For founders building their first real team;
You got your first ten hires on instinct and a lot of spreadsheets. Let's make the next fifty feel just as good.
We help seed to Series A founders build the people and operations systems their company actually needs. A sound plan, built with you, owned by your team.
The thinking behind the name
Two ideas that are stronger together;
A semicolon joins two thoughts that could stand on their own but mean more side by side. That's how we see hiring and People Ops.
Most startups treat them as separate problems, handled by separate people, usually right after something breaks. We treat them as one system. Who you hire, how you pay them, how they grow and how the business runs around them all connect, and getting that right early is a lot cheaper than fixing it later.
Sound familiar?
You don't need an HR department yet. You need someone who has built one.
We work with first-time founders and small businesses that have outgrown running everything from memory. If a few of these sound familiar, we should talk.
Your offer letters live in three different Google Docs.
Two people in the same role are paid very differently and nobody can explain why.
You're about to promote or hire your first manager.
An investor or customer asked about SOC 2 and your HR controls.
Payroll, benefits and onboarding all still run through you.
You have five open roles and no real hiring process.
Where we come in
Both halves of the sentence
Pick one side or let us run both. Either way, everything we build connects back to how your business actually operates.
hiring
A hiring engine you can run without us, and full-cycle recruiting while you build it.
Talent acquisition strategy. A hiring plan tied to your runway and roadmap.
Full-cycle recruiting. Sourcing through signed offer, up to five roles a month.
Interview design. Scorecards and structured loops that reduce bias and guesswork.
Employer brand. How you show up to candidates, from job posts to close calls.
people + ops
The structures that keep good people around and keep the business running smoothly.
Values, policy and handbook. A north star for your culture and the documents that back it up.
Compensation and total rewards. Salary bands, benchmarking and a pay philosophy you can defend.
Performance and manager training. Feedback rhythms and workshops for first-time managers.
HR tech, payroll and compliance. HRIS, payroll and benefits setup, plus SOC 2 people controls.
Inclusion and belonging. Programs built into how you hire, pay and promote.
How we work together
Organized, then independent
Listen. A conversation about where you are, what's working and what keeps you up at night.
Plan. A prioritized 90-day people and operations plan, sized to your stage and budget.
Build. We implement alongside you: policies, comp bands, tools, hiring loops and training.
Hand off. Your team owns it, with documentation, so it keeps working after we step back.
Ways to work with us
Senior help without a senior headcount
Every plan starts with a three-month commitment, so there's time to build something real.
HR Lite
$5,000 / month
For founders who need a trusted advisor on call.
Unlimited virtual access, replies within 2 hours
1 hour of in-person consultation a month
Review of up to 5 documents a month
Recruiting available as an add-on
HR Core
$12,500 / month
For teams ready to put real programs in place.
40 hours of team access a month
Implementation of 3 people programs
2 hours of in-person consultation a month
Review of up to 5 documents a month
Unlimited virtual access, replies within 2 hours
Fractional leader
$20,000 / month
A fractional People + Ops leader on your team.
Everything in Lite and Core
Up to 20 hours a week of working time
Recruiting retainer included
Talent acquisition flat fee waived
Add-ons and projects
Talent acquisition
$10,000 + 12% of base
Full-cycle recruiting for up to 5 roles a month, with direct access for strategy and planning.
Implementations
Scoped per project
Selecting, setting up and tuning your HRIS, payroll, performance and recruiting tools.
Workshops and speaking
Scoped per event
Practical sessions for managers, leadership teams and conferences.
The 12% fee is charged per placement and is based on the hire's first-year base salary.
The people behind it
Operators who have done the work
Stephanie Smith
Strategic advisor
A People and Operations executive who has spent the last decade building the systems behind a remote, venture-backed tech company, from pay equity and SOC 2 to payroll, equity and governance. She holds a master's in leadership and communication, mentors in the University of Washington MBA program, and has been recognized for her work on gender and pay equity.
Amanda Konarek
Talent strategist
A talent acquisition leader with about 20 years of experience building hiring, attraction and retention programs. She has helped build three unicorn startups and brings a steady focus on inclusion and equity to every search.
Jacki Lancaster
People and talent strategist
A former higher education leader with a master's in education administration. Jacki cares about the whole experience: candidates, hiring managers, onboarding and the culture people join.
Ready to build with us?
Tell us a little about your company and where things feel messy. We'll reply within a business day with a few times to talk. No pitch deck required.