Jake Huber

Scaled 3 unicorns🦄 & teams from 0→250+ | 125+ founders read my newsletter to scale their teams smarter 📈🧠

At Uber, I scaled my team from 0→50 people <1yr.

Now I help Seed & Series A+ startup founders scale their teams. Here's how ↓

I learned how to scale teams the hard way.

At Uber, I grew our team from 0→50 in under a year. 

At Industrious, we launched 10 locations and I built a 30-person team. 

At Veho, we 4×’d headcount (70→285) and increased weekly inbound applicants +495% in 6 months. 

Those wins all had one thing in common: a great recruiter embedded with the team—and simple, repeatable systems.

Before that, my first startup failed. I didn’t know how to hire, train, or manage yet. If I could go back, I’d tell “Past Jake” to stop duct-taping recruiting and bring in real help—without signing up for agency commissions or a full-time hire too early.

That’s why I built Venture Scaler.

🚀 Venture Scaler = A Startup-Friendly Way to Hire

We place an expert, senior recruiter (ex-Uber/Dropbox/Spotify, etc.) directly on your team—fractionally. Hourly. Month-to-month. No commissions. No long-term contracts. We run the full search like your in-house recruiter so you can stay focused on building product and talking to customers.

How It Works (It’s simple on purpose):

1. Perfect-Fit Profile Guarantee: We align on 5–10 candidate profiles before outreach so we don’t waste cycles.

2. End-to-End Execution: Sourcing, screening, coordination, and candidate experience handled.

3. Tight Comms: Weekly check-ins + async updates so you always know pipeline, blockers, and next steps.

4. Flex Up/Down: Add hours when you’re sprinting; pause when you’re not hiring.

Why founders pick us:

4× Faster to Hire: UpSmith’s first sales hire closed in 5 weeks after a 5-month stall.

~90% Cost Savings vs Agencies: Honey Homes saved ~$230k in two months of hiring.

Scale at Speed: At Veho we 4×’d the team and built an engine for inbound talent.

If you’re Seed or Series A, need to make a few critical hires, and don’t want to overbuild headcount or pay 25% fees, this model was built for you.

💬 Hiring right now? DM me here or visit venturescaler.com. I’m happy to share my hiring playbooks (the same ones we used at Uber/Veho) or dig into your roles and recommend a plan.

Learn more: https://venturescaler.com

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P.S. Outside of work and scaling startups:
👯‍♀️ I’m a girl dad x2
🏕 A backpacker/camper
🎭 Trained at UCB in improv comedy
💍 Secretly proposed to my wife using Uber: https://youtu.be/uRi_B5CxWZ8

Startup Mentor

“Jake is an incredible sounding board that provides tactical tips, resources and introductions to help navigate crisis’ and challenges. He has an innate ability to level with you on any subject. During my three months with Jake I looked forward to every call as we hashed through 5-10 topics at a time spanning from affiliate & growth strategies to recruiting and mindset.”

~April Dominguez, CEO & Founder of Handsome

First Round Fast Track by First Round Capital matches seasoned startup leaders with early-stage founders and team members within a unique mentorship community. First Round Capital is a seed-stage venture capital firm focused on building a community of technology entrepreneurs and companies.

I wasted 3 weeks interviewing a candidate only to have them reject my offer over salary 🤦

And it wasn’t even a small amount. We were worlds apart.

I never made that mistake again.

Here's how you can avoid it:

Have the compensation conversation EARLY.

I'm talking first call with the recruiter or hiring manager. Get it out of the way upfront.

Why this works:

- Saves everyone's time if there's a huge mismatch
- Shows candidates you value transparency
- Allows you to gauge interest/excitement level
- Gives you time to get creative on comp if needed

My go-to script:

"I like to have an open conversation about compensation expectations early on. What I'd hate is to go through this whole process only to realize we're worlds apart on comp. So what are your expectations in terms of base salary?"

Then be prepared to share your budgeted range as well.

Pro tip: Frame it as "aligning expectations" rather than "negotiating." You're just making sure you're in the same ballpark.

What's your take - should comp be discussed early or saved for the offer stage?

Drop a comment with your view. Curious to hear different perspectives on this!

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🤝 Need hiring help? Let's chat! DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

Scaled teams from 0→250+ at 3 unicorns🦄 | Early Uber | Startup Founder & Operator

Recruiting agencies are bleeding startups dry.

Most charge 25% of first-year salary as commission.

Hire 4 people at $100K each? That’s $100K in fees.

Congrats—you just gave away Employee #5's salary to an agency.

Founders at Seed and Series A can’t afford that kind of burn. And you also don’t need a full-time recruiter yet.

That’s where a fractional recruiter comes in to save your runway.

Here’s why our model at 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 works better for early-stage teams:

1. A-player recruiters hire A-players
↳ Our team comes from Uber, Dropbox, Spotify. You’re not just renting offshore juniors, you’re renting experts with playbooks.

2. Keep your runway
↳ We helped our client (Honey Homes) hire 13 people in 2 months and saved them $230K vs agencies. That’s basically 2-3 hires “for free.”

3. Flex with your needs
↳ Ramp up during a hiring sprint, scale down when roles are filled. Our model is month-to-month and low risk.

4. Pay for time, not commissions
↳ Hourly recruiting means you only pay for the hours worked. No hidden fees.

Pro tip: Every dollar you don’t spend on recruiter commissions is a dollar you can reinvest into growth.

At your current stage, does paying 25% per hire actually make sense?

👉 DM me if you want to explore the “anti-agency” way of hiring.

“We kept losing our top candidates right before the finish line.”

That’s how a founder started our first call.

They were running a 6-round interview process.

Each candidate met seven different people across three weeks. By the end, the team was exhausted, and the best candidates had already accepted other offers.

Classic startup trap: thinking more interviews = better hiring decisions.

It’s actually the opposite.

Our fractional recruiter stepped in and ran a quick audit.

We realized every stage overlapped and half the interviews asked the same questions.

Here’s what we changed:

1. Consolidated six rounds into three, each with a clear focus area.

2. Built an interview scorecard so decisions were based on evidence, not “gut feel.”

3. Trained the team on closing tactics—how to sell the opportunity throughout the process, not just at the end.

The next three offers? All accepted.
Same team. Same talent market. Completely different results.

The founder told me afterward:

“I can’t believe we made hiring feel like a second full-time job—for the candidates.”

That’s the difference structure makes. A fractional recruiter turns chaos into momentum.

How long is your interview process right now?

DM me and I’ll tell you exactly where most startups lose candidates before they even realize it.

“Our People team is literally just me... and I’m drowning.”

That’s what a Series A Head of People told us on our intro call.

She was managing everything: recruiting, onboarding, payroll, benefits... everything.

Oh, and she still had five open roles to fill across engineering, ops, and GTM.

Her calendar looked like a Tetris game that never ended.

Every founder’s dream—“we’ll hire HR early”—had turned into one person juggling 12 jobs.

So we plugged in a fractional recruiter to take the hiring load off her plate.

Here’s what happened next:

Week 1: We built a sourcing plan for all five roles, complete with target company lists and outreach templates.

Week 2: We handled all outbound sourcing, first-round screens, and scheduling—freeing her to focus on onboarding and culture work.

Week 3: We delivered qualified candidate slates for every role and prepped hiring managers for final interviews.

By the end of the first month, two offers were out, one already accepted, and (most importantly) she finally got her calendar back.

When we wrapped, she told me:

“I finally got to do the strategic part of my job instead of living in my inbox.”

That’s the power of a fractional recruiting team—you don’t need to scale your HR headcount to scale your hiring.

If your People team is wearing every hat right now, you don’t need another HR generalist.

You need backup.

DM me and I’ll show you how we give teams like yours their time (and sanity) back in week one.

Recruiting agencies are terrible for startups.

🤩 What startups want:
→ Interviews with high-fit talent
→ Flexible month-to-month plans
→ Transparent, affordable pricing
→ Expert recruiters with startup exp.

😿 What startups get:
→ Most candidates are poor fit
→ Exclusivity, binding contracts
→ Expensive commissions per head
→ Offshore recruiters with low exp.

That's why we created Venture Scaler—the exact recruiting service that we, as founders, would actually want to work with.

Our recruiters worked at high-growth startups like Uber, Dropbox, Lime & Spotify

We've hired hundreds of people for dozens of clients.

Our recruiting team all has a median 7+ years of experience.

Whether you're hiring for the first time or trying to scale your team—we can help.
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👉 Need help with hiring? Let's chat! DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message

Is it just me, or does hiring feels like a second job when you already have a FT job, lol?

If you’re a department leader, you know the loop:

- You’re trying to hit goals.
- Unblock your team.
- Ship product.
- Close deals.

And now you’re also expected to be a recruiter, coordinator, and full time inbox monitor.

I’ve been there.

Earlier in my career, I owned hiring while running a team and it was exhausting.

Not because I didn’t care.

Because recruiting expands to fill every empty crack in your day.

Here’s what the “hiring manager black hole” looks like from the inside:

- You finally get a slate of candidates.
- Then your calendar explodes.
- You tell yourself you’ll send feedback tonight.
- Tonight turns into tomorrow.
- Tomorrow turns into “can we push to next week?”

Meanwhile the candidate thinks you’re not interested, or the company is disorganized.

...And they move on.

The painful part: you didn’t lose them because you’re a bad leader.

You lost them because nobody owned the process end to end.

A simple fix that respects your time:

1. Set a 24 hour feedback rule: Not because it’s fun, because it keeps momentum.

2. Batch interviews into 2-3 days a week, or a specific block each day: No constant context switching.

3. Schedule debriefs in advance and assign an owner: Decision time should not be a scavenger hunt.

4. Give one person full ownership of scheduling, follow ups, and pipeline hygiene: So you can focus on evaluating and closing.

This is exactly where a fractional recruiter helps.

At Venture Scaler, we run the machine so hiring managers can stay in their lane: leading their team and making great decisions, not chasing calendars.

If you’re a hiring manager, what part feels most like the second job: scheduling, feedback, or selling the role?

DM me if you want to take this recruiting work off your team's plate.

We helped Veho scale their team 4X from 70→285 people & increase their applicant pipeline by 500% in 6 months.

When we started working with Ita, they were already at 70 people and didn’t have any internal recruiters. Not even a HR/People Ops person.

(Honestly, they should have had one like 40 people ago)

We placed two of our expert recruiters to work with his team to hire across multiple depts including Ops, Eng & Product.

One of our recruiters worked directly with their Head of Driver team, and the other worked directly with their CTO.

It was like they were part of their team, acting like the in-house recruiters they needed so badly.

And the Veho team loved it.

This is the origin story of the “rent-a-recruiter” model we use today.

But the thing I’m most proud of is this:

We were able to help Veho “replace” us. 

We hired their VP of People Ops and multiple full-time internal recruiters.

I’m so proud that we got to be a small part of their growth story during those early years.

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👉 Need help with hiring? Let's chat! DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

Does your growing startup need a r̶e̶c̶r̶u̶i̶t̶e̶r̶ Erin?

The founders who work with us—they get it.

They get how we’re different and a better fit for them:

- Startup-friendly flexible terms
- Expert recruiters (like Erin)
- Zero commissions

Our client results speak for themselves:

- 6x more applicants
- 90% cost savings
- 4x faster hires

And not only that, they talk about us with their founder friends.

Fun fact: Marisa came from a referral from another one of our clients!

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👉 Need help with hiring? Let's chat! DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

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Have you felt this pain before? Needing somebody in the seat so badly, but not finding the right hire after months of searching.

Maybe you're in a similar situation as Wyatt?

He was getting good intros from his investors and network.

But Wyatt was still struggling to find the right person for his first sales hire.

He wasn’t getting the right fit.

And he had a small team without an internal recruiter to support him.

And that's where Venture Scaler came in...

We matched Wyatt up with an expert recruiter and got tight on exactly the right profile for the person he needed in the role.

We started scouting and outbound sourcing immediately (which they weren’t able to do much of before) and started setting up interviews within the week.

We helped Wyatt find his “dream hire” in less than 6 weeks.

👉 Struggling to find the right candidates? Let's chat! DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

“I’m doing payroll at night... and recruiting during lunch.”

That’s what a Series A People lead told me on a call recently.

She was the People team of one.

Hiring. Onboarding. Benefits. Payroll changes. Manager questions. Policy stuff.
Plus six open roles that the business needed yesterday.

And the scary part wasn't the open reqs.

It was the slow creep toward burnout.

Because when your only People leader is spread that thin, two things happen:

1. Hiring becomes reactive.
2. And retention becomes an afterthought.

So we plugged in one of our fractional recruiters to take sourcing and screening completely off her plate.

Here’s what we did in the first two weeks:

1️⃣ Built role scorecards with each hiring manager so everyone agreed on the persona up front.

2️⃣ Created targeted sourcing lists per role, not “spray and pray.”

3️⃣ Ran all outbound outreach, first-round screens, and candidate comms.

4️⃣ Delivered weekly shortlists with clear signal, not resume piles.

Suddenly she wasn’t living in her inbox trying to keep candidates warm.

She was back doing the work that actually protects the company:
Onboarding, manager coaching, culture, and keeping great people from leaving.

Her message after Week 2:

“I forgot what it felt like to close my laptop at 5.”

That’s the point of fractional recruiting.

You don’t need to hire a full-time recruiter to get full-time recruiting coverage.
You just need the right support at the right moment.

If your People leader is drowning right now, what’s it costing you?

DM me and I’ll show you how we plug in fast without adding long-term headcount.

I've wasted $300k on bad hires. Here are 5 red flags I now look for:

1. Frequent job changes without growth 

Occasional moves are fine (esp with all the layoffs the last 2yrs), but a pattern of short stints is concerning. It often signals performance issues or missing quotas in sales roles.

2. Misalignment with company stage

Someone who's only worked at large enterprises may struggle in an early-stage startup environment. Look for relevant experience.

3. Lack of preparation

Did they research your company? Do they have thoughtful questions? Preparation shows genuine interest and initiative.

4. Rudeness or poor communication

How candidates treat everyone in the process, from recruiters to interviewers, is telling. Rudeness is a major red flag.

5. Misalignment with mission/values

Can they articulate why they want to join your company specifically? Passionate, aligned candidates will stand out.

What other red flags do you look for when hiring? Share your thoughts in the comments!

🤝 Need hiring help? DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

Forget signing bonuses - here's how we got 95% of candidates to say "Yes"

Simple: We celebrated the job offer (don't sleep on this).

It's the final push that cements a candidate's decision to join your startup.

3 ways to do it right:

1. Personal emails from the interview team

Have everyone who interviewed the candidate send a quick note saying how excited they are. Shows the candidate is already part of the team.

2. Virtual meet & greet

Set up a casual video call for the candidate to meet more of the team. Builds excitement and connection before day 1.

3. Personalized welcome package

Send company swag, a handwritten note, or small gift to their home. Makes them feel valued from the start.

The goal? Create so much excitement that backing out becomes unthinkable.

Remember: Your job isn't done when they accept the offer. Keep the momentum going until their first day.

What creative ways have you celebrated new hires? Share yours below!
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👉 Need help with hiring? Let's chat! DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

Waylucid

Strategic Client Management: Develop and maintain relationships with high-value clients by understanding their needs and presenting AR solutions that meet their business objectives.

Sales Pipeline Development: Create and manage a comprehensive sales funnel, identifying key opportunities for augmented reality integration in potential client operations.

Product Demonstrations: Use AR technology to deliver compelling product demonstrations that highlight functionality and benefits specific to client use cases. Clients and collaborators include:
PwC, GameStop, Publicis, Amazon, NVIDIA and more.

Game Design in Augmented Reality:
Concept & Prototype Development: Conduct brainstorming sessions and lead teams to develop engaging AR game concepts and prototypes.

User Experience Design: Designed and refined the player experience through iterative testing, focusing on enhancing interaction and engagement within AR environments.

Tracking and Analyzing User Metrics: Utilized game analytics to assess player engagement and satisfaction, making data-driven adjustments to improve game retention rates.

Innovative Mechanics Design: Pioneered unique game mechanics using AR technology to create groundbreaking interactive experiences.

Founder

Protocol: Gemini

Innovative Solutions Studio and Think Tank

- Managed development of pioneering AR and VR games and applications, driving sales to well over six figures.
- Managed and coordinated cross-functional teams to deliver innovative projects, including Metagates—a cross-platform open metaverse browser-based  technology.
- Developed engaging and high-impact content for leading UGC platforms, including a standout project on Spatial recognized for its exceptional user engagement.
"Into the Cyberverse" 

https://www.spatial.io/s/Into-The-CYBERVERSE-Episode-1-65258ab91dec16db2e33e42a?share=450608180828370431

- Led the creation of transmedia ARG games and large-scale augmented reality projects, contributing to their widespread success and adoption.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
- Oversaw the launch of Metagates, enhancing user experiences across platforms and establishing a robust digital ecosystem.
- Contributed to one of Spatial’s most engaging and successful projects, significantly boosting user interaction and platform visibility.
- Orchestrated the development of interactive content on Fortnite and other prominent platforms, reinforcing the studio's reputation for innovation and quality.

Founder and CEO

Berkshire Hathaway Automotive

- Spearheaded the design and implementation of sales strategies that was the basis of new hire onboarding.
- Played a key role in managing and mentoring a high-performing sales team, ensuring alignment with company goals.
- Authored and standardized onboarding and sales procedures that enhanced new hire training efficiency by 88%, fostering a quicker integration into company culture and processes.
- Built and maintained robust client relationships, leading to increased customer retention and long-term growth.
- Regularly assessed and adapted sales tactics based on market trends, customer feedback, and competitive analysis.

- Honored as the top sales performer in multiple times for the southwest region; consistently surpassing sales quotas.
- Reduced operational inefficiencies in sales processes, and rates charged by an average of 45%.

Senior Service Manager

As the founder of Waylucid, I'm passionate about reshaping the way we experience events and social interactions through innovative augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. At Waylucid, we strive to create immersive experiences that bring people together, transforming ordinary events into extraordinary (and memorable) experiences. Our unique AR and AI solutions enhance user engagement by seamlessly integrating real-time data and feedback. Innovation is at the heart of what we do, and it's what drives us to the cutting edge of our industry. My journey in pioneering AR experiences is a culmination of almost 10 years, and I'm excited to redefine the future of social connections, one memorable event at a time.

Brenden Dearie

Yesterday I met the mayor.

Well, technically I got to meet 𝟒 mayors.

Mike Pineda, M.Ed.(Avondale), Alexis Hermosillo (El Mirage), Joe Pizzillo (Goodyear), and Ray Malnar Vice Mayor (Glendale) — all on one panel at the W. P. Carey School of Business – Arizona State University Small Business Summit at ASU's West Valley campus.

100+ founders students, and professors in the room. Real conversations about what these cities are ACTUALLY doing to support small businesses.

What stood out to me: 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒅.

We've already been working on some really cool stuff with the City of El Mirage 🤫 , and the pace they move at is honestly impressive. In a world where everyone's talking about #AI and #innovation, these are the cities that are actually doing it.

That matters. Especially for small businesses that can't afford to wait eighteen months because of all that red tape that happens with GOVs and Fortune 500s.

Shoutout to these four for showing up. 🤘 
The West Valley is clearly paying attention.

I've got friends at City of Phoenix and Downtown Phoenix Inc. doing great work too. Shoutout to Braxton Hynes, AZED Pro !!
Next summit, let's get the WHOLE Valley on stage.
Thank you W. P. Carey School of Business for putting this together.
Saurabh M. + Meghana Sridhar + Tam McCreless + Stephanie Tomlin Jacob Taylor + Paniz Hazaveh P.S. maybe we get Kate Gallego  and Lisa Borowsky next time 👀

84% of the world has never used AI. 
32% of iMac buyers had never owned a computer. 

We've been here before...

In 1997, Apple was 90 days from bankruptcy. They'd lost $878 million that year. The board was fractured. The product line was a mess. Microsoft had to

Open article: The iMac Moment for AI is Here by Brenden Dearie • 6 min read

"Spaceships don't come equipped with rearview mirrors." -𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲 𝟯𝟬𝟬𝟬

The Humane AI Pin was a $700 disaster.

-Sold fewer than 10,000 units. 
-Battery lasted 2-4 hours. 
-The laser display was basically invisible outside. 
-Sam Altman backed it. 
-HP bought the scraps.

Everyone called it a failure. And they were right; the execution was terrible.
But the 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙖 wasn't wrong.

The idea was: what if AI met you where you are? No screen to stare at. No app to download. Just ambient intelligence that works in the background of your life.

That idea is winning right now.

Apple is building an AI pin. Bloomberg reported it this week. 

☑️ AirTag-sized. 
☑️ Two cameras. 
☑️ No screen.

OpenAI is building wearable AI hardware.

OpenClaw just exploded; an open-source AI agent that runs on your own hardware and actually does things for you. CNBC, TechCrunch, Forbes can't stop writing about it.

The concept Humane tried to sell for $700 in 2024 is becoming the default in 2026. They were 18 months early.

Here's what that means:

18 months ago, the "right idea" was too early. Today it's mainstream. 18 months from now, it'll be table stakes.

The speed of this curve is what people keep underestimating.

If you're a business that hasn't figured out how AI fits into your operations yet — you're not "behind." You're where Humane's customers were: watching the right idea happen at the wrong time.

Except now the timing is right. And the window is closing.

The companies adopting AI tools today — for customer analytics, for operations, for decision-making — are compounding their advantage daily.

The ones waiting for it to "make sense" are becoming the next Humane. Except without the $200M to cushion the fall.

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