Lessons from one of the world’s top executive recruiters

Lauren Ipsen is an executive recruiter who has placed over 80 senior product leaders, previously at Daversa Partners and now supporting General Catalyst's consumer and crypto portfolio. The conversation covers how founders should find and hire their first senior product leader, how product leadership roles and titles differ, how to build long-term talent pipelines, and what recruiters often get wrong.

01Key learnings

• Define the outcome and 90-day mandate for a senior product hire before starting the search, rather than hiring a head of product just because the board asks for one.
• Be wary of chasing big-name executives; ask who is best for this specific role at this stage, since senior leaders may be far from the day-to-day work.
• Decide whether the role is platform, core product, or specialist (growth, monetization, design) so you don't expect one leader to do everything.
• Early-stage startups should usually start with 'head of product' rather than C-level titles to avoid overpromising and having to demote later.
• Keep a pulse on the market and build warm relationships with great product people long before you need to hire, ideally by engaging them in advisory roles.
• Use reference checks to probe hard: ask about real weaknesses and whether they'd hire or report to the person again, and rely on back-channel references for a fuller picture.
• Keep stints meaningful and be honest about tenure on your resume; leave each role with impact that colleagues can speak to, and treat candidates as human beings to build trust.
• When engaging a recruiter, test their listening by having them recite your requirements and produce candidate ideas on the spot.

02Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.