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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruiting from Scratch | Technical recruitment | High-growth companies | Dedicated recruiters and software-supported sourcing; contingency recruitment. |
| Acceler8 Talent | AI/ML research and engineering, semiconductors and computing infrastructure | Technology businesses; confirm stage fit | Embedded, retained and contingency engagements. |
| Solara Talent | Software engineering, product, design and growth/GTM | Venture-backed startups | Recruitment using structured role modelling and internal recruiting tools. |
| Harnham | Data engineering, data science/ML, analytics, computer vision and data governance | Confirm company-stage fit directly | Permanent/direct hire, contract/freelance and executive search. |
| Contrario | Hiring through specialist recruiters and AI agents | Confirm company-stage fit directly | AI recruiting platform with ATS-connected candidate delivery and coordination. |
| Riviera Partners | Product, engineering, IT, AI/ML/data, security and design leadership | Venture-backed, private-equity-backed and public or late-stage companies | Executive search, talent advisory and team builds through Paragon. |
| Dover | Fractional recruiting support across hiring needs | Confirm recruiter experience at your stage | A recruiter marketplace with hourly, retainer and pay-per-hire options; also provides hiring software. |
| 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. |
Recruiting from Scratch
Recruiting from Scratch lists the following focus: Technical recruitment. Dedicated recruiters and software-supported sourcing; contingency recruitment.
Discuss when you need a technical search partner and want to understand the recruiter assigned to your role.
Read Recruiting from Scratch’s published servicesAcceler8 Talent
Acceler8 Talent lists the following focus: AI/ML research and engineering, semiconductors and computing infrastructure. Embedded, retained and contingency engagements.
Discuss when the brief combines AI or ML with specialist computing, hardware or infrastructure requirements.
Read Acceler8 Talent’s published servicesSolara Talent
Solara Talent lists the following focus: Software engineering, product, design and growth/GTM. Recruitment using structured role modelling and internal recruiting tools.
Discuss when the brief spans product-building and broader startup functions. Confirm the current commercial model directly.
Read Solara Talent’s published servicesHarnham
Harnham lists the following focus: Data engineering, data science/ML, analytics, computer vision and data governance. Permanent/direct hire, contract/freelance and executive search.
Discuss when data and AI specialisation is central to the role or you need to compare permanent and contract options.
Read Harnham’s published servicesContrario
Contrario lists the following focus: Hiring through specialist recruiters and AI agents. AI recruiting platform with ATS-connected candidate delivery and coordination.
Discuss when integrating recruiter support with an existing hiring workflow is important. Establish who assesses candidates and owns follow-up.
Read Contrario’s published servicesRiviera Partners
Riviera Partners lists the following focus: Product, engineering, IT, AI/ML/data, security and design leadership. Executive search, talent advisory and team builds through Paragon.
Discuss when the primary need is an executive or senior technical leadership search, with clear assessment and decision responsibilities.
Read Riviera Partners’s published servicesDover
Dover lists the following focus: Fractional recruiting support across hiring needs. A recruiter marketplace with hourly, retainer and pay-per-hire options; also provides hiring software.
Discuss when you need flexible recruiting capacity or support for only part of the process, rather than assuming a traditional agency model.
Read Dover’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 San Francisco working arrangements into the brief
Explain whether the role requires attendance in San Francisco, 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 San Francisco 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 San Francisco 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.