Hiring for Startups: Attracting Corporate Talent

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Previously titled “How to lure corporate talent to a startup?” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 10, 2026

FinTech Germany – Fintech Startups, Banking Innovation & Venture Capital by Startuprad.io™ not yet transcribed

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Recorded06 Apr 2020

Publisherfintechgermany.podcaster.de ↗

Handlerec:1059127

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How to lure corporate talent in a Startup? I think most entrepreneurs will know that it never goes right … you see stories in the media of overnight successes … but most founders will know this is not the case. William Laitinen, CEO and Founder Exige The FounderWe talk to William Laitinen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-laitinen-93282/, https://twitter.com/WilliamLaitinen), co-founder of Exige International an executive search agency (https://www.exigeinternational.com/). During this interview, we are talking to him not only as a founder, who bootstrapped his company, sleeping on his cousins’ couch, but also who survived the global financial crisis starting in 2008. A lesson to learn - from early on as possible - is: You are going to be facing problems in your team and your organization. William Laitinen, CEO and Founder Exige Affiliate LinksThe hard thing about hard things https://amzn.to/2S62X30Ben Horowitz tells his story from an employee, afraid to lose his job to CEO of a company caught in the dotcom bubble to VC investorZero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future https://amzn.to/37H2MSpPeter Thiels, the famous investor tells you his mental framework to think about innovationBlitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies https://amzn.to/2Ob0xySReid Hoffmans, the founder of LinkedIn, advice on scale fast Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything https://amzn.to/2v97KZG Read-worthy book to familiarize yourself with economic theory, or learn more about how to apply it.Need a bank account? Try our partner Pentahttp://bit.ly/3bdHX3dNeed space to work? Try our partner WeWorkhttps://we.co/2GYbxvSLooking for someone to design a logo, do a transcript or a voice-over? Find all of it and more at our partner Fiverrhttp://bit.ly/2S0f2YFYou can listen to Venture Capital books or entertainment on your way to work with an audible subscription – you get the first month for free https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00NTQ6K7E?tag=startupradi0e-21 The Startup William started headhunting in financial services (Mergers and Acquisitions) and strategy consultancies during the early 2000s, with a laptop and a phone. He classically bootstrapped his company, starting crashing on the couch of his cousin and working his way up from there. He called it “the golden age of headhunting,” and like many others he thought it would always go on like this. So, he was in a great spot, just before the bankruptcy of Lehmann Brothers which almost froze hiring in Investment Banking and strategy consulting. I was in the worst place you could be in the financial crisis … I didn’t do a deal for 18 months. William Laitinen, CEO and Founder Exige William used the global financial crisis to change his focus and now is working primarily with insurance companies in Western Europe, specifically in Switzerland, as well as with insurtechs. You will face a whole heap of problems and challenges starting a company … Who you want to hire is really really important in overcoming the problems you will be facing. William Laitinen, CEO and Founder Exige Advice in Hiring People leave their job for just two reasons: Logic and emotions. William Laitinen, CEO and Founder Exige William talks about hiring for startups, especially about the importance of...

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