Coastal Recruiting is a recruiting agency specializing in securing top-tier engineering talent for early-stage startups backed by leading venture capital firms. Coastal partners with firms like Lightspeed to build core engineering teams and is known for its founder-friendly approach.

The Challenge: Finding Impactful Engineers for Startups

Coastal Recruiting’s primary challenge is sourcing engineers who have demonstrated real-world impact, especially in fast-paced startup environments. For their clients, it’s not just about educational background or the company a candidate has worked for – it’s about understanding the ownership and influence they’ve had on critical projects. 

As David Friedman, co-founder of Coastal Recruiting explains, "Our founders look for candidates who have exemplified ownership in their projects. It’s crucial for us to identify this before even getting on a call with the candidate." Megan adds: "Our goal is to find an edge in sourcing by going an extra layer deep. LinkedIn has been a necessary evil, but it often doesn’t provide enough context about a candidate’s ability to move quickly and build from zero to one."

How Juicebox Provided the Edge Coastal Recruiting Needed

Recognizing the limitations of traditional platforms like LinkedIn, Coastal Recruiting turned to Juicebox for a more sophisticated approach. One of the standout features they leveraged was Juicebox’s integrated funding data, which allowed them to see beyond proxy signals like education and titles. By understanding when a candidate joined a company, at what stage the company was in its growth, and which investors backed it, Coastal Recruiting could gain deeper insights into a candidate’s potential impact.

"The funding stage data has been a game-changer," Megan shared. "It allows us to see when in their career candidates joined early-stage startups, particularly those backed by top VC firms. This gives us confidence that they’ve not only proven themselves but also contributed significantly to building those companies."

Creating New Power Filters with Juicebox

Working closely with the Juicebox team, Coastal Recruiting helped to develop new power filters that have since become everyday tools in their recruitment process. These filters include options to search for candidates who have worked at companies backed by top-tier venture capital firms, providing an additional layer of validation for their clients.

"We joke about how engineering titles have become more creative, making them harder to search for," Megan noted. "But with Juicebox, we can focus less on titles and more on the substance behind them. By leaving title filters broad or even non-existent and instead filtering by criteria like CS degree and startup experience, we capture the candidates who have truly made an impact."

Achieving Success with Juicebox’s Advanced Tools

Coastal Recruiting’s partnership with Juicebox has transformed their sourcing process, enabling them to find the top-tier talent their clients demand. By leveraging funding data and enriched profiles, they’ve been able to consistently deliver candidates who not only meet the technical requirements but also embody the ownership and speed that early-stage startups require.

"Juicebox has allowed us to refine our searches and find candidates who are a perfect fit for our clients," Megan concluded. "The ability to go beyond the basics and dig deeper into a candidate’s real-world experience has given us a significant edge in sourcing."

Conclusion: Coastal Recruiting’s Competitive Advantage with Juicebox

Coastal Recruiting’s success story underscores the importance of using advanced tools to stay ahead in the competitive world of talent acquisition. By partnering with Juicebox, Coastal Recruiting has been able to enhance its sourcing strategy, ensuring that they can continue to meet the high expectations of VC-backed startups.

"For us, it’s about finding that extra layer of insight," Megan said. "Juicebox provides the depth and sophistication we need to deliver exceptional results to our clients, and it’s become an integral part of our recruitment process."