How a PE-Backed Enterprise Recognition Startup Hired Its First VP of Sales to Scale the Next Stage of Growth

The Talent Challenge

The company had already proven its product could win with enterprise buyers.

They had carved out a strong position in the employee recognition market, secured recognizable enterprise logos, and recently raised funding to support the next stage of growth.

Now the founders needed to professionalize the sales function.

That meant hiring their first VP of Sales, but this was not a standard executive search.

The right person needed to bring:

• Enterprise HR software sales experience
• Familiarity with the same buyer profile
• Experience closing complex, high-value enterprise deals
• A track record of leading small sales teams
• Evidence of scaling revenue 2–5x
• The ability to operate as both a strategic leader and hands-on seller
• Comfort working directly under the two founders as effectively the number three person in the company

The role required someone senior enough to build the revenue engine, but scrappy enough to help run deals, coach reps, refine processes, and wear multiple hats.

That narrowed the market significantly.

Many traditional VP of Sales candidates were too far removed from hands-on selling. Others had only managed inside larger, more structured organizations. Some had the right title, but lacked experience selling similar enterprise software into HR and employee experience buyers.

For the founders, every month without the right leader created real opportunity cost.

Without a VP of Sales in seat, they risked:

1. Slower pipeline development
2. Less structure around the sales process
3. Missed enterprise opportunities
4. Founder bandwidth being pulled back into sales execution
5. Delayed hiring and ramping of future sales team members
6. A weaker foundation for post-funding growth

They did not need resume volume.

They needed precision.

The Search Strategy

GrassBridge Recruiting built a targeted executive search strategy around the company’s exact stage, market, buyer profile, and growth goals.

The search focused on finding a leader who had already operated close to the motion the company needed to build.

1. Competitive Talent Mapping

GrassBridge mapped the employee recognition, employee experience, HR tech, CSR, benefits, and enterprise workplace software markets to identify leaders selling into similar buyer groups.

The goal was to find candidates who understood the nuances of selling to HR, People, Total Rewards, Employee Experience, and enterprise decision-makers.

This included reviewing:

• Direct and adjacent competitors
• Companies selling into the same ICP
• Enterprise HR software vendors
• High-growth SaaS companies with similar deal complexity
• Sales leaders who had grown inside earlier-stage environments

2. Passive Candidate Outreach

The strongest candidates for this type of role were not actively applying.

GrassBridge used targeted passive outreach to reach proven sales leaders who were already performing, but open to the right founder-led opportunity.

The messaging focused on the parts of the role that would resonate with the right profile:

• First VP of Sales opportunity
• Direct access to the founders
• Recently funded company
• Strong enterprise logo traction
• Opportunity to build the sales function from the ground up
• Player-coach role with a path to broader revenue leadership

This helped attract candidates who were not just looking for a title, but were motivated by ownership, impact, and company-building.

3. Network-Led Search

GrassBridge also leveraged its existing network across B2B SaaS, HR tech, and growth-stage revenue leadership.

Rather than relying only on inbound interest or surface-level LinkedIn searches, the team used relationship-driven recruiting to identify trusted referrals, warm leads, and candidates with known track records.

This created access to candidates who would have been difficult to reach through traditional job postings.

4. Stage-Fit Vetting

GrassBridge screened candidates not only for experience, but for fit with the company’s stage.

Each candidate was evaluated for:

• Enterprise sales credibility
• HR software experience
• Leadership track record
• Quota performance
• Ability to scale revenue
• Startup adaptability
• Willingness to be hands-on
• Fit with the founders’ working style
• Ability to help build process without overengineering it

This was critical because the company did not need a big-company executive who only knew how to manage through layers.

They needed a builder.

The Hiring Results

GrassBridge identified and helped place a VP of Sales who matched the company’s highly specific needs.

The final hire brought:

• 6+ years of experience selling enterprise HR software solutions, including 4+ years as a sales leader in the space
• Direct experience selling into the same buyer profile
• A track record of moving quickly through their career based on performance
• Proven overachievement as both an individual contributor and sales leader
• Experience working in environments where sales process, team structure, and go-to-market motion were still being built
• The ability to operate as a player-coach in an early-stage company
• The credibility to lead a growing sales team while still staying close to the customer and the deal cycle

The placement gave the founders a revenue leader who could help tighten the sales process, coach the team, and support the company’s next phase of growth.

Client Quote

“GrassBridge has been amazing to work with. They understood the type of sales leader we needed at this stage of the company and helped us find someone who could make an immediate impact. Since bringing them on, our sales process has tightened up, the team is operating with more focus, and we had a great Q1.”

‍_{CEO & Founder, Enterprise Employee Recognition Startup}

Why GrassBridge

• For growth-stage SaaS companies, hiring the wrong leader can slow the entire business down.
• They needed someone who could help build the revenue engine.
• GrassBridge helps founder-led and PE-backed tech companies find the people who can actually operate at their stage, not just look good on paper.
• GrassBridge delivered.

Struggling to Find the Right Sales Leader?

If you are a founder-led or PE-backed SaaS company trying to hire your next critical leader, GrassBridge Recruiting can help you find candidates who fit your stage, market, and growth goals.