Having raised a dozen rounds from institutional investors over the span of my career,

I knew that our incredible member growth numbers, client roster, and success stories would enable us to attract a venture capital firm. But we took an alternate route. 

When it came time for seed funding, we needed a special investor: one who understood the executive search industry and what it would take to disrupt it. One who recognized the challenges and opportunities in diversifying executive leadership. One who had the patience to support AboveBoard as we grew into the first viable option to retained executive search. And one who wanted to change the face of leadership. 

It turned out that the perfect partner was already invested in the company: the genuinely innovative executive search firm, True, now the 6th largest in North America. We wouldn’t be where we are today without their founding partnership. They are committed to our mission and have directly contributed to AboveBoard’s growth: They invested $6M in us.

In addition to their financial support, True’s searches are listed on AboveBoard, so our 30,000 members have access to searches at companies like Spotify, SoundCloud, Buzzfeed, Staples, American Express, and Shopify, in addition to our own direct clients including Amazon and Insight Partners. No other search firm has the confidence or vision to open access the way True has. 

We could have gone the VC route, but we chose True because they understand the field of executive search, are deeply committed to our success, and recognize that it takes time to transform an industry where access to opportunities is limited by who you know, where you’ve gone to school, and where you've worked before. We both agree that patient professionalism and passionate drive are required to change the face of leadership as we disrupt hiring practices that preserve the status quo.