Hire former founders.

Former founders make the best hires. They've shipped, scaled, and survived to tell the tale. Now you can find them on Foundeur.

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Founders from

Y Combinator Techstars 500 Startups AngelPad Antler Plug and Play
Y Combinator Techstars 500 Startups AngelPad Antler Plug and Play

Founders who raised from

Andreessen Horowitz Bessemer Venture Partners VC 3 General Catalyst Greylock VC 6 Lightspeed
Andreessen Horowitz Bessemer Venture Partners VC 3 General Catalyst Greylock VC 6 Lightspeed

Who's hiring on Foundeur?

Early-stage startups

Looking for a senior hire who's done it before. Someone who can build without a playbook and doesn't need to be managed.

Venture studios

Looking for founders-in-residence and operators who've built companies from zero. People who know how to turn a blank page into a working business.

VC & PE firms

Hiring for investing roles, EIR programs, or portfolio operator positions that require someone who's actually built.

Innovation teams

Larger companies launching new products or internal ventures who need someone with a founder's instincts rather than a manager's habits.

We've hired for teams at

What hiring teams say

"We found our VP of Growth through Foundeur in two weeks. She'd previously scaled a DTC brand to $30M."

Marcus R.

CEO, Series B SaaS

"Our best hire last year was a founder whose startup shut down six months prior."

Julia L.

Head of Talent, Fintech

"Within a month we brought on a former founder as our first COO."

Tom W.

Founder & CEO, HealthTech

Start hiring

Interested in hiring former founders?

Let's find the right fit.

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FAQ

Questions we get asked a lot.

Why hire a former founder? ▾
Former founders bring something most senior hires don't: they've already made the expensive mistakes. They've shipped products, built teams, managed burn, and made calls without a playbook. That experience makes them faster, more decisive, and wired to own outcomes rather than execute tasks. They also tend to see the full picture — product, sales, ops, finance — because at some point they had to. You're not paying for their learning curve. You're getting someone who's already been through it.
Why won't these founders just post on LinkedIn? ▾
Most successful former founders have strong networks and receive inbound opportunities naturally. Publicly posting "Open to Work" signals desperation, and most founders actively avoid it. Foundeur lets them signal availability discreetly, only to employers who are serious about hiring them.
How are founders vetted? ▾
Foundeur is invite-only. Every founder is reviewed by our team before being admitted to the network — we look at their founding history, what they built, and whether they're genuinely open to what's next. We keep the bar high so that when you reach out, you know the person on the other end is worth your time.
I'm a founder. How do I join? ▾
Foundeur is invite-only, but you can apply to join. Visit our founder page to learn more and submit an application. We review every application personally and reach out within 48 hours.

Get started

Stop fishing on LinkedIn.
Start hiring founders.

The people who built companies don't broadcast. You have to know where to look.

Hire a founder →