Executive & IC Search

Missing Link specializes in recruiting and placing leadership and specialized individual contributors across frontier tech companies, with particular expertise in Web3, blockchain, AI infrastructure, and deep tech sectors.

Executive Search

Missing Link's Executive Search service identifies and places senior leadership including board members, C-level executives (CTOs, CPOs), vice presidents (Engineering, Product, Growth, Research), department heads, and management positions. This high-conviction search methodology is built specifically for leadership hires that have lasting impact on organizations.

The executive search process follows a distinctive four-phase methodology: First, comprehensive market mapping using internal knowledge bases and external data to build an exhaustive view of potential candidates. Second, iterative calibration by sharing early signal with clients and collecting structured feedback to tighten candidate fit. Third, every candidate introduction includes a written thesis explaining fit and explicit risks to probe. Finally, a tight end-to-end process with protected candidate experience ensures successful closures.

Performance metrics demonstrate effectiveness: 95% placement rate on retained searches, average 24.3 days to introduce the hired candidate, 92% interview rate for introduced candidates, and over 100 successful leadership hires completed.

IC (Individual Contributor) Search

The IC Search service provides flexible search extension for specialized tech and go-to-market team members. This offering targets hard-to-fill individual contributor roles requiring curated, high-signal outreach rather than traditional high-volume recruiting.

IC Search operates as a search extension integrating with existing recruiting signal and processes, acting as a specialized partner for challenging IC roles where standard sourcing channels prove insufficient. The service emphasizes curated outreach with no spam, focusing on quality engagement with passive candidates matching precise requirements.

Target roles include senior/staff/principal engineers, cryptographers, protocol engineers, blockchain developers, AI/ML engineers, infrastructure specialists, product marketers, developer advocates, community managers, and business development specialists with deep technical understanding. The service particularly excels in scarce expertise areas: zero-knowledge cryptography specialists, AI infrastructure engineers, blockchain protocol developers, developer relations professionals with Web3 expertise, and hardware engineers for emerging form factors.

Delivery Model

Executive search is delivered as retained engagement, meaning clients commit to exclusive partnership for the search duration. This allows comprehensive market mapping and thorough candidate assessment. IC Search operates more flexibly, allowing companies to activate support for specific challenging positions without comprehensive recruiting partnerships.

Both services follow the same rigorous methodology: comprehensive market mapping, iterative calibration based on structured feedback, candidate presentations with written theses explaining fit and concerns, and careful process management protecting candidate experience.

Why Choose Missing Link

These services are designed for venture-backed startups from seed to Series A and beyond, established tech companies entering new markets or building specialized teams, and Web3 protocols and foundations seeking rare technical and business expertise. The approach is particularly valuable for companies facing challenging searches where obvious candidate pools are insufficient and market signal is noisy.