Natalie Adams
Co-Founder
Natalie Adams is the Co-Founder of The Search Experience, where she leads the organization's strategy, infrastructure, and delivery methodology. She builds the systems, training, and operating rhythm that enable TSE's consultants to work alongside founders with precision, context, and founder-first intent.
Meet Natalie
Natalie leads strategy, methodology, and capability development across The Search Experience. She sets the standards behind every search, trains each consultant who joins the business, and works closely with founders on high-impact hiring decisions. Her focus is ensuring every search is executed with commercial judgment, rigorous process, and a deep understanding of the realities of building an early-stage company.
Alongside Co-Founder Jeremy MacLeod, Natalie built The Search Experience around the way founders actually hire. Rather than operating as an external recruitment agency, the business was designed to act as an extension of the founding team, bringing structure, market insight, and accountability to every critical hiring decision.
Before founding TSE, Natalie recruited with one of the UK's leading recruitment firms, where she received structured, performance-driven training that shaped her belief that recruitment is a business function, not a transactional service. Earlier in her career, she worked in media sales within the publishing industry, developing the commercial discipline, communication skills, and preparation-first mindset that continue to define her approach today.
Focus: Leadership Approach
Natalie's role centers on building and scaling a founder-focused search practice that matches the pace, ambition, and operating standards of the companies it supports. Her leadership approach is grounded in:
Founder-first alignment: treating talent as a strategic lever, not a sourcing task
Capability development: coaching consultants to think commercially and challenge assumptions with data and context
Clarity and rigor: establishing alignment across founders, hiring managers, and candidates before search begins
She owns methodology, standards, and culture - reinforcing the belief that trust, transparency, and disciplined delivery outperform speed-for-speed's-sake.
Working with Natalie
Natalie takes a pragmatic, outcome-led, and deeply honest approach to hiring. She believes the best hiring decisions are made long before candidates enter the process, through clear thinking, honest conversations, and alignment on what success actually looks like. Founders working with Natalie can expect straightforward advice, thoughtful challenge, and a willingness to address risks, unrealistic expectations, or gaps in the hiring strategy before they become costly problems.
As Co-Founder of The Search Experience, Natalie brings firsthand experience building and scaling a business, including expanding into new markets. She understands the pressures founders face when every hire carries significant commercial weight and approaches each search with that perspective in mind. She is known for being direct, principled, and deeply invested in achieving the right outcome, balancing empathy with accountability and giving founders the confidence to make difficult hiring decisions with clarity.
Perspectives & Media
Natalie regularly shares insights on startup hiring, founder decision-making, and the people strategies that enable early-stage companies to scale successfully. Her perspectives have been featured across business and startup publications covering talent, growth, and organizational effectiveness.
Featured In:
Inc.com
Should You Hire Someone Who's Been Unemployed for a Year?
Natalie shared her perspective on evaluating candidates holistically, encouraging founders to look beyond career gaps and focus on capability, context, and long-term potential.
Tech Startup Network
Where Early-Stage Founders Misallocate Talent and How It Quietly Slows Growth
Natalie explored how misaligned hiring decisions can create hidden friction, impacting execution, momentum, and startup growth.
Recent Insights from Natalie on the TSE Blog:
Why Early-Stage Startup Hiring Processes Fail (And How to Fix Them)
3 Habits of Founders Who Consistently Hire Top Startup Talent
The 7 Types of Startup Founders (And What Your Hiring Style Says About You)
ERR vs ARR: How Experimental Run-rate Revenue Changes How You Hire
Chief Revenue Officer, AI Software, Series B
"Natalie is the best recruiter I've worked with as a candidate. Her personal approach, attention to detail, and genuine partnership made the entire process feel different. I truly felt like I had a teammate in my corner throughout. I can't recommend her highly enough."
Vice President, Revenue, Educational Online Resource
"Natalie proved her value quickly by delivering a strong hire and guiding the search with candor, professionalism, and clear judgment. She understood what both sides needed and balanced advocacy for candidates and clients exceptionally well. I'd gladly work with her again."
Solutions Consultant, Enterprise SaaS, Series B
"Natalie is a rare gem in recruiting. She combines professionalism with a genuine personal touch and helped me confidently navigate a competitive job search to land the right role. I couldn't recommend partnering with her more highly."
Beyond the Search
Outside of work, Natalie is driven by curiosity and enjoys learning through both physical challenges and new ideas. Most mornings begin with Vinyasa yoga, followed by strength training, and she's developed a passion for mountaineering and long-distance backpacking, with Mount Shasta her highest summit to date. She's also a keen traveler and an enthusiastic golfer, although she'd be the first to admit she's still a work in progress.
Natalie is an eclectic reader whose interests span philosophy, psychology, and popular science, with books like A Brief History of Time and The Tibetan Book of the Dead sitting alongside novels such as The Night Circus and The Silent Patient. When she's not outdoors or reading, she's usually tackling a puzzle or planning her next adventure.
FAQs
What is Natalie's role at TSE?
As Co-Founder, Natalie leads strategy, training, and methodology, shaping the firm's founder-first recruitment model.
How does she support founders?
Through strategic oversight, expectation-setting, and ensuring every search aligns to business objectives, operating reality, and growth sequencing.
How can I connect with Natalie for PR or media opportunities?
Natalie is available for comments, speaking opportunities, and partnership enquiries. The best way to connect is by contacting the marketing team.
How can I connect with Natalie?
Reach out via email or connect with her on LinkedIn.