Kyle Thomas's Linkedin Analytics

These 20 HIRING startups raised money this week. Looking for your next role? Look no further👇 Use this list to... ↳ Identify interesting companies ↳ Check for open roles in your function ↳ Reach out to people on the team with congratulations ↳ Land your next startup role at a growing company 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆: • Company Name • 🦄 = Valuation >$1B • ⭐ = Top VC Investors • 🏆 = >90% PitchBook Success Probability Score • Round stage, Round size • Position locations ClickHouse 🦄⭐🏆 High-performance analytical database Series C, $450M Remote Vivodyne ⭐🏆 AI organoid screening Series A, $40M San Francisco Monarch Money ⭐🏆 Personal finance dashboard Series B, $75M Remote Hex ⭐🏆 AI collaborative analytics workspace Series C, $70M Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, Atlanta, New York, Remote Snorkel AI 🦄⭐🏆 AI data labeling Series D, $100M Redwood City, San Francisco, New York, Remote Chalk ⭐ AI data infrastructure platform Series A, $50M San Francisco, New York Rillet ⭐ Automated SaaS accounting Series A, $25M New York, Remote Wander ⭐ Luxury vacation homes Series B, $50M Remote Empathy ⭐ Bereavement support platform Series C, $72M New York, Tel Aviv, Remote Reflect Orbital ⭐ Nighttime solar farming Series A, $28.69M Hawthorne Context ⭐ AI office suite Seed, $11M Palo Alto Superblocks ⭐ Low-code internal ops tool builder Series , $M New York, Remote Unbound ⭐ Data protection extension Seed, $4M Seattle, California, Oregon Buildots ⭐🏆 AI construction analytics Series D, $15.25M Tel Aviv, Chicago, London, Louisiana, Remote Neuralink 🦄⭐🏆 Brain-machine interface Series E, $600M Austin, Fremont Cart.com 🦄⭐🏆 E-commerce logistics platform Series C1, $73.68M Groveport, Houston, Remote FarmQA, Inc 🏆 Agriculture intelligence platform Seed, $4M Fargo CloudZero 🦄⭐🏆 Cloud cost intelligence Series C, $56M Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco Aiera 🏆 AI investment intelligence Series A+, $17.5M New York, Remote Creatify AI ⭐🏆 AI video ads Series A, $15.5M Mountain View 𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗨𝗦 - 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗩𝗖 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘁... Traceloop ⭐ LLM monitoring platform Seed, $6.1M Tel Aviv Project Karna ⭐ Deepfake detection AI Seed, $0.55M Portland Rumi Labs io ⭐ AI streaming video analysis Seed, $4.7M San Francisco Go get that job and build something awesome 💪 ♻️ Repost to help people in your network find jobs ➕ Follow Kyle Thomas for more

This is the time for you to get your AI MBA. But not at a university... at a startup. Back in 2012, I was lost. Cubicle data entry job. Suit and tie every day. I was stuck and stagnating. A year later: • I quit my job • Moved to NYC • Landed a job as an early-Uber The role accelerated my career by light years. Instead of going to business school, I got a startup MBA. I learned how to build a business by doing. My 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 were my 𝗰𝗼𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀. My 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 were my 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀. The university 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀 was our 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 in Queens. No matter your seniority. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗜 𝗠𝗕𝗔. By actually putting AI to use to solve problems. Not at a university. But inside a startup. At a startup, they'll be hungry for you to: • Test new tools • Implement to solve problems • Report on progress • Teach others how to do the same That's the best way I have found to learn. Apply the learning to real situations to solve real problems. Now is the time to be using the tools. Now is the time to understand their applications. Now is the time to implement. You can do that inside your current company. OR, if you can't, it might be time to look elsewhere. Don't be left behind. Go get your AI startup MBA. ---- P.S. I spent yesterday working out of Lumen Industries aka Bell Works in New Jersey. Literally where they shoot the scenes for the show. It's an incredible space.

START OF WEEK REMINDER. Being yourself is the best job search strategy Who's with me!?

The day Uber made every employee a recruiter. And handed out $2M rewards. Going back through old journals, I found a relic. It explains why Uber was so successful at hiring. It's the morning of July 16, 2013. My third month at Uber. No matter where you're based, they flew you to SF for onboarding. We called it Uberversity. I recently found my old Uberversity notebook. I pulled open the tattered cover. There, I saw my first note From the first meeting On the first day It reads... 𝟳/𝟭𝟲: 𝗨𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 - 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝟱 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀. 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴@𝘂𝗯𝗲𝗿.𝗰𝗼𝗺. 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀. 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. What's left off the note was the reward they offered. Uber gave out 1000 shares for every successful referral. 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 $𝟮 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲. Talk to anyone who worked at Uber in those days. They will say how incredibly talented the team was. This strategy was a major contributing factor. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱: 1️⃣ Referrals compound: smart people refer other smart people. 2️⃣ It created urgency: Do it now, not "someday". 3️⃣ It aligned incentives: The big reward turned everyone in the company into a recruiter. 4️⃣ It set the tone: Everyone was accountable for talent. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀... Steal this strategy. Turn recruiting into a ritual. Reward your team with significant incentives. Convert every employee into an evangelist recruiter. Uber turned recruiting into a culture. And it changed everything. I'm curious... 📣 Has your company tried something this bold? 👇 Drop your favorite recruiting tactic in the comments. ➕ Follow Kyle Thomas for more stories from early-Uber

Happy Mothers Day to all the badass moms out there. Especially, Autumn Thomas💐

How to get in touch with literally anyone. Even if you’re starting from zero. I listened to a podcast with Tim Ferriss' first employee. A few weeks later, we were chatting on Zoom. Want similar results? Use this 4-step Cold DM Framework: 1️⃣ Do interesting things This may sound too abstract, but it's pretty simple. People who are interesting get attention. The more attention you get, the more credible you are. But this isn't mindless attention. Be thoughtful so you attract YOUR people. 2️⃣ Follow their content Start on Twitter, LinkedIn, newsletters, podcasts. Wherever they post. You’re studying their voice, interests, and priorities. This gives you context and conversation ammo. 3️⃣ Engage authentically Comment 3x/week on their posts. → Ask smart follow-up questions → Add your perspective → Reference their older ideas Don’t be a fan, be a peer. This builds familiarity before you DM. 4️⃣ Send a Loom video After a few thoughtful touches, send a 30–60 sec personalized video: 🎥 Who you are 🎯 Why their work resonates 🙋 One clear ask (coffee, feedback, collab) Text DMs are forgettable. Video stands out. 5️⃣ Be clear, specific, and brief ❌ “Let me know if you’re open to connecting.” ❌ "Can I pick your brain?" ✅ “Would you be open to a 15-min call next week to learn more about what you're building and share where I could help?” Make it easy to say yes. Most people send one cold DM… get ignored… and quit. Winners follow up. Winners add value. Winners stay in the game. If you’re chasing a dream role, founder, or mentor... Start with a DM 📩 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝟯𝟬-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗭𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵? Tag them below 👇 Let's see if we can make some magic happen.

Want to stand out in your next interview? Stop worrying about being likeable. Be 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 instead. An Early member was prepping for an interview. As she prepped, she asked herself: "What can I take off the CFO's plate... this week?" That mindset is a game-changer. It completely changed the tone of the interview. Here's how you can do it: 𝟱 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 1️⃣ Research the hiring manager's current pain points   ↳Look at their LinkedIn: What are they responsible for?   ↳Scan company press, funding news, product launches   ↳Search for interviews or investor decks   ↳Look for mentions of strategic goals 2️⃣ Ask: "What would I own Day 1?"   ↳Identify initiatives likely to be under-resourced   ↳Look for decisions being made slowly/reactively   ↳Focus on messy, X-functional problems - they're gold 3️⃣ Build a mini value pitch   ↳Write down 2-3 challenges they might be facing   ↳For each, list how you've tackled something similar   ↳Use metrics or examples to show the outcome 4️⃣ Draft questions that flip the frame   ↳Instead of asking "What's the role scope?" ask... "𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺?" 5️⃣ Close with a clear ROI statement   ↳End the interview by saying... "𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 [𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘟 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 / 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘠 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 / 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘡 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵] 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯." When you show up like a peer, not a passive candidate, the whole tone of the conversation shifts. It becomes: ✅ Strategic ✅ Collaborative ✅ Memorable Want to turn interviews into offers? Don't just tell your story. 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. ♻️ Share this to help someone land their next offer ➕ Follow me, Kyle Thomas, for more interviewing tips

“I’ve been casually looking…” That sentence is killing your job search. And your momentum. And your career clarity. See if this sounds familiar👇 "I was 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴… but never had any interviews." "I’ve been 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 for a year." "I started 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 in October… but didn’t find anything." "I’ve been 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 and kind of just tossing my resume out and seeing what happens." Those quotes are pulled directly from conversations I've had with job seekers recently. Let me be direct: “Casually looking” is a career stall tactic. Here’s what it actually does: 1️⃣ It wastes your time. The job search is a momentum game. Inconsistent effort = inconsistent results. You can’t build muscle memory with one rep a month. 2️⃣ It wastes others’ time. Recruiters can tell. Hiring managers can sense hesitation. And it signals you’re not truly ready to commit. 3️⃣ It leads to stagnation. Casual searchers skip the deep work: What do I really want next? Why? What will I not settle for? What happens without those answers? You’ll land in the same role with a new logo. Slightly more money. Slightly better title. But a year later… still unfulfilled. 4️⃣ It builds bad habits. When you're half-in you don't go all out. You're less likely to prepare thoroughly. You're less likely to go above and beyond. You're more likely to cut corners. Over time, you engrain bad job search habits. 5️⃣ It delays important decisions. “Browsing” feels safe. But it postpones the uncomfortable truth: 👉 Your current role may no longer fit. 👉 Your story might need a reset. 👉 Your goals have likely evolved. It's a sign you need to go deeper. To figure out why you're browsing. And what you really want. ✅ If you’re in, be all in. Get clarity. Build momentum. Take it seriously. Or wait until you’re truly ready to move. Your future self will thank you. 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Should everyone always be “casually looking”?      ↳ "Best to always know what's out there." Or do you think it's a waste of time?      ↳ "Being half-in means you're wasting your time."

Pausing your job search every time you get an interview? That’s how momentum dies. And how people end up back at square one. I spoke with a startup job seeker yesterday. She said... “I was interviewing for 3 roles. One paused hiring. One chose someone else. And now I’m just… stuck.” She’s not alone. This happens ALL THE TIME. ✅ People prep for interviews (awesome!) 🚫 But they pause everything else (networking, outreach, sourcing roles) So if those roles fizzle out... They're left with nothing. 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁: You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Want to stand out AND stay in motion? Build a system that works even while you're interviewing. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: 1️⃣ Batch your warm networking Pick 1 day/week to build a list of 50-100 warm contacts. Now you've front-loaded the hard work. Spend 30 min to 1 hr/day sending high-volume, high-quality messages with ease. 2️⃣ Batch your role discovery Create a running list of companies and roles. For each one identify the relevant people to contact. To speed outreach up even further, write down: • Why you're interested • What value you offer • What experience might resonate • What you hope to learn 3️⃣ Use a text expander Stop typing the same thing 100+ times. That's a lot of manual work. Make this faster by saving templates in a tool. I like aText, but TextExpander works as well. 4️⃣ Save job board searches Set up alerts or save filtered links. Add them to your calendar as recurring events. No more forgetting to check or starting from scratch each week. 5️⃣ Time-block your system You've done the heavy lifting. Now, just stick to the plan: • 30-60 min/day → warm outreach • 1-2 hrs/day → cold outreach Interviews are part of the process. A part you should spend a lot of time on. But they're not the whole thing. Build a system you can maintain. And don’t stop moving. It's not the fastest man/woman who wins the race. It's he/she who slows down the least. ♻️ Repost to help people you know keep momentum ➕ Follow Kyle Thomas for more

She took a step back from work for 2 years. 2.4 months later, she's at a top Series A startup. This is the story of a recent Early member's success. She had been a PM at Meta. She left to join a Seed-stage startup, hungry for impact. Less than a year later, she hit pause. She needed to... • Care for family • Recharge • Recover from burnout Two years passed. She was ready again. But like so many returning to the workforce, she felt uncertain: • A long employment gap • Unsure what roles she fit • Confused by what was out there • Hoping to move cities and relaunch her career When we first spoke, she was ALL-IN Smart, self-aware, ready to work. Despite that, she had... ➝ Applied to 150 roles ➝ Had just 4 interviews ➝ And no offers to show for it Fast forward 73 days: 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗼𝗶𝗮-𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽. She identified the company herself. She pitched herself via cold outreach. She sent a Loom video. The hiring manager replied saying... "𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘱 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘺." So what changed? 1. She got crystal clear on her story. 2. She learned to package her skills and experience. 3. She re-built the confidence in her impact and abilities. 4. She built a warm & cold outreach system that worked. 5. She focused on quality over quantity. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁: A role that fits her goals, values, and energy. Plus, a team she's excited to grow with. If you're in a similar place: • Unclear where you fit • Unsure how to tell your story • Trying to break back in Know this... 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 You just need the right strategy, support, and systems. And that's exactly what the Early Accelerator is all about.

May 17, 2022 was my birthday. It was also the day I had to lay off my team. I got a call from the founders the night before. "𝘽𝙖𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙬𝙨," 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, "𝙬𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣." "𝙒𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙩... 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚." I had planned to spend the day at home with the family. But it was more important to be there for the team. To deliver the news and help with their transition. I spent the night crafting comms to the company. I worked with the founders to create the off-ramp. The next day sucked. There were tears and hugs. People cleared out their desks. The mission was over. 10 days after the layoff, on my home office whiteboard. 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 Early. I could see the writing on the wall. Tightening fundraising. Company closures. Layoffs. (I had no idea what would come on November 22, 2022 aka ChatGPT and the AI revolution) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: 1. Eliminate job search anxiety, uncertainty, & loneliness. 2. Help people land badass startup jobs quickly. It started as a cohort of 3 people. One landed a job 30 days after starting the program. Two landed great jobs within 90 days after starting. Since then, we have helped hundreds of people. They've landed great jobs at great startups. Increased compensation by millions. And created a connected community. The journey has been hard. (Way harded than I expected tbh) But very worth it. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝟯 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 Early. Here's to everyone who has been a part of building it. Here's to all the members past, current, and future. We're building the #1 place for startup job seekers. If you're on the hunt, we'd love to help. 𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗴𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝗯 💪

Sh*t happens. It throws off your plans. It kills momentum. If you're on the job search... expect it. • Friends will leave your messages on read. • Your kid will spike a fever before a big call. • If you don't have kids, you will get sick too. • Your dream company will put hiring on pause. • You'll get a rude reply to a thoughtful outreach. • You'll be ghosted - sometimes after 5 interviews. • A company will "go in a different direction"... again Just remember... 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. Here's what IS in your control: ✅ Who you vent to ✅ How you bounce back ✅ How you structure your week ✅ What you believe about yourself ✅ Whether you stop showing up (or don't) YES, the job search is about getting hired. But it's also about building resilience. It's about making you anti-fragile. You know who else is going through it? • People with multiple unicorns on their resume • People with degrees from the best schools • Former founders I know because I talk to them every day. Here's what I'll say... Keep showing up. Even if today, showing up means sending one email. Progress isn't loud. It's consistent. The harder the journey, the better the story. ♻️ Repost to help people in your network stay resilient ➕ Follow Kyle Thomas for more P.S. For us this week, it was the 2-year-old fever spike.

I turned 37 on Saturday. Here's 37 tips I wish I knew earlier in my career:  1. You'll never feel "ready".  2. Don’t say should. There is no should.  3. Nothing is as good or as bad as you think.  4. Become a curator of all things high quality.  5. Luck is preparedness meeting opportunity.  6. Own and lead your 1:1's with your manager.  7. Be the squeaky wheel. Don't suffer in silence.  8. Pay it forward to the people two steps behind.  9. Understand expectations before taking action. 10. A certificate can't trump real-world experience. 11. The news is a net negative on your well-being. 12. Don't assume everyone knows what you know. 13. Follow your gut. Even if it challenges the norm. 14. Be conscious of your information consumption. 15. Having a lot of money will not cure your anxiety. 16. When you have product market fit... you'll know. 17. Tell people how much you appreciate their work. 18. Remember to take lots of pictures of the journey. 19. Going after a role purely for the title is a mistake. 20. Compete on generosity in every area of your life. 21. Never assume you know more than anyone else. 22. Who you know and who knows you opens doors. 23. Seek to be so valuable that you're indispensable. 24. Proximity is power. Get close to high performers. 25. Keep a running log of your successes and impact. 26. Tough times with great people forge strong bonds. 27. Take care of your body. It's the only one you have. 28. Your story has value to those behind you. Share it. 29. Seek to be in rooms where you're not the smartest. 30. Learn to tell stories with data. Every role needs this. 31. Progress over perfection. Consistency beats speed. 32. Communication is an underutilized way to stand out. 33. Do everything to increase your surface area for luck. 34. Become a student of the game. Whatever the game. 35. The best way to learn is through action. Not thinking. 36. Your inner voice matters more than you can imagine. 37. You’re not behind. Focus on running your own race. What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?

These 22 HIRING startups raised money this week. Looking for your next role? Look no further👇 Use this list to... ↳ Identify interesting companies ↳ Check for open roles in your function ↳ Reach out to people on the team with congratulations ↳ Land your next startup role at a growing company 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆: • Company Name • 🦄 = Valuation >$1B • ⭐ = Top VC Investors • 🏆 = >90% PitchBook Success Probability Score • Round stage, Round size • Position locations MUBI 🦄⭐🏆 Curated film platform Series G+, $100M New York, London, Mexico City, Cologne Rippling 🦄⭐🏆 Employee operations platform Series G, $450M Austin, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Berlin, Remote Hedra ⭐🏆 AI video generation Series A, $32M San Francisco, New York Stash 🦄⭐🏆 Micro-investing platform Series H, $146M New York Decagon 🦄⭐🏆 AI customer support Series B+, $100M San Francisco Clarium ⭐🏆 Healthcare operations automation Series A, $27M New York, Remote Sprinter Health ⭐🏆 Mobile healthcare provider Series B, $55M Menlo Park, Bay Area, Remote Nuvo ⭐🏆 Trade credit management Series A, $34M Denver, New York, San Francisco Openlayer ⭐🏆 ML debugging platform Series A, $14.5M San Francisco, New York, Remote ClearVector ⭐ Cloud identity security Series A, $13M Remote GLASS Imaging ⭐ Computational camera technology Series A, $20M Los Altos, San Diego PhaseV ⭐ Adaptive trial platform Series A, $50M Tel Aviv-Yafo Reflect Orbital ⭐ Space solar reflection Series A, $20M Hawthorne Granola ⭐ AI meeting notes Series B, $43M London Kouper ⭐ Care transition platform Seed+/Series A, $10M San Francisco Schemata ⭐ 3D simulation platform Seed, $5M Washington, DC Function Health 🦄⭐🏆 Health empowerment platform Series B, $300M Remote Realta Fusion 🦄⭐🏆 Commercial fusion energy Series A, $36M Madison Stylus Medicine ⭐ Genomic therapy platform Series A, $85M Boston Addepar 🦄⭐🏆 Investment portfolio platform Series G, $230M Salt Lake City, Edinburgh, Pune, New York, Geneva, London, Sao Paulo, Remote Vidmob 🦄🏆 Video advertisement platform Series E, $8M New York, Sao Paulo, Tel Aviv, Remote Owner.com 🦄⭐🏆 Restaurant marketing platform Series B+, $120M San Francisco, Toronto, Remote 𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗨𝗦 - 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗩𝗖 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘁... Adyton PBC 🦄⭐🏆 Mission-critical mobile software Series A+, $12.82M Remote Somite AI ⭐ AI cell therapy platform Series A, $47M Boston ThriveAI ⭐ Product management automation Seed, $1.2M San Francisco, Singapore Go get that job and build something awesome 💪 ♻️ Repost to help people in your network find jobs ➕ Follow Kyle Thomas for more

These 13 HIRING startups raised money this week. Looking for your next role? Look no further👇 Use this list to... ↳ Identify interesting companies ↳ Check their careers page for relevant open roles ↳ Reach out to people on the team with congratulations ↳ Land your next startup role at a growing company 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆: • Company Name • 🦄 = Valuation >$1B • ⭐ = Top VC Investors • 🏆 = >90% PitchBook Success Probability Score • Round stage, Round size • Position locations RESHARE to help folks looking to land their next role! Anysphere 🦄⭐🏆 AI coding assistant Cursor Series B+/C, $900M San Francisco Statsig 🦄⭐🏆 Digital product testing Series C, $100M Bellevue, San Francisco, New York Wonder 🦄⭐🏆 Virtual chef marketplace Series C+/D, $600M New York, New Jersey, Remote CHAOS Industries 🦄⭐🏆 Synchronized defense technology Series C, $275M Hawthorne, San Francisco, Washington DC, Los Angeles, London, Seattle NewLimit ⭐🏆 Epigenetic aging reversal Series B, $130M San Francisco Doppel ⭐🏆 Digital threat protection Series B, $35M San Francisco, New York, Remote Clarium ⭐🏆 Healthcare operations automation Series A, $27M New York, Remote LlamaIndex ⭐🏆 AI data integration Series A, $18.89M San Francisco Recraft ⭐🏆 AI design generator Series B, $30M London, New York, Remote Inductive Bio ⭐ Drug optimization platform Series A, $25.11M New York, San Francisco, Boston Trilobio ⭐ Automated DNA synthesis Seed, $8M San Francisco Nuvo ⭐ Trade credit management Series A, $34M Denver, San Francisco, New York Kouper ⭐ Care transition platform Seed+, $10M San Francisco 𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗨𝗦: 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀... 𝗬𝗘𝗧. ↳ Get in with the team before the roles are posted! Fastino ⭐ Task-optimized LLMs Seed, $17.5M Palo Alto CodeAnt AI (YC W24) ⭐ Automatic code improvement Seed, $2M San Francisco WisdomAI ⭐ Conversational data analytics Seed, $23M San Francisco Azalea Robotics ⭐ Airport baggage robotics Seed, $3.86M San Francisco Rork ⭐ AI app builder Seed, $2.8M San Francisco Tesseral ⭐ Custom CRM platform Seed, $3.3M San Francisco ♻️ Repost to help people in your network find jobs ➕ Follow Kyle Thomas for more

These 22 HIRING startups raised money this week. Looking for your next role? Look no further👇 Use this list to... ↳ Identify interesting companies ↳ Check for open roles in your function ↳ Reach out to people on the team with congratulations ↳ Land your next startup role at a growing company 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆: • Company Name • 🦄 = Valuation >$1B • ⭐ = Top VC Investors • 🏆 = >90% PitchBook Success Probability Score • Round stage, Round size • Position locations Cyera 🦄⭐🏆 Data security platform Series E, $500M St. Louis, Seattle, Chicago, NYC, Pacific Northwest, Southwest, Ohio Valley, North Central, Northeast, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, New Jersey, Miami, Vancouver, Tel Aviv, France, Germany, Sydney, UK, Spain, Italy, Remote Stash 🦄⭐🏆 Personal investment app Series H, $187.35M New York Stord 🦄⭐🏆 Digital warehousing network Series E, $200M Las Vegas, North Haven, Atlanta, Hebron, Remote Awardco 🦄⭐🏆 Employee recognition platform Series B, $165M Lindon, London Akido Labs ⭐🏆 AI healthcare system Series B, $84.25M Pomona, Los Angeles, Remote Legora ⭐🏆 AI legal assistant Series B, $80M NYC, London, Stockholm Flo Recruit ⭐🏆 Legal recruiting software Series A, N/A Austin Greenlite AI ⭐🏆 AI compliance agent Series A, $15M San Francisco CX2 ⭐ Defense spectrum technology Series A, $31M El Segundo Persist AI ⭐ AI drug formulation Series A, $12M West Sacramento Slash ⭐ Online banking platform Series B, $41M San Francisco, Remote David AI ⭐ AI data platform Series A, $25M San Francisco, New York WellTheory ⭐ Autoimmune care services Later Stage VC, $5M Remote Axle Health ⭐ In-home healthcare platform Series A, $10M Santa Monica Promise ⭐ AI entertainment content Seed, N/A Los Angeles SweatPals ⭐ Fitness community platform Seed, $17.28M Austin, Chicago, Phoenix, San Francisco, Europe Airwallex 🦄⭐🏆 Global payments platform Series F, $300M Worldwide Gravitee 🏆 API management platform Series C, $60M Denver, London, Paris, Lille, Poland, New York, Remote Clair 🏆 Instant pay platform Series B, $23.2M New York, Remote Sun Metalon Inc. 🏆 20 Metal recycling technology Series A2, $8.99M Wood Dale Overview AI ⭐🏆 Manufacturing inspection automation Later Stage VC, $3.75M San Francisco, Remote Yoodli AI Roleplays AI public speaking coaching platform Series A, $13.7M Seattle, Remote 𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗨𝗦 - 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗩𝗖 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘁... Blues ⭐ Cellular IoT platform Series A+, $25M Boston, Remote Catena Labs ⭐ AI financial platform Series A, $18M LOCATIONS Go get that job and build something awesome 💪 ♻️ Repost to help people in your network find jobs ➕ Follow Kyle Thomas for more

Only 1% of job applications come from referrals But they're 37x more likely to land you a job. If you're spending all of your time applying... It's time to rethink your strategy. Ashby released some hiring data last week. The report analyzed: • Over 38M applications • Across 93k jobs • From Jan '21 to Dec '24 Here's what they found: 𝗜𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲... 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 93.8% of all applications came from inbound. (Inbound = online applications) Only 1% of all applications came from referrals. Referrals (1% of applications) and internal candidates (.05% of applications) consistently outperform others in interview and offer rates. Top interview-to-offer rates: • Internal: 32% • Referred: 16% • Inbound: 6%, and dropping 𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮? 1️⃣ 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 > 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 If you're spending hours on job boards but not tapping into your network... You're missing your biggest unfair advantage. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲: Only reaching out when a role is open. After I was laid off from Uber, most of my networking calls were catching up with people I liked working with. Not just asking them if they could refer me to an open role. These calls are most effective if you know what you're looking for. 2️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 Referral rates have been decreasing over time. Referrals made up 2% of total applications in Q1 '21. In Q1 '24 they dropped to 1% of total applications. This could be due to multiple factors: • 𝗔𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 (𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱). The flood of online applications and steady state referrals would decrease the overall % of referrals. • 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺. Possible referrers are getting overwhelmed by all the people on the market reaching out for a referral. • 𝗧𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀. Founders have been giving away less equity, so it's possible that referral rewards have been dished out less generously, thereby decreasing the incentive to refer. Even though they're harder to come by, referrals give you the highest likelihood of landing the role as someone not inside the company. 3️⃣ 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 • 14 Referrals = 1 Offer (7.3% applitation-to-offer rate) • 22 Agency Sourced = 1 Offer (4.5% A2O rate) • 58 Company Sourced = 1 Offer (1.7% A2O rate) • 500 Cold Applications = 1 Offer (0.2% A2O rate) Use a mixture, but focus your time on where you'll see the highest probability of an interview and offer. For you, that likely means: • Networking to drive referrals • Getting your resume in front of agencies 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀? I'll link to the article in the comments below.

📈 40 of the fastest-growing Series B AI startups ➡️ All of them are HIRING These companies are in the 100th to 99th percentile when looking at a combined average growth rate of Social, Web, Employee, and Mobile growth over the last 8 weeks. 1) Concierge AI - (San Francisco) 2) Augment Code - (Palo Alto) 3) Cobot - (Santa Clara, Remote) 4) Hume AI - (San Jose, New York, Remote) 5) Taktile -  (New York, London, Berlin, Sao Paulo, Iasi) 6) 1X - (Palo Alto) 7) QuEra Computing Inc. - (Boston) 8) Concentric AI - (Bay Area, Remote) 9) NEURA Robotics - (Detroit, Metzingen) 10) Granola - (London) 11) Protex AI - (Boston, Dublin, Budapest) 12) Mytra - (San Francisco) 13) Norm Ai - (New York) 14) Range - (New York, Austin, Seattle, McLean) 15) Imbue - (San Francisco, Remote) 16) Cynomi - (Boston, London, Israel) 17) Tellius - (Remote) 18) Merlin - (Boston, Denver, Rhode Island, Remote) 19) Inflection AI - (Palo Alto) 20) Guidewheel - (Remote) 21) Roots - (New York, Mexico, Philippines) 22) Crisp - (Nashville, Remote) 23) Mercor - (San Francisco, Remote) 24) Unstructured - (Remote) 25) CompScience - (Remote) 26) Elisity - (Remote) 27) Pika - (Palo Alto) 28) Rogo - (New York) 29) Assured - (Remote) 30) Pinwheel - (New York) 31) Bitwarden - (Remote) 32) Armada - (San Francisco, Bellevue, Remote) 33) Windfall - (San Francisco, Denver, Lehi) 34) Hi Marley - (Boston) 35) Maxwell - (Remote) 36) Lindus Health - (London, Remote) 37) Vannevar Labs - (Honolulu, Washington DC, Remote) 38) Honeycomb Insurance - (New York, Chicago, Tel Aviv, Remote) 39) Doppel - (San Francisco, New York, Remote) 40) Pryon - (San Francisco, New York, Boston, Washington DC, Remote) Go get that job and build something awesome 💪 --------------------------- ♻ Share this to help startup job seekers find a new role. ➕ For more lists, follow me, Kyle Thomas

🏖️ 25 HIRING TRAVEL & LEISURE STARTUPS ✈️ These companies: • Are hiring in the US • Have teams ranging from 15 to 3k • Have a PitchBook success probability of >76% RESHARE to help folks looking to land their next role! Tern - Remote - https://lnkd.in/ehdqZ54r Indie Campers - Worldwide - https://lnkd.in/ebEFXFKA Batch - Remote - https://lnkd.in/emU5b3nQ Hopper - Worldwide - https://lnkd.in/e5CEZs7Q Thynk.Cloud - Remote - https://lnkd.in/eeerdEBv Wander - Remote - https://lnkd.in/eYniD_rA Cruisebound, Inc. - Remote - https://lnkd.in/etrJQCbH Headout - New York/London/Berlin/Tokyo/India - https://lnkd.in/esyCnjHF LineLeap - Remote - https://lnkd.in/eYYBpD6j Waymo - US/UK/IND/POL - https://lnkd.in/eghNWFEN Faye - Remote US/IL - https://lnkd.in/egm5Q_hk Fora Travel - New York - https://lnkd.in/eAdGfzCv Hostfully - Remote - https://lnkd.in/egC_fvcs Hipcamp - Remote AUS - https://lnkd.in/ev8USuvR ITILITE - Remote - https://lnkd.in/eQRg4aPN Navan - New York/Bay Area/Dallas/Austin/Boston - https://lnkd.in/eS2sSKe4 point.me - Remote - https://lnkd.in/eZFtpqUR Kindred - San Francisco/Remote - https://lnkd.in/eHbKu_vu ResortPass - New York - https://lnkd.in/eBb4DrT2 AvantStay - Nashville/Hudson/Freeland/Park City/Kamas/Heber City/Bend/Sunriver/Sevierville - https://lnkd.in/eea4FTVH Kasa - Remote - https://kasa.com/careers Dorsia - Miami/Los Angeles/New York - https://lnkd.in/eZskXuny Spotnana - New York/Bay Area/Austin - https://lnkd.in/ekmFQgnY Seated - New York/Remote - https://lnkd.in/eFmiwn6f Placemakr - Atlanta/Remote - https://lnkd.in/ePe6MCpw

📈 HIRING STARTUPS CURRENTLY FUNDRAISING 📈 These companies: • Have announced they are fundraising OR • Are rumored to have fundraising in progress RESHARE to help folks looking to land their next role! Inscribe AI - SF/Dublin- https://lnkd.in/etGUzcYM Decagon - SF/Remote - https://decagon.ai/careers ClickHouse - Remote(Global) - https://lnkd.in/ehWkUtqd XILO - Carlsbad/San Diego - https://lnkd.in/edjkg4Wp Albedo - Denver - https://lnkd.in/ectV63tu soona - TX/MN/CO - https://soona.co/careers Deep Sentinel - Remote - https://lnkd.in/ebV_G9hs Perplexity - SF/NYC - https://lnkd.in/eCCdQbx8 Connectbase - Remote - https://lnkd.in/ets3V3ve RegScale - TN/MA/Remote - https://lnkd.in/er29iKZB Pacaso - CA/SC/Remote - https://lnkd.in/eSCyPhKn Evvy - NYC - https://lnkd.in/eSCyPhKn Nuon - SF - https://nuon.co/careers Atmosfy - Remote - https://lnkd.in/eDiBWpjc 247Solar, Inc - Remote - https://lnkd.in/eQe_yErA Focused Energy - Redwood City - https://lnkd.in/eRN3Mzcz Anthropic - BOS/DUB/LON/NYC/ SF/SEA/DC/Remote - https://lnkd.in/eBhmgYxG