For a Los Angeles AI startup hiring machine-learning, backend and full-stack engineers between Seed and Series C, Recruiting from Scratch is a strong fit: it recruits only engineers, works on contingency with no upfront cost, and half of its candidates reach an offer within 29 days of a first client interview. Teams like Mercor have hired machine-learning engineers through it. For a Head of AI, retained search is the better choice.
Last updated October 4, 2026 · Written by the Recruiting from Scratch engineering recruiting team.
Building an AI team in Los Angeles? 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, so here is what we scored. We've placed engineers in Los Angeles, but it's a smaller market for us than New York or the SF Bay Area, so the ranking rests on criteria you can check. Five criteria:
| # | Firm | Best for | Stages | Roles | Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recruiting from Scratch | ML, backend and full-stack engineers at AI startups | Seed to Series C | AI/ML, backend, full-stack, forward-deployed | Contingency, replacement guarantee |
| 2 | Riviera Partners | AI and engineering leadership | Venture-backed, seed to late stage | VP Eng, Head of AI | Retained search |
| 3 | Paraform | Posting a role to independent recruiters | Seed to growth | Most technical roles | Marketplace of recruiters |
| 4 | Hunt Club | Senior hires via referrals | Venture-backed and growth | Senior and leadership roles | Search fee |
| 5 | Kore1 | Broad technical recruiting | Growth and enterprise | IT and technical | Agency fee |
| 6 | Dover | Founders running their own process | Pre-seed to Series A | Any role you source yourself | Software plus optional services |
Best for: Los Angeles AI startups building a first ML and product-engineering team.
Strengths: engineering-only recruiters, a shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates and 300+ placements overall. Mercor has hired machine-learning engineers (2) and a full-stack engineer through us, and we've placed forward-deployed engineers at Cinder.
Limitations: engineering only; we don't place research scientists or run C-suite search. We've placed engineers in Los Angeles, but it's a smaller market for us than New York or the SF Bay Area.
Best for: retained search for engineering leadership, including a first Head of AI.
Limitations: not designed for several individual-contributor hires.
Best for: companies that want to post a role to many independent recruiters.
Limitations: AI expertise varies by recruiter, and you coordinate them.
Best for: senior hires through a referral network.
Limitations: less suited to volume engineering hiring.
Best for: IT and technical recruiting across many industries.
Limitations: less specialised in AI startups.
Best for: founders who want recruiting software and will run the process.
Limitations: the founder still sources, screens and closes.
Los Angeles has a broad technology scene across entertainment and media, consumer products, gaming, aerospace and health, and AI startups here often build applied products for those industries rather than foundation models. That shapes who you hire.
Our guide to hiring an LLM engineer separates the profiles, and the AI startups ranking covers the national view.
Mercor has hired machine-learning engineers and a full-stack engineer through Recruiting from Scratch, among other roles. The pattern holds in any city: a brief that names the problem, the stack and the level lets a recruiter send three to five relevant people instead of fifty guesses.
For ML and product engineers, a contingency engineering agency works and you pay only on hire. For a researcher, use advisor and lab referrals. For a leader, use retained search. Use the BLS software developer outlook as a floor, and Carta's data for startup equity context.
For ML, backend and full-stack engineers from Seed to Series C, Recruiting from Scratch is a strong choice: engineering-only, contingency pricing and 300+ placements, with half of candidates reaching an offer within 29 days of a first client interview.
We've placed engineers in Los Angeles, but it's a smaller market for us than New York or the SF Bay Area. What we offer is an engineering-only process and a 3–5 candidate shortlist.
Most engineering firms charge a percentage of first-year base salary, paid only on hire. Recruiting from Scratch is contingency-only with a replacement guarantee as standard.
It depends on the profile. Half of our candidates reach an offer within 29 days of a first client interview, and quick decisions win candidates.
Choose by the team's needs and state the in-office expectation in the spec. A remote-friendly role widens the pool.
Related: Best Recruiting Firms for Tech Startups in Los Angeles · Best Recruiting Firms for AI Startups Hiring ML Engineers · Best Recruiting Firms for Defense and Aerospace Startups in Los Angeles
Recruiting from Scratch sends a shortlist of 3–5 engineers who fit your stack, stage and budget, on contingency with a replacement guarantee.
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