The Startup Playbook for Hiring Your First Engineers and AEs

Most founders think hiring is about interviewing. But it's actually about selling. For Startup School, Juicebox co-founder & CEO David Paffenholz joins YC's Harj Taggar to share how early-stage founders can find, pitch, and close top engineering and sales talent— from crafting better outreach to winning great hires from Big Tech— even when you're an unknown startup. Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply Work at a startup: https://www.ycombinator.com/jobs Chapters: 0:00 – Why your first hires matter 1:17 – What great candidates actually want 4:38 – How to sell your startup to top talent 7:49 – Finding and sourcing great engineers 13:17 – Writing outreach that gets replies 20:58 – Interviewing: sell first, assess second 25:59 – Closing fast and competing with Big Tech 31:06 – Common mistakes founders make 38:52 – When (and how) to hire a recruiter 43:11 – Final thoughts