Needl

Needl is a VC-trusted talent partner specializing in Seed to Series B startups. They focus on product-centric engineering and go-to-market hiring, supporting founders worldwide while being grounded in Ireland's tech ecosystem.

Needl positions itself as obsessed with helping founders scale, hiring product-centric engineering and GTM teams for Seed to Series B startups globally at startup speed. The company operates with a "No BullSh*t Just Delivery" philosophy, focusing specifically on tech talent for startups.

Needl offers three main service models: Recruitment 101 for once-off hires across Engineering, Product or GTM with permanent or contract resources; Partnerships where they function as a Fractional Talent Team handling sourcing, screening, and scheduling while clients interview candidates; and Retained Search for high-impact roles combining targeted headhunting, deep assessment and founder-aligned hiring processes.

The company specializes in hiring across six key areas: Leadership, Software Engineering, GTM (Sales & Customer Success), Marketing, Product, and AI & Machine Learning. Their team includes Rob Shannon (Managing Director and former lawyer), Gavin Fox (Director of Contract Recruitment with 18+ years experience and a Masters in Business Management), Laura Walshe (Associate Director and retired cabin crew), John-Paul Eaton (Head of UK based in London with two decades as a hiring manager in FinTech and RegTech), and Neil Heffernan (Associate Director Technology focusing on Product & Engineering teams for SaaS companies across North America & Europe).

Needl has worked with various startups including CalypsoAI, Fixify, Sublime Security, Cloudsmith, Circit, B4B payments, Nebulock, Fenergo, Salv, Zodia Markets, and SEAtS Software, demonstrating their experience across different sectors of the startup ecosystem.