For Independent recruiters
You know the talent. Make the right introduction.
Bring your specialty. Work on startup searches where your judgment matters. Earn 70% of the collected placement fee on eligible hires you originate.
- First-year base
- $200,000
- Client fee
- 15% of base, paid on hire
- Collected fee
- $30,000
Illustrations. The introduction is an example of the structure we ask for, and the arithmetic uses our published rates. Neither is a historical result or promised earnings.
How it works: Refery connects specialist independent recruiters with VC-backed Seed to Series B companies hiring Engineering, AI, and GTM talent. Recruiters bring role-specific sourcing and candidate context; Refery coordinates the search with the company. The partner share is 70% of the collected placement fee, not 70% of the hire’s salary.
Refery is a startup recruiting network for VC-backed Seed to Series B companies hiring Engineering, AI, and GTM talent. It combines specialist independent recruiters with referrals from founders, operators, and investors.
- Partner share
- 70%of collected placement fees on eligible hires
- Company focus
- Seed to BVC-backed startup teams
- Joining fee
- $0no subscription or platform fee
The companies you would introduce people to are backed by investors including:
Why Refery
A specialist desk. A wider search network.
You can know someone is good and still need the right company, scope, and moment. Start with what they have actually built. Then work through the fit.
Keep your specialty
Engineering, AI, and GTM are different searches. Tell us which roles you know well, how you assess candidates, and where your network is strongest.
Bring a point of view
A résumé is the start. Add what you learned in screening, which evidence supports the fit, and what the hiring team still needs to test.
Know the economics
The client pays a success fee. Your share is 70% of the collected fee on an eligible placement. Agree attribution and payout terms before introducing someone.
The companies and roles
Early teams. Work that matters.
VC-backed Seed to Series B companies hiring Engineering, AI, and GTM talent. The brief should explain what the hire needs to own, not just which logos belong on a résumé.
Engineering
Founding and senior software engineers, infrastructure, and data. Look for evidence of building and owning systems.
Engineering recruiting →AI
AI/ML and forward-deployed engineers. Distinguish research, model development, and production implementation experience.
AI recruiting →GTM
Founding GTM, enterprise sales, and growth. Explain the customer, sales motion, and what the person built themselves.
GTM recruiting →These are examples of our recruiting focus, not a live vacancy list or a promise of an available role. Confirm the current search, location, compensation, and working arrangement before making an introduction.
A useful introduction
What makes a useful recruiter submission?
- Candidate consent to the introduction and to sharing the supplied details.
- The role they want, location constraints, timing, and compensation expectations.
- Relevant work they owned, with a concrete example of what they shipped or sold.
- Your assessment: what you verified directly, what the candidate reported, and what is still unknown.
- Any prior submission to the same company or other attribution question.
- Who
- Senior backend engineer, Series A fintech
- What they owned
- The migration off the monolith: picked the boundaries, wrote the cutover, stayed through two failed attempts
- How I know
- We were on the same team for two years
- Why now
- Wants more scope than the current role allows
- Constraints
- Berlin or remote CET, notice 2 months
The economics
One fee. Your 70% share.
Independent recruiters, operator scouts, and TA partners each earn 70% of the collected placement fee on eligible hires they originate. No joining fee, no subscription, and no retainer to chase.
Payment follows collection of the client fee and your partner agreement, including the client's 90-day guarantee. Attribution and payment timing are confirmed in writing. An introduction alone does not earn a placement fee.
How it works
From introduction to a hiring decision.
Apply with your specialty
Tell us the roles and markets you cover. If there is a fit, we’ll discuss how you work and the partner terms.
Agree the brief
Check the role scope, candidate criteria, and attribution requirements before sourcing or submitting.
Introduce with context
Share an authorized résumé or profile and your assessment. Refery reviews the fit and coordinates next steps with the hiring team.
Earn on an eligible hire
Your 70% share follows collection of the client fee, subject to the payment and guarantee provisions in your agreement.
A referral does not guarantee an interview or hire. Timing depends on the search, candidate, and hiring team.
Questions
The details, before you start.
Updated . The applicable signed agreement governs individual engagements.
Is Refery an independent recruiter marketplace?
Refery is a startup recruiting network that combines specialist independent recruiters with founder, operator, and investor referrals. Recruiters participate in searches for VC-backed Seed to Series B companies; it is not simply a public job board. Apply to discuss current searches and fit.
Which recruiting specialties fit Refery?
The core focus is Engineering, AI, and GTM. Relevant specialties include founding and senior software engineers, AI/ML and forward-deployed engineers, infrastructure and data, founding GTM, enterprise sales, and growth. Specific search availability changes; these examples are not a list of open jobs.
How much do Refery partners earn?
Independent recruiters, operator scouts, and TA partners all earn 70% of the collected placement fee on eligible hires they originate. This is a share of the fee Refery collects, not of the hire’s salary, and not a promised payout. An introduction alone does not earn a placement fee.
When do I get paid, and what if a hire leaves?
Payment follows collection of the client placement fee and the terms of your partner agreement. Confirm the payment schedule and how the 90-day client guarantee affects your payout before making introductions. This page does not promise a fixed payment date, automatic refund, or exemption from adjustments.
How are attribution and duplicate introductions handled?
Confirm the attribution window, prior-candidate rules, duplicate-submission handling, and any post-termination rights in your partner agreement. Disclose an existing introduction to the same company before submitting. Do not assume that sending a name alone establishes payout eligibility.
Is there a fee to join?
There is no subscription or platform fee to join the Refery partner network. Refery earns through successful placements. Review the partner agreement before you start.
How is a recruiter submission different from an operator referral?
A recruiter submission can be grounded in sourcing and screening for a specific role. An operator referral adds firsthand context from working with, hiring, or investing alongside someone. Be explicit about which evidence you have; neither replaces the company’s hiring assessment.
The other paths
Different context, same share.
Independent recruiters, operator scouts and TA partners each earn 70% of the collected placement fee on eligible hires they originate. What differs is the evidence you bring and who owns the candidate conversation.
Apply to the network
Bring your judgment. Start a conversation.
A short application. Tell us the roles you know and how you know the people you would introduce. If there is a fit, we’ll set up a call.
Or email partners@refery.io. Also for candidates and hiring teams.