Hiring the people who will build the next generation of connectivity.
“Hiring in deep tech is harder than it should be”
You're hiring people who barely exist on the open market - specialist RF engineers, silicon designers, AI infrastructure leads, the senior commercial hire who's actually done it in your space before.
The candidates who'd be brilliant aren't applying anywhere. They're employed, busy, and quietly closed off to the wrong outreach.
Meanwhile your roadmap is moving, your investors are watching, and the agencies you've tried have either flooded your inbox with the wrong people or quietly given up after two weeks.
Sound familiar?
I work with companies building the technologies that connect the world - wireless and telecoms, semiconductors and silicon, satellite and non-terrestrial networks, AI infrastructure, edge compute, and whatever the next layer turns out to be.
Stage doesn't matter. I've hired for global telcos with operations across three continents and for pre-revenue startups making their first ten hires. The challenges are different; the principles aren't.
I place people from mid-level through to C-suite, across both technical and commercial functions
Services
Permanent Search
When you have a defined role and need it filled well. Considered candidates, no inbox-flooding, paid only when you hire.
Retained & Executive Search
For senior, confidential, or business-critical hires. A dedicated process with regular updates, market mapping, and a partner who knows the brief inside out.
Fractional Talent Partnership
A senior recruiter embedded in your business one or two days a week. Sector-agnostic — for any founder-led company that needs hiring expertise without the full-time cost.
What you can expect when working with me
A few things you can count on, however we end up working together — whether that's a single search, a senior executive hire, or a year-long fractional partnership. Different shapes, same principles.
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Fifteen years inside tech - leading talent at large telco providers across 4 continents along with hiring teams for deep tech start ups. I've hired across the spectrum that matters here: RF and silicon engineers, hardware leads, network architects, AI infrastructure roles, and the senior commercial people who sell into the space. I read briefs without needing them translated, and I can tell quickly whether a candidate has actually done the work or just been near it.
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I don't drop you off at the seniority line. As the company grows and the hiring shifts, you keep the same partner.
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Most of the people worth hiring in this space aren't applying anywhere. Direct outreach to people who fit - across the UK, Europe, and the Americas is the work, not an add-on.
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I've spent years on the in-house side of the table - I know what a hiring line actually looks like inside a growing business, and I know the difference between "this isn't possible" and "we haven't found the right shape yet". Tell me the constraint and we'll work out an engagement that fits. The conversation shouldn't end at "we can't afford it".
Hi, I’m Lucie
I've spent fifteen years in talent — leading recruitment at global telcos and inside ambitious deep tech startups. I started Folk & Found because the best parts of recruitment don't scale through volume, and the companies I most want to help are the ones building the harder things
Got a role to fill, or a year of hiring ahead?
Whether it's a single senior hire or a year of team building, drop me a line. The first conversation costs nothing and usually clarifies a lot.
Lets Talk
Whether you're hiring one person or building a team for the year ahead, the first conversation is free and usually clears a lot up.