For founders who still write every spec
Product Manager Recruiters for AI Startups in NYC
A good product manager can point to what changed because of them. For New York City AI startups, we find PMs who can name the metric they owned, the calls that moved it and the customers who shaped those calls.
At a glance
Product hires we make for AI startups
From a founding PM to a Head of Product, the job changes with team size. We match the level to where your company is now.
Roles we recruit for
Founding PMs, senior PMs, AI product managers and Heads of Product
Stages
Seed to Series C
Where
New York City. In office, hybrid or remote
Who we look for
PMs who have shipped AI features and owned a metric they can name
Speed
Our last 3 hires averaged 17 days
How you pay
Retained, success-based or embedded. Terms agreed upfront
How we assess
Metrics, trade-offs and customers: how we assess PMs
PM impact is easy to overstate, because every good outcome has several owners. We ask which metric was theirs, what they personally did to move it and what they'd do differently.
01
Owned an outcome
Which metric were they accountable for, and what moved while it was theirs? A PM who can't name one usually didn't own one.
02
Understands AI products
When the model was wrong, slow or too expensive, what did they do? And how did they decide what accuracy was acceptable at launch?
03
Makes hard calls
What they said no to, and how they got the team and the customer to accept it.
04
Stays close to customers
We ask who they spoke to last month, users or buyers, and for one roadmap change that came out of it. PMs who hear customers only through sales build the wrong thing.
Outcome ownership
AI product work
Prioritization calls
Timing and notice
Product sense
Work with engineering
Customer insight
Who runs your search
Liam, Founder of StellarSearch
Our team brings 20+ years of search experience across engineering, AI/ML, product and GTM.
LinkedIn ↗
Client feedback
Feedback from founders and the engineers we placed
I'm not really sure how he does it, but he continues to find us top tier talent that fits exactly what we're looking for."
I'm very grateful they reached out."
Would highly recommend."
They did a great job explaining roles, companies, and interview processes and was friendly + supportive throughout."
Where our hires come from
We've placed people from teams like these
We look past titles to the work: ex-founders, early employees and people doing their best work outside the day job.
How we work
How we run your search
From the first call to an accepted offer. What we handle, and the few places we need you.
Learn what you're building, what the hire owns in the first 90 days, and the comp, equity and location you can offer.
One call with the founders.
Map the market from day one. If the problem is sourcing, pay, location, process or the profile, we tell you early.
Agree any changes to the brief.
Approach people who aren't applying anywhere, and assess each one on evidence before they reach you.
Nothing. This part is ours.
Send each candidate with our write-up, then schedule and keep the process moving.
Run your interviews.
Advise on the offer, handle the back and forth, and close.
Make the final call.
If the search isn't working, we tell you fast. We use market data to recalibrate instead of sending weaker candidates for weeks.
Ways to work with us
Three ways to work with us
Pick the model that fits the hire. All terms are agreed upfront, with no hidden fees.
Best for a priority hire
Retained
A dedicated search for the one hire that can't wait. We commit time to your role from day one.
Dedicated search from the first call
Market map shared with you
Fee agreed upfront
Best for a single hire
Success-based
We run the search and you pay when the hire is made.
No fee until you hire
Same assessment on every candidate
Terms agreed before we start
Best for several roles
Embedded
We work as part of your team across several hires, for a monthly fee plus a reduced success fee.
Monthly fee plus reduced success fee
One hiring standard across roles
Works alongside your in-house team
Start a search
Which product will your new PM own?
Tell us what you're building. We'll come back with how we'd run the search.
Looking for a role? See open jobs
When should a startup hire its first product manager?
What makes an AI product manager different?
Should our first PM come from a big tech company?
Do we need a founding PM, a senior PM or a Head of Product?
How technical should an AI product manager be?
How do founders hand product decisions to a new PM?
How quickly will we see candidates?
We already have an in-house recruiter. Why use you?
How much of the process do you own?
What if the search isn't working?
How do you charge?
Hiring your founding team?
Tell us what you're building. We'll find the experts who can build and ship it.
Start Hiring
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