Meet hidden candidates from other startups and scale-ups

Get the free newsletter featuring builders and operators at VC-backed companies quietly exploring what’s next

First edition coming soon

How it works

1.

Confirm who interests you

Give me the go-ahead and I’ll share your opportunities with the candidates you’re interested in

2.

I make introductions

I confirm they’re interested, then share their full profile and make an introduction at your request

3.

Only pay on success

You run your usual interview process and only pay a market-standard referral bonus if it works out

Why subscribe

🚀 People with track records in high-growth settings

Everyone featured has proven experience scaling fast-moving, VC-backed startups — typically at your stage or just ahead of it — bringing the kind of hands-on experience early-stage teams value most

🔍 High-signal, hard-to-reach talent

I focus on signal, not scale — offering an additional curated, low-effort channel that surfaces handpicked passive candidates already open to a move, but unlikely to show up through job posts or automation alone

🧭 Real alignment from the start

Profiles show preferences, salary expectations, and what they’re open to next — context you never get from cold outreach, so you know if they’re likely to be interested and avoid wasted conversations

📦 Tailored to your actual needs

Each edition features new, relevant candidates — sourced specifically for your current or upcoming roles and any requests you’ve made

🤝 Built for relationships, not reach

Profiles are shared only with a small group of early-stage teams — not a mass mailing list — and everything’s high-touch. I’ll nudge you when someone’s worth your attention, making introductions only when both sides are interested

🏷️ No-risk, founder-friendly terms

No commitment or cost to receive anonymized profiles. Subscribe for free and only pay a flat success fee if you hire — well below recruiter commissions and in line with referral bonuses many teams already offer

Looking for short-term or flexible support?

I can also introduce you to experienced startup contractors and freelancers from my wider networkThey work to your budget and pay me a small percentage of what they earn

Have startups coming to you with roles you’ll love

Get featured in the curated newsletter read by funded, early-stage teams actively looking for experienced startup builders and operators like you — and stay anonymous until they share an opportunity you want to explore

Creating a profile only takes a few minutes

How it works

1.

Share your details

Create your profile with your experience and preferences in 60 seconds. I only feature people handpicked for what startups are currently asking for

2.

Get featured anonymously

Your anonymized profile appears in the next edition of the newsletter and on a private Notion list shared with subscribers — until you move or ask to be removed

3.

Choose which to explore

When a startup is interested, I’ll share their opportunity with you first. If you’re interested, I’ll pass on your full profile and make the introduction at their request

Why get featured

🔍 Handpicked by me personally

This isn’t a volume list. Only a small number of top-tier, experienced people are featured in each edition — personally found and invited because they could be ready for another zero-to-one journey with high-caliber, early-stage teams

📢 Based on real demand

I invite people to be featured based on what startups are actively hiring for right now, or have personally asked me to find. So you’re not being sent into a vacuum — you’ll see genuine engagement and intent

💌 Opportunities come to you

If you’re quietly open to what’s next, this brings signal to you — founders already interested in your background, saving you the noise and effort of job hunting

🧭 Aligned and founder-led

Your preferences guide the opportunities you hear about, so everything that reaches you is relevant. You’ll never get recruiter spam — only requests from founders who’ve actually asked me to share their roles with you

🔒 Privacy and control, always

Your profile is never public. It’s shared anonymously with only a small group of serious subscribers. Your current employer will never see it, and you decide when to reveal personal information or be removed

Privacy Notice

This privacy notice explains how I (Fred Altman, trading as Found by Fred) collect, use, and protect your information when you interact with this service — whether you’re a founder, hiring manager, or candidate featured in the newsletter.

What data I collect

  • For founders and hiring teams: your name, company, role, email address, and any information you share about hiring needs or referral terms.

  • For talent: your name, role, experience, and preferences — which are anonymized before being shared with newsletter subscribers.

How I use your data

  • To feature anonymized profiles in the Found by Fred newsletter and Notion list shared only with subscribers.

  • To facilitate introductions between founders and candidates who’ve agreed to connect.

  • To manage communication, invoices, and success fee agreements where relevant.

Who can see your data

  • Newsletter subscribers (founders and hiring managers) see anonymized talent profiles only.

  • No personal information is shared without explicit permission from the individual.

  • I never sell, rent, or share your data with third parties for marketing.

Your rights

  • You can request access to, correction of, or deletion of your data at any time by emailing [email protected]

  • If you’ve been featured and want to be removed from the Notion list, I’ll take you down within 48 hours.

Storage and retention

  • Data is stored securely in Airtable, Notion, and ConvertKit, with access restricted to me only.

  • I retain data only as long as necessary for the purposes described above.