Our Model

Flat-Fee Retained Search for AI Leaders. No Percentage of Compensation.

Traditional search firms charge 25–35% of first-year comp. For a CAIO at $400K, that's $100K–$140K. We charge a flat fee starting at $35,000.

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60+ executive placements · 98% completion rate · 92% two-year retention

The Incentive Problem Nobody Talks About

When a search firm charges a percentage of first-year compensation, they make more money when your candidate's package goes up. That's a structural conflict of interest — not a theoretical one. It means the firm benefits from encouraging higher offers, longer negotiations, and more expensive candidates. It also means smaller organizations get priced out of the caliber of search they actually need. We built Talent Echo to fix that.

What You Get

Same retained methodology as the big firms Exclusive engagement, dedicated research, structured assessment, senior partner-led from start to finish.
Fee never inflates with the candidate's compensation package Whether the final offer is $250K or $500K, our fee stays the same. Our incentive is the right hire, not the biggest package.
Paid in thirds: engagement, shortlist, placement You pay as we deliver. One-third to start, one-third at shortlist, one-third at placement.
Senior partner-led from start to finish No handoff to junior recruiters. The person who scopes the search is the person who runs it.

How We Run a Search

Calibrate

Define success in your context — role, environment, non-negotiables.

Map

Map the market against your brief — obvious candidates and non-obvious ones.

Assess

Every candidate measured on the same rubric: technical, leadership, governance.

Place & Onboard

We stay engaged through the first 180 days — when retention is won or lost.

Flat-fee retained search. For a $400K CAIO hire, a traditional firm charges $100K–$140K. We charge a flat fee starting at $35,000. Same process. Same rigor. Aligned incentives.

Leaders placed across: healthcare systems, financial services, biotech & pharma, PE-backed firms, foundations, universities, government agencies, and mission-driven organizations.

What Clients Say About Our Team

“Their team provided us with a robust and thoroughly vetted candidacy pool that reflected a strong, nuanced understanding of our needs. Given their timeliness, high quality of work and reasonable price point, we would gladly hire them again.”
— Ashley

“They were prompt, very well connected, with an impressively competitive price. Their recommendations for process and even interview questions are based on ample experience and all proved priceless. It is an investment that pays for itself immediately in efficiency and success.”
— Andrea

Reviews from clients of the same founding team, via Charity Search Group.