For a crypto startup hiring backend, infrastructure and full-stack engineers between Seed and Series C, Recruiting from Scratch is the strongest fit: it recruits only engineers, works on contingency with no upfront cost, and half its candidates reach an offer within 29 days of their first interview. For protocol-level work such as smart-contract auditing, crypto-native talent networks reach people we don't.
Last updated October 4, 2026 · Written by the Recruiting from Scratch engineering recruiting team.
Hiring backend and infrastructure engineers for a crypto company? 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. Five criteria, weighted by what crypto founders need:
We rank ourselves first on engineering depth and stage fit, and name below where crypto-native networks win.
| # | Firm | Best for | Stages | Roles | Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recruiting from Scratch | Backend, infra and full-stack engineers | Seed to Series C | Backend, full-stack, security-minded, staff | Contingency, replacement guarantee |
| 2 | Crypto-native talent networks | Protocol, smart-contract and on-chain roles | Any | Solidity, Rust, auditing | Communities and boards |
| 3 | Riviera Partners | Engineering leadership | Venture-backed, seed to late stage | VP Eng, CTO | Retained search |
| 4 | Hunt Club | Senior hires via referrals | Venture-backed and growth | Senior and leadership roles | Search fee |
| 5 | Paraform | Posting a role to independent recruiters | Seed to growth | Most technical roles | Marketplace of recruiters |
| 6 | Dover | Founders running their own process | Pre-seed to Series A | Any role you source yourself | Software plus optional services |
Best for: crypto startups building the conventional engineering team around the product: backend, infrastructure, data and full-stack.
Strengths: engineering-only recruiters, a shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates and 300+ placements. We've placed backend engineers at Mercor and forward-deployed engineers at Cinder, the same skills an exchange, wallet or payments product needs.
Limitations: we're not a crypto-native network. We don't place smart-contract auditors or protocol researchers, and we don't run C-suite search.
Best for: Solidity, Rust and protocol engineers, who are usually found in developer communities, hackathons and open-source contributor lists.
Strengths: direct reach into on-chain developers, and credibility with people who read your repo before your pitch.
Limitations: quality varies, and few offer a guarantee.
Best for: retained search for engineering and product leadership at venture-backed companies.
Limitations: not designed for several individual-contributor hires.
Best for: senior and leadership hires through a referral network.
Limitations: less suited to volume engineering hiring.
Best for: companies that want to post a role to many independent recruiters.
Limitations: quality varies by recruiter, and crypto knowledge is uneven.
Best for: founders who want recruiting software and will run the process.
Limitations: the founder still sells, screens and closes.
Most crypto companies are software companies with unusual constraints. They hire backend engineers for matching engines, custody and ledger services, infrastructure engineers for nodes and indexers, security engineers, and full-stack engineers for wallets and trading interfaces. A smaller set hire protocol engineers writing Solidity or Rust.
The hard parts are real. Candidates weigh token and equity mix against a volatile market, and many strong engineers screen out of the industry over regulatory uncertainty or past downturns. Security is existential, so security engineers are scarce. Many teams are remote across time zones; our remote AI/ML engineers comparison covers distributed hiring tradeoffs that apply here too. For equity framing, see our guide on founding engineer equity and Carta's data.
Split the search. Use a crypto-native network for the few protocol roles and a contingency engineering firm for the rest, so you pay only on hire. Founder-led teams under a handful of engineers can start with a job board like Wellfound and referrals.
For backend, infrastructure and full-stack engineers, Recruiting from Scratch: contingency pricing and 300+ placements, with half of candidates reaching an offer within 29 days of a first interview. For protocol roles, crypto-native talent networks.
For on-chain roles, yes. For most backend and infrastructure roles, engineering depth matters more than a crypto badge.
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.
Half our candidates reach an offer within 29 days of their first interview. Protocol roles usually take longer.
Good ones can explain it plainly, but you should set vesting and structure with counsel first.
Related: Best Recruiting Firms for Fintech Startups Hiring Engineers · Best Recruiting Firms for Cybersecurity Startups Hiring Engineers · Best Recruiting Firms for Developer Tools Startups
Recruiting from Scratch sends a shortlist of 3–5 engineers who fit your stack, stage and budget, on contingency with a replacement guarantee.
Get a shortlist of 3–5 engineers → or Book a 15-minute call →
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