Ricardo Tannus's Linkedin Analytics

“You’re too communicative to be an engineer.” That’s what I was told during one of my first internship interviews. Honestly? They weren’t wrong. I’ve always enjoyed working with people, and it didn’t take me long in college to realize that the traditional career path for a Computer Engineer wasn’t for me. So, I decided to try a bit of everything: I went through hundreds of hiring processes, worked in completely different sectors, and along the way, I discovered my passion for startups—and eventually, for entrepreneurship. In 2016, I moved to England to pursue a Master’s degree, but if I’m honest, my real goal was to launch a business. My co-founders and I started hosting blind dinners to connect people in a more authentic way. We tested countless formats, failed plenty of times, and eventually discovered a model that—perhaps ironically—worked surprisingly well for recruitment, landing some Fortune 500 clients in the process. Just when things seemed to be taking off, the pandemic hit and brought that chapter to a close. I returned to Brazil, spent some time helping my parents with the family business, and a few years later, the opportunity arose to revisit an old problem: recruitment. Catena was born in 2022 out of a simple question: if recruiting is like selling, why do companies sell so well but struggle to hire? We realized that many of these challenges could actually be solved with marketing tools. After a lot of testing, we developed a model that combines Growth Hacking with Hunting. Now, having helped over 200 companies fill more than 500 positions, I’d say we’re on the right track. Along the way, we’ve been recognized with awards from SEBRAE, Inovabra, and 100 Open Startups, among others. At the end of the day, we’re still focused on helping people who, much like myself back then, see room for improvement in traditional recruitment processes. As you’ve probably gathered, I love connecting with people and exchanging ideas. So, if my story resonated with you, or if you want to chat about books, entrepreneurship, or any other interesting topic, drop me a message! And if we haven’t met yet, please introduce yourself and give me some context—it really helps.