Compare published services
These are factual profiles from each firm’s own website, not rankings. The source link accompanies each entry. Corellia is listed last because it publishes this guide.
| Firm | Published focus | Company context | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| TableCrowd Talent | Roles from graduates through C-suite | Startups and scaleups in London, the UK and Europe | Recruitment with fees due when a candidate starts; confirm current terms. |
| Few&Far | Product, design, engineering and data | Startups, scaleups and growing enterprises | Agency recruitment, embedded recruitment and executive search. |
| Hexwired | Software development and electronics, including embedded, C++, Python, FPGA and ML | Confirm company-stage fit directly | Temporary, contract and permanent recruitment, for individuals and teams. |
| twentyAI | Engineering, data, security, product, transformation and other functions | Confirm company-stage fit directly | Recruitment with permanent, temporary, contract and interim vacancy categories. |
| Stax Talent | Software, AI, hardware, product and executive hiring | European deep-tech startups and scaleups | Headhunting; confirm retained or contingency terms directly. |
| La Fosse | Technology, digital and change, plus broader functions | Confirm coverage and team for your company stage | Campaign, retained and contingent hiring, executive search and interim management. |
| Corellia Talent | Engineering, AI, research and technical leadership | Technology startups and scaleups; venture backing is not required | Permanent, contract and interim recruitment, with contingent, exclusive and retained search. |
TableCrowd Talent
TableCrowd Talent lists the following focus: Roles from graduates through C-suite. Recruitment with fees due when a candidate starts; confirm current terms.
Discuss when you need a startup-focused recruitment relationship across several levels or business functions.
Read TableCrowd Talent’s published servicesFew&Far
Few&Far lists the following focus: Product, design, engineering and data. Agency recruitment, embedded recruitment and executive search.
Discuss when you are comparing a specific search with embedded support for a wider product or technology team.
Read Few&Far’s published servicesHexwired
Hexwired lists the following focus: Software development and electronics, including embedded, C++, Python, FPGA and ML. Temporary, contract and permanent recruitment, for individuals and teams.
Discuss when the technical brief includes embedded systems, electronics or the relationship between software and hardware.
Read Hexwired’s published servicestwentyAI
twentyAI lists the following focus: Engineering, data, security, product, transformation and other functions. Recruitment with permanent, temporary, contract and interim vacancy categories.
Discuss the relevant team and discipline directly. The business name should not be read as a promise that every search is an AI specialist search.
Read twentyAI’s published servicesStax Talent
Stax Talent lists the following focus: Software, AI, hardware, product and executive hiring. Headhunting; confirm retained or contingency terms directly.
Discuss when the business is in deep technology and you need to establish the team’s knowledge of the specific technical field.
Read Stax Talent’s published servicesLa Fosse
La Fosse lists the following focus: Technology, digital and change, plus broader functions. Campaign, retained and contingent hiring, executive search and interim management.
Discuss when you are comparing an individual search with broader talent services, interim support or team delivery needs.
Read La Fosse’s published servicesCorellia Talent
Corellia Talent lists the following focus: Engineering, AI, research and technical leadership. Permanent, contract and interim recruitment, with contingent, exclusive and retained search.
Discuss when you want Josh Smith personally leading the search from the brief to the final decision. His more than 150 placements were made before founding Corellia Talent, not by the new business.
Read Corellia Talent’s published servicesHow to use this comparison
Start with your brief and compare the parts of the service you actually need. We looked at published disciplines, stated company focus and recruitment models. We did not test delivery quality or rank firms by speed, review count or claimed success rate. A missing detail means it was not established by the source reviewed, not that the firm cannot provide it.
Agency, executive search or recruiting platform?
The right model depends on the work and the capacity already inside your business. A specialist agency can run a defined search. Executive search may be relevant when the central problem is a leadership mandate and assessment. Embedded or fractional support can add capacity to an existing process. A platform can connect you with recruiters, but you still need to establish who owns the brief, assessment and communication. These categories overlap; ask how the actual engagement will work.
When an in-house approach may fit
An internal recruiter can be appropriate when hiring is ongoing and the business can support a dedicated recruiting role. Before adding external help, identify whether the gap is sourcing, specialist market knowledge, assessment, coordination or hiring-manager capacity. You may need support with only one of those tasks. Buying a full search does not solve an unclear brief or a decision process nobody owns.
Questions to ask before agreeing terms
Ask who will personally run the search, which roles they understand and how they will assess relevant work. Agree fees, exclusivity, the payment trigger and any guarantee or rebate conditions in writing. Establish how candidate consent, data handling, introductions and duplicate applications are managed. Clarify the interview process and who can make the final decision. Ask for evidence with the right context rather than treating an impressive client logo or anonymous statistic as proof of fit.
Bring the London working arrangements into the brief
Explain whether the role requires attendance in London, which time zones matter and what support the hire will have. Share compensation parameters and the decisions the person will own. A local address alone does not show whether a recruiter understands your role; equally, serving the market does not imply a local office. Corellia describes London as a market served.
Where Corellia fits
Corellia offers engineering, AI, research and technical leadership recruitment for startups and scaleups, led personally by Josh Smith. Permanent, contract and interim arrangements are available, with scope and terms agreed before work begins. Josh’s historical placements and LinkedIn recommendations relate to his work before Corellia Talent. They should not be read as the new company’s client list or delivery record.
Check the compensation assumptions.
Our salary guide separates advertised pay, disclosed equity and bonus from planning estimates. Compare the role, location and company context before using a figure in a decision.
Explore the evidence and compensation plannerQuestions founders ask
Who is the best technical recruiter for a London startup?
There is no single best fit for every brief. Compare relevant role expertise, who will run the search, the recruitment model and the terms against your actual hiring needs.
Are these firms ranked by performance?
No. This is a source-linked comparison of published services, written by Corellia Talent, which is included. It is not an independent ranking or a test of recruitment outcomes.
Should we choose an agency or a platform?
Choose according to the support you need and the process you can manage internally. With either model, establish who owns the brief, candidate assessment, communication and final coordination.
What should we ask about fees?
Ask for the fee basis, payment trigger, exclusivity period and any guarantee or rebate terms in writing. Confirm what happens if the brief changes or the search stops.
Does a recruiter need an office in our city?
An office address is different from experience serving a market. Ask about relevant role knowledge, working hours, candidate location requirements and who will handle the search.
How can we assess a recruiter’s track record?
Ask which examples relate to the individual recruiter and which belong to their current company. Check the context, attribution and relevance to your brief, rather than assuming every quoted placement was made by the business you are engaging.