Founder Advisory Program

Equity-only recruiting for early-stage startups we’d bet on.

We recruit your first mission-critical hires, offering the full weight of our recruiting engine, and take our upside on the cap table, not your P&L.

We Put Real Skin in the Game.

Relativity Partners recruits for a select portfolio of early-stage companies the way an operator-investor would. Instead of fees, we take a small equity position and run the searches that actually move you to the next round: founding engineering, product, data, sales, marketing, and GTM leadership.

We’ve led talent for seed-stage companies that went on to five landmark exits; in the Founder Advisory Program, we use that playbook to set the hiring strategy, prioritize the critical roles, and run the searches that move valuation, not headcount.

Unicorn artwork symbolizing breakout startup potential for the Relativity Partners Founder Advisory Program.
Smiling early-stage startup founder in a modern office, illustrating the founder-focused equity advisory program at Relativity Partners.
Raised fist holding a pen over bold graphic shapes, representing founder conviction and Relativity Partners’ skin-in-the-game advisory model.
A stylized illustration of a hand gripping a syringe, with a red circle and a patterned background.
Early-stage startup founders and operators in a working session around a table, representing Relativity Partners Founder Advisory Program.

Who Qualifies.

The Founder Advisory Program is for seed and early Series A founders who have shipped a product, raised an initial round, and now need two to four mission-critical hires to reach the next one.

We only open it to companies in our core verticals: AI & Data, Health Tech & Life Sciences, Aerospace & Mobility, and Consumer & Commerce, and only when they are comfortable trading equity for senior-level recruiting.

In return, we waive our standard 30% search fee on those roles and take our upside on the cap table instead of your P&L.

Founder Focused

Early-stage founder working from a café, reviewing product concepts on a laptop during a Relativity Partners Founder Advisory working session.
Stylized double-exposure portrait of a thoughtful founder, reflecting Relativity Partners’ people over products philosophy in the Founder Advisory Program.

Spots in the Founder Advisory Program are intentionally limited. We focus on people over products. We look at founders first. Clarity of vision, creativity, judgment, and character. The things you can’t bolt on later or buy with a bigger round.

If you believe you are a fit, reach out with a short overview of what you are building, your current stage and capital raised, and the two to four roles you need to fill in the next twelve months. We will start with a straightforward call to understand the founding team, your runway, and where the right hires would change the trajectory.