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"First 10 Hires" Masterclass Series
A 3-part virtual masterclass with repeat founders and investors on when to hire, who to look for, and how to close them.
Early hires aren’t just employees. They are your co-founders in disguise.
It can be tricky to navigating early hires as a first time founder after you've reached the limit of where your network can take you. You don’t know if ready to hire, (let alone when), who the right person is, where to find them or how to close them. Without guidance, you can burn time on bad fits, miss great candidates or delay critical hires—all of which can stall growth when momentum matters most.
In our “First 10 Hires” masterclass series, you'll learn how to find, vet, and close the candidates that will shape the trajectory of your company. Designed with intention and interviews from real founders, investors and early hires at companies like Rillet, Juicebox and Clarify, walk away from every class with new interview questions and fresh perspectives on the hiring process.
Course Curriculum
Lesson 1: Sequencing your first 10 hires (Instructor: Patrick Thompson, Clarify)
Access the sequencing chart Patrick created after hiring 20+ early team members across three startups
Why every startup needs "barrels and ammo" hires. How to spot them and when to hire them
Advice on reaching outside your network for quality hires, language to close top candidates, and how much equity to offer.
TAKE IT HOME: Barrels and Ammo 2x2 Matrix
Lesson 2: How to spot "shapeshifting" on a resume (Instructors: Alysha Salinger + Benjamin Cheung, Rillet)
Learn the difference between a startup generalist and a shapeshifter
Why Rillet optimized for spotting shapeshifters in the interview process for its first 10 hires
Interview questions for both technical and non-technical roles
How to thoughtfully follow-up in an interview to push past vague answers
TAKE IT HOME: Rillet's shapeshifter interview rubric
Lesson 3: How AI is changing early-stage teams (Instructors: C.C. Gong, Principal at Menlo Ventures, David Paffenholz, CEO and co-founder at Juicebox)
The hiring trends C.C. is seeing across thousands of startups that she reviews
Why the PM role is disappearing, and what role is emerging in its place
Data insights from Juicebox's AI-native recruiting platform
TAKE IT HOME: Rippling's Price of Talent in the AI Era data report
Whether you are a seasoned founder starting from scratch again or it's your first time assembling a team, there is plenty of wisdom to to absorb in these founder-friendly lesson recaps.
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