...finding exceptional talent

Our Mission

At Position, we strive to understand companies
and the people who make them succeed.

Modern Approach

The “I know a guy” approach of legacy search firms is outdated in our world of ever expanding startups, and most of all, from a D&I perspective.

Client Challenges

Executives with specialized knowledge are hard to hire and at record low unemployment, they're hard to keep. Additionally, over 50% of executives fail within 18 months. - Harvard Business Review

Value in Service

The cost of a bad hire is not just in the salary, but in lost time, lagging morale, and missed objectives.

How We Work

Our Approach

01

Learn the company

Our first step is to truly learn the company -- how they operate, who is leading, what they value, and where they’re going.
02

Knowledge + AI

We then utilize our market knowledge supported with AI tools to look at the entire labor force and target candidates who have been at our client’s stage of growth and have faced similar problems.
03

Our Filter

The candidates who make it through our vetting process will have a proven track record of taking their companies to that next stage of growth and are excited to do it again.
04

The Right Hire

Through seeing and understanding the market of available talent, our clients are able to move past gut feelings and make better quality hires through data-informed decisions.
05

Continuous Support

Finally, we support with onboarding of the hire and conduct regular check-ins to ensure client/candidate satisfaction. We place an industry leading 18-month guarantee on all hires.
Who We Are
We are able to draw upon our unique professional perspectives for each search. Additionally, our team members have experience building equitable and balanced teams from early stages and intimately understand the business imperative to prioritize D&I. We believe it to be a moral imperative to provide support and consulting to our clients to empower them to build diverse and inclusive teams. Building the right team is hard work and we don’t give up on difficult searches.
Brandi Byner-Burrow
Analyst

Brandi is a Talent Sourcing and Research Specialist that enjoys the process of digging finding targeted candidates and providing a highly personal candidate experience. Brandi found her passion for talent sourcing as an early member of the Strategic Sourcing team at IQTalent Partners where she developed her skillset in developing and executing sourcing strategies to meet client needs. Brandi graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Human and Organizational Development.

John Jeff
Partner

John Jeff has spent the better part of his career coaching and developing high-performing teams with over a decade of people leadership experience. He worked in retail operations and management from 2011 to 2017, including launching lululemom in the Korean market, where he recruited and hired the founding team and led country operations. In 2018, he joined Enjoy, a technology-powered platform disrupting the physical retail model, where he built and led sales teams throughout the US before launching and leading the business in Canada. After a year at Enjoy, he stepped in as Head of Talent Acquisition for North America, where he built and led scalable recruiting strategies and processes to support the organization growing from 300 to 2000 corporate and field employees in the US and Canada. John Jeff lives in Pittsburgh and is a graduate of the George Washington University.

Michelle Stinnett
Director of Operations

Michelle is an astute professional with over 10 years of experience in established and early-stage startups. She has a vast background in organizational and operational support in education, nonprofit, and consumer goods. As a results-driven team collaborator, she works to identify and launch new technologies to improve business functionality, output and processes, while also creating strategical tools to help teams execute critical business fundamentals towards company goals/objectives. Michelle is the spouse of a retired military veteran and has been blessed to see many parts of the world. She currently resides in the St. Louis area with her family.

Trey Shelton
Founder

Trey has immersed himself in the world of startups for over fifteen years as a founder of a rich media startup, an angel investor, and an executive recruiter. From 2005 to 2014, he founded and exited Music Interactive, a rich media company focused on the digital music business. After his exit, his attention broadened to many areas of emerging technology such as foodtech, Bitcoin, cleantech, and more. Looking to work with a wide variety of emerging companies, he switched careers in 2015 to executive recruiting. He became a Partner at Safire Partners, the most active executive recruitment firm in Southern California, placing over 100 execs at high growth startups across consumer, SaaS, digital media, and other areas. In 2018 he moved back to his hometown of Nashville and founded Position.Trey is a graduate from Vanderbilt University.

CLIENTS
Startups have fragmented most every industry with new challenger brands rising up every day. Some of them get acquired by the incumbents, some fail, and some become the new guards of their industry.

All startups face unique challenges due to internal and external dynamics, marketing positioning, funding, timing, location, and more. Learning the stories of these evolving companies means understanding the people who built them, how they organized themselves, and the challenges they overcame.
Location
Los Angeles
Employees
325
Funding
$161.9M
Thrive Market is an online shopping club on a mission to make healthy living easy and affordable for everyone. Members can buy the best-selling healthy foods and natural, wholesome products in everyday sizes, always 25-50% off retail prices, delivered right to their door.
Location
Distributed
Employees
1,116
Funding
$617.3M
Automattic is best known as the company behind WordPress, WooCommerce, Jetpack, Akismet, Simplenote, and many more. Their technologies power 1/3 of all websites, eCommerce, business management tools, content production tools, and much more.
Location
New York
Employees
80
Funding
$1.1B*
* Coindesk is a wholly owned subsidiary of ​Digital Currency Group ($1.1B funding)
CoinDesk is the media platform for the next generation of investors exploring how cryptocurrencies and digital assets are contributing to the evolution of the global financial system.
Location
Los Angeles
Employees
250
Funding
$30M
Everytable is on a mission is to make nutritious, fresh food affordable and accessible to all
Location
New York & Denver, CO
Employees
184
Funding
$88.6M
Signpost is a CRM platform that has helped 10,000+ local businesses get 5-star reviews, new referrals, and repeat clients. Their platform provides businesses with enhanced ways of building and managing customer relationships. They’ve shown to improve local businesses' ratings by 34% and increase revenue by 14%.
Location
Washington, D.C.
Employees
315
Funding
$57M
Axios is a new media company delivering vital, trustworthy news and analysis in the most efficient, illuminating, and shareable ways possible.
Location
Lexington, KY
Employees
300+
Funding
$142M
AppHarvest is combining agriculture with today’s tech to help re-define America’s food system
Location
New York
Employees
30
Funding
$6.5M
Magic Spoon is a keto-friendly cereal reimagining our favorite breakfast of the past as a high-protein, guilt-free indulgence. They are the fastest growing ketogenic product in a $15B global market.
Location
Los Angeles
Employees
55
Funding
$50M
Seed is a microbial sciences company developing probiotic applications for humans & environmental health.
Location
New Orleans & New York
Employees
35
Funding
$10.4M
Resilia helps nonprofits “turbo tax” the process of incorporating and applying for tax exemption while also enabling enterprises (cities, private foundations, and F500) to scale impact by managing the full nonprofit life cycle of managing resources, filing alerts, custom dashboards, and partnership opportunities.
Location
Los Angeles
Employees
150
Funding
$61.7M
Signal Sciences is the fastest growing web application security company in the world. With its award-winning next-gen web application firewall (WAF) and runtime application self protection (RASP) solutions, they protect over 27,000 applications and over a trillion production requests per month.
Location
Los Angeles
Employees
60
Funding
$15M
Outer is a direct-to-consumer outdoor furniture brand on a mission to bring life outside. The products are designed by former head furniture designer of Pottery Barn, Terry Lin, and manufactured in CEO Jiake Liu's family-owned factory.
Location
Toronto
Employees
35
Funding
$5M
Beekeeper’s Naturals are the makers of bestselling bee-powered superproducts that are revamping the medicine cabinet. Beekeeper’s flagship product is a throat spray powered by propolis, a bee byproduct renowned for its antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties, which recently hit #1 on Amazon in the Cold & Flu category.
Location
Remote
Employees
9
Funding
$7.7M
Keep helps contracts harness the full power of the public blockchain by enabling deep interactivity with private data.
Location
Nashville
Employees
20
Funding
$1M
BTC Inc is an ecosystem of companies building the open economy and empowering creators to reorganize the world — digitally. BTC Media has reached an audience of over 15M developers, influencers, and newcomers looking for the intelligence that is driving the Bitcoin and blockchain revolution.
Location
Boulder
Employees
15
Funding
$5M
Entelligent is a data technology company developing patented solutions helps allocators invest with an eye toward sustainability, while uncovering datasets and analytics to improve returns and decrease risk.
Location
New York
Employees
20
Funding
Series A
Proton Enterprises is venture development firm building the next wave of health & wellness brands such as LMNT, an electrolyte drinks mix designed for an active, low-carb or keto lifestyle.
Location
Nashville, DC, NYC
Employees
20
Funding
$11.1M
Cortex is a building analytics software company that provides real-time actionable insights and decision support to commercial buildings. They provide the fastest & lowest-cost way for buildings to reduce their energy use, spend, & emissions.
Location
San Diego
Employees
300
Funding
$47.2M
Suja is the fastest growing organic, cold-pressured and Non-GMO beverage company in the U.S. Their mission is to democratize organic juice by offering it at a price point that everyone can afford. They are best known for their cold-pressed juices, kombuchas infused with functional adaptogens, and wellness shots.
Location
LA, remote
Employees
180
Funding
Private
The Many delivers bespoke client solutions ranging from integrated brand experiences and world record-setting activations to social movements, influencer campaigns, and earned media stunts.
CLIENTS

Startups have fragmented most every industry with new challenger brands rising up every day. Some of them get acquired by the incumbents, some fail, and some become the new guards of their industry.

All startups face unique challenges due to internal and external dynamics, marketing positioning, funding, timing, location, and more. Learning the stories of these evolving companies means understanding the people who built them, how they organized themselves, and the challenges they overcame.

Location
Los Angeles
Employees
325
Funding
$161.9M
Thrive Market is an online shopping club on a mission to make healthy living easy and affordable for everyone. Members can buy the best-selling healthy foods and natural, wholesome products in everyday sizes, always 25-50% off retail prices, delivered right to their door.
Location
Distributed
Employees
1,116
Funding
$617.3M
Automattic is best known as the company behind WordPress, WooCommerce, Jetpack, Akismet, Simplenote, and many more. Their technologies power 1/3 of all websites, eCommerce, business management tools, content production tools, and much more.
Location
New York
Employees
80
Funding
$1.1B*
CoinDesk is the media platform for the next generation of investors exploring how cryptocurrencies and digital assets are contributing to the evolution of the global financial system.
Location
Los Angeles
Employees
250
Funding
$30M
Everytable is on a mission is to make nutritious, fresh food affordable and accessible to all
Location
New York & Denver, CO
Employees
184
Funding
$88.6M
Signpost is a CRM platform that has helped 10,000+ local businesses get 5-star reviews, new referrals, and repeat clients. Their platform provides businesses with enhanced ways of building and managing customer relationships. They’ve shown to improve local businesses' ratings by 34% and increase revenue by 14%.
Location
Washington, D.C.
Employees
315
Funding
$57M
Axios is a new media company delivering vital, trustworthy news and analysis in the most efficient, illuminating, and shareable ways possible.
Location
Lexington, KY
Employees
300+
Funding
$142M
AppHarvest is combining agriculture with today’s tech to help re-define America’s food system
Location
New York
Employees
30
Funding
$6.5M
Magic Spoon is a keto-friendly cereal reimagining our favorite breakfast of the past as a high-protein, guilt-free indulgence. They are the fastest growing ketogenic product in a $15B global market.
Location
Los Angeles
Employees
55
Funding
$50M
Seed is a microbial sciences company developing probiotic applications for humans & environmental health.
Location
New Orleans & New York
Employees
35
Funding
$10.4M
Resilia helps nonprofits “turbo tax” the process of incorporating and applying for tax exemption while also enabling enterprises (cities, private foundations, and F500) to scale impact by managing the full nonprofit life cycle of managing resources, filing alerts, custom dashboards, and partnership opportunities.
Location
Los Angeles
Employees
150
Funding
$61.7M
Signal Sciences is the fastest growing web application security company in the world. With its award-winning next-gen web application firewall (WAF) and runtime application self protection (RASP) solutions, they protect over 27,000 applications and over a trillion production requests per month.
Location
Los Angeles
Employees
60
Funding
$15M
Outer is a direct-to-consumer outdoor furniture brand on a mission to bring life outside. The products are designed by former head furniture designer of Pottery Barn, Terry Lin, and manufactured in CEO Jiake Liu's family-owned factory.
Location
Toronto
Employees
35
Funding
$5M
Beekeeper’s Naturals are the makers of bestselling bee-powered superproducts that are revamping the medicine cabinet. Beekeeper’s flagship product is a throat spray powered by propolis, a bee byproduct renowned for its antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties, which recently hit #1 on Amazon in the Cold & Flu category.
Location
Remote
Employees
9
Funding
$7.7M
Keep helps contracts harness the full power of the public blockchain by enabling deep interactivity with private data.
Location
Nashville
Employees
20
Funding
$1M
BTC Inc is an ecosystem of companies building the open economy and empowering creators to reorganize the world — digitally. BTC Media has reached an audience of over 15M developers, influencers, and newcomers looking for the intelligence that is driving the Bitcoin and blockchain revolution.
Location
Boulder
Employees
15
Funding
$5M
Entelligent is a data technology company developing patented solutions helps allocators invest with an eye toward sustainability, while uncovering datasets and analytics to improve returns and decrease risk.
Location
New York
Employees
20
Funding
Series A
Proton Enterprises is venture development firm building the next wave of health & wellness brands such as LMNT, an electrolyte drinks mix designed for an active, low-carb or keto lifestyle.
Location
Nashville, DC, NYC
Employees
20
Funding
$11.1M
Cortex is a building analytics software company that provides real-time actionable insights and decision support to commercial buildings. They provide the fastest & lowest-cost way for buildings to reduce their energy use, spend, & emissions.
Location
San Diego
Employees
300
Funding
$47.2M
Suja is the fastest growing organic, cold-pressured and Non-GMO beverage company in the U.S. Their mission is to democratize organic juice by offering it at a price point that everyone can afford. They are best known for their cold-pressed juices, kombuchas infused with functional adaptogens, and wellness shots.
Location
LA, remote
Employees
180
Funding
Private
The Many delivers bespoke client solutions ranging from integrated brand experiences and world record-setting activations to social movements, influencer campaigns, and earned media stunts.