Linkus Group
Linkus Group is a Toronto-based recruitment agency founded in 2010 that provides high-touch executive search, passive-candidate sourcing, and talent advisory services to founder-led startups and SMBs across Canada and the US, using a proprietary TAG (Trust, Attitude, Grit) screening framework.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Linkus Group does
Linkus Group generates revenue through four engagement structures: retained search (multi-year subscription-style commitments), contingent search (success-based placement fees), hybrid search (blended retained/contingent), and fractional or project-based hiring. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the firm is deliberately selective about client intake and does not work with competitors of its partners. Go-to-market is founder-led and direct, with Adam Gellert personally involved in every strategy call, supported by content marketing (blog, podcast), community positioning (DisruptHR Vaughan, 5 to 9 Society), email nurture, and founder referrals, with stated focus on repeat business rather than one-time placements. The customer base spans more than 500 companies cumulatively across verticals including crypto, fintech, edtech, healthtech, professional services, and general technology, with named clients such as Coinsquare, KOHO Financial, Medchart, Xello, Bench, LevelJump, and Citylitics.
Linkus Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Linkus Group
- Legal name
- The Linkus Group Inc.
- Website
- https://linkusgroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Linkus Group is a Toronto-based recruitment agency founded in 2010 that provides high-touch executive search, passive-candidate sourcing, and talent advisory services to founder-led startups and SMBs across Canada and the US, using a proprietary TAG (Trust, Attitude, Grit) screening framework.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Linkus Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Recruitment Services / Executive Search
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Executive Search Services (561312)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB), Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire (BPACAFAD), Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops) (BPACAKAG)
Keywords
Where Linkus Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Linkus Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Retained Search: Retained search model where clients engage Linkus Group for dedicated, priority recruitment services with exclusive focus.
- Contingent Search: Performance-based recruitment model with fees contingent on successful placement.
- Hybrid Search: Blended model combining retained and contingent elements for flexible engagement.
- Fractional/Project-based Hiring: Project-based or fractional recruiting support when full-time hire isn't the right solution.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Retained Search - Dedicated, exclusive recruitment partnership |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Contingent Search - Performance-based recruitment |
| Hybrid | Multi-year contract | Hybrid Model - Flexible engagement structure |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Fractional/Project-based - Interim recruiting support |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Linkus Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Linkus Group is a high-touch recruitment agency that places executive, functional, and technical talent at founder-led startups and SMBs scaling from 1 to 100+ employees across Canada and the US. The firm operates as a dedicated in-house recruiting function for its partners under exclusive engagements (no competitor conflicts), using its proprietary TAG (Trust, Attitude, Grit) screening framework to vet passive candidates and delivering curated shortlists typically within 48 hours of strategy kickoff and signed offers in 3–4 weeks.
Product overview
Linkus Group is a high-touch recruitment agency for startups and SMBs, operating as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering consists of four interconnected service lines: Executive Search (for senior and hard-to-fill roles), Local Talent (geographic-focused recruiting), Passive Candidate Recruiting (accessing the hidden off-market talent pool), and Talent Advisory Services (strategic consulting for building internal hiring capability). These services are unified by the proprietary TAG Framework (Trust, Attitude, Grit) for candidate assessment and supported by proprietary tools including the Hiring Performance Scorecard assessment and the Hipo sub-brand for off-market talent access. Content offerings like the Offer Accepted Podcast reinforce the core recruiting brand. The company operates across Canada and US, primarily serving founder-led companies scaling from 1 to 100+ employees.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Executive Search High-touch executive recruitment service for hard-to-fill senior roles, utilizing the proprietary TAG screening framework (Trust, Attitude, Grit) to identify candidates with character and performance characteristics suited to growth-stage environments. Built for founder-led startups and SMBs in Canada and the US.
- Local Talent Recruitment service focused on finding qualified candidates within local markets in Canada and the US, supporting startups and SMBs that need geographically anchored hires.
- Passive Candidate Recruiting Proactive sourcing service that accesses off-market talent through Linkus Group's proprietary networks and relationships, targeting the passive majority of the workforce who are not actively job searching but represent the best-fit hires.
- Talent Advisory Services Strategic consulting services including retention strategy, employer branding, offer negotiation, talent audits, team assessments, and hiring leadership coaching — designed to help founders build self-sustaining internal hiring engines.
- Hiring Performance Scorecard 60-second self-assessment tool that helps founders evaluate whether their hiring system is helping them win or slowing them down, used to qualify prospects and educate them on Linkus Group's approach.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% retention rate after 18 months for placed hires
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Linkus Group
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Linkus Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Linkus Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- DisruptHR VaughanminorAdam Gellert co-brought DisruptHR to Vaughan alongside Christine Song and Giorgio Follegoti - a global HR movement challenging conventional thinking about talent and workplace culture through high-energy events with 10-14 speakers delivering 5-minute talks.
- The Talent Help ListminorGrassroots community tool created during COVID-19 by Adam Gellert, Adam Bercovici, and Marianne Bulger to help out-of-work Canadian startup employees find remote work. Started as spreadsheet and became lifeline during crisis.
- 5 to 9 SocietyminorAdam is a Founding Member of this invite-only membership club for high-performing operators, visionary founders, and investors - community for people building their legacy from 5 to 9 (after hours).
- The Linkus Group Inc.corePrimary legal entity under which Adam Gellert operates the recruitment business. Associated with Neemo Tech Inc. doing business as HiredHippo or Hipo.
- Neemo Tech Inc. (HiredHippo/Hipo)coreRelated entity operated by Adam Gellert doing business as HiredHippo or Hipo, supporting the recruitment business activities.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Linkus Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a global leadership advisory and executive search firm with deep practice areas across technology, financial services, and life sciences. It competes for senior and C-suite mandates that overlap with Linkus's executive search service line.
- Robert Half International: Robert Half is a large, publicly traded staffing and direct-hire firm operating across finance, accounting, technology, and administrative roles. Its direct-hire and contract placement services compete with Linkus's permanent placement and executive search offerings across multiple functions.
- Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting and executive search firm offering executive recruitment, talent management, and RPO services. Its executive search and RPO practices compete with Linkus for executive and senior-level placements at scale-up clients.
- Egon Zehnder: Egon Zehnder is one of the largest global executive search firms, serving board, CEO, and senior leadership mandates across industries. While operating at a much larger scale than Linkus, it competes for the same executive search engagements among growth-stage and VC-backed companies.
- Spencer Stuart: Spencer Stuart is a leading global executive search and leadership advisory firm with particular strength in board and CEO placements. It competes for executive-level mandates that overlap with Linkus's executive search offering for VC-backed and growth-stage companies.
Direct peers
- Hunt Club: Hunt Club is a tech-focused recruiting firm and talent platform serving startups and growth-stage companies across the US. Its model of curated, network-driven talent matching and tech-enabled search overlaps directly with Linkus Group's premium, founder-led direct-hire and executive search offering.
Emerging players
- Toptal: Toptal operates a global network platform connecting startups and enterprises with pre-vetted freelance technical and business talent. While its model is platform-based rather than agency-led, Toptal competes for the same startup/founder talent acquisition use cases Linkus serves, particularly for engineering and product roles.
- A.Team: A.Team is a curated, invite-only network of product builders, engineers, and designers focused on startups and growth-stage companies. It overlaps with Linkus's premium, curated approach to placing mission-critical hires at scaling startups.
- Pangea.app: Pangea is a curated freelance talent platform matching startups with pre-vetted designers, engineers, marketers, and product managers. It serves an overlapping founder-customer base seeking rapid access to vetted talent, paralleling Linkus's passive-candidate and off-market sourcing proposition.
Regional players
- Proven Recruiting: Proven Recruiting is a North American (with focus on US/San Diego) recruiting firm specializing in technology, sales, and executive placements for growth-stage companies. Its target market and direct-hire/executive search model align closely with Linkus's startup and SMB focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Linkus Group social profiles
Digital presenceLinkus Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Linkus Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Linkus Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Linkus Group 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 Linkus Group
What does Linkus Group do?
Linkus Group is a high-touch recruitment agency that places executive, functional, and technical talent at founder-led startups and SMBs scaling from 1 to 100+ employees across Canada and the US. The firm operates as a dedicated in-house recruiting function for its partners under exclusive engagements (no competitor conflicts), using its proprietary TAG (Trust, Attitude, Grit) screening framework to vet passive candidates and delivering curated shortlists typically within 48 hours of strategy kickoff and signed offers in 3–4 weeks.
Is Linkus Group a public or private company?
Linkus Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Linkus Group founded?
Linkus Group was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Linkus Group based?
Linkus Group is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Linkus Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retained Search is the primary driver. The others are contingent Search, hybrid Search and fractional/Project-based Hiring.
Who are Linkus Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Heidrick & Struggles, Robert Half International, Korn Ferry, Egon Zehnder and Spencer Stuart. Hunt Club is listed as a direct peer. Emerging players are Toptal, A.Team and Pangea.app. Proven Recruiting is listed as a regional player.
Does Linkus Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Linkus Group.
What industry is Linkus Group in?
Linkus Group's product category is Recruitment Services / Executive Search. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAA, General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry), with a secondary code of BPACAAAB, Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops). Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.