The Linkus Group Inc.

Linkus Group is proud to support a select group of small and medium-sized businesses, and high-growth tech start-ups across Canada. 

We are known for our highly personalized and dedicated approach to partnering with our
clients. Our customer retention has been instrumental in our growth and we provide support
across an array of positions, including executive, tech, sales, marketing, finance, and operations.

We take the pain out of recruiting so you can focus on what you do best – running your
business and building customer relationships. 

Clients:
-KOHO (started working with when under 10 people)
-Coinsquare (started working with when under 10 people)
-Sonnet Insurance (started working with when under 10 people in Stealth Mode)
-Jumbleberry (started working with when under 20 people) (Exit)
-Moo Media (started working with when under 20 people) (Exit)
-Mundo Media (started working with when under 20 people) (Exit)
-GreenTank Technologies (Started working with when under 20 people)
-Altrio (started working with when under 10 people in Stealth Mode)
-Notch (started working with when under 40 people)
-Tacit Innovations (started working with when under 10 people in Stealth Mode)
-Klick Health 
-The Score (started working with when under 100 people)
-Cobmex 
-IOF Business Furniture
-Umbra
-Vitaly Design (started working with when under 30 people)
-Clean My Space (started working with when under 30 people)
-Bioconnect (started working with when under 50 people)

Founder & CEO + Recruitment Advisor

5 to 9 Society

5 to 9 Society is an invite-only network for the bold, the brilliant, and the builders. We connect high-performing operators, visionary founders, and sharp-eyed investors who aren’t just working 9 to 5, they’re creating their legacy from 5 to 9.

Born from a deeply curated network, the Society is part secret society, part talent marketplace, built to foster meaningful introductions, powerful collaborations, and rare opportunities. No fluff, no noise, no LinkedIn mass pitches. Just real access to people who move the needle.

We believe the most valuable rooms are the ones no one knows about, and we’re building one of them.

If you move fast, think big, and like to play in rare air, you're in the right place.

Membership is by invitation or referral only.

Reach out to me if you’d like to learn more.

Founding Member

Hipo | High Potential Hires (formerly HiredHippo)

We are on a mission to redefine how teams hire for startups and attract the best off-market talent.

Today's strategy to find top talent is completely broken. If we think about where our best employees come from, they are almost always found via referrals and our own network. However, the challenge is that referrals are never enough to fill our entire hiring pipeline. So we end up needing to leverage job boards to fill out the rest of our candidate pool.

The downside? The best candidates don't apply online. Top candidates are usually employed, and even have people coming to THEM proactively with job offers. There's no reason for them to be handing out their resumes. Because of that, the candidates we get are often hit-or-miss, it takes forever to screen them, and sometimes, we just hire the wrong person.

Enter HiredHippo.

We built a network and platform that consists of only the top startup talent. These are the folks that are stars at what they do, are not findable on typical job boards, and usually only talk to companies if they are referred in. We then utilize smart matching of that top talent with you based on work environment, compensation, the business problem the job solves and experience, so you can bring on not just a high performer, but someone who actually meshes with your team. And we do this all while reducing how long it takes for you to screen, and cost spent hiring.

Current HiredHippo clients in Toronto:
- League
- LevelJump
- FormHero
- Identos
- Black and Decker 
- ThinkResearch
- Coinsquare
- Telus
- GreenTank

Reach out directly adam@hiredhippo.ai if you are interested in learning more!

Founder

Stack & Sprout

Angel Investor

DisruptHR Vaughan

DisruptHR is a global brand and community that makes connecting with all the latest and greatest things in HR a whole lot of fun. 

Myself, along with Giorogio Follegati (Benchmark Benefits), Christine Song (HR Consultant + ChefHero) and Stephanie Chen (Marsh Canada) saw there was a gap in HR events in mega community of Vaughan, north of Toronto. We created our first ever event at McMichael Canadian Art Collection in 2019. 

Speakers have included executives from McDonalds, CIBC, Opencare, Worktango and more.

Once in a while an event series is born that shakes things up, it makes you think differently, it leaves you inspired. That event is DisruptHR.

14 speakers, 5 minutes each, and slides rotate every 15 seconds. Teach us something, but make it quick.

If you’re an HR professional, a CEO, a technologist, a community leader – and you’ve got something to say about talent, culture or technology – Disrupt is the place.

Co-Founder & Organizer

Lionshield

Advisory for Corporate Talent Acquisition for all invested companies under Lionshield's portfolio. 

Acting as HR and Talent support for Investors, Advisors, Acquisitions, and Portfolio companies.

Align talent strategies with business objectives across all portfolio companies, ensuring process consistency while catering to individual company needs.

Head of Talent (Advisory Role)

The Help List

When COVID19 hit Canada, the first thought that crossed our minds was: "There are going to be a lot of professionals who's job will be affected by the lockdown." Together with Marianne Bulger (Prospect.fyi) and Adam Bercovici (Luminari) we knew we needed to do something to help.

Taking a page from start-ups who had done this before internally, we thought "What if there was a list for all Canadian tech workers who got let go because of the COVID pandemic?"

2 days later, and we had a hacky G-sheet up and running. Within one month, we had thousands of Canadian tech workers signing up to the service. Fast forward a few more months, with over 5,000 professionals signed up, and hundreds of candidates getting interviews and jobs through The Help List, we realized it was getting way bigger than we ever thought possible.

In coordination with Prospect.fyi - a non-for-profit start-up career hub, we decided to move The Help List under the Prospect.fyi umbrella.

To date, countless people around the world reached out to leverage our playbook to start a Help List in their own country, helping countless professionals find new roles during the COVID19 pandemic.

Co-Founder

WeMovePeople

WeMovePeople (formerly Perreault International)

Recruitment agency specializing in Engineering and Technology positions within the Automotive Manufacturing, IT, and Energy Industries.

Generated 1M+ Revenue creating relationships from scratch with Magna, Johnson Controls, Multimatic, AMEC, Jacobs Engineering, CH2M Hill and more.

In charge of the overall growth and function of the office including; hiring, training, managing, administration and payroll for all staff. 

Responsible for new business development, marketing, process and technology improvements.

Accomplished the creation of an energy recruitment division through my own initiative and vision. The success of the department led to additional revenue streams and hiring of key personnel. 

Dealt with Health and Safety Standards for WSIB (Ontario) and WCB (Alberta).

Assisted with the development of alternative recruitment strategies and a custom applicant tracking system (ATS).

Director of Recruitment

WeMovePeople (formerly Perreault International)

Recruitment agency specializing in Engineering and Technology positions within the Automotive Manufacturing, IT, and Energy Industries.

Trusted to provide both permanent and contract full-cycle recruitment services for management, technical and non-technical positions in high demand.

Spearheaded long-term relationships with clients that included: Magna, Johnson Controls, Multimatic, AMEC, Jacobs Engineering, CH2M Hill and more.

Engineering Recruitment Specialist

Building the greatest marketplace of pre-vetted high-potential candidates and companies 🚀 | Founder @HiredHippo 🦛 | Founder @Linkus 🎯 | Co-Founder @HelpList ⚡️ | Named the Peak's 2023 Emerging Leader

I help startups and SMBs hire top performers for niche, hard-to-fill roles.

15+ years ago, I discovered that most companies were hiring all wrong. Since then, I've been obsessed with cracking the code on recruitment – building a process that actually works for both sides of the table.

In 2009, I founded Linkus Group. What began as a mission to support startups and SMBs as they scale has now evolved into a high-touch, well-connected recruitment partnership that recognizes people as a company's most valuable asset.

Here's what we learned along the way: exceptional hiring isn't about posting jobs and hoping. It's about strategically attracting talent across Executive, Operations, Revenue & Marketing, Engineering & Product, Finance, and HR roles. We handle the complete talent lifecycle from attraction and discovery to culture building and long-term retention.

The results speak for themselves. Over 500+ companies have trusted us with their growth. We've placed 1,000+ hires with a 95% retention rate. Our #1 KPI is repeat business. Companies keep coming back because we find the best person for the job in the shortest amount of time, for the lowest cost.

We're selective about our partnerships. We typically only accept referrals and work with companies from early stage through their growth journey – 1 to 250+ employees, bootstrapped to Series B and beyond. We focus on Senior to Executive roles because that's where the right hire makes or breaks momentum.

Ready to skip the hiring headaches and land your ideal candidate quickly? Let's talk.

Founder & CEO | Linkus Group Recruitment Redefined
Tech Founder | Hipo (HiredHippo)
Host | Offer Accepted Podcast
Founding Member | 5-9 Society
Co-Founder | TalentHelp List
Co-Founder | DisruptHR Vaughn
Former Chair | HRPA PD Dinner Committee
2023 Emerging Leader | Peak

www.recruiteradam.com

"Being cheap with talent is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make." - Alex Hormozi

Adam Gellert

We hired the best person for our client in 5 days (again). Beep beep.

Speed does not compromise quality. Poor execution does. Hire slow is BS. 

This candidate had multiple offers and still chose our client because the process was clear, fast, and respectful. When you know exactly what you want and everyone is aligned, the right people move toward you.

It gets better. The company we recruited them from called us after to help replace them because the candidate was that good. That is what happens when you prioritize clarity, speed, and candidate care.

Hiring becomes simple when you stay aligned, move quickly, and put people first. That is how you win.

Founder & CEO Linkus Group + Hipo | Startup & SMB Hiring Expert | Hiring High-Potential Talent 9× Faster | Top LinkedIn Recruiting & Retention Voice

Give me just 90 seconds, and I’ll make you great at hiring top performers.

Here are 3 non-negotiables you need to close more hires with less friction and fewer surprises.

1. Transparency

If the job changes mid-process or the role gets re-scoped and you hide that, you lose trust. A candidate will forgive almost anything except feeling misled. The number one reason we hear from talent for leaving their current employer is that the job wasn't as represented in the interview. They need to know what they are walking into. Candidates will always choose the offer with clarity.

2. Alignment

When the skills, experience, interests, and motivation are not aligned on both sides, the candidate's and the company's visions of what the next step looks like for both of them, it will not work. Period. The best hires want to solve the problems you actually have, not the ones you think you have. If the person wants growth and your role is stagnant, I'll put my money on them leaving.

3. Candidate Experience

If your process is slow, vague, inconsistent, or disrespectful of time, the offer stage becomes 10x harder. There are only a select few high performers, and you will burn that bridge fast. Top talent judges your company by how you treat them while they are not yet hired. Plus, don't forget, referrals are the easiest way to hire well, and a tight candidate experience will improve referrals exponentially. 

Remember, transparency, alignment, and candidate experience will improve your hiring by 10x, but it will be all for nothing if, during the recruiting phase, you don't know the core business problem this hire will be solving, what good looks like, and how to attract and identify fit. That part takes 10K+ hours of at-bats plus great process and instincts.

But for the hiring phase, once you have identified a real contender, these 3 are everything.

Hiring is not magic or hard. It is clarity, alignment, and respect executed quickly.

Most recruiters won’t say this.

Hiring more people is almost never the answer.

Hiring better people is.

15+ years building teams taught me one thing
The biggest unlock isn’t headcount.
It’s quality per seat.

Here’s what I mean

-> The right person moves faster
-> They build trust quicker
-> They take ownership without being pushed

That creates more output
More accountability
And WAY less friction

And this is where most companies get stuck
They think they're “filling the role.”
Instead of raising the bar and always looking to level up their teams.

My advice
Hire less
Hire better
Protect your standards.

Curious if this resonates.

You don’t need a bigger candidate pool. You need a better filter.

Hiring doesn’t have to take months.

The slow part isn’t finding candidates, it’s sifting through the wrong ones.

We pre-vet every single person before you even meet them.
References, alignment, fit. Done.

That’s how you go from a 90-day hiring cycle… to a 7-day one.

Takeaways (Better Filter = Faster Hire):
-> Define must-haves, not nice-to-haves. Clarity upfront avoids wasted interviews.
-> Check references early. Don’t wait until the end to find red flags.
-> Match for alignment + intent, skills matter, but so does wanting this role at this stage.
-> Cut interview bloat. Every round should have a purpose, not just “one more convo.”

When you put the right filter in place, speed isn’t the tradeoff for quality; it’s the result of it.

We are working on a Lead Engineering role for a post Series A software startup. Solid team and product. Strong backers. This hire matters.

We’ve got a candidate that we had to push back on because they were originally a “no” on paper. They would certainly have been have been a no if they had applied. 

“I was not excited when I saw his resume at all, but met him today and he was great, moving him on to the next stage.”

Then they not only made it past the first round, the technical, and now in finals.  

This is exactly why resumes suck.

If you rely on resumes you miss people. If you treat hiring like checking boxes you screen out the good ones. When you eat, breathe and sleep recruiting, hiring and retention, you don’t get fooled by polish.

You look deeper. You look for real signal.

What I care about:

-> Ownership and grit
-> Curiosity and problem solving
-> Builder mentality
-> Intent and alignment
-> The ability to grow with the business
-> Someone who actually cares about the mission

This is what happens when you have someone who truly knows recruiting in your corner. Someone who understands your business problem and who screens for fit and performance, not just keywords.

We don’t present resumes. We present people.

We don’t chase candidates. We attract the right ones.

We don’t fill roles. We solve hiring problems.

Transparency. Alignment. Fit.

That is the difference.

graphical user interface, text, application

If you’re still using the same interview questions from 10 years ago… you’re doing it wrong.

Interviews aren’t about ticking boxes.

They’re about predicting performance.

Think of it like a podcast.

You’re not grilling someone. You’re having a real conversation.

Go deep. Act like you’re already working together.

The flow should feel balanced. Questions on both sides.

What to ask?

1. Proof: past examples of wins and misses.
2. Pressure: how they adapt when things break.
3. Perspective: how their experience stacks up against others.
4. Expectations: what’s missing, and what they need to succeed.

Hiring for the past is easy.

Hiring for the future? That’s where you win.

If your interviews don’t feel like this, you might be missing out. 

What’s your go-to question that always reveals the truth?

Incredible night, extremely well executed, with an ambitious room of classy people doing really big things in startup. Very exciting to be a part of it. Ripple Ventures is at the top of the game.

WHAT A NIGHT! 🎄 

Huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out to our Annual Holiday Party last week — wow, did we have fun or what!

Hanging out with the best crew of early-stage founders and operators was the fantastic way to kick off the holiday season. You all spent the year sprinting, shipping, breaking things, and proving that magic really does happen at pre-seed. Your energy, grit, and wild creativity make the whole Ripple community so powerful.

For one evening, we actually slowed down, grabbed drinks, swapped war stories, laughed, and celebrated our founders. Special shoutout to all our award winners, congratulations again! ✨ 

Most Active Tank Slack Member: Mike Kim - Mycroft
Fastest Growing Company: Matt Espinoza ✦ & Ryan Kaufman ✦ - Clover Labs
Most Punctual Monthly Updates: Braden Ream - Voiceflow
Most Intro Requests: Nauman Hafeez & Eli Costea - NetNow Inc.
Night Owl Texter: Jenna Earnshaw - Wisedocs
Most Tenacious Founder: Moe Katib - Pica
Most Valuable Venture Partner: Rahul Parmar 
Most Co-op Jobs Created: Shiva Bhardwaj - Pitstop

We're grateful to collaborate with amazing co-hosts to bring the evening to life:
Fasken, Kraft Berger LLP Chartered Professional Accountants, Singer Steinberg Professional Corp., Linkus Group, Caylent, and DoiT. 

Here’s to finishing the year on the highest of highs, and to all the ridiculous, world-changing things we’re going to build together next year.

Cheers to you, cheers to us, and cheers to the best community in startups! 

We'll see you in 2026 — let's make even a bigger splash 🌊 

cc: Matt Cohen Dominic Lau Katie Ko Jay Lee Kate Grant Will Shaw Marc Shewchun Justin Abrams, CPA, CA Adam Singer Adam Gellert Andry Tanusdjaja, CPA, CFA Jake Teufel Ganan Gajendran

Someone asked me this:

“I’d love to work with you, but the market’s not great, and recruiters are taking less.”

I’ve heard variations of this every week for years.

If you’re not recruiting 24/7, you don’t actually see the market. You’re looking at lagging signals.

We’re seeing real movement again.
Confidence is returning.
Top people are getting scooped up fast.

And every role now has a deeper requirement. Companies are investing to maximize every seat with the right hire, not the cheapest one.

You don’t need a recruiter if none of this is your pain:

❌  you think AI can replace real recruiting judgment
❌  you believe posting jobs counts as proactive outreach
❌  you assume referrals will magically deliver the right candidates
❌  you’re okay losing people to faster companies
❌  you want your team spending time recruiting instead of doing their actual jobs

But if you want something different, here’s what actually matters:

✅  someone who understands your business and your hiring needs
✅  someone aligned with your brand and your standards
✅  someone who finds long-term fits, not warm bodies
✅  someone who reduces months of hiring delays into weeks
✅  someone who filters out the noise and only shows you real contenders
✅  someone who screens for alignment, intent, and performance before they ever hit your calendar

It’s not about choosing the cheapest option.

It’s about choosing the one that protects your time, your momentum, and your future team.

Hiring isn’t a cost. It’s a strategic lever.

Your business will become the people you hire. Choose wisely.

Eric Rafat

FoundersPress

TheFoundersPress.com is a media platform covering startup news and tech. There are many stories that go untold so we are bringing the spotlight for founders to showcase their stories on a global scale. Got a story want to submit? Get in touch.

Founder & CEO

FoundersBeta

FoundersBeta.com is the ultimate online hub for startups. With more than 7,000 members, it’s the top destination to connect with talent and resources to build a successful startup

Become a member here: https://www.foundersbeta.com/membership/

Awards: 
Winner of Amplifund Startup Competition at Edge Sheridan June 2019

Founder & CEO 

CofoundersBeta

Looking for a cofounder? CofoundersBeta.com is a startup cofounder matching platform to get match with a cofounder. The site also has a directory with 1,000+ resources such as top companies, accelerators, meetups, conferences, and groups in over 30+ cities across the globe. Submit a profile today.

Keyobi

Founders Canada

Online platform connecting Canadian entrepreneurs with key resources and people across Canada. 

Since the inception accomplished the following: 
– Led the community of founders, students, professionals and investors from 0 members to 4,000+ across Canada 
– Our team has volunteered over 1,000+ hours combined to build up our community across Canada
– 5+ references for our volunteers that help to land full-time employment
– 10+ cofounder matches and meaningful connections
– 10+ Canadian Startup Product tested via Beta Committee
– 12+ Startup Email Newsletter delivered in mailbox
– 20+ students gaining valuable experience and connections with our projects
– And more to come!

Open Sky Incubator

Open Sky Incubator is a privately-funded incubator providing the Kitchener-Waterloo region with an ecosystem to help technology businesses and professionals grow. 

Visit www.openskyincubator.ca

Head Of Marketing

I'm a passionate startup founder with expertise in growth marketing, building online communities, SEO, and product development. Check out my site: EricRafat.com. I am currently working on FoundersBeta, FoundersPress & Cofoundersbeta to build the ultimate ecosystem for companies to scale up. I believe in the power of community to create opportunities for all. I'm also a top ranked tennis player and like to play chess. I'm always up for a conversation about business, marketing, and tennis. 

Area of Expertise: 
- Marketing and Growth hacking: Community Building, Content Marketing, Social Strategy and Community Management, Email Marketing, Software as a Service (SaaS), Startup Branding, Guerrilla tactics, Side-project Marketing, Lead generation, SEO, SEM, PPC, and link building
- Product Development: MVP, user acquisition, user retention
- Web App Development: WordPress, HTML, CSS, CMS
- Team Building: Recruitment and retention 

Speaker & Professional Talks: 
- Startup Judge at Laurier University March 24, 2024 
- Speaker at University of Western Career Fair, Feb 27 2024
- Speaker at Startup Laurier at Laurier University, Nov 8 2023
- Wagefest by Wagepoint October 5, 2022 
- Harvard University April 29, 2022
- Guest speaker Humber College April 7, 2021 
- Startup Judge Cohort Pitch Sheridan College and UTM, August 25, 2020 
- Canadian Undergraduate Tech Conference July 18, 2020
- TechTO Speaker April 27, 2020 
- Guest speaker Sheridan College Marketing program, Dec 5, 2019
- Startup Judge Sheridan College Leap Labs, Nov 28, 2019
- Startup Judge Next Canada - Oct 5, 2019
- Ryerson University Startup Judge with Sage Canada National Competition presented the awards - May18, 2018
- Ryerson University Finding Cofounders and Building a Startup Team - October 27, 2016
- Ryerson University Twitter Chat Voices of Experience: Entrepreneurship - Nov. 10, 2016
- University of Toronto Mississauga Student Entrepreneurship: Featured Speaker - Nov. 18, 2016
- Startup Tech Unleashed Open Sky Incubator Waterloo: Featured Speaker -  Nov. 29, 2016 
- Get connected 2017 at Communitech for University of Waterloo students - March 24, 2017

BREAKKKKINNNNNNG! CANADIAN STARTUP DOCUMENTARY FILM OFFICIAL TRAILER. We’re beyond thrilled to announce the trailer for the first-ever Canadian startup documentary film. This short film showcases the journey of some incredible founders and leaders behind rising companies. It features the stories of Mark Bania, Jared Ferrall 🍜, Miki Ferrall, Khalil Khamis, Ryan Burgio, and Patrick W Belliveau. Stay tuned for the release of the full film. P.S. Come and partner with us on this film to support the Canadian innovators that creating economic opportunities here: foundersbeta.com/film 🇨🇦🚀

Founder & CEO at FoundersBeta & FoundersPress

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