For a health tech startup hiring software 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. Teams like Mercor, Cinder and Decagon have hired through it. For clinical, regulatory or executive roles, a healthcare-specialist search firm is the better choice.
Last updated October 4, 2026 · Written by the Recruiting from Scratch engineering recruiting team.
Hiring engineers for a health tech product? 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 health tech founders raise:
We rank ourselves first on engineering depth and stage fit, and say where others fit better.
| # | Firm | Best for | Stages | Roles | Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recruiting from Scratch | Software engineers at health tech startups | Seed to Series C | Backend, full-stack, AI/ML, staff | Contingency, replacement guarantee |
| 2 | Healthcare-specialist search firms | Clinical, regulatory and operations leaders | Any | Clinical informatics, compliance, executives | Retained or contingency |
| 3 | Riviera Partners | Engineering leadership | Venture-backed, seed to late stage | VP Eng, CTO | Retained search |
| 4 | Motion Recruitment | Broad IT placement | Growth and enterprise | Wide range of technical roles | Agency fee |
| 5 | Hunt Club | Senior hires via referrals | Venture-backed and growth | Senior and leadership roles | Search fee |
| 6 | Dover | Founders running their own process | Pre-seed to Series A | Any role you source yourself | Software plus optional services |
Best for: health tech startups building a software engineering team from Seed through Series C.
Strengths: engineering-only recruiters, a shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates and 300+ placements. We've placed machine-learning engineers at Mercor and an agent software engineer at Decagon, relevant for health tech teams adding AI features to clinical and administrative workflows.
Limitations: engineering only. We don't recruit clinicians, regulatory affairs staff, sales or C-suite leaders.
Best for: clinical informatics leaders, compliance officers and healthcare executives.
Strengths: relationships inside provider and payer organizations.
Limitations: typically not built to evaluate a systems-design interview.
Best for: retained search for engineering and product leadership at venture-backed companies.
Limitations: not designed for several individual-contributor hires.
Best for: broad IT and technical placement.
Limitations: breadth over startup health tech depth.
Best for: senior and leadership hires via a referral network.
Limitations: less suited to volume engineering hiring.
Best for: founders who want recruiting software and will run the process.
Limitations: the founder still sells, screens and closes.
Health tech engineering teams look like other startup teams with one added constraint: protected health information. They hire backend engineers for EHR integrations and claims pipelines, full-stack engineers for patient and clinician apps, data and ML engineers for clinical models and ambient documentation, and forward-deployed engineers who get the product working inside a health system.
The HIPAA rules shape how data is handled, so a recruiter should screen for comfort with audit logging, access controls and de-identification, without needing candidates to be compliance experts. Integration depth is the scarce skill: HL7 and FHIR experience is rarer than general API experience. Hiring cycles can also stretch when candidates want proof of clinical impact before joining. Read our guide on hiring a software engineer at a healthtech startup, and for science-heavy companies, software engineers at biotech companies.
At Seed, one or two engineers can come from your network; add a contingency firm as soon as hiring outpaces referrals. At Series A, volume matters; see recruiters for Series A engineering. At Series B and C, pair a specialist with retained search for leaders.
For software engineers from Seed to Series C, Recruiting from Scratch: contingency pricing and 300+ placements, with half of candidates reaching an offer within 29 days of a first interview. For clinical or executive roles, a healthcare-specialist search firm.
For engineers, depth in the stack and comfort with regulated data matter more than a healthcare badge. For clinical roles, healthcare experience is essential.
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. Interviews that include a mission conversation tend to close faster.
HIPAA governs protected health information held by covered entities and their business associates. Candidate resumes aren't PHI, but keep patient data out of work samples.
Related: Best Recruiting Firms for AI Startups Hiring ML Engineers · Best Recruiting Firms for Legal Tech Startups · How to Choose a Recruiting Firm: A 10-Question Checklist for Startup Founders
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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