Built Different

Built Different is a founder-led recruitment partner serving Pre-Seed to Series B startups. Built by founders for founders, the company helps early-stage teams hire high-impact people without applying corporate hiring practices to the realities of a startup. Its searches cover technology, go-to-market, product, data and leadership roles, focusing on hires who can deliver meaningful business outcomes.

The company offers three ways to work together. Search Sprint is a focused service for a single important hire, combining role definition, targeted candidate mapping, outreach and regular calibration. Embedded Partner supports ongoing recruitment through coordinated hiring plans, candidate pipelines, interview processes and hiring-manager guidance. The Talent Operating System helps founders establish repeatable hiring foundations, including interview frameworks, scorecards, decision rules, applicant tracking system setup and onboarding basics.

Built Different’s process includes clarifying role outcomes, identifying relevant active and passive candidates, screening for capability and stage fit, and supporting offer closure. It also stays involved after acceptance to help manage expectations and address early onboarding risks.