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Vector is a recruitment agency built for early-stage AI and infrastructure startups.

We help Founders build the technical and go-to-market teams that decide whether a company scales, from the first founding engineer to a full leadership bench. We work as an embedded partner, not a transactional agency, across four areas: Frontier AI, Data and Cloud Infrastructure, Developer Tooling, and AI Platforms and Agentic Systems.

Hiring at an AI startup is not a sourcing problem. The best people are known and in demand.

The hard part is judgement: knowing which founding engineer can build a platform that survives ten more hires, or which sales leader can sell a technical product to an engineering buyer.

That judgement is what Vector brings.

 

Why AI startups need a Specialist Recruiter

Generalist agencies send volume. At seed and Series A, volume is the enemy. You need a short list of people you would genuinely hire, and a partner who understands the difference between a research and an applied role, between a first AE and a VP of Sales, between a platform engineer and a founding engineer.

Vector recruiters are technically fluent. We speak the language of the companies we hire for, so the brief is right the first time and strong candidates take the conversation seriously.

 

Who we Serve

We partner exclusively with early-stage AI and infrastructure companies across four areas:

  • Frontier AI. Teams building and advancing foundation models, model architectures and cutting-edge AI capabilities.
  • Data and Cloud Infrastructure. The platforms that store, move and compute data at scale, from databases and lakehouses to cloud-native infrastructure.
  • Developer Tooling. Tools that improve how software is built, shipped and operated: DevEx, OSS, CI/CD, platform engineering and productivity.
  • AI Platforms and Agentic Systems. Production AI systems that orchestrate models, tools and workflows, including LLM platforms, agentic runtimes and AI operating layers.

 

What we Hire For

Vector builds both sides of the organisation.

  • Technical. Founding engineers, research and applied ML, infrastructure and platform engineering, and technical leadership up to VP and CTO.
  • Go-to-market. Founding sales, sales leadership, sales engineering, customer success and marketing, the first commercial hires that turn a product into revenue.

Very few recruiters can do both credibly. Building the technical and commercial teams under one partner keeps the bar and the story consistent as you scale.

 

How we Work

Three ways to partner, designed to support founders from first principles through scale.

  • Hiring Architecture. We help you design the team before you hire it: the roles, the sequence, the bar, and the structure that fits your stage.
  • Technical and GTM Team Build-Out. We run the searches and build the team across engineering and go-to-market, as one coordinated partner rather than several disconnected agencies.
  • Embedded Advisory. We work inside your business as an extension of your team, bringing structure and market insight to every hiring decision.

 

Teams we have Built

Vector has built teams at some of the most closely watched companies in AI and infrastructure, including LlamaIndex, Mistral AI, Atlan, lakeFS, n8n, Qodo, LinearB, Squid AI, Prophecy and OneLayer.

 

“I was behind in my hiring plan and struggling with recruiters who could not bring me sales professionals with the right technical experience. I am now on track, with a high-performing team in place. This would not have been possible if I had not started working with Vector when I did.”

Mike Avery, VP Revenue, LlamaIndex

 

“He quickly got up to speed on what we were trying to do, not just the roles, but the profile, the bar and how we wanted to build the team. I felt like he was part of the Atlan internal team, not external.”

 

Andrew Ermogenous, GM EMEA, Atlan

“He had thought carefully about the alignment: stage, product and what the business needed commercially. Start to finish, the process was clean and well managed.”

 

Patrick Bishop, VP Sales, lakeFS

 

“He does not just fill roles. He understands the market landscape and how to align talent with long-term goals.”

Ivan Torres, Director, Global Strategic Sales, LinearB

 

“When you are building your founding GTM team, you need a recruitment partner who gets it: our stage of growth, the people we were looking for, and the technical expertise required to be successful.”

Drew Ganther, VP Sales, OneLayer

 

What makes Vector Different

  • Embedded, not transactional. We act as a partner in the room, not a vendor sending CVs.
  • Technical depth. We understand the products and the roles, so the shortlist is sharp.
  • Both sides of the org. Technical and go-to-market, coordinated by one partner.
  • Stage-specialised. We build for the realities of seed to Series B, where every hire moves the company.

 

Frequently asked Questions

What does Vector do?

Vector is a recruitment agency for early-stage AI and infrastructure startups. We build technical and go-to-market teams as an embedded hiring partner, from the first founding hire through to leadership.

 

Which companies does Vector recruit for?

We partner exclusively with early-stage AI and infrastructure companies. Teams we have built include LlamaIndex, Mistral AI, Atlan, lakeFS, n8n, Qodo, LinearB, Squid AI, Prophecy and OneLayer.

 

Does Vector hire technical or go-to-market roles?

Both. Vector builds engineering and research teams and the founding go-to-market functions, including sales, sales engineering, customer success and marketing, coordinated by one partner.

 

What stage of company does Vector work with?

Early-stage. We specialise in seed to Series B AI and infrastructure companies, where each hire has an outsized effect on the company trajectory.

 

How is Vector different from a traditional recruitment agency?

Vector works as an embedded partner rather than a transactional agency. Our recruiters are technically fluent, we help design the team before we fill it, and we build both the technical and commercial sides of the organisation.

 

Where is Vector based?

Vector is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and works with AI and infrastructure companies across the US and beyond.

 

What roles can Vector fill for an AI startup?

Founding engineers, research and applied ML, infrastructure and platform engineering, technical leadership, founding sales, sales leadership, sales engineering, customer success and marketing.

 

Build your team with Vector

If you are building at the frontier of AI and need a hiring partner who understands the work, let us talk.

Explore a partnership: withvector.io/solutions   |   [email protected]   |   +1-813-895-2053