Venture Capital

Venture capital fuels innovation – but long-term success stems not only from capital, but from the right people. Wirz & Partners supports VC firms and their portfolio companies in appointing leaders who build structure, enable growth, and keep pace with the speed of scale.

2025 Trend  According to NU Advisory, VC firms are increasingly investing in experienced CFOs, People Leads, and Go-to-Market executives – because sustainable growth takes more than just headcount.¹

Your Challenges – Our Specialization

VC-backed companies operate in a high-pressure environment shaped by bold visions, high speed, and investor expectations. Executives must:

• Navigate ambiguity and evolving structures

• Build initial processes and teams from the ground up

• Communicate effectively with both founders and investors

• Drive international scale

• Maintain company culture, values, and identity

Wirz & Partners finds individuals who combine all these capabilities – enabling growth without compromising speed or authenticity.

In Demand in 2025

• Chief People Officers who build culture and structure professionally

• CFOs who think strategically and engage confidently with investors

• Sales & Revenue Leads who develop scalable go-to-market strategies

Growth Strategy with Vision: Learning from the Best VC Investors

The world’s leading venture capital firms are shaping how innovation is driven, teams are built, and growth is managed today. Their portfolio strategies, talent decisions, and organizational models set benchmarks for emerging companies – and influence leadership requirements across the VC ecosystem.

VC Recruiting Requires Tailored Solutions

Executive search in the venture capital environment doesn’t follow a fixed pattern – it’s as diverse as the companies themselves. Every role is created in a specific context: A Series A funding round calls for different skills than a pre-exit situation.

That’s why it’s not enough to browse ready-made candidate lists or rely on standardized job profiles. What matters is a deep understanding of the unique requirements of the company’s current stage, business model, and team dynamics – and then translating that into a targeted search strategy.

Wirz & Partners works closely with VC investors to uncover exactly these nuances. This ensures every placement fits not only in terms of expertise – but also contributes strategically to the next stage of growth.

The Three Leading VC Firms Globally (as of 2025):

1. Sequoia Capital
Legendary U.S. investor with stakes in Apple, Google, Airbnb, and Stripe – now active in SaaS, AI, biotech, and clean tech.¹

2. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
A frontrunner in Web3, fintech, and AI, with a rapidly growing portfolio and proprietary research and talent platforms.²

3. Accel
Internationally focused with a strong presence in Europe and India; early and growth-stage investor in Facebook, Dropbox, and UiPath.³

These investors don’t just think in business models – they think in teams and leadership potential. Their portfolios reflect the very trends gaining momentum in Switzerland and Europe as well: pressure to scale, international expansion, team development, and exit readiness.

We understand the expectations VC firms have of leaders today – from the first CFO to the Go-to-Market Lead. We translate that insight into every search mandate – with precision, speed, and an eye for cultural fit in dynamic founder teams.

Our Services for VC Firms

We support venture capital funds in the professional development of their portfolio companies through targeted appointments in:

• C-level positions: CFOs, COOs, CROs or external CEOs with scale-up experience

• Leadership & specialist roles: VP Sales, Head of Marketing, People & Culture Leads

• Advisory boards: Strategic sparring partners for fundraising, exit, or international expansion

According to NU Advisory, VC firms are increasingly appointing external board members with VC and exit experience – as a strategic lever to accelerate portfolio value.⁴

Profiling over vague expectations: How we support the process

A clear and well-defined role profile is the foundation of any successful executive search – especially when roles are evolving or the organization is in a phase of transformation. It's not just about listing qualifications, but about understanding the strategic importance of the role, the working environment, and the situational requirements.

Wirz & Partners brings an objective outside perspective to the table and supports the profiling process. Based on a structured situational analysis, we help sharpen the role definition – aligning it with your strategy, team setup, market dynamics, and cultural context. The result is a clear and actionable target profile that works not only on paper, but in practice.

^{1 TechCrunch}

^{2 Reuters, April 8, 2025}

^{3 Financial Times, March 9, 2025} 

^{4  NU Advisory}

Why VC Firms Choose Us

• Industry expertise: We understand what makes a CFO, COO, growth leader or board member successful in a high-pressure, high-growth environment – because we’ve done it before.

• Exclusive network: Rather than posting open roles, we engage with high-potential executives directly – including those not actively seeking new opportunities.

• Structured, transparent search: We deliver regular updates on candidate pipelines, market feedback and shortlist development – ensuring clarity at every step.

• True cultural fit: Beyond skillsets, we assess leadership personality, value alignment and resilience – to ensure impact in real-world conditions.