Paul Dixon
Founding Partner
Paul Dixon is the Founding Partner at The Search Experience, specializing in go-to-market recruitment for early-stage technology companies. He partners with Seed to Series C founders across the US, advising on the hiring decisions that shape high-performing sales, marketing, customer success, and revenue leadership teams.
Meet Paul
Paul has spent more than a decade building go-to-market teams for early-stage startups, partnering closely with founders through some of their most important hiring decisions. Throughout that time, he has built one of the strongest networks across the US startup ecosystem, with long-standing relationships spanning founders, revenue leaders, operators, and high-performing commercial talent. Those relationships, combined with years of market insight, allow him to identify opportunities and talent long before they reach the wider market.
After studying English Literature in the UK, Paul began his career with large international recruitment firms, developing a strong foundation in executive search, client partnership, and delivery before specializing in founder-led startups. He later relocated to San Francisco, where he worked alongside Natalie Adams and Jeremy MacLeod, building go-to-market teams for venture-backed technology companies across the US.
After Natalie and Jeremy founded The Search Experience, Paul joined as Founding Partner, sharing their vision for a more founder-centric approach to recruitment. His approach combines trusted relationships, commercial judgment, and founder empathy, making him a long-term advisor to many of the companies he supports as they scale.
Focus: GTM & Leadership Hiring
Paul specializes in the go-to-market hires that shape the trajectory of early-stage companies. His focus areas include:
GTM Leadership: VP Sales, VP Marketing, Heads of Demand Generation, and commercial leadership
Sales: Enterprise Account Executives, Mid-Market Account Executives, SDRs, and sales leadership
Marketing: Product Marketing, Growth Marketing, Demand Generation, and Revenue Operations
Over more than a decade in startup recruitment, Paul has built one of his greatest strengths: an exceptional network across the US startup ecosystem. Long-standing relationships with founders, GTM leaders, and high-performing operators give him deep visibility into the market and access to talent that rarely reaches the open market.
Paul works primarily with technical founders building B2B SaaS and AI companies, where the first go-to-market hires often define a company's trajectory. His experience enables founders to make confident decisions around role design, hiring sequence, and the capabilities required at each stage of growth.
Working with Paul
Paul takes a focused, founder-aligned approach to go-to-market hiring. He invests significant time understanding the business, product, customers, and growth strategy before engaging the market. Founders working with Paul can expect honest advice, thoughtful challenge, and clear recommendations on the type of GTM leader their business needs, based on its stage, growth plans, and go-to-market motion.
He is at his best when companies have reached product-market fit and are building a repeatable revenue engine. He develops a deep understanding of the product, customer, and competitive landscape, enabling him to represent the opportunity credibly to senior candidates while advising founders on role design, seniority, sequencing, and hiring strategy.
Paul is known for running disciplined, highly selective searches rather than high-volume processes. His reputation and long-standing network across the startup ecosystem give him access to exceptional GTM talent, allowing him to present a small number of candidates with genuine potential to influence the next stage of growth. He stays closely involved throughout the search, bringing structure, pace, and sound judgment from the first conversation through to offer acceptance.
B2B PMM Lead, AI Coding Platform, Series B
"Paul is a rare recruiting partner who understands not just the executional needs of a role, but the energy and chemistry required for the right hire. He asks the right questions, takes the time to deeply understand the business and hiring managers, and is relentlessly thoughtful about fit. Fast, thorough, and highly prepared at every stage, Paul keeps searches moving while maintaining a high bar for talent. There's no one I'd rather partner with on GTM hires."
Global Revenue Leader, AI Customer Feedback, Series A
"Paul set the bar for what an exceptional recruiter should be. Professional, insightful, and deeply consultative, he acted as a true advisor throughout the process, ensuring a strong mutual fit. His follow-through, transparency, and genuine care made the experience seamless. I'd wholeheartedly recommend Paul to any company or candidate."
Head of Marketing, DevTools, Series A
"Paul looks beyond skills to team dynamics, ensuring leaders genuinely thrive together. What stood out immediately was his deep understanding of the company, role, investors, and market, paired with a genuine effort to understand my goals. Paul felt less like a recruiter and more like a trusted advisor, and that support continued well beyond my start date. I recommend him without reservation for hiring high-caliber GTM talent."
Beyond the Search
A lifelong competitor, Paul represented England in soccer at school level and still trains to this day. He now channels that same discipline into HYROX (a hybrid endurance event that combines running and functional strength). Beyond sport, he's passionate about hiking, live music, and exploring new restaurants and wine bars.
His willingness to take risks - moving countries and launching offices in new markets - mirrors the resilience and grit of the founders he partners with. That shared drive for performance and progress has earned him long-term relationships with startup leaders who value honesty, pace, and precision.
FAQs
What sales and marketing leadership roles does Paul specialize in?
VP Sales, VP Marketing, Demand Generation, Product Marketing, and Customer Success leadership roles.
What experience does Paul bring to startup hiring?
Over a decade of experience helping Seed–Series C startups build their first GTM and technical teams, primarily across SaaS, DevTools, and AI.
How does Paul work with founders scaling revenue teams?
He acts as an embedded advisor, combining strategic questioning with market insight to ensure every search is aligned with product stage, ARR, and GTM maturity.
What types of founders or investors does Paul typically collaborate with?
Technical founders and top-tier venture investors building early-stage B2B SaaS, developer tools, and data startups.
How can I connect with Paul about a search?
Reach out via our contact form or connect with Paul directly on LinkedIn.