Founder

Over the past decade, I’ve been in the trenches building high-performing tech teams for some of the most ambitious and high-growth startups across the U.S., with a focus on Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City.

My experience spans both agency and in-house roles. Most recently, I served as VP of Talent for a deep tech fund and incubator led by Eric Schmidt (Google). There, I built founding teams for eight startups in AI/ML, Web3, Social Media, and Fintech, and scaled the hell out of our high-frequency trading arm, growing it 633% YOY—from 15 to 110 employees in a single year.

I’ve been lucky to work with some of the most brilliant and driven founders, and they’ve inspired me to go all-in on helping startups cut through the bullshit and noise of the market to secure the absolute best builders in the game. This isn’t about just filling roles - it’s about assembling teams that bring bold visions to life and align with the values and culture of the founders behind them.

I’m passionate about connecting people and ideas. If you’re a founder ready to build, an engineering leader looking for your next challenge, or just someone who wants to network, let’s talk - I’d love to hear from you.

Outside of work, I’m based in Arizona with my wife, two kiddos, and goldenoodle (mac). I’m an avid outdoorsman (hiking, backpacking - you name it), a die-hard Suns and Wildcats fan, and a live music junkie. Let’s connect, or better yet, catch a show together.

Head of Recruiting Ops

I’m an HR and Talent professional with a knack for scaling companies and building teams that actually get sh*t done. I’ve been deep in the action at high-growth startups like ShipBob (a Chicago unicorn) and Kenna Security (acquired by Cisco), and I led Talent at an Eric Schmidt-backed deep tech fund. That role had me wearing a lot of hats—developing sourcing strategies, building recruitment processes, and shaping branding for the VC, its portfolio companies, and even its research projects.

I’ve worked across the entire company stack: tech roles (Software Engineering, Data Science/ML, Infrastructure, Security), non-tech functions (Sales, Marketing, Customer Success), and G&A (Finance, Legal, HR—you name it). I’m not just about finding the right people; I’ve also designed and implemented HR strategies that scale as companies grow, without the usual growing pains.

When I’m not busy with work, I’m probably at a live show (yes, I’ve seen way too many Phish concerts), playing guitar (funk, bluegrass, and classic rock are my go-tos), or screaming at the TV while the Cleveland Browns break my heart for the 50th season in a row. I live in the Denver area with my wife and our husky mix, Babs, who thinks she runs the place—and honestly, she kind of does.

Head of Recruitment & BD

I’m a sniper recruiter with an almost alarming love for pattern-spotting and systems. My favorite part of recruiting is filling high-impact roles where the hire genuinely moves the needle. At Foundation Talent, I focus on searches for companies building at the frontier of innovation. My approach to the desk is fueled by curiosity and a borderline-unhealthy obsession with equivalent skills, emerging tech, and whatever Boolean variation pops into my head at 11 PM.

I started my career in August 2017 at Motion Recruitment in Chicago, where I immediately fell in love with the stories behind the companies and the thrill of finding unicorns for unicorns. After learning the ropes, I somehow became the top biller in Chicago and led a high-performing DevOps recruiting team. In 2021, I moved into a new market focused on ML/Python/Data and built a recruiting team from the ground up. We ended the year as the #1 team in Chicago—and yes, I held onto my top biller title. (I promise I’m fun at parties.)

After 4.5 years at Motion, I joined Jobot and expanded into executive search, product, and finance while continuing to recruit deeply technical roles. Through that, I had the privilege of working with startups and tech companies across Chicago, Seattle, SF, NYC, and a handful of other major markets. Collaborating with founders and hiring managers has taught me just how transformative the right hire can be and what it genuinely takes to scale a team.

Outside of work, I’m usually with my husband, Brendan (also a startup founder), and our Labrador, Addison. She went TikTok viral once and has absolutely not let it go to her head. I’ve seen every episode of Big Brother, Survivor, and The Challenge — and rewatch them with the kind of emotional investment usually reserved for the Super Bowl. I love water sports, live music, and I’m genuinely obsessed with Dyson vacuums, red-light therapy, and any form of biohacking TikTok tells me to try.

Principal Recruiter

For the past 8 years, I’ve been knee-deep in the worlds of tech and cannabis recruiting. I cut my teeth in Chicago at Motion Recruitment, where I led and managed the Chicago sourcing team while also driving training and sourcing strategies for the entire company. After that, I spent two years recruiting high-level leadership roles in the cannabis industry—yes, it’s as wild and fast-paced as it sounds.

I take a candidate-first approach to recruiting. I’m not here to just push resumes; I’m here to be a guide, a sounding board, and someone who helps people find the right role at the right company. It’s about finding the right fit—not just for the company but for the person. When it comes to tech, I love working on Front End, Full Stack, and SRE roles, but honestly, throw me any niche role, and I’ll find the perfect match.

Outside of work, I’m holding it down in the Detroit, Michigan. You’ll probably find me obsessing over my lawn, checking out a new restaurant, growing way too many plants, or absolutely wrecking people in Counter-Strike. (Don’t even try me—you’ll lose.)