OpenSource

What OpenSource does

OpenSource (legal entity: OpenSource Group Limited) is a London-based, founder-led technology recruitment agency founded in 2018 and operating with approximately 40 employees from its headquarters at Aldwych House in central London. The firm is led by co-founders George, a former software developer, and Harry, a recruiter with roughly a decade of experience scaling teams for venture-backed startups. The agency specializes in placing software engineers, architects, DevOps, security, data, product managers, designers, and technical leadership up to the CTO level into startups and scale-ups primarily in the UK fintech, SaaS, marketplace, and AI/data verticals.

The business operates three core service lines on a shared technical-screening backbone: Contingent Recruitment (transactional, fee-as-percentage-of-first-year-salary, paid only on successful placement), Retained Search (fixed-fee, dedicated senior and leadership search with full market mapping and written shortlist assessments), and Embedded Recruitment / RPO (a dedicated recruiter embedded in the client's team for a predictable monthly subscription fee). All three routes share the same upstream process — every candidate is technically screened by the founders before presentation to the client, framed as a defensible quality layer. Distribution is direct B2B sales to founders and hiring managers, supported by a content marketing engine of salary benchmarks, city guides, and interview design content covering London, Berlin, Amsterdam, and New York. Named clients include Monzo, Tandem Bank, Just Eat, Funding Circle, Codat, Sonovate, Moonfare, and DuckDuckGo.

The firm reports 50+ placements over the trailing twelve months and claims that 92% of clients convert from initial contingent engagements to exclusive arrangements, with an additional 6+ hours per week in interview time saved per client. There is no disclosed revenue, no disclosed funding, and no parent company or institutional investors referenced in available materials; the company appears bootstrapped. Geographic coverage outside London is delivered via WeWork All Access combined with remote delivery from the London base.

Name

OpenSource

Legal name

OpenSource Group Limited

Website

https://open-source.io

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OpenSource is a London-based, founder-led tech recruitment agency placing engineering, product, data, and leadership talent into startups and scale-ups across the UK, Europe, and the US via Contingent, Retained Search, and Embedded RPO engagement models.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tech Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Cloud, DevOps & Infrastructure Staffing (BPACADAD)

Keywords

• Tech recruitment services
• Talent acquisition
• Candidate screening
• Executive search
• Embedded recruiting

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contingent Recruitment: Clients pay a fee only when a successful placement is made, calculated as a percentage of first-year salary. Lowest commitment engagement model for occasional or one-off hires.
2. Retained Search: Fixed fee engagement for dedicated, committed search process for senior or business-critical roles. Provides depth of market coverage and calibrated shortlists with written assessments.
3. Embedded Recruitment (RPO): Predictable monthly fee for a dedicated recruiter embedded in client's team, owning hiring pipeline end-to-end. Capacity flexes up or down as hiring plan changes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

OpenSource is a founder-led tech, product, data and AI recruitment agency that finds, screens, and places engineering, product, and leadership talent for startups and scale-ups across the UK, Europe, and the US. Every candidate is technically screened by the founders before being presented to clients, and the agency offers three engagement models: Contingent Recruitment (pay-on-placement), Retained Search (fixed fee for senior/leadership roles), and Embedded Recruitment/RPO (dedicated in-house recruiter on monthly retainer).

Product overview

OpenSource is a founder-led tech recruitment agency offering three distinct service models: Contingent Recruitment (pay-on-placement), Retained Search (dedicated fixed-fee search for leadership roles), and Embedded Recruitment/RPO (dedicated in-house recruiter). All service models feature the same technical candidate screening conducted by founders with software development backgrounds. The agency specializes in placing engineering, product, data, and leadership talent across startups and scale-ups in the UK, Europe, and US markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contingent Recruitment

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ hires delivered in the past 12 months
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Toptal: Global freelance talent marketplace with strong engineering, data, and AI verticals. Adjacent model (marketplace, not recruiter) that competes with OpenSource's freelance/contract placements and increasingly with permanent AI/ML roles.
• Hired: Tech-focused candidate marketplace using a reverse-auction model to match software engineers with employers. Different delivery model (marketplace vs. recruiter-led) but competes for the same startup/scale-up tech hiring budget.

Direct peers

• Xcede: London-headquartered tech and data recruitment agency covering software engineering, data, and AI roles across the UK and Europe. Directly comparable headcount, segment focus, and contingent/retained/contract mix.
• Opus Recruitment Solutions: Boutique recruitment firm with strong UK tech, data, and fintech desks serving startups and scale-ups. Comparable in vertical focus (fintech, SaaS, AI) and engagement model mix.
• Understanding Recruitment: UK-based boutique technology recruitment agency placing engineers, product, and data talent into startups and scale-ups. Closely comparable to OpenSource on size, vertical focus, and founder-led engagement model.
• Computer Futures: Established UK/EU tech recruitment agency covering software, cloud, data, and DevOps roles. Comparable in role coverage and geographic footprint, though larger and more generalist than OpenSource.
• Fruition Group: UK-based digital and technology recruitment agency placing engineers, product, and design talent. Comparable boutique positioning and UK market focus.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half Technology: Large global staffing firm with dedicated technology recruiting serving permanent and contract IT/engineering roles. Comparable tech focus but operates at materially larger scale across the same geographies.
• Harvey Nash: Large global tech and digital recruitment firm with significant UK presence across permanent, contract, and RPO. Comparable tech vertical but materially larger scale and broader portfolio than OpenSource.
• Hays Technology: Global staffing leader with a dedicated technology practice covering software, cloud, data, and cybersecurity hires across the UK, EU, and US. Comparable tech vertical at much broader scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opensource-recruitment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 OpenSource