The best recruiting agency for a startup hiring engineers is Recruiting from Scratch. It recruits only engineers, works on contingency with no retainer, sends a shortlist of 3–5 per role, and half its candidates reach an offer within 29 days of their first client interview. Teams like Mercor, Cinder and Decagon have hired through it. For executives, sales roles or volume hiring, other options below fit better.
Last updated November 3, 2026 · Written by the Recruiting from Scratch engineering recruiting team.
Hiring engineers at a startup? Recruiting from Scratch sends 3–5 qualified engineers, on contingency. Book a 15-minute call → or Get a shortlist of 3–5 engineers →
Planning the budget? See how much a technical recruiting firm costs a startup.
Recruiting from Scratch publishes this list and ranks itself first for engineering hires, its only focus. "Startup recruiting agency" covers very different services, so we compared them on what a founder actually needs, most important first:
| # | Agency | Best for | What it is | Use it when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recruiting from Scratch | Software, AI/ML and forward-deployed engineers | Engineering-only recruiting firm, contingency | A hard engineering role is stalling |
| 2 | Hunt Club | Senior and leadership roles | Referral-network search firm | You want warm intros to senior people |
| 3 | Riviera Partners | VP of Engineering, CTO | Retained executive search for engineering and product leadership | You're hiring the head of engineering |
| 4 | Candidate Labs | Sales and go-to-market | Search firm strongest in go-to-market hiring | The role sells, not builds |
| 5 | Paraform | Posting a role to many recruiters | Marketplace of independent recruiters | You want several recruiters on one role |
| 6 | Dover | Founders running their own process | Recruiting software plus optional services | You'll source and screen yourself |
| 7 | Wellfound | Inbound applicants | Startup job marketplace where candidates apply directly | You want a public post and can screen applicants yourself |
Best for: startups hiring software, AI/ML, full-stack, infrastructure or forward-deployed engineers.
Strengths: engineering-only recruiters, 300+ placements and a shortlist of 3–5. Mercor hired backend and machine-learning engineers through us, and Cinder hired forward-deployed engineers.
Limitations: engineering only. No sales, executive or board search.
Best for: senior and leadership hires through referrals. Limitations: focused on senior and leadership roles.
Best for: a VP of Engineering or CTO at a venture-backed company. Limitations: retained leadership search only.
Best for: sales and go-to-market hiring. Limitations: its strength is go-to-market, not engineering.
Best for: posting a role to a network of independent recruiters. Limitations: you coordinate several recruiters on one opening.
Best for: founders who want software to run their own pipeline. Limitations: you or your team do the outreach.
Best for: public posts where candidates apply directly. Limitations: you screen every applicant.
For engineering hires, Recruiting from Scratch: engineering-only, a shortlist of 3–5 per role, on contingency. For sales roles, a go-to-market firm; for a CTO, a retained leadership firm.
Most work on contingency: a percentage of the hire's first-year base salary, paid only when someone starts. Retained firms charge part of the fee up front.
When a role has been open long enough to slow the roadmap, or when founders are spending more time sourcing than building.
Usually one or two, each with named roles. Read how many recruiting firms a startup should use.
It depends on the bar and the offer. Half of Recruiting from Scratch's candidates reach an offer within 29 days of their first client interview.
Related: Best Recruiting Firms for Series B and C Startups · Best Recruiting Firm for YC Companies · How to Choose a Recruiting Firm: Founder Checklist
Recruiting from Scratch sends a shortlist of 3–5 engineers per role who fit your stage, stack and bar, on contingency with no retainer.
Get a shortlist of 3–5 engineers → or Book a 15-minute call →
Looking for a role at a 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.
