Bearhug Recruiting: Executive Search For Early-Stage Environmental Technology & Enterprise Software Startups

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(#13) David Connors: The Swarm, Go-To-Network is the new Go-To-Market, Carving Signal from the Noise, Growth, Evolution, Power of Warm Introductions & Relationship-Driven Sales in the Age of AI.

Kraig Ward

David Connors is the Co-Founder & CEO of The Swarm. The first “Go-To-Network” platform giving companies and investors the keys to their networks and the relationship data they need to accelerate sales, recruiting, and fundraising.

Visit The Swarm on the web + receive a special 60-day free trial!

David is a 3x startup founder, including an exit to Sequoia Capital who acquired his outbound recruiting automation startup Automately. After the acquisition, David joined the Sequoia team as their Director of Recruiting Operations, where he went on to build custom tools for Sequoia's recruiters, investors, and founders.

After a 2 year earn-out period, David went on to Co-Found The Swarm, with backing by the founders of Superhuman, Thumbtack, Lookout, Bearhug Recruiting, and many more successful operators, in addition to prominent VCs like 500 Global, Contrary Capital, and Sequoia Capital.

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You can watch the interview on YouTube here.  

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OUTLINE:

  • 00:00 Start

  • 02:51 David’s Mission

  • 06:24 Why “The Swarm” Matters 

  • 09:47 Superpower

  • 13:22 Kryptonite

  • 15:00 5-Minute Hero’s Journey

  • 21:03 Building Tools at Sequoia Capital

  • 24:20 How "The Swarm" Was Conceived

  • 35:52 The Experience of Being Acquired by Sequoia Capital

  • 45:11 Departing Sequoia to Start “The Swarm”

  • 54:27 Building “The Swarm” Platform

  • 58:53 “The Swarm” Customer Development Cycle & Use Cases

  • 01:06:51 Overcoming “Change Management” Challenges

  • 01:15:40 Leading the “Go-To-Network” Software Product Category

  • 01:18:35 Cracking the Code of “Network Strength Score” 

  • 01:26:32 12-18 Month Focus

  • 01:31:35 Overcoming Objections & Unlocking Value inside the Platform

  • 01:36:10 Accelerating Time To Value for Customers

  • 01:41:58 Evangelizing The Future We’re Building

  • 01:46:59 David’s 5-Year Time Horizon for “The Swarm”

  • 01:48:52 What The World Needs To Embrace

  • 01:50:28 Something That's Happened That Few Will Believe

  • 01:51:32 Hiring Attributes

  • 01:53:00 Career Advice

  • 01:55:04 Personal Insights

  • 01:58:35 Vision for the Future

  • 02:02:05 Closing Remarks

Honorable Mentions:

More info on David Connors & The Swarm:

David Connors is a 3x startup founder, including an exit to Sequoia Capital who acquired his outbound recruiting automation startup Automately. He then joined Sequoia as their Director of Recruiting Operations and built custom tools for Sequoia's recruiters, investors, and founders.

He now is the Cofounder/CEO at The Swarm, backed by the founders of Superhuman, Thumbtack, Lookout, Bearhug Recruiting and many more successful operators, in addition to prominent VCs like 500 Global, Contrary Capital, and Sequoia Capital.

The Swarm is the first “Go-To-Network” platform giving companies and investors the keys to their networks and the relationship data they need to accelerate sales, recruiting, and fundraising. 

Connect with David Connors on LinkedIn.

Visit The Swarm on the web + receive a special 60-day free trial!

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