Raindance Partners
Raindance Partners is a privately-held US executive search and talent advisory firm that places life science professionals from entry-level to C-suite roles for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostic companies nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersWilmington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Raindance Partners does
Raindance Partners is a privately-held, founder-owned US executive search and talent advisory firm specializing in the life science industry. Founded in 2008 by Mike Tognotti in Santa Barbara, California, the firm conducts retained searches for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic, and information technology companies nationwide, placing candidates from entry-level positions through C-suite executives. The firm explicitly positions itself on "quality over quantity," taking on fewer engagements and emphasizing deep, long-term client relationships over high placement volume; since inception it has completed over 750 successful searches.
The firm's competitive positioning is anchored in the collective industry tenure of its six-person team, whose members previously held commercial, technical, and leadership roles at major life science companies including Illumina, Roche, PerkinElmer, Agilent, MilliporeSigma, Life Technologies, NanoString, Fluidigm, Qiagen, Bruker, and Cytiva. Revenue is generated through professional services fees on retained executive search engagements; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured by engagement. The firm operates remotely with offices historically in Santa Barbara and the San Francisco Bay Area, and the founder has recently relocated to Wilmington, NC. The company has no proprietary technology platform, no AI capabilities, no disclosed funding rounds, and no subsidiaries or parent entities.
Raindance Partners reaches clients and candidates primarily through direct outreach, its website, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, email newsletters, founder podcast appearances, and a strong client referral network. Named enterprise clients include 10X Genomics, Bio-Rad Laboratories (10+ year relationship), Apeel Sciences, InTouch Health, Sony Biotechnology, Spectrum Chemical, Silentia, NanoString, PerkinElmer, Tecan, Sartorius, and Akoya Biosciences. The firm is not pursuing any active M&A, capital raise, or international expansion that has been disclosed in available sources, and its 2017-2018 plans for Asia and Europe expansion have not been confirmed as realized.
Raindance Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Raindance Partners
- Legal name
- Raindance Partners
- Website
- https://raindancepartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Raindance Partners is a privately-held US executive search and talent advisory firm that places life science professionals from entry-level to C-suite roles for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostic companies nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Raindance Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Search Services
- NAICS
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Life Sciences & Biotech (R&D/Clinical) Staffing (BPACADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- IT & Software Engineering Staffing (BPACADAA)
Keywords
Where Raindance Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wilmington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Raindance Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Executive Search and Talent Advisory Services: The company generates revenue through retained executive search engagements for life science companies. They provide talent advisory services for positions ranging from entry-level to C-suite executives across biotechnology, medical devices, diagnostics, information technology, and biopharmaceuticals sectors.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Raindance Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Raindance Partners is a retained executive search and talent advisory firm serving life science companies nationwide. The firm recruits candidates from entry-level to C-suite across biotechnology, medical devices, diagnostics, information technology, and biopharmaceuticals. They place talent for executive leadership, engineering, scientific research, sales, marketing, business development, operations, finance, and human resources functions, leveraging their team's prior industry experience at companies including Illumina, Roche, PerkinElmer, and Agilent.
Product overview
Raindance Partners offers a unified life science talent advisory service combining executive search, recruiting, and career placement for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic, and life science research tools industries. Their primary service encompasses identifying and placing candidates across all company functions—from C-suite executives and board members to sales specialists, engineers, research scientists, and marketing professionals—with a focus on quality over quantity by taking on fewer engagements. The company leverages its team's collective industry experience from major life science companies including Illumina, Roche, PerkinElmer, Agilent, MilliporeSigma, Life Technologies, NanoString, Fluidigm, Qiagen, Bruker, and Cytiva to cultivate exceptional candidate pools for clients nationwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Life Science Talent Advisory Services
- Candidate Career Advisory
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 750 successful searches completed nationwide since 2008
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Raindance Partners
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Raindance Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Raindance Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Unite to LightminorRaindance Partners founder Mike Tognotti collaborated with Unite to Light, a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit, to donate 20 solar-powered lights for New Beginnings Counseling Center's Safe Parking program. The lights were provided to create a lending library for homeless individuals and families living in their vehicles. This is a community outreach initiative rather than a commercial business partnership.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Raindance Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with healthcare and life sciences coverage. Targets similar senior executive placements at biotech and pharma companies as Raindance, with a global footprint Raindance lacks.
- Spencer Stuart: Leading global executive search firm with a Healthcare and Life Sciences practice. Directly comparable to Raindance in serving biotech, pharma, and medical device clients for senior leadership placements, though at a much larger scale.
- Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Life Sciences practice. While much larger and broader in scope, it competes directly for senior life sciences placements, particularly C-suite and board-level roles at biotech and pharma clients similar to Raindance's.
- Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Life Sciences practice. Directly competes for CEO, CSO, and other senior placements at biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies in Raindance's target market.
- Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a substantial Life Sciences executive search practice. Competes with Raindance for senior biotech placements and offers broader RPO and talent consulting services beyond pure search.
Direct peers
- CarterBaldwin Executive Search: Boutique executive search firm exclusively focused on the life sciences industry. Closest comparable peer in terms of size, vertical specialization, and positioning, competing directly with Raindance for biotech and pharma leadership roles.
- BioPhase Solutions: Boutique life sciences recruiting firm specializing in biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device placements. Comparable boutique scale and life sciences vertical focus to Raindance Partners.
- DHR International: Mid-sized global executive search firm with a Life Sciences practice. Comparable in targeting executive placements at biotech and pharma clients, sitting between Raindance's boutique scale and the larger incumbent firms.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Raindance Partners social profiles
Digital presenceRaindance Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Raindance Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Raindance Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Raindance Partners 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 Raindance Partners
What does Raindance Partners do?
Raindance Partners is a retained executive search and talent advisory firm serving life science companies nationwide. The firm recruits candidates from entry-level to C-suite across biotechnology, medical devices, diagnostics, information technology, and biopharmaceuticals. They place talent for executive leadership, engineering, scientific research, sales, marketing, business development, operations, finance, and human resources functions, leveraging their team's prior industry experience at companies including Illumina, Roche, PerkinElmer, and Agilent.
Is Raindance Partners a public or private company?
Raindance Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Raindance Partners founded?
Raindance Partners was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Raindance Partners based?
Raindance Partners is headquartered in Wilmington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Raindance Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: executive Search and Talent Advisory Services.
Who are Raindance Partners's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Egon Zehnder, Spencer Stuart, Heidrick & Struggles, Russell Reynolds Associates and Korn Ferry. Direct peers are CarterBaldwin Executive Search, BioPhase Solutions and DHR International.
Does Raindance Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Raindance Partners.
What industry is Raindance Partners in?
Raindance Partners's product category is Executive Search Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACADAL, Life Sciences & Biotech (R&D/Clinical) Staffing, with a secondary code of BPACADAA, IT & Software Engineering Staffing. Its NAICS code is 5416 and its SIC code is 8742.