A Quick Update + What’s Next
TL;DR: Krakd is evolving into a private, invite-only referral network for high-quality talent keen on joining startups
Krakd began as an experiment: a bounty-based hiring marketplace, with newsletters as the initial form factor. I kept seeing founders offer increasing sums to anyone who could introduce them to great engineers, or occasionally, other critical early hires. It felt obvious: someone should aggregate and productize this.
The initial version worked... to an extent. Demand from founders was strong. Multiple people reached out asking to be featured or to post jobs. One even pre-wrote an issue of the newsletter for me - an unexpected, but welcome surprise that showed me that founders wanted better hiring channels.
But there was a hitch: signal vs. noise. I underestimated how overwhelming inbound volume could get, and how much of it just wasn’t relevant. That’s when I realized I had two paths forward:
Build AI tooling to screen applicants
Or, curate a trusted network of high-signal referrers with real relationships
I tested the first route. Turns out, better processing doesn’t fix bad inputs.
So I’m rebuilding Krakd from the ground up.
The next version will be a curated, application-based newsletter featuring exceptional talent across disciplines, but vetted by me in a private, closed-end newsletter. If you’d like to join, here’s a short form (takes <1 min): [LINK]
And if you know someone exceptional who should be on the list, I’d love to hear from you. Given the new direction, I’m going to update the name as well: “GRG”, or Game Recognizes Game, where I hypothesize that a small group of trusted friends, who care and are invested, will yield better and more relevant referrals for people hiring.
