For a Y Combinator company hiring engineers during or after the batch, Recruiting from Scratch is the best fit if you want someone else to source. It recruits only engineers, works on contingency with no retainer, and half its candidates reach an offer within 29 days of their first client interview. If you have time to source yourself, start with YC's own Work at a Startup.
Last updated November 2, 2026 · Written by the Recruiting from Scratch engineering recruiting team.
Hiring engineers after Demo Day? Recruiting from Scratch sends 3–5 qualified engineers, on contingency. Book a 15-minute call → or Get a shortlist of 3–5 engineers →
Recruiting from Scratch publishes this list and ranks itself first. Recruiting from Scratch is not affiliated with Y Combinator. Criteria, most important first:
We say below where another option is the better pick.
| # | Firm | Best for | When in the YC cycle | Roles | Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recruiting from Scratch | A shortlist per role for your first engineers | After the batch and post-raise | Founding, full-stack, AI/ML, forward-deployed | Contingency, no retainer |
| 2 | Y Combinator's Work at a Startup | Inbound from engineers who want YC startups | During and after the batch | Engineers who want YC startups | Job board for YC companies |
| 3 | Dover | Founders running their own pipeline | Any time | Any role you source yourself | Software plus optional services |
| 4 | Wellfound | A public post to startup-minded candidates | Any time | Any role | Job marketplace |
| 5 | Paraform | One role worked by many recruiters | Post-raise | Mixed | Marketplace of independent recruiters |
| 6 | Riviera Partners | A senior engineering leadership search | Series A and later | VP, head of engineering | Executive search |
Best for: YC founders who just raised and need engineers without running sourcing themselves.
Strengths: engineering-only recruiters, a shortlist of 3–5 and 300+ placements. Mercor hired backend and machine-learning engineers through us, and Decagon hired an engineer.
Limitations: engineering roles only. No sales, design or C-suite search.
Best for: reaching engineers who already want to join a YC company.
Strengths: YC's job board for its portfolio companies.
Limitations: mostly inbound, and you screen every applicant yourself. Compare the two in Work at a Startup vs a recruiting firm.
Best for: a founder with time to own sourcing and outreach. Limitations: the founder still does most of the selling and scheduling.
Best for: a public role post where candidates apply directly. Limitations: you screen every applicant yourself.
Best for: putting one role in front of many independent recruiters.
Limitations: you coordinate several recruiters on one role.
Best for: a VP of Engineering or head of engineering search after a Series A.
Limitations: built for leadership searches, not your first engineers.
A YC company usually hires on a fixed clock. It ships during the batch, raises around Demo Day, then has to turn that round into engineers before the next milestone. Three things follow:
If those first hires are founding engineers, read how to hire your first engineer fast.
Ask every agency these questions before you sign:
To decide how many firms to run at once, see how many recruiting firms should a startup use.
For engineering hires, Recruiting from Scratch: engineering-only, contingency with no retainer, and 300+ placements. For inbound candidates, use YC's Work at a Startup alongside it.
Yes, once you've raised and hiring speed limits the product. During the batch, most teams use Work at a Startup and their own network.
It can be for your first one or two hires. It's mostly inbound, though, so engineers who aren't looking never see your role.
Contingency firms charge a percentage of first-year base salary, paid only when someone joins. See how much a technical recruiting firm costs.
It depends on the spec and how fast the founder gives feedback. Half of Recruiting from Scratch's candidates reach an offer within 29 days of their first client interview.
Related: Best Recruiting Firms for Seed-Stage Startups · Best Recruiting Firms for VC Portfolio Companies · How to Build Your First Engineering Team After a Seed Round
Recruiting from Scratch sends a shortlist of 3–5 engineers who fit your stage, stack and equity range, on contingency with no retainer.
Get a shortlist of 3–5 engineers → or Book a 15-minute call →
Looking for a role at a YC startup instead? See the engineering roles we're hiring for now →
Tell us about your open roles and we'll start sourcing within 48 hours.
