GGR Summer Update 😎
Market is showing more of the same....
Hi all! Summer is flying by, and I hope everyone is enjoying the season and getting in that much needed sunshine and PTO ☀️
Market Update: Not much to report and feels kind of the same as it has felt for the past 6 months. One month feels like things are picking up, the next month feels like it’s slowing down. It continues to be “fine,” with some signs of life (propped up by AI?), but who knows. We experienced a surge of outreach from companies over the past 2 weeks which might be a trend or might be an anomaly…we’ll report back when we have something more insightful 🙃.
On a more fun note, Nick and Mia (and my wife) finally forced me to get some long overdue professional headshots (if you’ve known me for a bit, then you know my Linkedin photo is 10 years old…not that I look any different of course). We’ll be updating the website soon, but figured since many of you only know one of us it was a good excuse to reintroduce who we actually are as people and where we come from.
Keep reading for more on that + a few great roles we’re working on. And as always, we’d love to hear what you all are hearing and seeing in the market — drop us a note!
❤️ Phil and the Golden Gate team
Reintroducing - Team GGR!
Phil, Founder
About: 👋 I started Golden Gate Recruits back in 2017 ultimately because I realized how much I enjoyed helping my friends find jobs. And I still love it! I grew up in St. Louis and am a die-hard midwesterner at heart, went to Penn, traveled around as a consultant at Bain and did a bunch of business-y stuff at a Series A startup for a few years. I’ve been living in Boulder for the past 4 years with my wife Jane and our two sons, Jack and George, who I spend most of my free-time with 😊. I also love to bike, hike, and generally spend time outdoors.
What I’ve Been Enjoying Lately:
Trying to read more…..it goes in waves. I’ve been into the Thursday Murder Club Mystery series of late. It’s cute and who doesn’t love following around British retirees solving murders.
Boulder summers don’t last forever so been taking ½ day or a day off during the week (as fellow parents know, the weekends are no longer “free” time) including my first century bike ride to Estes Park.
Summer grilling outside with friends!
Nick Burakoff, Talent Partner
About: I joined GGR in 2020 after a few years at Bain Chicago, which is actually how I met Phil! Living in the windy city was great except for those dang winters, which proved too much for me as a SoCal native and Stanford alum 🥶. An externship at Peloton sold me on NYC, where I now live in Williamsburg. When I’m not meeting with amazing candidates, you’ll find me watching Premier League (come on Chelsea!), enjoying a cappuccino at Devocion, or trying (usually unsuccessfully) to get a tennis court at McCarren. See you around the city!
What I’ve Been Enjoying Lately:
The Anxious Generation - Admittedly I don’t read enough, but this made me want to do a digital detox more than ever.
Dezeen - I’ve been trying to mix up my content (too many startup blogs/podcasts), and found this design blog to be a great addition.
Consumer fintech - I’ve been dabbling in platforms like Roots, Moonfare, Fundrise, Masterworks, Percent, Bonside, Composer. Any others you all have discovered lately?
Mia Rifai, Talent Partner
About: I joined GGR in 2023 because I love helping people think about their career paths and find fulfillment. I've picked up a lot along the way from my own career journey — before this, I was a strategy consultant at Deloitte and worked in strategy and operations at Hello Alfred, Cartier, and Proto. I also graduated from Princeton (go Tigers!). I'm a bit of a film nerd and love any chance to get out on my bike or spend time in a pottery studio. I'll be moving to Phoenix in the fall, so let me know if you're around—I'd love to meet up!
What I’ve Been Enjoying Lately:
Digital Native: One of my favorite reads for keeping up with tech/innovation, Rex Woodbury does a fantastic job of bringing the “people” or consumer lens to technology that influences our day-to-day lives. Particularly enjoyed one of his latest - Clicks & Cloud: How we Seek Status in the Digital Age.
Spread Social: In an effort to diversify what I’ve been keeping up with, I recently got intro’d to Spread – think of it as a newsfeed, curated by your friends/network (not an algorithm and without the clickbait and noise of other feeds). They also recently got a shoutout in this Wired article!
Mubi Podcast: Each new season of the Mubi pod is a joy. The podcast is a documentary series about great cinema, wherein they explore different themes each season – last season (Season 5, Tailor Made) about the intersection of fashion and film was a fun listen, and quite literally my two favorite worlds colliding.
Open Roles
Check out a few exciting roles we’re working on below, but as always, you can see the full list on our Openings Page (a few new ones in the past week!).
System2: Chief of Staff [Remote, SF]
System2 is a Series-A software company that helps fitness trainers and coaches manage their entire digital business through a suite of tools and services (web/app, subscriptions, payments, marketing). They’re looking for a Chief of Staff to the Founder Dilan, who’s a multi-time successful founder. Minimum 5 years of relevant experience, including 2+ years in high-growth tech environments. Dilan is SF-based, but open to remote candidates.
Atomic AI: Chief of Staff [SF]
Atomic AI uses AI to help develop specialized RNA treatments (e.g. COVID vaccine) for unique diseases (often previously untreatable) through technology vs. physical labs. Their CEO Raphael is looking for a Chief of Staff to support him across the business, from strategic planning to partnerships and go-to-market strategy. Minimum 6 years of relevant experience in a combination of consulting/finance plus AI/ML or biotech. SF-based, hybrid working model.
BioRender: Business Operations [Remote, North America]
BioRender is a YC-backed software company that creates easy-to-use tools for scientists to create complex illustrations for their research (like Figma/Canva but for life sciences/pharma). They’re building out their business operations team, looking for stellar operators as they scale aggressively (already profitable and doing doing tens of millions in revenue). Minimum 5 years of relevant experience, including 2+ years in high-growth tech environments, reporting directly to the founding team. Toronto HQ but remote-first and open to anyone in the U.S. or Canada.