Opinion

December 3, 2025

How do I attract top-tier AI talent as a first-time founder in stealth?

Focus on people, mission and momentum

Zoe Hewitt

6 min read

“I’m a first-time founder working on a high conviction bet in AI. We’ve raised from strong investors and now we need to hire exceptional early engineers and operators. But we don’t have a brand yet and are technically still operating in stealth. How do we stand out and earn the attention of world-class talent outside of our initial network?”

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Zoe Hewitt

Zoe Hewitt is VP of talent at Sequoia.

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