You've built the teams behind the next big unicorns.IPOs.breakthroughs.
The founding engineers. The first GTM hires. The leaders who turned pitch decks into products. You found them. Now get paid like the dealmaker you are — zero BD, zero overhead. Just the part you're best at.
200+ VC-backed startups hiring through our network. Our story →
70%
of the placement fee is yours
0+
VC-backed startups hiring
$0
cost to you — ever
Zero
BD, contracts, or admin work
70% of the Placement Fee is Yours · Zero Business Development · YC, Sequoia, a16z Startups · 24-Month Candidate Protection · One Candidate → Every Matching Role · No Exclusivity · SF · NY · 70% of the Placement Fee is Yours · Zero Business Development · YC, Sequoia, a16z Startups · 24-Month Candidate Protection · One Candidate → Every Matching Role · No Exclusivity · SF · NY ·
The problem
You're too good to be stuck doing BD.
You can find world-class talent. That's a rare and valuable skill. But right now, half your time is spent on everything that isn't recruiting.
The agency trap
You build the agency's book of business and take home 20–30% of the fee. They keep the clients. They keep the brand. You keep grinding.
The solo grind
Go independent and suddenly you're a salesperson, an accountant, a contract negotiator, and a recruiter. Half your week is spent not recruiting.
One shot per candidate
You submit a candidate for one role at one company. If the timing isn't right, that great talent is wasted. Months of effort — gone on a single miss.
What if you could keep 70% of every fee, never source a client again, and have every candidate you submit matched across hundreds of roles — automatically?
That's not a hypothetical. That's Refery.
The economics
Do the math. Then do it again.
Placement fees average 15–20% of first-year base, scaling with startup stage and role seniority. You keep 70% of every placement fee — compare that to the 20–30% you'd take home at an agency. Here's what that compounds to.
$49,000 per placement.
Example: 20% fee on a $350K senior hire · Placement fees avg. 15–20% · Your 70% share
Earnings at scale · upper-range example · $49K per placement
$588K
per year
1 / MONTH
$1.18M
per year
2 / MONTH
$1.76M
per year
3 / MONTH
$2.35M
per year
4 / MONTH
Platform Evolution
We're professionalizing. Refery started as a community-driven network where founders set bonuses informally. We're now transitioning to a structured, professional model with standardized terms.
What this means for fees: Some roles have fixed referral bonuses ($10K–$25K) from existing relationships. New partnerships are moving toward percentage-based fees (15–20%). Each role in the platform clearly shows the confirmed fee structure — either as a fixed amount or percentage. Roles we're actively targeting or in early discussions with are marked as "In Pipeline" so you can start identifying candidates proactively; when the partnership confirms, we match within 48 hours.
Our clients
200+ VC-backed companies
We work exclusively with startups that have raised institutional VC funding — from pre-seed through Series B and beyond. These are high-quality, credible companies that take hiring seriously.
Stage Range
Pre-seedSeedSeries ASeries B
Locations
San FranciscoNew York
Our vetting process means founders take candidate referrals seriously. When Refery surfaces a candidate, hiring managers engage — our platform reputation is a trust accelerator for your referrals.
What we're hiring for
High-demand roles
🔥 Highest Demand
🔥 AI / ML Engineer🔥 Forward Deploying Engineer🔥 Staff / Senior Software Engineer🔥 Founding Engineer🔥 Backend Engineer🔥 Frontend Engineer🔥 Full Stack Engineer🔥 Infrastructure / Platform Engineer🔥 Security Engineer🔥 Data Engineer
Product & Design
Product ManagerProduct DesignerHead of Product
GTM & Revenue 🔥 HIGH DEMAND
Head of GTMFounding GTMEnterprise Account ExecutiveAccount DirectorProduct Marketing ManagerHead of Growth
🌷~80% of roles are based in the Bay Area (San Francisco), with some in New York. Most are onsite or hybrid — a smaller number are fully remote.
Candidate fit
Who gets matched
CS degree from top school
Strong Signal
MIT, Stanford, CMU, Berkeley, Caltech, ETH Zurich, and other universities known for CS/engineering. Top-ranked programs signal technical rigor to our clients.
Big Tech or well-known startup experience
Strong Signal
Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Stripe, Airbnb, OpenAI, Anthropic, and similar. Known tech logos carry weight with early-stage founders.
Startup experience is a huge bonus
Strong Signal
Early-stage company experience (seed, Series A) is particularly valued. It shows adaptability, ownership, and comfort with ambiguity — exactly what our clients need.
3-15 years of experience is the sweet spot
Strong Signal
Senior enough to contribute immediately, early enough to grow with the company. These profiles have the highest placement rate across our client base.
Salary expectations: $200K-$350K base
Strong Signal
Plus equity and bonus, depending on experience. Most of our open roles sit in this range. Candidates expecting significantly below or above may have fewer matches.
Work authorization required (US)
Note
Very few of our clients offer visa sponsorship. Candidates should have valid US work authorization (US citizen, green card holder, or valid work permit). Flag this early.
Recent graduates — lower match rate
Note
New grads and those under 3 years of experience are harder to place given the seniority profile most clients are hiring for. They can still be submitted, but set expectations accordingly.
How it works
From submission to payout.
You source great people. Our Talent Committee vets them. Our platform matches them. You get paid. Here's the full flow.
01
At any time
Browse live roles
Full context on every role: company, stage, funding, salary, must-haves, timeline, and your estimated payout. Pick the ones that match your network.
02
When ready
Source, curate, and submit
Find candidates your way. Submit via email or platform with resume, your verdict, and notes. Quality over volume — 3 exceptional beats 30 average.
03
Within 48 hours
Talent Committee vetting
Investors, angels, and operators who've built startups have a real conversation with each candidate. Candidates who pass get significantly higher interview rates — more of your submissions convert.
04
Ongoing
Multi-role matching
Qualified candidates are matched to every relevant open role simultaneously. Not just one shot — continuous matching as new roles arrive. You have full visibility at every stage.
05
On placement
Payout within 14 days
Candidate is hired and completes the guarantee period → payout processed within 14 business days. You earn regardless of which role they were ultimately placed in.
Q&A
Every question, answered.
The full brief — from joining to payout, from terms to tools. If we've missed something, your intro call is the place to raise it.
Getting started
Professional independent recruiters and talent partners who specialize in tech — engineering, product, or GTM — and have a track record placing at startups or high-growth companies. Deep networks in SF, NY, or London. Quality-over-volume approach. If you're looking to run a curated, high-conversion desk without the overhead of running an agency or the grind of doing BD, you're in the right place.
Three steps. (1) Book a 15-minute intro call — we align on your expertise, network, and the best-fit roles. (2) Sign the partner agreement — it's a one-click clickwrap that takes 30 seconds, covering the 70% split and 24-month candidate protection. (3) Get full platform access — browse every open role with complete context, salary bands, and estimated payouts. Most partners are submitting their first candidates within days of joining.
Yes. Refery partner recruiters are professionals with a demonstrable track record — people who've run successful desks, placed senior talent at startups, and built reputations in their specific domain. If you're earlier in your career or looking to refer opportunistically without a full recruiting motion, our operator scout program is a better fit — ask about it on your intro call.
None. No minimum placements. No monthly quota. No platform fee. Work the roles that match your network when you have the bandwidth. We bet that great recruiters with great deal flow place consistently — the volume takes care of itself.
Depends on your activity level and network fit. Most partners submit their first candidates within the first week. Talent Committee vetting is 48 hours. Time-to-placement typically runs 4–8 weeks depending on the client's interview process. First payouts typically land 10–14 weeks after your first submission, accounting for interview cycles, offer acceptance, start date, and the guarantee period.
After you sign the partner agreement, you have full access to the platform and visibility to all available jobs. You start sending over candidates, and we take it from there.
Money & payout
70% of the placement fee. As we transition to a professional model, fees vary: some roles have fixed bonuses ($10K–$25K) from existing relationships, while new partnerships are moving toward percentage-based fees (15–20% of base salary). Each role clearly shows its fee structure. On a $350K senior hire at a 20% fee, you earn $49,000. On a fixed $15K bonus role, you earn $10,500. Your 70% share is constant — no tiering, caps, or clawbacks.
Within 14 business days after the candidate completes the guarantee period. Guarantee periods typically run 3 months from the candidate's start date. Once they pass that mark, we release your payout immediately — no back-and-forth, no chasing.
Direct bank transfer (ACH or wire) for US-based partners, and Wise for international partners.
If the hire's employment ends for any reason during the guarantee period, no payout is made — but no clawback either. Refery refunds the client directly and no money has changed hands, so nothing to return on your end. Your 24-month candidate protection on that person remains fully active for any other role they match with on the platform.
We handle all collection end-to-end, including late-fee enforcement written into every client agreement. Your payout is contingent on us collecting — but our agreements are enforceable and we have every incentive to collect (we don't earn a dime either until the client pays). In practice, collection on placed candidates is close to 100%.
Zero. No subscription, no platform fee, no membership, no tool costs. Refery makes its 30% share only when you place successfully. If you don't earn, we don't earn. That alignment is the foundation of how this works.
Roles & deal flow
Full platform access after signing the partner agreement. Browse every open role with complete context: company name, stage, funding history, product, salary band, must-haves, hiring timeline, and confirmed fee structure (either fixed amount or percentage). Filter by domain, level, and location.
Growing every week. Our 200+ VC-backed startups maintain a rolling pipeline of engineering and GTM roles — typically 50–100 active roles at any given moment, with 5–15 new roles launched per week as we onboard new clients.
Yes — confirmed partnership roles have signed agreements with clear fee structures. You'll also see roles marked "In Pipeline" — these are companies we're actively targeting or in discussions with. We display them so you can start identifying candidates proactively. When the partnership confirms, we match within 48 hours. Each role clearly shows its status and fee arrangement.
VC-backed startups from seed to Series B, primarily in SF (~80%), New York, and London. Backed by YC, Sequoia, a16z, Index Ventures, General Catalyst, Lightspeed, Founders Fund, Tiger Global, Greylock, and more. Salary bands typically $250–350K base on senior roles, with founding engineers and specialist leadership roles reaching higher.
Highest demand: AI/ML engineers, forward deployed engineers, staff and senior software engineers, founding engineers, and backend engineers (Go, Rust, Python). Also strong demand for product managers, enterprise AEs, account directors, and heads of growth. The list shifts weekly as new clients onboard.
These are companies we're actively targeting or in early discussions with. The role is real and the company is hiring, but partnership terms aren't confirmed yet. We show these so you can start identifying candidates proactively. Once the partnership is finalized, we can match your candidates within 48 hours — giving you a head start.
How the process works
Through the platform or via email to your partner contact. Each submission includes: resume or CV, your verdict (1–2 paragraphs on why this candidate fits), the candidate's contact details, and context on their situation — comp expectations, availability, interview readiness, any relevant flags. Your submission is confirmed — and your 24-month candidate protection starts — when Refery acknowledges receipt on the platform. By submitting, you confirm you have the candidate's permission to share their details with Refery and our client companies. To help with positioning, think through: What stage of startups are you most excited about, and why? Can you share the names of roles you're looking for? (e.g. founding engineer, backend engineer, Sr. ML/AI engineer, etc.) What locations are you open to? Are you open to relocate? If yes, which cities? What work setup do you prefer? (On-site / hybrid / remote / flexible — note that most roles we work on are on-site.) What base comp range are you targeting? When would you be available to start? Are there any industries you're especially excited about, or any you want to avoid?
Three things. (1) Personal endorsement — you know this person, or someone you deeply trust knows them. (2) Specific fit — why this candidate, for this role, right now. Not "strong engineer," but "built the exact system this company is building, shipped it at scale, left amicably." (3) Honest context — including any caveats. Resume-blast operators burn out in one cycle; curators build compounding careers here.
A Talent Committee member schedules a qualifying conversation with the candidate within 48 hours. If they pass the vetting, the candidate is matched across every relevant open role on the platform. You have full visibility into every stage — vetting outcome, match list, each client's response, interview progress, and offer status.
A rotating panel of investors, angels, operators, and founders who've built startups themselves. They spend 25–30 minutes with each candidate to understand background, motivations, fit, and communication style. Candidates who pass get significantly higher interview rates from hiring managers — the vetting signal is trusted across the network. It's designed to accelerate your results, not gate them.
Yes. You earn on every placement from your submission, regardless of which role your candidate ultimately lands in. Your 24-month candidate protection locks the attribution across every role on the platform during that window.
Protection & terms
Our founders have asked us to keep role details confidential until candidates are vetted. Many have close relationships with us and want their opportunities shared only with carefully selected talent — protecting their employer brand and avoiding unsolicited outreach. The process: you identify promising candidates, they have a conversation with our Talent Committee, and once vetted, we share specific opportunities privately. If helpful for attracting talent beforehand, you can mention basics like stage, vertical (e.g. fintech), funding, and location — or simply introduce them to Lily, who knows the full landscape. This approach keeps founders happy and ensures your referrals get premium treatment.
When you submit a candidate, that attribution is locked to you for 24 months. For any role they get placed in on the Refery platform — at any company, in any city, at any stage — within that window, you earn the payout. No other partner can claim them. First submission wins, timestamped on the platform.
Absolutely. No exclusivity. No non-compete. Work with other marketplaces, run your own book, keep direct clients — whatever the mix of your business. The only restriction is you can't dual-submit the same candidate to the same company through Refery and another channel.
Pre-existing relationships are fully carved out. The non-circumvention clause (12 months) applies only to clients you discover through Refery. Your existing book is your book — Refery has no claim on relationships that predate your partnership with us. If a pre-existing relationship is disputed, we may ask for supporting evidence like prior invoices or email history.
Yes. Either party can end the partnership at any time, for any reason, with no notice required. Pending payouts survive termination — you still get paid on every candidate you submitted before stopping. Your 24-month candidate protection also survives for any in-pipeline placements.
Zero clawbacks on paid placements. The only "no-payout" scenario is when a hire's employment ends before completing the guarantee period — and in that case, no money has changed hands in the first place, so there's nothing to claw back. Once your payout lands, it's yours.
Operational terms can be updated with 30 days' notice. But your payout percentage and payment timing can never be changed without your written consent. That's in the agreement — your economics are protected.
About Refery
We're in a transition phase — moving from a community-driven network to a professional platform. This means you're joining at an inflection point: early enough to shape the platform and build relationships, established enough to have 200+ companies and proven placements. Some legacy terms from our community phase remain, while new partnerships follow our standardized model.
Operators and investors with 9- and 10-figure exits, who've built companies from first hire to acquisition, and who've deployed capital into some of the most recognizable startups of the last decade. We've lived both sides of the hiring problem — the founder side, the fund side, and the operator side. Refery is what we built to fix it.
Three structural differences no one else has. (1) Talent Committee vetting by real investors and operators, which lifts interview rates significantly. (2) One candidate matched across every role continuously — not one shot, one role. (3) Independent recruiters + operator scouts combined in a single network, giving startups and partners a hybrid model that neither pure agencies nor pure marketplaces can match.
AI powers matching, vetting workflows, and platform logistics — it doesn't replace human judgment. Every candidate gets a real conversation with a Talent Committee member. Every match decision involves a human review. AI sits in the engine room; the judgment stays with us and with you.
We're professionalizing from a community model to standardized terms. Existing partnerships may have fixed bonuses ($10K–$25K) from earlier agreements. New partnerships are moving toward percentage-based fees (15–20%). Every role clearly displays its confirmed fee — you always know exactly what you'll earn before submitting candidates.
Join the network
Your next placement starts here.
15-minute call to align on your expertise and the best-fit roles. Then: full access, live deal flow, and a partnership built on placements.