Client Testimonials
Venator Partners has recruited two thirds of Carbonite’s Marketing and Product Management teams. The quality of our experience with Venator Partners has made them our de facto exclusive recruiter. We see no need or value in retaining other firms. There are three reasons for this…
Venator’s Insistence that Recruiting become a Core Competence
When we began to ramp our recruiting efforts two years ago, we were unable to reliably close A-player candidates. That wasn’t due to a lack of compelling opportunities, but rather because of an undisciplined recruiting effort. Through its “Hire Octane” program, Venator trained us (top to bottom) to become highly proficient at identifying, vetting and closing solid candidates. The result: not only do we now have a team of A-players but also an appreciation for the critical importance of disciplined recruiting that is now a core competence of our business.
Venator’s Focus on the “unteachable” Drivers of Performance
For each of the positions Venator has helped us fill, the Venator team was very careful to make sure they clearly understood what would drive performance. This means going well beyond the position’s “to-do list” and the usual laundry list of required skills and experience. Venator understands that “unteachable” qualities are often the ones that really drive performance. By helping us look beyond candidates’ prior experience and knowledge, Venator has helped us fill positions with A-players from a relatively small talent pool (consumer online marketing in the Boston area) in a competitive market.
Venator’s Desire to Build a Long-term Partnership
I never thought I’d say this about a recruiter. Venator has consistently put our interests ahead of theirs. Recently, during the course of a search that had taken a long time to execute, Venator recommended we pass on a candidate who was highly qualified, but whose attitude suggested a poor fit with the team. The easiest thing to do would have been to close the candidate, collect a fee and move on. When we began working with Venator a couple of years ago, they told us that their objective was to build a long term partnership. Time and again, their actions have been consistent with those words.
Swami Kumaresan
VP, Marketing
Carbonite
“Venator Partners has consistently delivered exceptional value to Verdasys. We began our relationship at a time when Verdasys was growing rapidly and beginning to really scale our business. Randy Bogue and his team assessed our situation, put together a plan, executed the program, and we doubled the size of our sales team within our tight deadline and with exceptional talent.
More recently, we began work on adding a new technology platform to our solutions offering. We needed additional executive level engineering talent to build out our engineering team—again they devised and executed a successful program. Within the tight time lines we demanded, we have hired outstanding engineering management and senior engineering talent.
Venator Partners brings three highly differentiating elements that drive results. They are sensitive and comfortable around the chaos at small, high growth companies and they spent the time to understand our evolving business and to effectively navigate the whole organization (company, employees, recruits, managers, and shareholders). Finally, the firm is highly adaptable and capable to fill most searches from sales and BD to senior management and engineering positions.”
Seth Birnbaum
CEO, Verdasys
“As a European company, our first hire of a sales executive in the US was of critical importance. Venator Partners has delivered excellent quality work in a timely manner. Amir Eldad, in charge of that project, brought his in-depth knowledge of this industry, which allowed him to have a quick understanding of our strategy and to identify the candidates with the right skills to execute on that strategy. We appreciated Amir’s professionalism and his ability to adapt to a fast pace and changing environment.”
Thibaut Bechetoille
CEO, Qosmos
www.Qosmos.com
“Bruce does a great job of balancing the client needs with the candidate skills. No hard sell here. Bruce was an ally in my search—providing pre-interview coaching and critique, post interview feedback, constructive suggestions during the process leading up to the eventual offer and acceptance, and followup after my hire to check on the fit. Bruce is the complete package—professional, personable, and a pleasant person to work with.”
Jim Emerton
VP Operations, Natural Standard
“Finding the best talent takes skill, finesse, focus and energy, and few firms can find the right balance of each. Venator just happens to be one of the few that has. This is the partner you always wish you had, and the company that just ‘gets it’.”
Dave Balter
Founder/CEO, BzzAgent
“I truly enjoyed working with Venator Partners on this project. Your firm’s systematic process, good judgment and passion are unique. I look forward to working with your firm again.”
Yochi Slonim
CEO, Identify Software
“I have now worked with Venator Partners for over a year and they have been instrumental in helping me build almost my entire senior management team. They added value at every stage of the process and helped me think through the issues of building an effective and cohesive team. Building the team is a CEOs most important job and clearly one of the most difficult. But as any CEO of a start-up company knows there are a multitude issues that need to be managed. I never had to worry about Venator driving the process and meeting their deliverables. That made a major impact on my ability to do my job effectively and I am very pleased with the team we have built.”
Yoram Salinger
CEO, Red Bend Software
“When I was working with Venator Partners, I never felt like I was dealing with just a recruiter. Randy operated as a part of our team with the mutually aligned interests of placing the best possible candidate at our company. He conducted the entire process effectively and with integrity.”
Harmeet Singh
CEO, Optovia Corporation
“The most effective search firms are those that clearly understand their client’s needs and bring depth and insight to assessing the quality and fit of the candidates under consideration. In my experience with Venator Partners, they have proven to be very insightful and effective in both of these critical areas.”
Jeff Bussgang
General Partner, IDG Ventures
“We began speaking with Venator Partners while we were finalizing our Series A funding round. We had a critical need to bring in a VP of Marketing and Business Development that would lead the go-to-market activities of the company. PanGo Networks has the capability to deliver multiple applications to multiple verticals that each will require the formulation of a different value proposition. We are also creating a new technology category. We retained Venator Partners, in part, because they were able to quickly understand the complexities of our situation and our business model and translate that into a tangible strategy for conducting the search and defining the desired outcome.
Venator’s approach is very consultative and was oriented toward the long-term good of the company, not just on filling the position. They were very committed to the project and really drove the process and the deliverables. I also came to really value the depth of their ability to understand and assess candidates. Ultimately I think what impressed me most was their work ethic, the tenacity demonstrated when things got tough and the discipline they brought to the execution of the project. Venator was absolutely instrumental in helping us recruit a great candidate that is the right fit for the company.”
Michael Campbell
CEO, PanGo Networks
“I enjoyed working with Randy and Eric on the search for our new CEO. Their diligence, focus and involvement made me feel like partners sharing one goal. The team worked very professionally, justifying the excellent reputation I heard prior to hiring Venator Partners.”
Amnon Yacoby
Chairman, Aternity
“I worked with Venator Partners first as a candidate and later as a client. As a candidate, I was very impressed with their knowledge of the telecom space and their professionalism throughout the process. When I needed to staff my group, it was an easy choice for us to retain them again. They have since helped to build a great team of very high-quality marketing professionals.”
Arun Jain
VP of Marketing, Kerenix
“The net result of a grueling 2.5-month search for a VP of Engineering is that we ultimately found and hired the best candidate. Randy Bogue of Venator Partners had as much to do with getting the candidate on board as anyone. He really managed the deal throughout the process and his insights at critical junctures were essential to closing the candidate. I can’t say enough about how impressed I am with the results.”
Steve Tobak
CEO, InLight Communications
“Dear Randy:
I felt that it is very important for me to tell you how impressed I was by you. It isn’t often that one finds the combination of a ‘real’ human being and a ‘pro’ in the proportions that make for a successful personal and business relationship. Your dedicated efforts and perseverance in finding the right person for the job, in my mind, means that the Virtue 3D, Inc.’s U.S. subsidiary is now being headed by a superbly qualified individual. You have our deep appreciation for this accomplishment.”
Eyal Zagagi
President and CEO, Virtue 3D
“Randy,
I believe the company’s buildup of our U.S. sales organization was a great success. The team I met at the sales meeting in New York last week is of high calider in both experience and potential. I want to thank you for Venator Partners’ considerable contribution to this buildup, and I look forward to contuining our partnership.”
Gideon Rottem
CEO, Extricom
“Recruiting sales people overseas requires additional challenges. Venator Partners’ knowledge of business, recruiting and our industry as well as the various nuances of overseas markets, made my job of staffing a European sales executive easier and more productive than I had previously experienced. Venator Partners provided me with more quality candidates and had a better understanding of the types of candidates that would fit in the culture of a U.S. company than the European recruiting firms I have used in the past. In particular, Randy Bogue provided me with valuable counsel throughout the process and was an effective intermediary. I am very pleased with the candidate I hired and as I continue to grow European operations I will again turn to Venator Partners for assistance.”
James A. Carson
Managing Director, European Operations, Digital Sound Corporation
“Natural Standard’s mission is to provide objective, reliable information that aids clinicians, patients, and healthcare institutions to make more informed and safer therapeutic decisions. Our doctors, pharmacists and researchers rely on those with strong business acumen to represent our products in the marketplace, supporting our trustworthy reputations. Bruce Allen meets our high standards. He is responsible for helping Natural Standard attract and retain the highest caliber staff in our executive, sales and client service departments, assuring that our exceptional quality healthcare information is successfully delivered to international end-users. He has become an integral part of our team. He continues to help us scale our business expanding our team with talented individuals and working with us to help them succeed. In addition to his recruiting skills he provides counseling on a myriad of topics, from hiring strategies and compensation plans to refining roles and onboarding recommendations. His wealth of experience in sales and business management enables him to understand and address our business needs in a thorough yet timely fashion. We are very thankful and loyal to him as he is to our organization.”
Dr. Catherine Ulbricht
CEO, Natural Standard
“Bruce…I thank you for being more than a vendor, but a partner to us here at WeatherBug and to me—Looking forward to working together more in the future…”
Michael Lombardi
Vice President, Advertising and Marketing, WeatherBug
www.weatherbug.com
“What I most enjoyed about working with Bruce is his passion to our business and our needs, his responsiveness, and of course his ability to source sales candidates, as he truly understands the unique aspects and needs of these types of candidates. As an example, during our recruitment process, at least two candidates mentioned to me that Bruce’s ability to convey our unique opportunity swayed them to engage in conversations with us, when their mindset was one of not seeking new employment or opportunities. Bruce brought many highly qualified and focused candidates. I would HIGHLY recommend, and would use Bruce again in my next executive search.”
Well done, Bruce.
Jasen Lew
President & Co-Founder, Xavus Solutions
“Bruce makes an effort to understand our requirements on several levels, both the actual skill set required, as well as the intangibles that are so important to the culture of our company. He has a good understanding of our industry and provides personalized client services…We value his strong sourcing skills, work ethic and tenacity to close candidates.”
Liz Tepper
Senior Recruiting Consultant, ScanScout
www.scanscout.com
“As a fast growing company we’re continuously hiring and looking for great people. Venator Partners has been a valuable partner in our recruiting efforts.”
Ben Kaplan
COO, Mall Networks
“I have worked with a number of recruiters over the years. When it comes to finding quality talent that always meets the specification, Doug Combs of Venator Partners is in a league of his own.”
Michael Braatz
VP Marketing, Bluesocket
“We contracted Bruce to fill our newly created, key and cornerstone VP Sales position. We required an absolute match to our sales and relationship approach, experience across several key categories, the ability to open opportunities, close sales, and start, grow, and manage a sophisticated sales organization within the company. We needed a heavy-hitter with real experience and existing relationships who would roll-up their sleeves, work from scratch, and make things happen. Bruce worked quickly to gain an astoundingly deep and wide understanding of our business, our approach to our work, and the nuanced set of requirements—strategic, tactical, cultural, and emotional—that would best define the right candidate. In unexpected short-order we met, talked with, and hired the second candidate that Bruce sent over—an absolute match and more—three months into it and the move has exponentially increased the profile of the business. We believed we had set our expectations too high, and Bruce appeared to easily exceed them. We recommend him to our allies, and have tried to keep him a secret from our competitors.”
Joshua Sinel
CEO, Kaava
“We hired Bruce to help us fill a key business development role that several other recruiting firms had given up trying to fill. Bruce breathed new life into our search for a candidate. From the start, Bruce took a very consultative approach, quickly coming to understand our needs. Start to finish, Bruce managed the process well and helped us secure a top notch Business Development Manager in a very competitive market!”
Matthew Stocking
VP, Welsh Consulting
“Venator Partners is an asset to my staffing efforts. With their help, I was able to offload the most time consuming part of the hiring process for several crucial Account Management positions: recruiting and prescreening — which is critical for me because Gomez is growing at such a rapid rate. Venator Partners also provides valuable counsel to enhance our hiring process as a whole, from developing an accurate job spec to effective interviewing techniques. Venator Partners stands apart from the rest because they take the time to learn the business, listen to my needs and match candidates to those needs. I will use Venator Partners in the future because they do an excellent job representing Gomez and bring only the most qualified candidates to the table. ”
Mark Rudolph
Director- Account Management, North America, Gomez
“Bruce found us a qualified candidate for a tough to fill channel sales position in a matter of weeks. We had worked on our own for several months to no avail. Bruce took the time to understand exactly what we were looking for and presented us with well qualified candidates. He was able to quickly hone in on the right profile—this was a very efficient and professionally managed engagement.”
Jeff Barovich
Vice President of Sales, Cymfony
“I hired Bruce to fill a very specific inside sales position that required almost a 100% match. After a very detailed analysis of what we needed he sent only his single best candidate: 2 1/2 weeks later she was hired and selling. I highly recommend his services!”
Jim Nauen
VP Sales & Marketing, Centage Corporation
We recently found ourselves in the perfect storm when trying to recruit new sales executives as a small but fast growing firm in a very tight (and getting tighter) job market. After a number of failed attempts of recruiting on our own, and rounds with other recruiters which amounted to time sinks that went nowhere, we were introduced to Bruce Allen at Venator Partners. Bruce proved to us that the right recruiter can make all the difference. With Bruce at the helm, a recruiting market that had looked impenetrable to us opened up quickly. Bruce got to work and had us hopping, reviewing resumes, fine-tuning the role specs, brainstorming on where the right candidates might be found today. In short order, were interviewing pre-qualified, top-tier candidates who Bruce had done a super job of pre-selling on the merits of joining our team. We quickly closed on two candidates that started training this week. I can’t express strongly enough what a true pleasure it was to work with Bruce, and the results were above our high expectations. One other thing to add—I overheard one of our new hires talking to a friend on the phone this morning. “Yes, it’s great here, and I’m really excited to be onboard. You know how most recruiters are just horrible to work with? Well, this guy Bruce Allen is fantastic, you’ve got to call him.”
Brian Layton
VP Sales & Marketing, Broadleaf Services
“This year, we were presented with a unique opportunity to rapidly accelerate our growth, hiring senior positions that would play key roles in the company’s future. After unsuccessfully using other internal and external resources, we challenged Venator Partners to source candidates. I was pleased with their response. They not only invested the time necessary to truly understand our internal and market needs, but were very focused in their sourcing process. By presenting candidates that fit our profile, Venator Partners saved Scali significant internal time and accelerated the time to hire. Doug Combs also played a key role in assisting us with reaching a mutually acceptable agreement with our top candidate, who has performed well since his hire.”
James C. Biggs
Senior Vice President Sales, Marketing, and Services General Manager, Americas, Scali, Inc.
“Venator Partners is a proven business partner in finding highly qualified people with special skills and excellent industry experience that hit the ground running at EqualLogic. With EqualLogic’s rapid growth over the last two years, the Venator team has become an extension of my staff.”
John Joseph
VP Marketing, EqualLogic
“Venator Partners worked on a tough recruiting assignment for us—a position that we had been trying to fill for over a year. Thanks to persistence and professionalism they came through with an excellent candidate that has worked out very well for us. I highly recommend this team. They are direct, clear, do a great job of screening candidates. They produce results!”
Bill Thornburg
VP Product Management, mValent
“Bruce has been a great asset in identifying and securing several critical candidates for my leadership team…He is both thorough and quick in delivering results. He truly listens and understands our objectives and then is able to seek out the best candidates…I highly recommend Venator Partners.”
David Klein
Vice President, Advertising, NAVTEQ Media Solutions
www.navteq.com
“Sam O has become one of our most valued recruiters as he routinely produces candidates that seem to fit most closely with the type of people for which we are looking. Sam takes the time to understand our open positions and needs—and in turn we’ve been able to hire several of his candidates recently.”
Steve Gottlieb
Director, Marketing, BuyerZone
“I worked with Sam Onyemelukwe to fill a senior manager position within my group where we were looking for a candidate with a very specific and hard-to-find skillset. Sam developed a deep understanding of my needs and provided us with a high quality pool of candidates. As a result, I would highly recommend Sam’s services.”
Eric Horndahl
Vice President, New Business Group, BuyerZone (division of Reed Business Information)
“…I can’t thank you enough for finding me, assessing the match correctly and making the connection. It’s been a perfect fit and in case you didn’t hear, I closed my first deal within 32 days…thanks again!”
Jonathan Murtaugh
Director of Business Development, BzzAgent
“Our experience of working with Venator Partners and Amir Eldad were most successful. Amir brought not only the connections and diligence to our GM Americas search, but with his operational background has been able to clearly identify the right caliber people that we were looking for. This has made the process very efficient and ultimately extremely successful”.
Yaron Benvenisti
CEO, GigaSpaces Technologies
www.gigaspaces.com
