Embedded Recruiting Partner
Your C-Suite Is Set.
We Build What's Next.
The senior ICs, Directors, and VPs who report into your leadership team are some of the hardest hires you'll make — the market's noisy, competitive, and easy to get wrong at real cost. Thrively partners differently: our own tools and systems, a full team behind every search, and operators who've built orgs themselves. Strongest in engineering, product, and data — built for nearly every function as you scale.
Industries We Specialize In
Clinical, payer, provider, and digital health platforms
Silicon photonics, AI data centers, modern data warehousing
Marketplaces, mobile-first products, brand-led platforms
Payments, banking infra, capital markets, embedded finance
Trusted by VC- and PE-backed companies
By the Numbers
Outcomes, not activity
Engineers placed
at growth-stage companies
Average time to fill
candidates presented within week one
Offer acceptance rate
candidates close, not ghost
What People Say
Client Testimonials
"Thrively doesn't feel like an agency. They invest so deeply in understanding our people, culture, and product that I genuinely forget they have other clients. Whether we're fully scoped or still figuring out what we need, the outcome is always the same: high-quality talent, thoughtful market guidance, and a true partnership. They helped us hire a Senior Engineering Manager in under four weeks and even placed our VP of Data—who immediately chose to partner with Thrively to build out his own team."
Maya Alperin
Head of People, Topline Pro
"Thrively belongs on a very short list of recruiters and recruiting agencies I've worked with over the past 15 years that I would recommend without hesitation. They know technical roles inside and out, make opening new positions incredibly easy, and consistently bring us highly qualified candidates. By the time our engineering leaders are speaking with candidates, they're already excited about the opportunity and have a strong understanding of our company, product, and culture. It feels like a true partnership throughout the entire hiring process."
Goss Nuzzo-Jones
Head of Engineering, Topline Pro
"We landed an incredibly strong executive. Thrively stood out by being fun, genuine, and passionate about their work. The candidates really appreciated working with them—kind, transparent, and helpful."
Pete G.
CEO
"Since partnering with Thrively, the quality of candidates we've seen and hired has been significantly better than any other agency. The candidates sourced by Thrively have been game changers, truly moving the needle for our business."
Ryan D.
Director of Data Engineering
"The folks at Thrively are the real deal. I've had the opportunity to work with all three founders and hope to continue collaborating with them throughout the rest of my career."
Dr. Ashley P.
Principal Data Scientist & Engineering Manager
"Thrively doesn't feel like an agency. They invest so deeply in understanding our people, culture, and product that I genuinely forget they have other clients. Whether we're fully scoped or still figuring out what we need, the outcome is always the same: high-quality talent, thoughtful market guidance, and a true partnership. They helped us hire a Senior Engineering Manager in under four weeks and even placed our VP of Data—who immediately chose to partner with Thrively to build out his own team."
Maya Alperin
Head of People, Topline Pro
"Thrively belongs on a very short list of recruiters and recruiting agencies I've worked with over the past 15 years that I would recommend without hesitation. They know technical roles inside and out, make opening new positions incredibly easy, and consistently bring us highly qualified candidates. By the time our engineering leaders are speaking with candidates, they're already excited about the opportunity and have a strong understanding of our company, product, and culture. It feels like a true partnership throughout the entire hiring process."
Goss Nuzzo-Jones
Head of Engineering, Topline Pro
"We landed an incredibly strong executive. Thrively stood out by being fun, genuine, and passionate about their work. The candidates really appreciated working with them—kind, transparent, and helpful."
Pete G.
CEO
"Since partnering with Thrively, the quality of candidates we've seen and hired has been significantly better than any other agency. The candidates sourced by Thrively have been game changers, truly moving the needle for our business."
Ryan D.
Director of Data Engineering
"The folks at Thrively are the real deal. I've had the opportunity to work with all three founders and hope to continue collaborating with them throughout the rest of my career."
Dr. Ashley P.
Principal Data Scientist & Engineering Manager
The Difference
Why teams choose Thrively
Whether you start with a single search, a hiring package, or an embedded engagement, the way we work doesn't change.
Engagement Models
How We Partner
Three ways to work with us. Most clients start with a single search or a package and grow into an embedded partnership as trust compounds.
Targeted Search
A single critical hire—senior, specialized, or strategic. Precision matching with deep vetting.
- One role, fully owned
- Ideal first engagement
- Often expands into more searches
Hiring Packages
Multiple hires in a defined window. Predictable pricing, focused execution, one accountable partner.
- Bundled roles, shared context
- Lower cost per hire than one-offs
- Builds the muscle for embedded
Embedded Recruiting
We plug into your team and own recruiting end-to-end—intake, process design, sourcing, interviewing, and close.
- Operate as an internal leader
- Improve your hiring systems
- Long-term strategic partner
Not sure which model fits? We'll help you pick the right starting point.
Modern Hiring, Built to Scale
We Meet You Where You Are—And Build From There
We work with venture-backed, PE-backed, and publicly traded companies at every stage of building talent acquisition — no TA function yet, a small team already stretched thin, or a mature function that still needs specialized help on the hardest roles. Wherever you're starting from, that's where we start too.
We meet you where you are.
When You're Starting From Scratch
- Own recruiting strategy and execution end-to-end
- Bring our own systems and process, so you don't have to build them
- Save the cost of standing up an internal function
When You Have a Team Already
- Supplement with specialized recruiters for your hardest roles
- Work alongside your team, not around it
- Bring outside market intelligence and reach
Headcount and priorities shift constantly, especially in change-heavy organizations — so our packages are built for it. A role in a package isn't locked in; if priorities move, you can move it too.
You don't need a fully built recruiting function to start — you need the right partner to build it with you, wherever you're starting from.
Our Edge
We've Built From the Inside
We're operators first, recruiters second. We've built and scaled product, tech, and business inside companies—so we own outcomes, not just activity. That's why founders and executives trust us with their most critical hires.
In Practice
How We Work in Practice
VC-backed startup
Built recruiting from scratch
Stood up the hiring function from zero—partnering directly with founders to define roles, build process, and close early, high-impact hires.
We understand the realities of VC-backed companies:
- Speed matters more than perfection
- Every hire changes the trajectory of the business
- Talent is often the biggest constraint to growth
We help you move fast without lowering the bar.
PE-backed company
Owned hiring across the business
Embedded across functions to run recruiting end-to-end during a critical growth and optimization phase.
We understand how PE-backed companies operate:
- Hiring must align with efficiency and EBITDA goals
- Headcount decisions are highly scrutinized
- Execution needs to be predictable and measurable
We bring structure, visibility, and disciplined execution to hiring.
Technical hiring
Filled high-bar engineering roles
Closed senior engineering, data, and AI roles where both technical depth and speed were required.
We understand technical hiring:
- Strong candidates are selective and hard to engage
- Signal is difficult to assess without the right process
- Closing requires credibility, not just coordination
We combine structured evaluation with high-touch candidate experience.
Hiring for Teams Disrupting Infrastructure
If you're breaking the market with new technology—from silicon photonics and optical interconnects to the next generation of AI data centers and data warehouses—you need recruiters who can find and attract the rarest technical talent. We've been in the room with the founding teams redefining how the world's data moves, scales, and computes.
Silicon photonics, optical interconnects, custom silicon, and the physical layer of AI infrastructure
Staff and principal engineers across compute, networking, storage, and AI data center architecture
Founding teams, technical leadership, and category-creating IC hires for venture-backed deep-tech
Brett Connell
Brett leads our practice for companies disrupting the physical and data layers of modern infrastructure. He partners with venture-backed teams building silicon photonics, optical switching, custom silicon, and next-generation AI data center technology—where the talent pool is measured in dozens, not thousands. When you need a principal engineer who actually understands your laser, your fabric, or your warehouse architecture, Brett is the recruiter who can find them, get them in the room, and close them.
"If you're breaking the market with your technology, I can find and attract the highly technical, highly qualified people who want to build it with you."
Areas We Hire In
Specializations
Roles We Place
Our focus: the strategic senior ICs through VPs who build and scale once your leadership team is set — across engineering, product, data, and nearly every function as you grow.
Software Engineering
Full stack, frontend, backend, mobile — from modern to legacy tech stacks.
AI Engineering
Applied Scientists, ML Engineers, AI Engineers — driving product innovation.
Data Engineering
Data engineers, analytical engineers, and analysts powering your data stack.
Engineering Management
Engineering Managers, Directors, and VPs who scale technology orgs.
Product, Ops & GTM
Product managers, operations, and go-to-market roles across all functions.
Hiring Truth, Straight from the Last Round
Real conversations about hiring, careers, and what it takes to break through — from people who have sat on both sides of the table. Hosted by Jason Medley & Jeremy Schmidt.
Let's Build Your Recruiting Function
If you need a high-trust partner to own hiring, we should talk.
Start HiringLet's Talk
Contact Us
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