Foundry

One of the most critical factors for startups to grow, thrive, and scale is their ability to attract the right talent. The effects of the pandemic, the Great Resignation, and a host of other factors have made the competition for candidates more intense than ever before. Emerging companies are pitted against more established, larger companies that have greater resources and ability to compensate. Bolster is a talent marketplace for startups that matches them with executive talent for fractional, interim, advisory, board, and full-time roles. Unlike other recruitment platforms, Bolster works directly with a founder-centric framework that looks at recruiting as a part of leadership and company development versus merely hiring resources, offering software-driven mentorship modules. With the flexibility in the types of roles that it covers, the platform enables CEOs to quickly and cost-effectively implement the resources required to scale. The company offers a number of different options for companies looking for talent ranging from a free self-search to full-time sourcing that comes in at $20K per hire. Since its launch in the Fall of 2020, Bolster has worked with 1000+ leadership teams and boasts 7000+ registered senior executives looking for their next opportunity. AlleyWatch caught up with CEO and Cofounder Matt Blumberg to learn more about how the founding team’s experience with Return Path laid the foundation for Bolster, the state of the startup recruitment market, the company’s strategic plans, latest round of funding from investors that include Foundry, High Alpha, Union Square Ventures, Costanoa Venture Capital, Capital Factory, and Alumni Ventures.