The right team to help build yours!
NVSA Recruiting embeds a high-performing, senior-level talent acquisition team, including a Head of Talent, Recruiters, and Recruiting Coordinator, to efficiently and cost-effectively, secure top-tier talent and empower high-growth startups.
At NVSA Recruiting, we firmly believe that the strength of any business is directly proportional to the caliber of its people. For founders, assembling a robust and talented team stands as the single most critical endeavor.
A Message to Founders from our Founder
Startups face a brutal recruiting reality — no brand recognition, tight budgets, and fierce competition. We embed as your dedicated talent team, build your pipeline from day one, and deliver multiple high-quality hires.
Recruiting for a startup is brutal: no brand recognition, little to no inbound resumes, tight budgets, and fierce competition with big tech. Large companies solve this by building massive in-house recruiting teams—hundreds of recruiters, spending millions per quarter, and achieving a ~$12K cost per hire—because it's the most efficient way to scale. Startups, meanwhile, often turn to agencies and burn $30K–$40K per hire, draining precious capital fast. But most startups don't need to hire hundreds of people; they need 5–10 exceptional hires at a sustainable cost.
That's why NVSA Recruiting exists: we embed a high-functioning talent acquisition team into your company on a temporary basis, giving you the same advantages as the "Big Guys" without the long-term overhead. I've personally led recruiting efforts that scaled one company from 10 to 1,500 employees through IPO in four years, and another from 50 to 650 employees through acquisition in three years—proving that the right talent strategy drives real enterprise value. When the hiring push is complete, we step away—so you can reinvest your capital where it matters most.
You want a talent team working only for you—one that understands your culture, mission, budget, and hiring plan, and isn't shopping your candidates to competitors. NVSA Recruiting actively hunts talent, reaching out to thousands of candidates, tracking detailed metrics, coordinating interviews, helping close and onboard hires, and even supporting ATS setup if needed. No surprise $40K invoices, no resume blasting—just a true recruiting partnership focused on outcomes.
We begin building your pipeline on day one and deliver a cost per hire below or at $10K–$15K, meaning the cost of one agency hire can bring you three or four high-quality employees with a far better candidate experience. There's a reason the Big Guys recruit this way—and now startups can compete on the same playing field.
NVSA Recruiting:
Turnkey Team-Building
Born from Purpose
Born from NVSA's core belief that businesses are only as good as the people building them, NVSA Recruiting is a turnkey team-building solution designed for high-growth startups. We recognized that while building a strong team is vital, startups often struggle to compete for the best talent.
Embedded Partnership
We offer a fully functioning, senior-level talent acquisition team that embeds directly into your company. Unlike traditional recruitment firms that work for the candidate, we work for and with you, becoming your champions, your voice, and your ambassadors.
Accelerated Results
We shorten the recruiting cycle, speed up talent acquisition, and immediately build a pipeline of top-tier candidates. Our approach delivers measurable outcomes that transform how startups scale their teams.
Innovative Workforce
Solutions
We are driven by the conviction that when talented individuals converge with innovative companies, the potential to create a brighter future becomes limitless.
NVSA Recruiting
We connect you with reliable, job-ready talent across key operational areas.
- Embedded Talent Acquisition Team
- Full-Cycle Recruitment Management
- Candidate Pipeline Development
- ATS Setup & Optimization
- Employer Branding & Outreach
Human Capital Development
Discover our forward-thinking workforce solutions designed to accelerate your growth trajectory.
- Strategic Advisory & Planning
- Executive Training Programs
- Specialized Leadership Recruitment
- Fundraising Support
- End-to-End Service Offerings
Trusted by leaders
“Bryan and I have worked together for over 25 years, and he is an extraordinary talent when it comes to building and scaling recruiting teams. I hired him back in 1999 to lead the staffing efforts at an internet start-up where I was working as the CFO, and he quickly built a team that enabled us to add over 1,000 people to the company in less than two years. He then struck out on his own, and has delivered excellent results for all of his clients since then.”
“What I like best about the NVSA model is that they understand the importance of taking responsibility for the entire recruiting process, which includes sourcing, scheduling interviews, collecting feedback, extending the offer, and closing the candidate. This approach not only provides a world class experience for the prospective candidates but also takes the majority of the administrative burden of the recruiting and hiring process off the shoulders of the hiring managers – enabling them to spend more time focusing on their jobs and less time trying to juggle the various administrative tasks of running a recruiting process.”
“To scale effectively in today's environment, you need your own team working on your behalf. Not only does NVSA provide this service, they do it at a very competitive rate.”
“In 3 years, Bryan and his team were responsible for scaling Clover from 50 people to 650 people, mostly engineers, at a cost per hire of $3K. If you want to scale your startup efficiently and cost-effectively, you should hire Bryan and NVSA Recruiting.”
Our Step-by-Step
Process
Our engagement model is designed for seamless integration and maximum impact.
Performance
Metrics
Committed to delivering measurable results that drive your business forward.
Cost Per Hire
Significant operational savings, optimized talent acquisition budget.
Time-to-Hire
Accelerated team growth, faster project execution, quicker market entry.
Candidate Quality
Higher retention rates, increased team productivity, stronger cultural alignment.
Pipeline Velocity
Continuous access to top-tier talent, proactive hiring capabilities.
Leadership that
delivers
We become an extension of your organization, deeply understanding your culture, objectives, and unique talent needs. This team has scaled companies from the founding team through IPO numerous times.
Bryan has over thirty years of experience in Talent Acquisition and entrepreneurial endeavors in the Bay Area. As the Talent Acquisition leader at Vitria Technology, he scaled the company from 40 people to 1,500 people in 3 years and a successful IPO.
He has held several leadership positions at software companies like Proofpoint and Clover Network. Prior to NVSA, Bryan worked exclusively with early stage startups, helping them scale and build and execute on hiring plans.
Bryan has started three successful startups from scratch, with two achieving multi-million dollar exits. Born and raised in Silicon Valley, he holds a BS degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Bryan Smith
Founder & PartnerProud Partner of Inception Studio
Your dedicated champions
in the talent market
We go beyond forwarding resumes — we embed as your champions, collaborating with your leadership to build a robust candidate pipeline that shortens the recruiting cycle and accelerates growth. We are committed to a collaborative partnership, working hand-in-hand with your team to achieve excellence across the following key areas:
Employer Branding
Launching your employer brand and crafting resonant mission and values statements.
Company Culture
Highlighting your company's unique culture to give talent a compelling reason to join.
Team Development
Building out and training your core talent team while crafting a long-term recruitment strategy.
Infrastructure
Scaling internal infrastructure and setting up careers pages and recruitment materials.
Digital Presence
Enhancing social media content and rankings (Glassdoor, LinkedIn) and curating specialized blogs.
Recruiting for a startup is hard. Nobody knows who you are. Inbound resume flow is low, if non-existent. Recruiting costs are expensive. Money is tight. And you're competing with the big players for talent. One large tech company, like many here in Silicon Valley, has 100 full-time recruiters, hires 900 people a quarter, spends $10M a quarter on recruiting, and has a cost per hire of around $12K. And that's a mid-level tech company. How can a startup with a limited budget compete? If you use recruiting agencies, you will spend $30K to $40K per hire, at least, blowing through your startup capital rapidly. There is a reason the big guys hire recruiters to work for their company. It is the most efficient and cost-effective way to scale your company. Any CFO will tell you this. But what if you don't need to hire 900 people a quarter, but only need 5 to 10 quality employees? And what if you could hire these people at costs per hire lower than the big guys? That is why NVSA Recruiting was created. We embed a high-functioning talent acquisition team into your company on a temporary basis and give you all the benefits of the big guy talent team in your startup. And when we finish the job, we go away, so you can spend your hard-earned capital on other things in your company. And when you want to start hiring again, you can give us a call.
You absolutely want a talent team working ONLY on your behalf. If you don't, your competitors will, and they will be contacting YOUR candidates and, ultimately, YOUR employees—sending only you, and not other companies, the candidates you need to hire. You want somebody who knows your culture, mission, and requirements and will be your champion when engaging candidates. You also want somebody who is working within your designated recruiting budget. You want somebody working on a hiring plan, not just sending in blind resumes. We aren't trying to make a quick buck but prefer to partner with you for the long term. No surprise $40K invoices. And NVSA Recruiting doesn't just sit around waiting for resumes to come in. We are hunters, and we will literally reach out to thousands of candidates on your behalf. We also will have detailed metrics on our successes and failures. We also provide a recruiting coordinator to set up interviews with candidates and interviewers. We also will help in the closing of candidates and help with onboarding. Need an applicant tracking system? We can help there too. If it wasn't the best way to scale, the big guys wouldn't do it this way. I have personally been responsible for scaling two companies from 10 to 1,500 and IPO in 4 years and 50 to 650 and acquisition in 3.
NVSA Recruiting becomes your talent partner for the long term and begins filling the candidate pipeline on day one, all while achieving a cost per hire below $10K–$12K, allowing you to spend your capital on other pursuits. Why pay $30K–$40K for one hire when you can spend that and get 3 to 4, with a much better candidate experience? The answer? You shouldn't! Unless you enjoy getting ripped off. There is a solution to help level the recruiting playing field for startups. And that solution is NVSA Recruiting.
Data-driven precision
Resource Alignment
Matching product development cycles with resource needs to ensure synchronized scaling.
Forecasting
Providing talent acquisition projections for 6, 12, and 18 months out.
Analysis
Delivering full-process reporting, team growth insights, and industry/competitor comparisons.
Ready to scale your team
with the right partners?
Reach out to our leadership to discuss how we can embed our expertise into your growth journey.
Contact UsResults that matter
At NVSA Recruiting, our commitment extends beyond merely filling positions; we deliver tangible, measurable results that directly impact your business's growth and efficiency.
Optimized Recruitment Results
We focus on delivering below-average Cost Per Hire (CPH), ensuring that your investment in talent acquisition yields maximum return. Our expertise includes guiding you through Applicant Tracking System (ATS) selection, helping you implement the most effective tools for managing your recruitment pipeline. We craft compelling job postings that attract top talent and manage the entire recruitment pipeline, from initial candidate outreach through successful onboarding.
Strategic Guidance & Training
To empower your internal teams, we provide specialized executive and management recruitment/interview training. This equips your leadership with the skills to identify, assess, and secure the best candidates. Furthermore, we offer expert guidance on compensation and benefits plans, helping you structure competitive packages that attract and retain high-caliber professionals.
Long-Term Strategic Value
Our partnership includes developing a long-term roadmap for your recruiting efforts, encompassing strategic recruiting events, executive roundtable engagements, and speaking opportunities that enhance your employer brand. We operate with an effective, reasonable, and ROI-oriented cost structure, ensuring transparency and value.