Context
Maze was operating in stealth with an uncompromising hiring bar. The founders wanted to build a fully remote team of exceptional engineers, talent good enough to work at FAANG or frontier AI labs, but who deliberately chose early-stage startups for the ownership, pace, and cultural fit. With no public presence and a narrow target profile, inbound channels were unlikely to surface the calibre or mindset they needed.
Process
We partnered closely with Maze to run a highly targeted, proactive search across talent-dense markets including London, Amsterdam, Berlin, and NYC. Leveraging our on-the-ground presence and curated communities, we focused exclusively on product-minded engineers with low ego, high standards, and an AI-forward way of thinking. Every candidate was assessed for greenfield experience, remote readiness, and genuine alignment with Maze’s bar for craft, autonomy, and collaboration.