What Tessera does

Tessera (tessera.co) is a boutique executive search firm founded in 2021 and headquartered in New York City, specializing exclusively in placing exceptional software engineers into venture-backed startups. The firm operates on a human-first, relationship-driven model that emphasizes deep candidate assessment, cultural-fit evaluation, and long-term career outcomes over volume recruiting. Its core product is a single, unified executive search service with no modular SaaS components or technology platform underneath — placement is conducted by the founder and a small bench of advisors, with client engagement initiated through direct outreach and Calendly-scheduled calls. The firm does not operate proprietary technology, APIs, or AI tooling; its competitive advantage rests on founder Lewis Fegan's network and the advisory relationships with VC partners (Primary Ventures, Thrive Capital) and senior operators (Ramp, Titan).

Tessera's go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with no public marketing spend, paid channels, or self-serve product. Customer acquisition flows through Lewis Fegan's personal LinkedIn presence, direct referrals from VC partners, and word-of-mouth within the NYC startup ecosystem. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is consistent with standard professional services placement fees (contingency or retained search), where each successful placement generates a percentage of the placed candidate's first-year compensation. The firm has no disclosed funding, no published revenue, and operates within an 11-50 employee band per third-party firmographic data.

Tessera's client portfolio spans enterprise (OpenAI) and venture-backed growth-stage startups (Ramp, Alchemy, Tecton, Pace, Hedra, Outtake), with a notable concentration in AI infrastructure, developer tooling, and security startups. Geographic reach is currently domestic (United States), anchored to the New York metro startup ecosystem. The firm does not disclose incorporation jurisdiction, ownership structure, or institutional investors beyond VC-partner affiliations held by its advisors. Note: multiple unrelated companies share the 'Tessera' brand — an NFT fragmentation protocol (raised $20M from Paradigm in August 2022), a P&C insurance technology platform, and a Solana tokenization venture — none of which are connected to the tessera.co recruiting firm analyzed here.

Name

Tessera

Legal name

Tessera

Website

https://tessera.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tessera is a boutique New York-based executive search firm founded in 2021 that connects venture-backed startups with exceptional software engineers through a relationship-driven, high-touch recruiting model led by CEO Lewis Fegan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search & Technical Recruiting Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

IT & Software Engineering Staffing (BPACADAA)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Engineering recruitment
• Software engineer placement
• Technical talent acquisition
• Boutique search firm

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Recruiting/Search Services: Tessera generates revenue by helping venture-backed startups find and hire exceptional software engineers. As a boutique search firm, they operate on a contingency or retained search basis, placing candidates at client companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tessera is a boutique executive search firm that places exceptional software engineers into venture-backed startups. The service is delivered through a human-first, relationship-driven engagement model that emphasizes cultural fit, candidate quality, and long-term outcomes for both engineers and hiring companies rather than volume-based recruiting.

Product overview

Tessera operates as a single, unified recruiting service focused exclusively on software engineering talent for venture-backed startups. The offering is a boutique executive search service—rather than a platform or modular product—with a human-first, customer-obsessed approach that prioritizes deep relationships and high-touch engagement over volume recruiting. The core service connects exceptional software engineers with startups building world-class engineering teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tessera Executive Search A boutique recruiting and executive search service that places exceptional software engineers into venture-backed startups. The service is human-first and relationship-driven, emphasizing cultural fit, candidate quality, and long-term outcomes for both engineers and hiring companies. Clients include venture-backed startups across the U.S., with notable placements at Ramp, Tecton, Alchemy, Pace, OpenAI, and Hedra.

Quantifiable outcome

• Highest candidate conversion rate from pipeline compared to other recruiters

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• SierraminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase. Sierra is an AI customer service platform.
• ClayminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase. Clay is a data enrichment platform.
• CognitionminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase. Cognition is an AI coding assistant company.
• ModalminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase. Modal is a cloud infrastructure platform.
• ReflectionminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase.
• OuttakeminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase. Outtake is an AI meeting notes platform. Tessera placed Wesley Herts here.
• David AIminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase.
• Sublime SecurityminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase. Sublime Security is a cybersecurity platform.
• TraversalminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase.
• WarpminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase. Warp is a terminal application.
• Listen LabsminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase.
• CrosbyminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase.
• PaceminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase. Pace is a benefits platform. Tessera placed Kim Win here.
• SequoiaminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase. Sequoia is a prominent venture capital firm.
• ProfoundminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase.
• GraphiteminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase. Graphite is a code review platform.
• ValkaiminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase.
• Thrive HoldingsminorOthersPartner company logo displayed on Tessera website as part of client/partner showcase.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Riviera Partners: Riviera Partners is a tech-focused executive search firm placing engineering, product, and design leaders at venture-backed startups and growth-stage tech companies. Directly comparable to Tessera in vertical specialization, boutique high-touch model, and emphasis on cultural fit in VC-backed placements.
• Harnham: Harnham is a boutique search firm specializing in data, analytics, AI, and engineering talent placement for VC-backed startups and enterprise clients. Comparable to Tessera in vertical specialization (high-skill technical talent), boutique customer-obsessed positioning, and concentration in NYC and other major US tech hubs.
• Glocomms: Glocomms is a boutique search firm placing senior technology, product, and engineering talent at high-growth startups and scale-ups globally. Directly comparable to Tessera in boutique customer-obsessed model, focus on senior technical placements, and serving venture-backed tech companies.
• True Search: True Search is an executive search firm specializing in placing C-level, VP, and senior engineering talent for venture-backed and growth-stage technology companies. Closely aligned with Tessera in serving VC-backed tech startups with a relationship-driven, boutique approach.
• StevenDouglas: StevenDouglas is a boutique executive search and staffing firm placing technology, finance, and operations leaders at growth-stage companies. Comparable to Tessera in boutique positioning and serving venture-backed and growth-stage clients, though broader in functional coverage.
• Fairway Partners: Fairway Partners is a boutique retained search firm focused on placing engineering and technology leaders at venture-backed startups. Directly comparable to Tessera in boutique retained model, vertical specialization in engineering, and concentration on early-to-growth stage tech clients.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm with a large Technology practice that recruits senior engineering and product leaders for both startups and enterprises. Competes with Tessera at the executive and senior leadership layer, though operates at much broader scale and with more institutional processes.
• Robert Half: Robert Half is a large staffing and recruiting firm with a dedicated Technology division placing software engineers and developers. Overlaps with Tessera in placing software engineers, though Robert Half serves broader industries, contract and perm roles, and operates at much larger scale.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a global executive search firm with a dedicated Technology & Services practice serving venture-backed and public technology clients. Larger and broader than Tessera, but competes for the same senior engineering and product leadership placements at high-growth startups.

Emerging players

• Built In: Built In is a tech talent platform and community connecting software engineers with startup and tech-company job opportunities. Adjacent to Tessera's recruiting function but operates as a content and job-board platform rather than a direct executive search firm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tessera-web3
• Xx.com/tessera

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors13 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tessera