Founder Mode: Land a Startup or Tech Role Like an Insider
Run your job search like a VC runs a deal: build a thesis, find the right companies, get a warm path in, and walk into interviews as the person who already gets their problem. 6 hours with an ex-Google, ex-BCG HBS MBA now at an AI startup.
Most people apply to startups and tech the same way they'd apply to a bank: a polished resume, a cold application, and hope. That's not how these companies hire. Founders and hiring managers hire people who already understand their problem and show up through someone they trust. This package runs your search the way an investor runs a deal. We build a thesis, find the companies that fit it, get you a warm path in, and prepare you to walk into interviews as the person who already gets it. I've made this move myself, from Google and BCG to an AI startup. WHAT'S INCLUDED 1. Your Career Thesis (1 hr) We decide stage, sector and function before you send a single application. Seed or Series C? AI, fintech or hardware? Operator, product or go-to-market? You leave with a scored target list of 15 to 25 companies, ranked the way a VC ranks a pipeline. 2. The Operator Story (1 hr) We rewrite your resume and LinkedIn so they read like someone who builds things, not someone who fills roles. We find the two or three things only you can claim and make every bullet point back them up. 3. Warm Paths In (1 hr) We map your network to founders, investors and hiring managers at your target companies. You get outreach scripts that lead with value instead of asking for a favor, plus a plan for reaching people through the VCs who back them. 4. The Unsolicited Memo (30 min plus async review) For your top one or two companies, you write a one-page memo on a real problem they have and how you'd attack it. I help you sharpen it. Sending one of these to a founder beats a hundred applications. 5. Interview Like an Equal (1.5 hrs) Mock interviews covering behavioral, startup case and work-trial formats, plus big-tech loops if you're running both tracks. Using Sandler methods, we practice asking the questions that uncover what the team really needs, so you can speak right to it. 6. Close and Decode (1 hr) Offer negotiation and startup equity in plain English: options vs. RSUs, vesting, strike price, dilution, and how to judge whether the company will still be around in two years. We'll also build your 30/60/90-day plan so you start strong. BETWEEN SESSIONS Message me for outreach edits, resume tweaks and quick gut-checks. WHO IT'S FOR Career switchers, MBAs and early-career folks heading from consulting, banking or big tech into startups, or anyone trying to break into tech. Not sure it's the right fit? Book the free 15-minute intro call first.
What's included
Meet your expert
Austin R.
Ex-Google & BCG | HBS MBA | Land a Role in Tech or a High-Growth Startup
HBS MBA with Distinction (deferred admit). Ex-Google, ex-BCG. Now leading enterprise deployments at Pelico, an AI startup. I coach MBA applicants and people going after roles in tech and high-growth startups. Here's what I believe: most people approach applications and job searches from a position of need. They try to guess what the admissions committee or hiring manager wants and contort themselves to fit it. It shows, and it rarely works. I coach the opposite way. You figure out what you actually want and why, take a clear point of view, and make the other side work to earn you. A lot of this comes from Sandler selling, which I use in my own work. The best salespeople don't pitch. They ask questions, find the real problem, and let the buyer convince themselves. Interviews and essays work the same way. When you understand a firm's pain points and show how you solve them, you stop asking for a chance and start having a conversation between equals. How we work together: - We start with your goals, not the application. Where are you going in five years, and does this school or role actually get you there? - We find the two or three things only you can claim, and build every essay, resume bullet and interview answer around them. - For interviews, we practice asking questions as much as answering them. You'll learn to uncover what the interviewer really needs and speak to it. - I'll tell you directly when something isn't working. What I help with: - MBA admissions: school selection, positioning, essays, resume, recommenders, interviews (HBS, M7, T15, deferred programs) - Career coaching: finding the right role, resume and LinkedIn, networking, interview prep and offer negotiation for tech, consulting and startups I've mentored Hispanic Scholarship Fund scholars since 2019 and tutored first-years at HBS. The free 15-minute intro call is a chance for both of us to see if it's a fit.