Bumpers in the Bowling Alley: How Talent Partners Guide Founders

Talk Talent To Me

Jim Conti, Talent Partner at Hyde Park Venture Partners, joins Rob to unpack what it really means to support startups from the VC side. He shares how his role has evolved from operator to advisor, why he often tells founders not to hire, and what makes a great first head of marketing hire. Jim also explains how talent leaders can earn influence without ownership, translate TA metrics into business outcomes, and become the first call when founders hit a crisis. Plus: the real reason boards don’t care about your hiring speed.

📌 Key Takeaways:

• What a talent partner actually does at an early-stage VC

• How to support portfolio companies without getting embedded full-time

• Why hiring should be a last resort—not a first instinct

• The bowling bumper metaphor for talent advisory

• How to guide founders through hiring their first execs

• How to build trust and become the first phone call when things go sideways

• Why talent teams need to shift from “function” to “impact” when reporting to boards

• Common TA metrics boards don’t care about—and what they do want instead

• Why talent leaders must stay curious about AI, automation, and tooling

• The evolution of recruiting from high-volume hiring to strategic headcount planning

🔗 Episode Links:

Jim Conti on LinkedIn

LHH Recruitment Solutions

A Beautiful Working World

A Soundbeam Studios Production