Leadership Hires Make Or Break Medtech Startups
Medtech Specific
Exclusively Medtech
We are unabashedly 'medtech first'. This means that our approach is informed by our hands-on experience with the challenges, nuances, and complexities inherent in medical device startup and SME organizations and leadership teams. This contrasts with traditional firms that lead with the tenets of recruitment and expect all the sectors they service to conform.
We 🖤 Startups/SMEs
No need to wonder if your executive search engagement is playing second fiddle to those with bigger budgets and more lucrative commission fees. We welcome, and provide concierge level service to, medtech companies (public and private) offering annual C-level salaries starting at $200,000.00.
Flat Fee Pricing
The traditional recruitment commission fee structure presents an undeniable conflict of interest that undermines our spirit of partnership. Our flat fee model reflects the loyalty and care inherent in our engagements and dispels the distrust and uncertainty characteristic of contingency based fee models.
Turnarounds Are Our Sweet Spots
Our background in M&A and crisis management affords you a rare blend of expertise in corporate strategy, candidate relations, discreet communication, corporate positioning and public relations. We know what kind of leadership, network, and messaging it takes to right the ship and make targets take notice.
Ongoing Relationship Wanted
Our Executive Search engagement with you may be finite but the services and resources that Synaptx offers is anything but. We want you as part of our community for years to come and believe that as you get to know us you'll avail yourself of our other services.
"Amanda approaches recruitment with a thorough professionalism that is second to none. Her thoughtful and respectful approach is successful in attracting and intriguing high level prospective candidates to senior executive opportunities and demonstrates tremendous care for both the candidate and the company. She remains attentive throughout the recruiting process, providing feedback that is supportive rather than overbearing. I recommend Amanda to any medical device company in search of a senior executive, she will find and recruit the most successful and suitable executive."
Fred ColenChief Executive OfficerNeovasc Inc.
What You Can Expect
Custom Strategy
Deeply discreet or high visibility, there's a search and hire strategy to best address your corporate situation and objectives. We'll devise a plan to maximize your opportunity.
Bespoke Web Page
Job descriptions are fine for HR but they won't entice top talent. Your custom Opportunity Page showcases the factors that target & attract your ideal candidates.
Profile Assessment
No more parsing resumés! The Profile Assessment for each of your handpicked candidates provides a nuanced view of their criteria fit, achievements, & ideologies.
Recorded Interviews
Some clients want it all. Every word from every interview in the process (including their own). Those clients love our platform that provides video recordings & transcripts.
Reference Checks
Due care doesn't stop at the search. Your new hire is critical so we employ thorough, custom reference checks to mitigate unwelcome surprises.
Onboarding Support
Transitions can be bumpy. From chasing documents to liaising with the incumbent team, we're here to facilitate smooth onboarding.
News Release & Bio
Certain hires require, or benefit from, a public announcement & bio for your shiny new executive. We'll write both for you to optimize your strategy.
Post-Hire Care
Durable hires are the hallmark of our service. You can expect check-ins and offers of support for both you, the client, and your new hire.
Are We a Good Fit to Be Your Executive Search Partner?
It's a great question and only one you can answer. We don't have offices in every city, we don't deploy an army of interns to reach out to your candidates, nor do we chase ever bigger clients, industries, or success fees.
We take a limited number of executive search engagements, solely in the medtech startup/SME space, and all outreach is done by our executive search principal to active and passive candidates, hand selected to meet your objectives.
We have a rare advantage that enables us to understand your big picture and identify and secure leaders that have the best chance of achieving your corporate goals
Amanda Cooper, founder of Synaptx, is our Executive Search lead bringing a background in executive training & strategic relations as well as formal education & senior executive roles in medical device development. She has led successful medtech exits to multinational buyers, managed and participated in crisis management initiatives, and advised on successful capital raises & commercialization efforts.
We act on your behalf with grace and discretion, engaging high quality candidates respectfully, to realize durable, impactful leadership hires & enhanced corporate reputations
Recruiters and executive search professionals have a bad reputation, well earned. Tales of hounding by phone or email and then abruptly ghosting (candidates and clients!) when something 'better' comes along are rampant. Even worse, sensitive corporate information is leaked leading to regulatory and organizational upsets. Our sophisticated approach safeguards your reputation and honours our commitment to you.
Your executive hire is critical to your corporate objectives, but you have little bandwidth to oversee the initiative and strongly prefer a boutique search partner over a large recruiting firm
You know what you want but your time is limited. You really need someone to take ownership of the search for your new executive team member with the care, attention to detail, and thoughtful strategy the initiative deserves. You're not interested in hype or a flurry of candidates. You want concierge service, handpicked candidates, an experience that makes you feel valued and an outcome that makes you look fantastic.
You recognize the potential risks and benefits to your corporate reputation inherent in an executive search and value strategic engagement with industry professionals
If you choose to go with a boutique executive search experience you can avail yourself of more flexible and customized processes that best suit the needs of your hiring committee. Working with your executive search partner, you can also determine specific strategies, tactics, and messaging that attract and secure your ideal candidates and advance corporate narratives while being respectful of candidates' time and efforts.
I’ve engaged and recommended Amanda for executive search services because I am confident that the experience and outcome will be superior to traditional recruiting firms. As an active commercialization, partnering, and strategic relations advisor she brings a unique insider’s knowledge and perspective to her recruiting engagements as well as a sophisticated network. Our industry is a small one and the recruiter you engage, inevitably, represents your company when approaching candidates and references. I trust Amanda implicitly to do so with honesty, respect, and grace while finding the perfect new executive leader to achieve the corporate goals.
Alexei MarkoInvestor & AdvisorCreative Destruction Labs
FAQ
Employers
How long does the average executive search take?
Variables such as time of year, availability & responsiveness of client hiring committee, complexity of role & rarity of ideal candidate attributes can all affect the time to a successful hire but three months is our average time to completion.
How does a flat fee model work?
After we've had a discussion to understand your needs, you'll be sent a proposal for a flat fee to accomplish your executive search. The payment schedule is one third upon commencement, one third upon successful candidate's signing of the employment contract, and final third 60-days from the first day of work.
Do you offer a guarantee period?
As per the answer to the previous question, we offer a 60-day guarantee period before the final third of the total fee is invoiced. Our highest priority is that a good fit exists and a durable placement has been made. If, despite best efforts, it's determined within that period that your new C-suite hire not working out, your executive search partner will relaunch the search at no extra cost, assuming that nothing has changed in the scope or brief.
How do you source & approach candidates?
While we have an ever expanding network, comprised of accomplished medtech startup/SME leaders, our search strategy is informed, first and foremost, by the ideal candidate profile determined in your approved Executive Search Brief. Initial research may be done by an assistant but outreach and communications with potential candidates (or referrers) is done exclusively by the executive search lead, employing a multi-step process that maintains discretion and confidentiality for both client and candidate.
How do Synaptx' other services come into play?
Synaptx is a growing community of medical device executives who connect with us as C-suite professionals, consultants/advisors, Board Directors, & investors. Whether they are looking for corporate training or services, seeking top notch consultants to assist with discrete projects or are, themselves, consultants/advisors wanting to access our support services, we are constantly building relationships with our industry's most impactful leaders.
What's the process & how can we get started?
We'd love to get acquainted and have found that a one-hour introductory call is the most efficient starting point. Video or phone, it's your call! If it seems that our services are a good match for your needs, we'll put together a proposal for you that includes a project brief, timeline, and fee schedule. If approved, we're on our way and will look forward to helping you announce your new C-level hire in a few months time. If it's determined we're not a good fit for your current requirements (no hard feelings!) we will appreciate the chance to meet and invite you to make use of our Resource Library that contains templates, guides, and cheatsheets pertaining to all aspects of Medtech Startup/SME operations.
Candidates
Can I engage you to look for opportunities for me?
Regulatory requirements, ethical best practices, & a commitment to avoiding conflicts of interest prohibit us from representing candidates in a paid capacity. Rest assured that if you have expressed interest in being considered for upcoming opportunities with our corporate clients, we will review your areas of expertise and get in touch if a potential match is evident.
Do you provide materials or training to candidates?
Synaptx has both corporate training and resources for C-level executives that address a wide array of career and leadership challenges. You are welcome to peruse our Resource Library, check out our training programs, and sign up for our newsletter to get access to updates, tutorials, and tips. None of this is in any way required, however, for you to submit your expression of interest, or be considered for, upcoming opportunities with our client companies.
How does your flat fee model affect candidates?
Our primary concern is a durable, productive, and enjoyable fit between our client company and the successful candidate. We will happily assist with negotiations between both parties to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement and are better able to do that without conflict of interest, since our own interest has been satisfied in our engagement agreement. The negotiation period is the beginning of your relationship with your new Board of Directors and/or CEO and the first instances in which you can each demonstrate skills, good faith, and trust. The temporary involvement of a third party with a vested interest during this period is counterproductive.
How will you stay in touch with me?
We know what you're thinking. Recruiters are infamous for ghosting. We don't view candidates as commodities. Synaptx offers an array of supports for medtech executives aside from executive search and a top priority is providing respectful and dynamic communication processes and channels so that every member of our community feels valued. If you have completed an expression of interest in our Candidate Portal, we will touch base via email and provide you with some useful resources to present your best self and secure your next opportunity. If we've reached out to you proactively regarding a specific opportunity, we will have an initial chat to ascertain if there might be a fit, and if so, provide our client company with a Candidate Profile and await their approval to proceed with formal interviews. While your consideration as a candidate remains active, we will check in with you once a week to keep you abreast of progress and timelines. You are welcome to get in touch by email or book a call at any time during the process.
I'm undecided if I want to make a move -can we chat?
Of course! There is little we like more than getting to know our industry's leaders. Your situation is unique but chances are good that we've come across similar concerns or career scenarios and can act as a sounding board or help you discover some of the right questions to ponder. Book a time to chat with Amanda, our Executive Search lead and Founder at Synaptx.
How can I let you know I'm available to opportunity?
We've made it quick, painless, and straightforward for you to express your interest in future opportunities and provide a bit of information about yourself. Just follow the intake steps in our Candidate Portal - you'll be done in less than two minutes and can revisit or revise your information at any time. Rest assured, your expression of interest in new opportunities is confidential and your name will not be disclosed to any third parties without your explicit consent. We look forward to seeing you there!