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Portfolio Services

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FC Compass

Compass is Foundation Capital’s invitation-only community for top business leaders who want to stay close to the early-stage startup ecosystem. Compass connects our founders to a network of over 100 executive leaders from over 50 unicorn and global 2000 companies, including Coinbase, CrowdStrike, H&M, Meta, Samsung, SAP, Stripe, Verizon, and Walmart. These leaders support our founders as mentors, advocates, and advisors. In the process, they offer valuable insights into the minds of software buyers; serve as strategic product, design, and distribution partners; and even become potential customers.

For executives, membership in Compass provides a front-row seat to the fast-moving, early-stage startup ecosystem. By participating in Compass, executives build their advisory and operating expertise by collaborating closely with our companies. In addition to joining a high-quality network of peers, they gain a direct channel to Foundation’s partners and are among the first to be notified about relevant opportunities in Foundation’s portfolio. They’re also invited to participate in small group events around startup advising and angel investing.

FC Talent

At Foundation Capital, we understand that success of an early-stage startup turns, first and foremost, on the caliber, creativity, and vision of the people who work there. That’s why we offer comprehensive talent and recruiting services to help our founders build world-class teams. Our services are designed to provide end-to-end support for our portfolio companies throughout the talent acquisition process, from scoping roles and defining requirements to closing hires and establishing company culture.

Here are just a few of the ways we can help:

  • Hiring & Sourcing Enablement: We work closely with our founders to translate business needs into responsibilities and requirements for key roles. From there, we segment the market, identify top talent, and leverage our extensive network to introduce candidates and advisors to our portfolio companies.

  • Interview Process Design & Support: We partner with our companies to develop structured, competency-based interview processes that remove unconscious bias and ensure they make the right hires. We also track down high-fidelity signals on candidates, including references and backchannels. By streamlining the candidate selection process, we help our founders save time and make better hiring decisions.

  • Vendor & Agency Services: We maintain a broad network of vetted vendors and consultants across a range of categories, from executive search firms and recruiting agencies to technology vendors and immigration lawyers. We provide counsel on vendor selection and management and even co-manage vendors in select cases to ensure the best possible outcomes. We also provide access to interim and fractional leadership solutions to help companies navigate unique periods of growth and transition.

  • Compensation Planning & Benchmarking: We provide access to compensation benchmarking data and work with our companies to develop strategies that align with their priorities and fit their hiring needs. We also provide offer and closing support to help our companies close top candidates.

  • Talent Advisory & HR Support: We provide guidance on best practices in HR policy, culture building, organizational design, and diversity, equality, and inclusion. We act as a first call for ad hoc HR and recruiting needs and connect our founders to subject matter experts for extended engagements when needed.