Tim Tonella

About Tim Tonella

Are you a startup founder wanting to scale to a BILLION dollars? Here\'s the secret: work with an executive recruiter who can help you build the hands-down BEST TEAM in your space! I can help you do that FAST. My recruiting team and I have placed over leaders into some of the hottest early-stage tech companies on the planet. Many have gone on to become unicorns 🦄, IPOs, and large PE acquisitions. I\'ve documented their successes on the VENTURE 2 VICTORY and STARTUP INNOVATORS podcasts. Many are deep in AI, fintech, SaaS, software, mobility, edtech, sustainability, and other verticals. A few fun facts about me (maybe there\'s some synergy?) I love startup founders and their endless INNOVATION mindset. They can come from anywhere, any age, any background, any time. They don’t fear failure; they fear not trying. I\'ll bend over backwards to help anyone with that attitude. Recruiting is SELLING. We’re not all alike. Before I was 32, I had sold – from cold call to collections – over $730M (in nominal terms) to clients all over the world (F500 CEOs, wealthy families, governments). Imagine the strategy we\'ll develop to score the top candidates for YOUR company! When the pandemic hit, I clocked over 400 hours coaching tech founders/CEOs on strategies for finding their next job. When they landed, we helped build their team and next big win! My favorite quote (Einstein):\"Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.\" People are amazing and complex. Knowing how to find exponential talent is a critical skill. That’s what I do for a living. Life is short. You might as well have a good time doing difficult things. We find leadership talent that thrives on this mentality. Let’s have a conversation about dominating your space … LINKS to some of my resources to help along your personal journey: Matchstar Venture Search: – Executive search firm that will help you build that rockstar team Venture2Victory YouTube Channel: - Venture2Victory podcast: Wisdom from clients who have built companies valued at $1B+- Startup Innovators podcast: Interviews with founders of hot VC-backed growth companies. Personal Testimonials: – CEOs/founders sharing their personal experiences working with Tim on recruiting, career planning, and hiring strategies

Experience

1. Chief Executive Officer

   Matchstar Venture Search

   May 2006 — Present · San Francisco, CA, US

   Matchstar Venture Search is a 2-decade old, national boutique executive search / recruiting firm that specializes in placing C-Suite and VP level executives into venture backed tech companies and We solve the problems most tech CEOs loath about retained search firms – expensive fees, large deposits, exclusivity, and long lead times. Our service model is designed to increase client flexibility and minimize hiring risk. If you hire us, there is a 98% probability of success, based on historical engagements.My focus is building relationships with tech company CEOs and Founders, venture capital board members, and private equity firms. I have been involved in over 700 executive placements for entrepreneurial driven companies across an endless number of domains and functional areas.For fun at night, I coach entrepreneurs, venture backed founders, and CEOs on innovative strategies and tactics for finding their next big opportunity. What I share - my approach - is completely novel and different from any other recruiter or coach you\'re likely to meet. Helping these tech leaders through their next transition is what I enjoy most about the job. I had the honor of doing close to 200 private 1:1 sessions in the past year alone with some amazing tech company leaders, founders, and entrepreneurs, many of whom have not had to formally look for a new job in close to 20 years.

Education

• Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

  Master of Business Administration - MBA, Finance, General

  1995 — 1996

• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, English/Math

  1982 — 1986

Skills

• Saas
• Executive Development
• Strategic Financial Planning
• Corporate Development
• Managerial Finance
• Karma
• Business Networking
• Strategic Planning
• Retained Search
• Due Diligence
• Executive Level Relationship Building
• Recruiting
• Venture Financing
• Mergers
• Start-Ups
• Business Strategy
• Finance
• Financial Management
• Sales Management
• Temporary Placement
• Strategy
• Succession Planning
• Business Development
• Executive Management
• Market Research
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Entrepreneurship
• Consulting
• Private Equity
• Cxo
• Executive Search
• Executive Networking
• Venture Capital
• New Business Development
• Following Up
• Executive Staffing
• Leadership
• Strategic Hiring