.
Downside: Hourly means you pay for time, not outcomes. If the role doesn't fill, the hours are still on the bill.
Pricing: Software free or $199/month. Recruiters billed hourly.
4. Hunt Club
Best for: VC-backed companies hiring a VP or C-level leader.
What it is: An executive search firm that finds candidates through referrals from a network of business leaders, plus AI search tools.
The specifics: Hunt Club's site lists retained executive search for VC and PE backed companies, with case studies of 30+ and 40+ roles placed across private equity portfolios.
Why it made the list: Referred candidates tend to be passive people who never apply anywhere, which is who you want for a first sales or finance leader.
Downside: It's built for leadership. If you need your third backend engineer, you're paying for a network you won't use. Fees are not published.
Pricing: Retained search. Ask for the fee upfront.
5. Riviera Partners
Best for: Your first CTO, VP Engineering, or Head of Product.
What it is: An executive search firm that only does technology leadership roles.
The specifics: Founded in 2001, Riviera reports 80+ recruiters, 1,800+ clients, 850+ placements at unicorns, and work in 120+ cities, per its homepage.
Why it made the list: For a technical leader, a firm that has run hundreds of these searches knows what a good CTO for a 20-person company looks like versus one for 2,000.
Downside: Retained executive search is slow and expensive. Dover's comparison estimates 6 to 12 weeks for a typical Riviera search. Overkill before Series A for most teams.
Pricing: Retained, as a share of first-year compensation. Fee not published.
6. Tecla
Best for: US startups that want engineers in US time zones at lower cost.
What it is: A nearshore hiring platform for vetted engineers and tech talent in Latin America, with employment and compliance handled for you.
The specifics: Tecla reports 50,000+ vetted professionals across 18+ countries, fewer than 1% accepted, shortlists in as few as 3 days, and a 90-day replacement guarantee, per its homepage.
Why it made the list: Real-time overlap with US teams and no need to set up a foreign entity. If you've looked at an employer of record, this bundles one in.
Downside: Latin America only. If your role needs to be on-site in San Francisco or New York, this isn't the fit.
Pricing: One scoped rate per hire, agreed upfront.
7. Clera
Best for: Startups that want candidates who've already decided they want a startup.
What it is: We built Clera. Job seekers join once, VC-backed startups bid on the ones they want, and we make the warm intro.
The specifics: Clera has 227,665 candidates and works with 900+ startups. Companies pay a 15% success fee only on a hire, with no retainer, subscription, or per-post fee, per Clera's pricing page. If a candidate is already in your pipeline, send proof and the fee for that person is dropped.
Why it made the list: Every candidate opted in to startups, so you skip the "how big is your Series A, actually?" filter call. 15% is the lowest published contingency fee on this list.
Downside: You only see people who joined Clera. For very niche roles, say a homomorphic encryption lead, the pool can come back thin, and we don't run retained executive searches.
Pricing: 15% success fee. 15% of first-12-months compensation for contract hires.
What a placement fee costs at seed and Series A right now
Clera has 2,000+ open roles at 900+ startups. We pulled the 400 roles at pre-seed, seed, and Series A companies on 5 October 2026. 82% of them (328) list a salary range, and the median top of range for US-dollar roles is $230,000. That's Clera's data. Nobody else has this exact set.
Here's what that means in fees. On a $230,000 hire, a 25% contingency fee is $57,500. A 15% fee is $34,500. That's a $23,000 gap on one hire. Salary ranges also mean candidates compare offers in the open, so check your band against what startups pay software engineers before you brief any recruiter.
How to choose
- If you're hiring engineers at Series A and want someone else to run the search, pick Recruiting from Scratch or Paraform. Ask both for their fee in writing.
- If you're pre-seed and hiring one or two people this year, start with Dover's free tier and buy recruiter hours only when a role stalls.
- If the hire is a CTO, VP, or C-level, use Riviera for technical leaders and Hunt Club for everyone else. Expect weeks, not days.
- If you want candidates who already want startups and the lowest success fee, join Clera as a company and bid on talent.
Whoever you pick, a recruiter can't fix a slow loop. Tighten your technical interview process first, or the best shortlist in the world dies in week three.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the model. Contingency firms charge a share of first-year salary only on hire: about 25% at Paraform and 15% at Clera. Retained search firms like Riviera charge a share of compensation whether or not the search closes. Dover bills recruiters by the hour, with rates each recruiter sets.
For your first two or three hires, founders usually do better recruiting from their own network, because early candidates are betting on the founder. Bring in an agency when a role has been open six weeks with no finalists, or when founder hours spent sourcing start costing you product time.
Contingency means you pay only if you hire someone the recruiter found. Retained means you pay part of the fee upfront to reserve the recruiter's time, usually for leadership roles. Contingency suits engineering and most individual roles. Retained suits a CTO or VP search where the firm will spend weeks on one hire.
Yes, on contingency it's common. Tell each firm which candidates you've already seen so you don't pay two fees for one person. Clera, for example, drops the fee for any candidate who was already in your pipeline when you send proof. Avoid running two retained firms on the same role.
Sources
- Recruiting from Scratch homepage
- Paraform homepage and Series A pricing guide
- Paraform $20M Series A, Business Wire, June 2025
- Dover pricing and Dover's startup agency comparison
- Hunt Club homepage
- Riviera Partners homepage
- Tecla homepage
- Clera pricing
- Clera open-roles data, pulled 5 October 2026 (aggregates only)
Hiring your next engineer and don't want to pay 25% to find out who's interested? Bid on talent through Clera. You pay 15%, and only when someone joins your team.
