The traditional approach to acquisition of talents is undergoing a significant change. As a founder and investor operating at the cutting edge of building and scaling tech companies, I've noticed a growing demand for a new type of professional—I like to call this person the “rock climber,” but this one isn't. is your typical corporate climber focused on headlines and promotions. These are the people who can move seamlessly between high-level strategic thinking and hands-on execution, which is invaluable for early-stage startups.

The concept of a rock climber is both simple and powerful. They can get off the rock to gain a big perspective on a problem or market and then climb up on the rock to execute the necessary details. Whether it's developing a strategic growth plan or coding a critical product feature, they thrive in both realms. In fact, they are just as at home in the boardroom deliberating long term vision as they are on a whiteboard sketching out product designs or writing code.

Increasingly, rock climber is the ideal job that startups are looking for as they look for talent.

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Why rock climbers are invaluable

In a startup, rock climbers bring a high level of agility and ELIGIBILITYwhich are critical for early-stage companies that often operate with limited resources. I have seen firsthand how this type of person can make or break a growing company. Startups can't afford large, siled teams or extensive layers of middle management, so having people who can wear multiple hats isn't just a benefit—it's a necessity for survival and growth.

My co-founders and I have embraced this mindset from the start. We see talent acquisition as product development. Just as we iterate on a product's features to fit market needs, we approach team building with the same level of intentionality. In our current business, Breadwe review our organizational structure and team composition quarterly, constantly reassessing our roles and team fit. Within three quarters, I personally went from focusing on developing and installing our new 0-to-product design process to building our new founder onboarding process. The same conversation happens with every employee—and the good ones can step back from their day job and reassess where they might be able to provide more leverage for the business.

When you approach employment this way, you're not just looking for a specific skill set; you are looking for adaptability, a readiness for it solve problems at any level and the ability to climb the stone – both up and down – quickly.

Finding and educating rock climbers

Identifying rock climbers in a hiring process requires a shift in focus. Instead of standing rigidly behind years of experience or specialized skills, you should prioritize indicators of agility. Ask yourself: has this person successfully taken on a variety of responsibilities in past roles? Can they distill complex ideas and communicate them effectively for different audiences? Are they genuinely curious about different aspects of the business? In short, you're not just looking for someone with expertise—you're looking for someone who can transcend traditional boundaries.

As a result, all of our recruitment initiatives are geared towards communication. For technical leaders, we care less about testing their knowledge of single programming languages. Instead, we ask them to present problems they have solved in the past and explain how they solved them. Furthermore, we ask them to critique how in solved a particular problem in the past.

Once you've found and hired this person, you need to nurture them. Creating an environment where continuous learning and cross-functional collaboration are the norm allows climbers to thrive. You should encourage all of your team members to step outside their comfort zones, take on new challenges and contribute to different parts of the business. When you celebrate fitness and creativity as much as specialized expertise, you build a culture that attracts and retains this valuable talent.

As a company grows, it's easy to fall back on hiring specialists and creating narrowly defined roles. But it's important to save space for people who can do a little bit of everything.

At the same time, don't let a rock climber take too much or you risk burning them. Finding the balance between encouraging flexibility and not stretching people too thin is critical. Understand what your rock climbers are best at and encourage them to get involved in those specific areas, rather than every aspect of the entire business.

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Impact on organizational agility

The benefits of cultivating rock climbers go beyond just individual performance. I have seen how an adaptable, multi-skilled team can transform an organization. Startups that embrace this model tend to be more flexible, efficient and responsive to market changes. Rock climbers enable a leaner team structure that can eliminate unnecessary layers of management, creating a more agile company overall.

In all of my past ventures, I've intentionally kept our teams small and versatile. Instead of over-hiring, other leaders and I have built internal tools for it automate many of our reporting and operations. This allows us to focus on what really matters – helping our customers grow and innovate without getting bogged down in red tape. We are constantly iterating and improving as we scale, all while staying lean.

Looking forward, I believe the rock climber paradigm will become increasingly important. As market conditions continue to change and technologies evolve at breakneck speedstartups need teams that can adapt quickly. By building teams of rock climbers, founders can position their companies to stay agile and respond effectively to challenges.

Rethinking talent for the future

For founders and hiring managers, this paradigm shift means rethinking how we define roles and evaluate candidates. Instead of searching for the perfect fit for a narrowly defined job description, you should focus on identifying candidates with potential to grow and evolve with your company. Consider offering rotational programs or cross-functional projects to help develop and retain rock climbers within your organization.

And for anyone aspiring to thrive in the startup world, my advice is to diversify your skills, stay curious, and be willing to move between big-picture strategy and detailed execution. This flexibility will make you indispensable in an industry that favors adaptability.

The success of startups will increasingly depend on their ability to build teams with a wide variety of skills. The rock climber isn't just a new hiring trend—it represents a fundamental shift in the way we think about talent, organizational structure, and success.

By embracing this new way of thinking, startups can build more resilient teams and be better equipped to handle unpredictable challenges.