Behind every successful startup, there is a team of what I call “Crack Engineers” driving innovation and growth.
But how do you find the right ones and harness their full potential?
Asher Hoffman
94 posts
Asher Hoffman
@EngRecruiterVC
Co-Founder, Investor, tech recruiter, former college athlete, and most importantly wannabe foodie.
In the arena finding top engineers for VC backed startups.
- Every world-class founder I’ve worked with at Coastal has this one thing in common: An elite mindset. Success in business isn’t just about having a great idea or product.
- Founders need to scale fast to win. You need to find a winning team—without burning out. It’s all about finding the best people —> FAST. Here are the 5 reasons an experienced recruiter is your shortcut to success:
- Founders and VCs can learn a lot from elite athletes. Hear me out — Peyton Manning set clear goals and relentlessly pursued them, you need a sharp focus on your vision.
- Builders build. Period. While everyone else is stuck waiting for the “right moment” or obsessing over every little detail, builders dive in and get things done. Really, that’s the startup way of life.
- A quick baseball analogy for you — no one player can play ALL positions on the field. No matter how much they want to. The best baseball teams are just that, a TEAM. Letting players be specialists is a must, and it’s the same for VC partners looking to scale fast.
- My father started his business from nothing 39 years ago and grew it to over 25 employees. Longevity doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built on hard work, consistency, and treating people right.
- Playing college baseball taught me one thing—success is earned, not given. Every day, I had to show up, put in the work, and push beyond my limits. Those are the days that compound. Business is exactly the same:
- Recruiting for an early-stage startup can be like trying to sell a new car without tires—"Trust me, it’ll be great once we get more funding… we don’t have PMF yet but it’s on the way" You’re pitching big visions and future growth.
- Replying to @EngRecruiterVCMastering mindset will set you apart: #1) Stop Thinking Small #2) Get Obsessed with Value #3) Outwork Everyone #4) Hire Killers #5) Create Systems, Not Chaos #6) Detach from Your Ego #7) Be Relentless And win!
- Replying to @EngRecruiterVC#2) Get Obsessed with Value: Deliver 10x the value people pay for. If your product doesn’t solve massive problems, customers will leave. Find 1 key pain point, solve it better than anyone else. Add premium features that directly address your users' biggest frustrations.
- Replying to @EngRecruiterVC#7) Be Relentless: Relentless execution beats occasional effort. The moment you slow down, competitors catch up. Set bold quarterly goals and keep pushing. Break revenue targets into weekly actions and execute with urgency until you surpass them. Never settle.
- Replying to @EngRecruiterVC#4) Hire Killers: Average hires = average results. You need driven people who hate losing more than they love winning. Recruit top-tier talent and incentivize them to overdeliver. Hire a sales lead who’s grown businesses by 2x and reward their success.
- Replying to @EngRecruiterVCRemember... Regardless of your: - Product - Service - Capital