Aequitas Partners

What Aequitas Partners does

Aequitas Partners, Inc. is a Philadelphia-headquartered, privately held retained executive search firm founded in 2014 that exclusively serves growth-stage healthcare technology companies. The firm operates on a partner- and principal-led engagement model in which senior leaders personally guide every C-suite, VP, SVP, board, and founder/co-founder search, supported by adjacent services including Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), organization design, compensation audits, DEI advisory, and succession planning. Aequitas is structured around four branded pillars: AQP Search (core executive placement), AQP Scale (organizational consulting and market intelligence), AQP Horizon (long-range planning and DEI), and AQP Intelligence (content and data products).

The firm's underlying intellectual property consists of proprietary content assets—most notably the Health Talent Exchange job board (launched 2020, reaching 350,000+ executives via the March 2026 Second Opinion partnership), the annual Healthcare Executive Compensation Study (6th edition), The Searchlight Weekly newsletter, the quarterly Catalyst Newsletter, the State of Hiring Report, and a DEI Resource Center. Technology integrations disclosed are limited to Segment and PostHog analytics cookies and the Getro-powered job board—Aequitas has no disclosed proprietary AI/ML capabilities.

Aequitas generates revenue primarily through fixed-fee retained executive search engagements (professional services) with multi-year partnership structures, complemented by RPO, organization design, and consulting work. The freemium content and marketplace products (Health Talent Exchange, Compensation Study) appear to serve as client acquisition and brand-building infrastructure rather than material revenue lines. The firm serves a diversified roster of healthcare innovation customers (Proscia, Flock Health, Boulder Care, CommonHealth, CapitalRx, Progyny, Talkiatry, Eden Health, Shields, Somatus, and 30+ others) and maintains referral relationships with over 25 healthcare-focused venture and growth equity firms including Lux Capital, GV, Kleiner Perkins, Oak HC/FT, Deerfield, General Atlantic, and Optum. Headcount is stated at 1–10 employees, with a New York office supplementing the Philadelphia headquarters.

Name

Aequitas Partners

Legal name

Aequitas Partners, Inc.

Website

https://aqpsearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aequitas Partners is a privately held retained executive search firm founded in 2014, specializing exclusively in placing C-suite, board, and founder-level executives at growth-stage healthcare technology companies, supported by adjacent organization design, RPO, and content/market intelligence offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Retained Executive Search: Fixed fee structure for retained search engagements for executive-level placements including C-Suite, VP, Head of, SVP level positions across all functions
2. Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO): Programmatic approach to mid-level hiring at scale, bringing refinement of retained search to segments typically served by contingency staffing
3. Organization Design & Consulting: AQP Scale offerings including comprehensive org design, compensation audits, and market intelligence reports
4. Health Talent Exchange: Free resource bringing together companies hiring and job seekers; completely free for employers to sync job feeds and for talent to join network
5. Compensation Study: Annual definitive guide for executive compensation packages (base, bonus, equity) - free abridged version available, full study sent to participants in December

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aequitas Partners is a retained executive search and human capital advisory firm that recruits C-suite, board, founder/co-founder, and senior leadership talent for high-growth healthcare companies. Beyond placement, it provides Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Organization Design, Compensation Audits, Market Intelligence, DEI advisory, succession planning, and an annual Healthcare Executive Compensation Study, all delivered through partner-led engagements on a fixed-fee basis.

Product overview

Aequitas Partners operates as a unified talent partnership platform for healthcare companies, consisting of four interconnected service pillars: AQP Search (core executive search), AQP Scale (organizational design and market intelligence), AQP Horizon (long-range planning and DEI), and AQP Intelligence (industry insights). The AQP Intelligence platform underpins the entire ecosystem through the Health Talent Exchange job board, Catalyst and Searchlight newsletters, annual Compensation Study, and DEI Resource Center. This integrated approach enables clients to access executive search, organizational consulting, talent market intelligence, and industry research from a single healthcare-focused talent partner.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AQP Search Core executive search service using a refined approach to attraction and retention of top talent at the executive level for high-growth healthcare companies. Includes Executive Search, Board Search, Founder/Co-Founder selection, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) for C-suite, VP, Head of, and SVP-level positions.
• AQP Scale Organizational design and consulting service offering comprehensive Organization Design, Compensation Audits, and Market Intelligence for healthcare companies of all shapes and sizes.
• AQP Horizon Long-range planning service for forward-thinking healthcare leaders and Boards, supporting DEI objective achievement, succession planning, and long-range hiring pipeline development.
• AQP Intelligence Industry insights platform centralizing healthcare intelligence through the Catalyst Newsletter, Health Talent Exchange, Healthcare Executive Compensation Study, and DEI Resource Center to democratize access to information and opportunity.
• Health Talent Exchange Free job board and talent marketplace for healthcare companies and executives. Enables employers to sync job feeds and executives to join the network, supported by a curated job board and promotion through the Second Opinion partnership.
• Healthcare Executive Compensation Study Annual definitive guide for executive compensation packages (base, bonus, equity) and broader market sentiment, focused on Director-level and above healthcare executives. A free abridged version is available, with the full study distributed to participants in December.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Second Opinion (Chrissy Farr)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2026Strategic collaboration on a new job product that highlights open roles via a curated job board and promotion to a combined audience of over 350,000 executives within the broader healthcare technology ecosystem. The partnership combines Aequitas's Health Talent Exchange with Second Opinion's audience reach.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Healthcare practice serving life sciences, medtech, and healthcare services clients. Comparable to Aequitas on the core executive search offering but operates at much larger scale with broader industry coverage.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a strong Healthcare & Life Sciences practice. Directly comparable on executive search services but offers broader portfolio including leadership assessment and culture shaping across all industries.
• Korn Ferry: Major global organizational consulting firm combining executive search with talent assessment, compensation benchmarking, and leadership development. Comparable on executive search and compensation study offerings; overlaps with Aequitas's AQP Scale and AQP Intelligence pillars but at far greater scale.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with a healthcare practice serving payers, providers, and healthcare technology companies. Comparable on retained executive search services for C-suite and board-level placements across the healthcare ecosystem.
• DHR Global: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Healthcare & Life Sciences practice covering providers, payers, and healthcare technology. Comparable on retained executive search but with broader industry coverage and larger geographic footprint than Aequitas.

Direct peers

• B.E. Smith (now part of AMN Healthcare): Healthcare-exclusive executive search and interim leadership firm focused exclusively on hospitals, health systems, and healthcare organizations. Most direct peer to Aequitas in terms of healthcare-only vertical focus, though Aequitas skews more toward venture-backed growth-stage healthcare tech.
• Kirby Partners: Healthcare IT and digital health-focused executive search firm placing CIO, CTO, CISO, and other technology leaders. Directly comparable to Aequitas in serving healthcare technology clients, with similar vertical specialization though narrower IT-functional focus.
• Cejka Search: Healthcare-focused executive search firm serving hospitals, medical groups, and healthcare organizations with C-suite and physician executive placements. Closely comparable to Aequitas on healthcare-only focus and retained search model, though skews more toward established provider organizations rather than venture-backed growth companies.
• SRI Healthcare: Specialized executive search firm focused exclusively on healthcare and life sciences, placing executives across pharma, biotech, medical devices, and digital health. Comparable to Aequitas on healthcare vertical exclusivity and retained search methodology, with similar boutique positioning.

Emerging players

• WalkWater Talent Advisors: Boutique executive search firm with a healthcare technology and digital health practice. Comparable to Aequitas on healthcare-tech vertical focus and boutique positioning, though smaller scale and more limited brand presence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aequitas-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Aequitas Partners