The Kas Group

Fractional Recruiting for Startups: Your First 1 to 5 Sales Hires

For seed through Series B founders moving from founder-led sales to a first AE, a first SDR, and the few hires after that.

Fractional recruiting is a part time recruiting partner who joins your team on a monthly basis and runs your hiring from inside your own process. You get an experienced recruiter focused on your open seats, writing the scorecard with you, sourcing and screening candidates and helping close offers. How fractional recruiting works.

Short answer

Fractional recruiting for startups is a monthly retainer for an embedded sales recruiter who runs your first hires inside your own process, with no percentage of salary fee on each hire. It fits seed through Series B founders who need 2 to 5 sales hires in the next two quarters, such as the first AE to take deals off the founder and the first SDR to feed them. At The Kas Group, Kas Seat is $5k/mo for up to two open sales roles and $8k/mo for three to five (up to $10k/mo for senior AE and above) with zero success fees. A single hire can run as a Kas Milestone Search: $5,000 for SDR/BDR, $7,500 for AE, $10,000 for Senior AE or Sales Manager.

Fractional recruiting for startups: the first 1 to 5 sales hires

The first sales hires are the hardest ones a startup makes. There is no playbook yet, no sales manager to ramp them, and the founder is the whole interview panel. The comp plan is brand new. A miss costs pipeline and founder time you do not get back.

HireMake it whenTheir job
First AEThe founder has more qualified pipeline than they can close.Take a defined set of deals off the founder and close them without the founder on every call.
First SDR / BDRThe founder or first AE closes well, but meetings are the bottleneck.Book qualified first meetings with the buyer you already win with.
AE #2 and #3The first AE is hitting a real number on your price point.Repeat what the first AE proved. Same buyer, same motion.
Senior AE or first Sales ManagerThree or more reps need coaching and the founder is the only manager.Carry a number and run the weekly pipeline review. A VP of Sales is a separate decision.

For the traits that predict fast ramp in SDRs and AEs, see how to hire SDRs and AEs fast. If you are weighing a VP instead, read how to hire a VP of Sales for a startup first.

When should a startup hire its first AE?

Hire the first AE when the founder has closed repeatable deals with a clear buyer and a clear price, and founder time is now the limit on revenue. If deals only close because the founder is in the room, keep selling and hire later. Your first sales hire needs a playbook covers what founder led sales has to prove first.

Plan for ramp and experience. The Bridge Group's 2026 survey of 158 B2B companies puts average AE ramp at 6.2 months and average experience at hire at 3.7 years. For pay, read what to pay your first AE. If the seat needs a seasoned closer, see how to hire a senior account executive.

When fractional fits a startup, and when it does not

It fits when

  • The founder has closed repeatable deals and can describe the buyer, the price and why they bought.
  • You plan two or more sales hires in the next six months.
  • Founder time is the bottleneck. You are sourcing on LinkedIn at night and interviews keep slipping.
  • You want to keep the candidate list, the notes and the scorecard when the search ends.

It does not fit when

  • No product-market fit yet. If the founder cannot close, a first AE will not fix it. Keep selling yourself.
  • One sales hire every 12 months. A monthly retainer sits idle. Use a single Kas Milestone Search or a contingency search for that one seat.
  • You want a VP of Sales before any AEs. At The Kas Group that runs as Kas Directed Pursuit, with its own process.
  • Nobody on your side can interview and decide within a week. Every model stalls when feedback takes three weeks.
  • You are hiring steadily across many functions. At that point, an in-house recruiter usually makes sense.

The honest test: if you would open only one sales seat this year, do not buy a monthly retainer. If your hiring plan has two or more sales seats in it, one retainer usually costs less than a per-hire fee on each of them.

Fractional vs contingency vs in-house for a startup

Fractional (Kas Seat)Contingency agencyIn-house recruiter
How you payMonthly retainer. Zero success fees on Kas Seat.Paid when someone is hired, usually 20% to 25% of first year cash compensation (SHRM).Salary, benefits and tools, every month.
Best for2 to 5 sales hires over one or two quarters.One well defined role with no follow on hires.Steady volume across many functions.
ExclusivityExclusive and embedded in your process.Often non exclusive, so several recruiters can work the role (SHRM).Full-time employee.
What to plan forPause the retainer in months with no open seats.A fee on each hire, so budget per seat.Ongoing salary and ramp time before the first hire lands.

For the first few sales hires, the main question is how many seats you will open. A fractional recruiter learns your pitch, your price and your bar once, then uses it on every seat. Contingency is priced per hire, which suits a single role. An in-house recruiter fits once hiring volume is steady.

Industry context, not Kas pricing: SHRM puts contingency fees at 20% to 25% of the role's first year cash compensation. The full fee math on AE and VP packages is in fractional sales recruiting vs contingency. The salary build for a first recruiter is in fractional recruiting vs in-house recruiter.

Typical cost for startup sales hiring

  • Kas Seat: $5k/mo for up to two open sales roles, $8k/mo for three to five. Up to $10k/mo when the seat covers senior AE and above. Zero success fees. Month to month.
  • Kas Milestone Search: one seat. Example fees: SDR/BDR $5,000, AE $7,500, Senior AE or Sales Manager $10,000.
  • Kas Directed Pursuit: list driven search, used for Director, VP of Sales and CRO. Pricing on request.

A seed company hiring a first AE and a first SDR in the same quarter is the typical Seat case. One AE and nothing else for a year is the typical Milestone case. Worked examples and the full price list live on the fractional sales recruiting cost guide. All three programs are on Programs. For how SaaS sales recruiters work at this stage, read SaaS sales recruitment agencies and recruiters for Seed to Series B.

What the first 90 days look like

A typical plan for a first AE or SDR search on Kas Seat. These are working ranges, not guarantees. Your comp band, your interview speed and the market for the role move the dates.

  1. 1

    Week 1: Calibration

    Write the scorecard for the first seat: ACV band, sales cycle, who they sell to, and which deals the founder hands over. Set the base and OTE split. Agree the interview loop and who makes the call.

  2. 2

    Weeks 2 to 4: Map and outreach

    For SDR through Sales Manager seats, a free market scan lands in 48 to 72 hours. Direct outreach to sellers who have sold at your stage and price point, most of whom are not applying to jobs. You review the list and mark who to pursue. First screens start.

  3. 3

    Weeks 4 to 8: Interview and close

    A structured loop: a deal teardown, a role play on your real product, and reference checks on quota. Make the offer and handle the counteroffer. If a second seat is planned, that search opens while the first one closes.

  4. 4

    Weeks 8 to 12: Start and next seat

    The first hire starts with a defined set of accounts or leads. Check what their first weeks show about the scorecard and adjust it before hire two or three. Keep the Seat running for the next role, or pause it.

What the founder brings to week 1

  • • Your last 10 closed-won deals: who bought, what they paid, how long it took
  • • Your current price and the ACV you want the hire to sell at
  • • A base and OTE budget you will actually approve
  • • Who interviews, and a promise to give feedback within two business days

For how a Kas fractional engagement runs month to month after the first seats, see the fractional recruiting guide.

FAQ: fractional recruiting for startups

What is fractional recruiting for startups?

Fractional recruiting for startups is a monthly retainer for an embedded recruiter who runs your first sales searches inside your own process. You pay for recruiting capacity instead of a percentage of each hire's salary. At The Kas Group this is Kas Seat: $5k/mo for up to two open sales roles and $8k/mo for three to five.

When should a startup hire its first AE?

When the founder has closed repeatable deals with a clear buyer and a clear price, and founder time is now the limit on revenue. If deals only close because the founder is in the room, keep selling yourself and hire later. Plan for ramp: The Bridge Group's 2026 survey puts average AE ramp at 6.2 months.

Should the first sales hire be an AE or an SDR?

Hire an AE first if the founder has more qualified pipeline than they can close. Hire an SDR first if the founder closes well but meetings are the bottleneck. A common sequence is AE first, then an SDR once the AE's calendar is full.

How much does fractional recruiting cost for a startup?

At The Kas Group, Kas Seat is $5k/mo for up to two open sales roles and $8k/mo for three to five, up to $10k/mo for senior AE and above, with zero success fees. For a single hire, Kas Milestone Search example fees are $5,000 for SDR/BDR, $7,500 for AE and $10,000 for Senior AE or Sales Manager. Kas Directed Pursuit is priced on request.

How does fractional recruiting compare with contingency for a startup?

Contingency is paid only when a hire is made, usually 20% to 25% of first year cash compensation according to SHRM, and fits one well defined role. Fractional recruiting is a monthly retainer, and fits two or more sales hires in the same quarter because one partner learns your buyer and pitch once.

Can fractional recruiting fill a VP of Sales role?

The Kas Group runs Director, VP of Sales and CRO searches as Kas Directed Pursuit, priced on request. Most seed teams hire AEs before a VP. Kas Seat can keep AE and SDR hiring moving while a leadership search runs.

Can we pause a fractional recruiting retainer?

Yes. Kas Seat is month to month. Pause it when the seats are filled and restart when the next sales role opens.

Who owns the candidates from a fractional search?

You do. The Kas Group works inside your process, and you keep every name, note and scorecard from the search.

Sources

Related guides

Plan your first sales hires with The Kas Group

Email [email protected] with your stage, the sales seats you plan to hire in the next two quarters, and target OTE. You get a straight answer: Kas Seat, a single Kas Milestone Search, or wait.

Email [email protected]

About The Kas Group

The Kas Group is a B2B SaaS sales recruiting firm founded in 2014. We place sales talent from SDR through Sales Manager, with senior searches quoted on request, for high-growth technology companies.