What LUKA Global does

LUKA Global (legal entity LUKA GLOBAL GROUP LTD.) is a boutique executive search and talent advisory firm founded in late 2019 by Simon Knowles (Director) and Dr John Bethell (Recruitment and Talent Coach), with registered offices in Exeter, United Kingdom and operational presence in Barcelona, Spain. The firm exclusively serves European pre-seed to Series B startups in three verticals: biotechnology, healthtech and medtech, and deeptech, helping founders recruit board members, C-suite executives, and senior technical specialists. Geographic reach at the placement level spans fourteen or more European countries plus Australia, anchored by a direct executive search methodology that places approximately 90 percent of senior roles through proactive sourcing rather than advertising.

The firm's product portfolio spans executive search, board appointments, advertised search, interim staffing, recruitment process outsourcing, a modular recruitment coaching system (anchored by the one-hour Recruitment 101 tutorial), ATS and HRIS implementation consulting, a Job Builder online tool, and pitch deck advisory. The Modular Recruitment Coaching System is configurable by startup stage and budget, covering employer branding, job descriptions, ad writing, screening, interviewing, verification, negotiation, onboarding, headhunting, and software selection. Founder Dr John Bethell contributes nearly three decades of medical recruitment experience including Australasian sector leadership, while Simon Knowles brings multi-region executive search expertise covering permanent and contract hiring across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the United States.

The revenue model is a hybrid of transaction-based executive search fees structured as fixed success fees with payment plan options and pre-seed rates designed for startup budgets, professional services fees for recruitment coaching and ATS consulting, and affiliate referral revenue through a Capital Cell partnership. Distribution is sales-led direct engagement supplemented by content marketing (blog, Recruitment 101 webinars), accelerator partnerships such as EIT Health, and ecosystem referral channels. Named clients include NLC (The European Healthtech Venture Builder, a relationship held since 2020), Innitius, Brightmind.AI, Tek Experts, and Capital Cell, with over 70 percent of business sourced from repeat clients.

Name

LUKA Global

Legal name

LUKA GLOBAL GROUP LTD.

Website

https://lukaglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LUKA Global is a boutique executive search and talent advisory firm founded in 2019 serving European biotechnology, healthtech, and deep technology startups through direct executive search, modular recruitment coaching, ATS consulting, and a Job Builder tool, led by two principals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search and Recruitment Services

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Global / Multi-Country RPO (BPACABAE)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Life sciences recruitment
• Startup talent advisory
• Recruitment coaching
• ATS implementation consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search & Selection: Traditional recruitment agency model with executive search for senior and executive level placements. Success-based fee structure with flexible terms including fixed success fees and payment plan options.
2. Recruitment Coaching Services: Training and coaching services for startup founders and early employees to build in-house recruitment capabilities. Includes Recruitment 101 core module (one hour intensive tutorial) and additional modules covering employer branding, screening, interviewing, negotiation, and onboarding.
3. ATS Implementation Consulting: Consulting services for choosing and implementing the right ATS or HRIS systems for startup business needs. Helps develop templates and workflows for hiring at scale.
4. Crowdfunding Partnership Referrals: Partnership with Capital Cell providing referrals for life sciences crowdfunding services. LUKA Global connects clients with Dr John Bethell for fundraising advisory.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LUKA Global is a founder-led talent advisory firm that provides executive search, board appointments, advertised search, interim staffing, and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) for early- and mid-stage European startups in life sciences and deep tech. Its offering is extended by a Modular Recruitment Coaching System (including the Recruitment 101 core training module), ATS/HRIS implementation consulting, and a Job Builder tool, all delivered under startup-friendly fixed-fee, payment-plan, and pre-seed pricing structures.

Product overview

LUKA Global is a talent advisory firm offering a unified portfolio of recruitment services, training programs, and software tools specifically designed for tech and life sciences startups. The core offering combines Recruitment 101 (foundational training module) with Executive Search services, supplemented by ATS Implementation consulting, a Job Builder tool, and specialized services for board appointments, interim staffing, and RPO. The company focuses on serving biotechnology, healthtech, and deeptech sectors with a methodology emphasizing long-term partnership over transactional placements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Proactive, direct-search recruitment service that identifies and approaches passive candidates matching a defined senior profile for European life sciences and deep tech startups.
• Board Appointments Strategic board assembly service that helps startups build balanced boards of experts to support rapid growth, market penetration, fundraising, and exit strategies.
• Advertised Search Comprehensive advertising-led recruitment service that reaches active job seekers across multiple channels to supplement direct search efforts.
• Interim Solutions Temporary staffing service that places interim professionals to help startups through growth periods or to define requirements for permanent hires.
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Outsourced recruitment function designed to reduce time and cost per hire while increasing quality of hire for startups and established businesses.
• Recruitment 101 One-hour intensive training module for startup founders and first-in HR professionals covering employer branding, job descriptions, ad writing, screening, interviewing, verification, negotiation, and onboarding; available as part of the Modular Recruitment Coaching System.
• ATS Implementation Consulting service that helps startups select and implement appropriate Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or HRIS, including template development and workflow design for hiring at scale.
• Job Builder Online job description authoring tool that guides users through constructing comprehensive job descriptions, ad copy, screening questions, and onboarding content for startup hiring.
• Pitch Deck Advice Advisory service providing guidance on building effective pitch decks for deep tech and life sciences startups, covering elevator pitches, problem framing, market opportunity, business models, and investor presentations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of senior roles placed through search methodology (not advertising)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Capital CellcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLUKA Global is proud to partner with Capital Cell, Europe's first equity crowdfunding platform specializing in life sciences. Since founding, Capital Cell has completed 124 funding rounds, raising 112 million euros for biotech and healthcare start-ups. LUKA Global refers clients to Capital Cell for fundraising advisory with Dr John Bethell.
• EIT HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLUKA Global delivers training webinars through EIT Health's accelerator program. Dr John Bethell conducted webinar training that was highly popular with registrations and requests for materials. EIT Health is the European Institute of Innovation and Technology supporting innovative startups.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wavelength International: Asia-Pacific medical and health executive search firm where Dr John Bethell previously served as Director. Closely comparable niche focus on healthcare/life sciences leadership, and a direct antecedent to LUKA Global's life sciences positioning.
• Coulter Partners: Boutique executive search firm specializing in life sciences and healthcare leadership across Europe. Direct competitor to LUKA Global in placing C-suite and senior leadership into biotech, medtech, and healthtech ventures.

Broad incumbents

• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with a Healthcare and Life Sciences practice. Comparable in serving life sciences clients for senior hires, but as one of many industry verticals within a broad portfolio.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with a Life Sciences and Healthcare practice. Comparable in senior-level life sciences placements, but operates at significantly larger scale across industries.
• Stanton Chase: Global executive search firm with dedicated Healthcare and Life Sciences partners. Comparable in senior-level search for life sciences clients, with comparable European presence.
• Odgers Berndtson: International executive search firm with strong European footprint and a Life Sciences practice. Direct geographic overlap with LUKA Global's European focus, though serving a much broader client base including large corporates.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory with a dedicated Life Sciences practice. Comparable in providing senior leadership placements to life sciences organizations, but operates at much larger scale across all industries.
• Korn Ferry: Largest global organizational consulting firm with significant executive search and life sciences talent capabilities. Comparable service offering at the high end of the market, with much broader portfolio and resources.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Comparable in placing senior leaders, including into healthcare and life sciences organizations, though it serves all major industries globally.

Emerging players

• Skills Alliance: Boutique life sciences recruitment and talent solutions firm focused on commercial, clinical, and technical hires. Comparable niche focus on life sciences hiring, though focused more on mid-level/specialist roles than C-suite executive search.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lukabiotech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lukaglbl

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 LUKA Global