Ask the headhunter
B.B.C. asks:
As a physicist and entrepreneur, I’ve served as the founder and CEO of a semiconductor startup for the past four years. We design innovative broadband chips for portable platforms and consumer device integration. Prior to this venture, I spent a decade in academia across the US and Germany.
Our team recently secured a prestigious innovation prize for a groundbreaking chip that enables miniaturized tools in fields ranging from food safety to medical diagnostics. While this recognition is a major milestone, we face a long road to mass production. Technical challenges remain, and the timeline is significant.
As market interest is surging, we’re currently in discussions with potential investors about a substantial funding round to scale our team. However, we’re facing an unexpectedly slow decision-making process. Advisors suggest that investors want to see more customer traction and, crucially, more seniority within the leadership team before closing the round.
This leaves us in a catch-22: we have limited resources to hire senior talent, yet we need that talent to secure the resources. How can we navigate this uncertainty?
The headhunter answers:
Your situation is a classic “chicken and egg” problem common in deep-tech startups. Before venture capitalists commit millions, they need absolute confidence that the capital is in safe hands. In practice, this means key leadership roles must be held by individuals with a proven track record in industry – ideally within the startup ecosystem. To bridge this gap, you have to identify candidates with deep sales experience in semicon who can translate your technology’s potential into a robust market strategy.
Defining the profile isn’t your biggest hurdle. Your current advisors can help you draft the requirements and vet potentials. The real challenge is the financial constraint. Here are two proven strategies to secure senior talent before the big check arrives.
First, the garden leave strategy: Professionals in sales and marketing often enter a period of paid “garden leave” or a notice period after resigning. I’ve seen many contribute to a startup’s fundraising process on a cost-neutral basis during this time.
Second, the interim consultant model: You may find an independent consultant who manages multiple projects. They could agree to work on a “no cure, no pay” basis, with their compensation factored into the successful funding round as a success fee or equity stake.
Meanwhile, it’s essential that you remain open-minded about your own position. As the founder, you’re the scientific heart of the company. However, the role of a scale-up CEO is vastly different from that of a founding CEO.
Transitioning from a technology concept to a venture-backed commercial entity requires a total shift in focus. To stay on as CEO, you must be prepared to step away from the lab and immerse yourself in the ‘business of the business’: pitching to VCs, architecting the supply chain, identifying niche market entries and driving revenue.
You have to decide if you want to lead the management of a scaling organization for the next 3–5 years or if your passion remains in driving the technological breakthrough. Both are vital, but they’re rarely performed by the same person during a rapid growth phase.
