Founder outcomes
Examples of how we’ve supported AI startups across NYC and SF with fast, high-quality technical hires.
"Working with Liam to find our first founding engineers was awesome. Liam quickly honed in exactly on what we're looking for and was tireless in finding us incredible talent; Good communication, high hustle and all around a pleasure to work with. Thank you Liam!"
"It’s honestly night and day compared to where we were before, after working with 4–5 other firms. ****** is very happy, and we’re happy to serve as a reference for other customers. We’re growing quickly and expect to hire at least 10 engineers this year. Even though we’re bootstrapped and careful with hiring, the trajectory is very strong. Thanks for the effort, there will be more roles for you to help us with"
"Liam was a pleasure to have in my organization and a true leader on the team. He has an exceptional ability to quickly understand client needs, both their immediate priorities and long-term goals, and translate that understanding into results. Liam consistently delivers on his commitments, often going above and beyond to ensure successful outcomes for his clients. His reliability, follow-through, and focus on delivering real results made him one of the most trusted members of the team."
You’ve been sending us great candidates and tracking everything well. Thanks, Liam.
"Liam's ability to build lasting relationships that result in successes are unmatched. In sales, and in recruiting, one of the hardest skills to master is to be able to see the potential in clients before they sign on the dotted line. In other words, to see the value beyond the data. Liam has mastered this skill, and it was a pleasure to be able to watch him work. I'd be hard-pressed to find a more consistent and compassionate person than Liam."
"Liam thanks for the great push. I am properly drowning in calls, and a lot are very high calibre. Give me more"
What engineers say about working with us
Perspectives from builders who’ve engaged with Stellarsearch during critical career decisions.
"I had a great experience working with Liam. He was extremely responsive throughout the entire process, even late at night, and always made time to answer questions or check in. What really stood out was that he felt genuinely invested in my success. This really wasn't a typical recruiter relationship at all. He wasn’t relying on automation or generic messages, and it never felt transactional.
He was supportive, encouraging, and honestly felt more like a friend who was rooting for me to land the role. Now that we’re working closely together to help accelerate our hiring process, that same level of care and responsiveness has carried over. He’s a great partner to work with and someone I genuinely enjoy collaborating with. I’d strongly recommend him."
Liam was an excellent recruiter. Super punctual, amazing with follow ups, super insightful and helpful. He was motivating, kind and really went above and beyond to make me feel taken care of. Super informational and intelligent. Definitely the kind of recruiter we need on the field.
"Liam reached out to me with some opportunities when he started stellarsearch. Everything he found was very relevant to my skill set and after our first conversation, Liam reverted with plenty of opportunities, all perfectly aligned with everything I was looking for. He is extremely smart, has great hustle, very professional and highly empathetic. I would definitely recommend working with him. Fantastic experience, fantastic relationship."
"As a candidate, I am very happy to write this recommendation for Liam as an Al recruiter. His clear and concise communications, timely follow-ups, and ability to bring relevant opportunities based on my Al skill set have been outstanding. Liam's professionalism and dedication ensure a smooth and efficient recruitment process. He possesses excellent communication skills, promptly responds to inquiries, and consistently matches candidates with suitable opportunities. Liam is an exceptional recruiter who understands the Al industry well, and I have been thoroughly impressed by Liam's professionalism and dedication to both candidates and employers."
"Liam was wonderful to work with. I owe my current job to him. He first reached out to me about this role while I was on holiday and was extremely patient with me and respectful with my time. Never failed to follow up, and never did so in a way that made me feel pestered. One of the most effective recruiters I've ever worked with."
"Liam reached out about a founding engineer role and did exactly what a good recruiter should do: asked thoughtful questions, communicated clearly, and actually understood what both sides were looking for. He was persistent without being pushy, followed up consistently and thoughtfully, and ultimately connected me with a role that's a great fit. I'm very grateful he reached out."
"Working with Liam was great; the entire process was smoother and quicker than I anticipated. Thanks to him, I had a chance to talk to various companies, found one I really liked almost immediately, and secured a role with them within the week. Liam’s a sharp and genuine guy, I gladly recommend him."
Frequently Asked Questions
An AI executive search partner is a recruitment expert that helps startups operating in the cutting-edge field of Gen AI—where AI models process and integrate multiple types of data (e.g., text, images, audio, video) to solve complex problems—find the talent required to drive innovation and grow your company.
We deliver high-quality AI talent fast within 24 hours, backed by a 60-day placement guarantee to give you confidence in every single hire. You’ll get access to a highly curated network of engineers, researchers, and operators across AI and LLM-driven systems, including off-the-market candidates who aren’t actively job-seeking, aren’t applying inbound, and often aren’t visible on LinkedIn at all.
Every candidate is presented with a deeply considered profile covering technical depth, real-world impact, motivation, and risk factors through a tailored, founder-led recruitment process built for precision hiring. Our team is available 24/7 via email to keep communication fast, clear, and frictionless.
We work directly with founders to build the first version of their team — not just individual hires. That means owning recruiting across engineering, product, and GTM as you scale.
Typical roles include: Full-stack Engineers, ML Engineers, Data & Research, Infrastructure/DevOps, Product, Customer Success, Sales, Operations, and other critical early hires.
When hiring for AI startups, the hardest part isn’t filtering applicants - it’s reaching the right people in the first place.
StellarSearch works with a tightly curated network of engineers, researchers, and operators who are largely off-market. Many aren’t actively job-seeking, don’t apply inbound, and wouldn’t surface through job boards or standard LinkedIn searches.
We stay close to the ecosystem by tracking who’s actually building and shipping real AI systems - through production work at top AI companies, applied research, trusted referrals, and long-term relationships across applied AI, multimodal systems, and ML infrastructure.
The result is access to candidates who consistently clear the bar, not just those who are easiest to find.
Our average time-to-hire is 17 days from kickoff to offer acceptance, faster than most early-stage hiring cycles. Several roles have been filled in 7–12 days.
Timelines may vary based on your interview loop, availability, and decision-making speed, but because we submit highly vetted, interview-ready candidates within the first 24 hours, founders are typically speaking to strong profiles immediately and maintaining momentum from day one.
We offer retained and success-based pricing, tailored to your hiring plan, headcount, role seniority, and search complexity.
For teams that want more than candidate delivery, we act as a founding-level recruiting partner, owning hiring end-to-end - from role scoping and sourcing through interview design, recruiting operations, offers, and close.
Get in touch and we’ll put together a setup that actually fits how you’re hiring.

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