Position
Position is a Nashville-based boutique retained executive search firm founded in 2018 that places senior leadership at venture-backed startups across Consumer, Crypto/Fintech, Hardtech, and SaaS verticals. It serves pre-seed through Series D+ companies using a three-step methodology combining domain expertise with AI-assisted candidate sourcing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Position does
Position is a privately held, boutique retained executive search firm headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, founded in 2018 by Trey Shelton. The firm specializes in placing senior leadership at venture-backed startups spanning four defined verticals: Consumer and D2C, Crypto and Fintech, Hardtech, and SaaS and Digital Media, serving companies from pre-seed through Series D and beyond.
The firm's delivery model is built on a three-step methodology—Learn the Company, Map the Market, and Engage and Close. Step 1 involves direct immersion with founders, CEOs, and boards to capture business, cultural, and trajectory context. Step 2 combines the team's vertical-specific market knowledge with AI-assisted sourcing tools to identify passive candidates who "should be considered," with Position citing an average of 171 candidates identified and contacted, 36 engaged with interest, and 9 vetted and presented per search. Step 3 covers engagement and close support for both sides. Reported operational outcomes include a 78-day average time to fill, 92% one-year retention, and 83% two-year retention for placed executives.
Position monetizes through traditional retained search fees on each completed executive engagement, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is direct, sales-led engagement with venture-backed company leadership, with no channel or reseller model and operating geography limited to the United States. Since founding, Position has completed 135 searches for 50+ clients, including Thrive Market, Magic Spoon, Uniswap, Helion, and Automattic, with search mix concentrated in Marketing (28%), Engineering (15%), Finance (12%), Product (10%), Operations (10%), Sales (9%), People and Talent (5%), and CEO/GM (2%) roles. The firm operates with a three-person team.
Position firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Position
- Legal name
- Position
- Website
- https://positionco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Position is a Nashville-based boutique retained executive search firm founded in 2018 that places senior leadership at venture-backed startups across Consumer, Crypto/Fintech, Hardtech, and SaaS verticals. It serves pre-seed through Series D+ companies using a three-step methodology combining domain expertise with AI-assisted candidate sourcing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Position industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Search Services
- NAICS
- Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro industry
- Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops)C-Suite & Board SearchConsumer & Retail Leadership SearchConfidential/Replacement & Succession Search
Keywords
Where Position is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Position business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retained Executive Search Services: Boutique retained search model for placing senior executives at high-growth startups. Revenue generated through retainer fees for completed executive searches across consumer, crypto/fintech, hardtech, and SaaS sectors.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Position product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Position is a boutique retained executive search firm that helps venture-backed companies across consumer, crypto/fintech, hardtech, and SaaS sectors identify, engage, and close senior leadership hires. The firm runs a three-step engagement—learning the client's business, mapping the talent market with AI-powered tools, and running engagement to close—and bills clients on a retainer basis per search. Since 2018 it has completed 135 searches for 50+ clients, with reported average time-to-fill of 78 days and 1-year/2-year placement retention of 92% and 83%, respectively.
Product overview
Position is a boutique retained search firm offering a single core service: executive search for high-growth startups. Their methodology consists of a three-step process—Learn the Company, Map the Market, and Engage & Close—combining deep market expertise with AI-powered tools to identify, engage, and close senior leadership placements across consumer, hardtech, crypto/fintech, and SaaS sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Retained Executive Search Boutique retained executive search service that helps venture-backed companies across consumer, hardtech, crypto/fintech, and SaaS sectors find senior leadership talent, using a three-step methodology (Learn the Company, Map the Market, Engage & Close) that combines deep market knowledge with AI-powered tools to identify, engage, and close executive placements. Target buyers are founders, CEOs, and boards at venture-backed startups from pre-seed through Series D and beyond, hiring for roles including Marketing (28% of searches), Engineering (15%), Finance (12%), Product (10%), Operations (10%), Sales (9%), People & Talent (5%), and CEO/GM (2%).
Quantifiable outcome
- 92% 1-year retention rate for placed executives
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Position
Customer profileNamed customers50 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Position technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Position partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Position competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- True Search: True Search is a boutique retained executive search firm focused on placing senior leaders at venture-backed and growth-stage technology companies across consumer, fintech, crypto, and SaaS — a near-identical target customer and service model to Position.
- Howard Fischer Associates: Howard Fischer Associates is a retained executive search firm focused on venture-backed and high-growth technology companies, with deep specialization in placing senior leaders across consumer, fintech, and tech sectors — closely aligned with Position's verticals.
- Riviera Partners: Riviera Partners is a retained search firm specializing in executive and senior technical talent for venture-backed and high-growth technology companies, with strong overlap in consumer, SaaS, and fintech verticals served by Position.
- Heller Search Associates: Heller Search Associates is a boutique retained executive search firm focused on technology and high-growth companies, with particular depth in SaaS and consumer — closely mirroring Position's vertical mix and engagement model.
- McIntire Search Group: McIntire Search Group is a boutique retained executive search firm serving venture-backed and growth-stage companies, with comparable focus on consumer, tech, and digital media clients similar to Position's portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Egon Zehnder: Egon Zehnder is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong presence in technology, consumer, and financial services — all verticals served by Position.
- Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is one of the largest global organizational consulting and executive search firms, with technology and consumer practices that overlap with Position's served verticals, though it operates at much broader scale and scope.
- Spencer Stuart: Spencer Stuart is a global executive search and leadership consulting firm with a well-established technology, media, and consumer practice that overlaps with Position's focus on placing senior leaders at high-growth startups.
- Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm serving Fortune 500 clients across all sectors, including dedicated venture-backed and growth practice areas that overlap with Position's consumer and tech executive search work.
Emerging players
- IQTalent Partners: IQTalent Partners is a tech-enabled talent acquisition and executive search firm serving high-growth startups — directly comparable in service model and target client. Notably, Position team member Chase Garnham previously worked at IQTalent, evidencing talent flow between the two firms.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Position social profiles
Digital presencePosition financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Position leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Position funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Position M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Position
What does Position do?
Position is a boutique retained executive search firm that helps venture-backed companies across consumer, crypto/fintech, hardtech, and SaaS sectors identify, engage, and close senior leadership hires. The firm runs a three-step engagement—learning the client's business, mapping the talent market with AI-powered tools, and running engagement to close—and bills clients on a retainer basis per search. Since 2018 it has completed 135 searches for 50+ clients, with reported average time-to-fill of 78 days and 1-year/2-year placement retention of 92% and 83%, respectively.
Is Position a public or private company?
Position is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Position founded?
Position was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Position based?
Position is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Position make money?
One revenue line is on record: retained Executive Search Services.
Who are Position's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are True Search, Howard Fischer Associates, Riviera Partners, Heller Search Associates and McIntire Search Group. Broad incumbents are Egon Zehnder, Korn Ferry, Spencer Stuart and Heidrick & Struggles. IQTalent Partners is listed as an emerging player.
Does Position have an API?
No public API is recorded for Position.
What industry is Position in?
Position's product category is Executive Search Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAAAB, Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops), with a secondary code of BPACAAAA, C-Suite & Board Search. Its NAICS code is 561312 and its SIC code is 7361.