What CEOs and Investors Want Most in a Search Partner

What CEOs and Investors Want Most in a Search Partner

We’ve worked with venture capital and private equity Investors, as well as CEOs across Tools, Diagnostics, Devices, Therapeutics, and Infusion — from Seed to Series D to IPO.

And when it comes to hiring Sales and Marketing leadership, they say the same things again and again:

“They need to live it every day.”
“They have to be hands-on.”
“High energy.”
“Mission-oriented.”
“Comfortable with ambiguity.”
“Able to fly the plane while building it.”
“They need to move fast — and so do we.”

They’re not asking for fancy resumes.
They’re asking for impact, grit, and fit.

And that’s exactly how we work, too.

Because the real risk isn’t a slow search — it’s hiring the wrong leader in a high-stakes role.

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We’re Built for Growth-Stage Pressure

We specialize in executive search for investor-backed Life Sciences companies, particularly those backed by venture capital or private equity firms.

We’re not a transactional firm.
We’re a boutique partner that:

• Works directly with Founders, CEOs, and Investors
• Brings speed without sacrificing depth
• Knows when a VP of Sales has been outgrown
• Can read the difference between charisma and true leadership
• Understands how commercial leadership changes from Seed to Series C
• Doesn’t guess — we use data, traits, and commercial indicators to match leadership to stage

We don’t need a week to learn the industry.
We’re already in it.

We Understand the Leadership You Need

Investors and CEOs want commercial leaders who can:

• Operate without a 10-person support team
• Coach reps while building comp plans and territories
• Speak fluently to the Board
• Bring strategy without slowing down execution
• Build trust cross-functionally, especially with the Executive Leadership Team

They want someone who can lead in the gray areas — with speed and clarity.

And that’s what we look for in every candidate we recommend.

Here’s how top Founders and CEOs make that leap — by hiring someone who’s already done it.

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What We’ve Learned

At Alder Brooks, we build long-term partnerships with Investors and CEOs because we don’t just “fill roles.”

We understand what your business needs today — and who can actually exceed growth expectations.

We live this work every day.
So the leaders we place do, too.

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