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Brian Williams

Partner at Primary Venture Partners

Brian Schechter is a Partner at Primary Venture Partners, where he has been working since July 2020. He is involved in investing in early-stage companies and supports founders in developing their businesses from the ground up.14 Before joining Primary Venture Partners, Schechter co-founded and served as CEO of SelfMade from 2015 to 2020 and co-founded HowAboutWe.com, which was acquired in 2014.12

Schechter's career also includes roles as a board member for various companies such as SparkAI, OnAir, Balanced, Plural, and SelfMade.1 His background is diverse, with experiences in teaching, political organizing, and startup leadership, which he credits with preparing him for his role in venture capital.2 Schechter emphasizes the importance of being present and supportive for founders, drawing on his own experiences as an entrepreneur.2

He is based in the New York City Metropolitan Area and has a notable presence in the venture capital community, often sharing insights on navigating paths into VC investing.13

Highlights

Jun 15 · linkedin

“When the market cools off hiring will get cheaper and easier” -Every VC

It’s cooling off and the numbers still say nah.

Average offer to accept rate for Engineers in NYC:

2018 -  60-70% 2022 Q1 - 50-60% 2022 Q2 - 40-50%

6 months ago even your grandma's bakery was hiring software engineers.  Supply was drastically lower than demand.

The market is leveling off…and it’s not getting easier.  We all need to take a minute to understand that the “cut hard and fast” approach we saw early in the pandemic (and now more recently) gives great candidates pause - regardless of the supply/demand ratio.

So how do we address this if we still need to hire?

2 simple steps:

  1. Drive more referrals - trust cuts both ways. Referrals still accept at a 70% clip.  It is and always has been the best way to hire.

  2. Lose the 7 step interview processes & take home tests. Momentum matters.  Interview loops shouldn’t feel like infinity loops. At HiveFive we routinely see cutting an interview process to sub 2 weeks can jump your offer accepts by 25-50%.  If you’re still spending 30 days evaluating candidates you’re likely losing the bulk of great candidates your recruiting team has hustled to get into your pipeline.

If you’re still growing and scratching your head as to why candidates are turning down your offers - we should talk.  HiveFive.ai accelerates gathering referrals By 100x.

Bonus: if you’re an engineer and want to have a great interview experience I can’t recommend Horizen Labs highly enough. HiveFive has worked closely with the Horizen team and Zain Cheng  to create an incredibly inclusive, respectful, and crisp process.  They’re great!

#hiring #experience #team #recruiting #startup #interviewing

Related Questions

What inspired Brian Schechter to transition from founding companies to becoming a VC?
How did Brian Schechter's experiences as a founder influence his approach to venture capital?
What are some of the key companies Brian Schechter has invested in or advised?
How does Brian Schechter's background in teaching and political organizing shape his investment strategy?
What makes Brian Schechter's approach to being a VC unique compared to others in the industry?
Brian Williams
Brian Williams, photo 1
Brian Williams, photo 2
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Experience

Partner at Primary Venture Partners (July 2020 - Present)
Investor at Ark Biotech (December 2021 - Present), Board Member at SparkAI (November 2021 - Present), Board Member at OnAir (October 2021 - Present), Board Member at Balanced (March 2021 - Present), B at SelfMade (April 2015 - Present)

Location

New York, New York, United States