Retained Executive Search · Austin, TX

We place the leaders
who define
what's possible.

People ATX is a retained executive search firm built for founders, operators, and the companies they're building. C-suite. VP-level. Board. We find the leaders who make the difference — and we stay until they succeed.

Human-led. AI-powered. No shortcuts.

Start a Search Our Blueprint
<20
Days to finalist slate
92%
Offer acceptance rate
12mo
Placement guarantee
30+
Years combined experience
Andres Traslavina — Partner, People ATX
Andres Traslavina
Andres Traslavina
Founder & Managing Partner
About the Firm

Built from inside
the talent world.

People ATX was founded on a conviction formed over 30 years behind the desk: the most important decisions a company makes aren't which product to build — they're who to put in the room to build it.

Our founder has worked across every environment where talent decisions are made — startups, enterprise, individual contributor, leader of leaders. That breadth is not a résumé line. It is the judgment we bring to every search.

We are not a database. We are not a contingency race. We are a retained partner who owns the outcome — and stays engaged through 90, 180, and 360 days after placement to ensure the leader and the company succeed together.

30+ years across startups, enterprise, and executive leadership
Deep network built before LinkedIn existed
Vision and values alignment baked into every assessment
Based in Austin, TX — serving North America & EMEA
Who We Serve

Built exclusively for
the venture world.

Three client types. One standard of execution. Every engagement gets the same complete focus and full-stack process — no exceptions.

🏛️

VC Firms & GPs

Managing partners and GPs who need internal talent — Associates, Principals, Partners, Platform Heads — or who are hiring into portfolio companies and need a search partner who understands the fund's thesis and the portfolio's needs.

🚀

Portfolio Companies

Series A through D companies making the high-stakes executive hires that determine whether the business scales or stalls. We understand cap tables, runway pressure, and what a board expects from a new C-suite leader inside a VC-backed company.

⚡

Startups & Founders

Founders making their first leadership hires — the VP of Engineering, the first Head of Sales, the CFO before a Series B. We advise on the profile, map the market, and run the full process so you can stay focused on building the business.

The Selection Blueprint

The methodology
no one else tracks.

Seven stages. One through-line: the right leader, in the right seat, thriving — not just placed.

Most firms run three of these stages. We run all seven — because the first 360 days after placement are where the hire is won or lost.

01
Attraction

Market mapping. Passive outreach. The ones not looking. Before we call anyone, we build the narrative — comp structure, equity story, growth arc — so the opportunity lands with the kind of operator who doesn't need to be looking to be interested.

02
Qualification

Structured screening against your specific success profile. Not a résumé review — a disciplined conversation designed to separate credentials from capability and potential from performance.

03
Recruiting

Deep engagement. Building the case for the right candidate. We reach people who aren't on job boards — through direct relationships and market intelligence that only comes from 30 years behind the desk.

04
Selection

Vision, values, and competency-based interview frameworks. Every finalist is assessed against the same structured criteria — behaviorally, technically, culturally, and referencially. No shortcuts. No gut calls masquerading as judgment.

05
Hiring

Offer management, negotiation, close. No fumbles at the finish. We manage both sides of the table — bringing the comp market data and equity intelligence that drives acceptance at a 92% rate.

06
Onboarding

90-day integration plan. First impressions become foundations. We stay engaged through the new leader's first 90 days — supporting integration with the team, the board, and the operating reality of the business.

07
Growth

180 and 360-day check-ins. We track the leader's trajectory — not just the placement. Backed by a 12-month guarantee on every C-suite and board placement. Because the work is done when the leader is thriving.

What We Do

Search. And everything
the search depends on.

Retained executive search is the core. Organizational consulting is what makes it last. Every service is tied to one outcome: the right person, in the right role, thriving.

🏛️

C-Suite Search

CEO, COO, CFO, CTO, CMO, CPO. The foundational hires that determine whether a company scales or stalls. We place leaders who understand what it means to operate inside a VC-backed business.

⚙️

VP-Level Placement

VP Engineering, Sales, Marketing, Finance, Product, and People. Leaders who build and run your functions — and who can move fast in an environment where the org chart changes quarterly.

🪑

Board & Independent Directors

Board members with operator credibility, sector expertise, and the governance instincts your investors want to see at the table.

🗂️

Organizational Design

Structure built around your stage. From the first leadership hire to scaling a function from scratch — we help you design the org before you hire into it.

💰

Compensation & Total Rewards

Comp structures that attract and retain — especially for first-time CEOs, CMOs, and executive leaders at companies where equity is a key part of the conversation.

🔬

Talent Management

Assessment frameworks, succession planning, and the vision-values exercises that anchor every selection decision we make. The tools that turn good hiring into organizational capability.

Fee Structure

Transparent pricing.
No surprises.

Every engagement is retained and exclusive. Full focus — not a pipeline split across a dozen clients.

Role LevelFeeEst. Range
CEO / President33–35%$132K–$280K+
COO / CFO / CTO / CMO33–35%$99K–$210K
VP-Level30–33%$60K–$132K
Board / Independent Dir.Flat Fee$25K–$50K
EIR / Operating Partner25–30%$37K–$90K
VC Internal Roles25–28%$37K–$70K
🛡 12-Month Placement Guarantee
Every C-suite and board placement is backed by our 12-month guarantee. If a placed executive departs within that window, we conduct a full replacement search at no additional retainer cost.
⚡ Three-Stage Retained Model
Fees are collected in three equal installments: at engagement kickoff, upon finalist slate delivery, and upon offer acceptance. No surprises. No contingency race.
🔒 Exclusive Engagement
We work retained and exclusively on every search. Your role gets our full team — not attention split across a dozen competing firms.
📊 Portfolio Discounts
VC firms placing 3+ searches per year receive discounts of 5–12% on total fees, plus a dedicated senior partner assigned to your account.
Why Retained

Not contingency.
Not shared.

"Contingency firms share your role with competitors and deliver whoever's available — not whoever's best."
Full Network, Full Attention

Retained search means our entire sourcing infrastructure is dedicated to your role — not shared across competing firms working the same passive pipeline.

Accountable for Outcome

We are your partner, not a vendor. We're accountable for the quality of the hire — not just the volume of activity generated against your req.

Access to Passive Talent

The best executives aren't on job boards. They're in our network — built over 30 years. Retained search is the only model that gets you real access to people who aren't looking.

Backed by Guarantee

Our 12-month replacement guarantee isn't a policy. It's confidence in our judgment — and accountability when it matters most.

Mission · Vision · Values

The right person in the right role
changes everything.

"Trusted Insider. Quietly Elite. Both Sides, Always."

Our Mission · For Clients

VC Firms & Portfolio Companies

We commit fully to every search — no shared pipelines, no contingency races. We bring deep sector fluency and a career of executive recruiting expertise to a single question: who is exactly right for this role at this precise moment in this company's life?

We move fast because we've already mapped your market. We present fewer names because every one is someone we can genuinely defend. And we stay engaged through the first 90 days — because a placement is only a success when the person is thriving.

Our Mission · For Candidates

Executives & Emerging Leaders

Candidates deserve the same quality of service as clients. That means telling you the truth about a role — including when it isn't right for you. It means sharing the market intelligence that helps you negotiate with clarity and confidence.

People ATX is your insider. We know what boards are actually looking for, what the culture is really like before you walk through the door, and what the comp market looks like at your level. We share that knowledge freely — because informed candidates make better decisions, and better decisions make better leaders.

Our Vision

Not the biggest firm.
The most trusted one.

To become the most trusted name in executive talent for the venture capital world — known not just for the leaders we place, but for the careers we shape and the firms we strengthen.

To connect exceptional talent with the companies and funds that will define the next era of venture-backed innovation — with the honesty, precision, and insider knowledge that changes lives and builds legacies.

People ATX is building toward that vision deliberately — by staying narrow, going deep, and never compromising the quality of a single search for the scale of the business.

01
Stay Narrow. Go Deep.

We will never be a generalist firm. The depth of our VC-ecosystem focus is the source of every competitive advantage we have.

02
Raise the Standard.

We measure success by the quality of placements and the strength of relationships — not the volume of searches closed or fees billed.

03
Expand Access.

The insider advantage People ATX holds should extend to exceptional candidates at every background — not just those already in the room.

Our Core Values

Six standards. Non-negotiable.

These are not aspirations. They are the standards to which we hold ourselves every day — with clients, with candidates, with each other, and with the market we serve.

I

Honesty Before Comfort

"We say the hard thing. Every time."

We tell a client when a candidate isn't the right fit — even when it costs us the engagement. We tell a candidate when a role is wrong for them — even when they want to hear otherwise. Honesty is not a value we perform. It is the baseline from which all trust is built.

II

Insider Knowledge, Openly Shared

"Access is not a privilege. It's a responsibility."

We know the comp ranges. The culture signals. Which funds are deploying with conviction and which are struggling quietly. That knowledge has historically been leverage. At People ATX, we share it — freely, with every client and every candidate.

III

Both Sides, Equally

"We serve clients. We serve candidates. We do not choose."

The search industry is structurally biased toward clients. People ATX rejects that model. The candidate experience is not a courtesy. It is a signal of everything we stand for. When a candidate feels genuinely seen, they become a better hire.

IV

Precision Over Volume

"Three names who are right. Not twenty who are available."

Every finalist is fully vetted — behaviorally, technically, culturally, and referencially. We do not pad slates to appear thorough. We do not advance candidates to hit a milestone. Our reputation is built on the quality of the names we put in rooms.

V

Speed Without Shortcuts

"Urgency is real. So are standards."

VC-backed companies operate on compressed timelines. We built our process — market mapping, candidate relationships, outreach infrastructure — specifically to move faster than the market without cutting corners. Under 20 days is an operational commitment.

VI

Accountability Through the Close

"Our work is done when the leader is thriving."

We stay engaged through onboarding. We check in at 30, 60, and 90 days. We back every C-suite and board placement with a 12-month guarantee — not as a contractual provision, but as an expression of confidence in our process and our judgment.

Our Brand Promise

"When you work with People ATX —
whether you are the GP who needs their next portfolio CEO,
or the operator deciding whether to make the biggest career move of your life —
you will be treated as the most important person in the room."

Not because it is good business. Because it is the right thing to do.
Trusted. Elite. Honest. Yours.

Retained Only
<20 Day Slate
Both Sides Served
12-Month Guarantee
Get in Touch

Let's talk about
your next hire.

Whether you have an active search, a role coming down the pipeline, or you simply want to understand what retained search could do for your portfolio — 20 minutes is enough to know if this is a fit.

hello@peopleatx.com
+1 (512) 000-0000
Austin, TX · North America & EMEA
We work with a limited number of clients at any given time to ensure every search gets the full attention it deserves. If the timing is right, we move fast.