Chief Executive Officer, AI HR-Tech Startup

About the Role and Company

Esteemed Ventures hosts HCMGPT, an AI-powered assistant designed for HR, People Operations, and Human Capital Management. The product is live as an MVP and tested, built upon the Esteemed AI platform which integrates a five-year developed ATS/CRM stack and a suite of specialized AI agents. Joining as CEO means stepping into a cofounder role with significant equity ownership and full control over the budget, strategic roadmap, and go-to-market execution. The goal is to guide HCMGPT from MVP validation through seed funding towards achieving $5M+ annual recurring revenue.

Primary Responsibilities

• Leverage your existing network of staffing operators, talent acquisition leaders, and HR buyers to onboard HCMGPT's initial user cohort, including design partners from a robust institutional staffing network.
• Secure long-term design-partner Letters of Intent (LOIs) from named companies to establish market traction essential for seed funding.
• Lead the seed capital raise effort of $500,000 to $1.5 million, managing the fundraising narrative, materials, and deal closure with support from an active investor network including independent sponsors, family offices, and institutional private equity firms.
• Craft and implement the go-to-market strategy, focusing on AI-driven product positioning, value-based pricing, and channel strategies that align with best-in-class AI business standards.
• Develop and oversee marketing plans emphasizing content generation, demand creation, and building HCMGPT's brand as a premier AI authority in human capital management.
• Recruit and build the founding team, aligning hires with milestones and funding secured from the seed round.
• Collaborate closely with the platform team to transform design-partner feedback into prioritized product roadmap items, maintaining ownership of the product vision and delivery.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated success in taking an HR-tech, recruiting-tech, or staffing-tech SaaS product from inception (approximately $0) to $5–10 million ARR in roles such as founder, CEO, general manager, or critical revenue/product leadership positions.
• Direct sales experience targeting staffing firm owners, operators, talent acquisition leaders, and HR operations, with familiarity of the competitive landscape including Bullhorn, Greenhouse, and Loxo.
• Established active customer network capable of providing first users; able to name companies willing to engage immediately.
• Proven fundraising experience either personally or as the backed operator, with a track record of leading investment raises.
• Strong conviction and experience scaling or launching AI-native products rather than retrofitting AI into legacy platforms.
• Proven ability to attract and recruit high-performing executive teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Existing partnerships or relationships with frontier AI companies such as Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google to leverage for co-marketing and collaboration.
• Experience working at vertical AI companies focused on domain-specific innovation like Harvey AI.
• MBA degree.
• Alumni status from Bullhorn, Greenhouse, Loxo, Gem, Ashby, SmartRecruiters, Recruit Holdings/Indeed, or related vertical AI startups in HCM.
• Strong connections with mid-market staffing firms and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) representing the primary design-partner customer base.
• Past leadership experience managing a seed or Series A funding round as the face of the company.

Compensation and Terms

• Equity: Significant cofounder equity stake negotiated during the hiring process.
• Salary: No cash compensation until completion of the seed funding round; market-competitive salary commences post-seed close.

Additional Information

Esteemed Ventures is upfront that this role has no immediate salary until seed financing is secured. This position is meant for candidates willing to commit fully to scaling HCMGPT with aligned incentives through equity. Interested applicants should send a brief note explaining their relevant product growth experience and motivation for this opportunity.