Episode overview

Gillian Findlay joined Steve Grace on Give It A Nudge as part of the Spark Festival series to talk about two of the most pressing topics in the startup and scale-up world: winning the war for talent and how VCs are actively supporting their portfolio companies through difficult periods. As AirTree’s first Operating Partner, Gill works directly with portfolio founders on operational challenges, drawing on her own experience scaling SafetyCulture from a 25-person early-stage startup to a 300-person business with unicorn status. The conversation covers what it actually means to win on talent when every company is competing for the same finite pool of people, how founders can build a compelling candidate experience, and what support looks like from a VC that takes operator involvement seriously.

The war for talent is unlike anything seen before

Gill describes the current talent environment as one of the most challenging periods for hiring that the tech industry has ever experienced. With the global tech boom accelerating demand while supply remains constrained, startups are competing not just against each other but against listed companies, multinationals, and overseas employers all fishing in the same pool. She argues that startups have structural advantages if they use them well: speed of decision-making, equity participation, direct access to founders, and the ability to offer scope of work that no large company can match.

The candidate experience is your biggest marketing asset

Gill argues that the way a company runs its hiring process is a direct signal of its culture to every candidate who goes through it. Companies that move slowly, give vague feedback, or treat candidates as interchangeable commodities are actively damaging their employer brand with every interaction. She recommends treating the recruitment process as a product: communicate clearly, move fast, and give every candidate a reason to want to join even if they are not ultimately selected.

How AirTree supports portfolio companies on talent

As Operating Partner, Gill’s role extends beyond governance into hands-on operational support. On talent specifically, AirTree provides portfolio companies with access to specialist networks, frameworks for building employer brand, and the collective experience of operators who have scaled teams before. The goal is to give founders leverage on problems that are not core to their product but are nonetheless mission-critical.

Mission clarity is a talent magnet

Gill points to mission clarity as one of the most underused tools in startup talent attraction. When founders can articulate not just what the company does but why it matters and where it is going, they give candidates something to buy into that no salary package can replicate. She notes that at SafetyCulture the mission to make the world a safer place was genuinely compelling, and that candidates took pay cuts to join because the mission resonated more than the compensation.