Startup recruiting

Startup recruiting partner for your first LATAM hires.

Tessera Partners is a recruiting partner for startups making their first ten to fifty hires after a funding round. We hire Latin American professionals for founding and early team roles in US, European and international startups. You see a first qualified shortlist in 21 days, and every placement carries a 90 day replacement guarantee.

Book a call → The 5-Lens Method

When companies call us

After a round, hiring becomes the founders' main job. Early hires shape the company more than any later ones.

You just closed a round

The plan says fifteen hires in twelve months. The founders are still selling and building, with no time to source.

A founding team role

A first engineer, a first salesperson or a first operations lead who will build the function from nothing.

Your first hire in Latin America

You want to tap Latin American talent but do not know the market, the salary levels or how to pitch an early stage company.

Candidates ask about equity

Strong candidates want to understand options, vesting and what the equity could be worth. You need help explaining it clearly.

Speed without lowering the bar

You need people in weeks, but a bad early hire costs months. You want fast shortlists that are still deep.

No recruiter on the team yet

Founders and the first managers run hiring alone. You want a partner who works like part of the team.

Roles we fill

Seniority	Example roles	Typical search length
Founding team	First engineer, founding account executive, first operations lead	Shortlist in 21 days
Early leaders	Head of Engineering, Head of Growth, Head of Customer Success	Shortlist in 21 days
Senior builders	Senior full stack engineer, product designer, data analyst	Shortlist in 21 days
Executive	CTO, COO, VP Sales for a Series A or B company	Shortlist in 21 days

We run the full process with you and present senior talent as fast as we can, with a first qualified shortlist in 21 days.

How the search works

Intake

A working call, then a structured intake. We test the real need and agree a signed role brief with you.

Search, days 1 to 21

We start with our network, references and trusted connections, then curated talent pools. Job boards only when they add signal.

Shortlist by day 21

Three to five candidates, each with a written 5-Lens dossier and our recruiter's view.

Interviews and offer

We run scheduling, interview preparation, debriefs, references and offer support.

Follow-through to day 90

Regular check-ins with you and the hire through day 90, backed by the replacement guarantee.

How we evaluate candidates

Early hires need range, ownership and comfort with ambiguity. The five lenses check those directly, with evidence from past work.

Craft. Things the candidate built from little or nothing, not only roles they inherited at large companies.
Context. Experience at seed, Series A or Series B, and comfort with changing priorities and small teams.
Communication. Clear writing to founders and investors, and the ability to explain a plan without a large team behind them.
Cultural Fluency. How the candidate works with founders across countries, gives honest feedback and decides without a manual.
Drive. Why an early stage company, and whether the candidate understands the risk and upside of equity.

Read the full 5-Lens Method →

Fees and guarantee

Our fee is 10% of the hire's first year base salary, with a 750 EUR start fee deducted from the final invoice. Every placement carries a 90 day replacement guarantee at no extra fee.

See recruitment fees →

Why Tessera Partners

Versus EOR providers

An employer of record lets you hire in a new country without an entity. It does not find your first engineer. We find and assess the hire, and work with your EOR.

Versus generalist agencies

Generalist agencies send the fastest CVs. Early teams need people who can build. We check for range and ownership, and keep the shortlist deep.

Versus in-house recruiting

Founders know what they need, but have little time. We run sourcing, screens, references and closing, and involve you where your judgment matters most.

Market notes

Argentina and São Paulo run on UTC-3 all year. Argentina does not use daylight saving time (timeanddate), and Brazil ended it in 2019 (Decree 9.772/2019). Colombia is on UTC-5 (timeanddate) and Mexico City on UTC-6 (timeanddate). That gives US teams a full shared working day.
Contractor or employee is a legal question, not a preference. In the US, the IRS looks at behavioral control, financial control and the relationship (IRS guidance). Local rules apply in the hire's country too. Tessera Partners does not give legal or payroll advice.
Each country has its own labor code. Brazil's CLT defines an employee by continuous, paid and subordinate work (CLT, article 3). Argentina's labor law presumes an employment contract when someone provides services (Law 20,744, article 23).
Stock options granted to people in another country raise specific tax questions, such as timing and which country taxes them (OECD, The Taxation of Employee Stock Options). Check with your lawyer before making equity offers abroad.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How much does a startup recruiting partner cost?

Our fee is 10% of the hire's first year base salary. A 750 EUR start fee confirms the search and is deducted from the final invoice. The final invoice is issued when you sign with the candidate and is due within 7 days. Every placement includes the 90 day replacement guarantee at no additional cost.

How fast can you fill founding team roles?

You see a first qualified shortlist within 21 days of the signed role brief. Founding roles need careful assessment, so we keep the shortlist short and well evidenced. Moving quickly through interviews and giving fast feedback is what closes candidates at this stage.

How do you handle equity conversations?

We explain your equity offer to candidates in plain language: the type of grant, vesting, the cliff and what happens if they leave. We do not value the equity or give tax advice. We tell you early which candidates care most about equity, so the offer is built right.

What does the 90 day guarantee cover?

If an early hire does not work out within 90 days, we search again for that role at no additional fee. We check in with the founders and the hire during that period, because small issues in a small team grow fast.

Can early hires be remote across Latin America?

Yes. Many startups we work with are remote first and hire across Latin America. Some want a small hub in one city for the first team. We agree the setup in the role brief and confirm it with every candidate before interviews start.

Which languages do candidates work in?

Every candidate works in English, which we test on real tasks. Many also speak Spanish or Portuguese, useful if your startup sells into Latin America, Spain or Portugal. For European startups we also search for Italian, German and French combinations.