How GovSignals hired 2 high-caliber founding engineers in just 5 weeks

GovSignals needed to grow their engineering team quickly after raising a $5.5M seed round. Candor moved fast and found two great engineers in just a few weeks.
GovTech
VC-backed
$5.5M Seed round
$5.5M Seed round
About GovSignals
GovSignals is an AI platform that helps companies win government contracts faster and more efficiently. It streamlines early research, proposal writing, and compliance, so teams can go after more opportunities and submit stronger proposals in less time.
Hiring
Founding Engineers
Location
In person (NYC) or remote
Time to hire
6 weeks

CHALLENGE

GovSignals needed founding engineers to sprint on product — but only wanted to hire with intention

Fresh off a $5.5M seed round led by Unusual Ventures, the team at GovSignals knew it was time to build. But with just 10 people on the team - four of them founders - they had to scale engineering without losing momentum or compromising on quality.
"Each cofounder was still doing a little bit of everything. We were sprinting to build what we’d promised and trying to hire at the same time."

— Conner Aldrich, GovSignals’ CTO
The team had been managing recruiting internally, but sourcing, qualifying, and closing founding engineers while scaling the business wasn’t sustainable. They knew they needed hiring help, but only from a partner who could move fast, prioritize quality, and avoid endless recruiter back-and-forth. Their goal: make their first hire within two weeks.

Enter Candor.

SOLUTION

Just 4 days after kickoff, Candor introduced a founding engineer who exceeded the bar

We kicked off the search on March 14, starting with a deep calibration on the ideal profile. Instead of volume, GovSignals wanted a small number of sharp, startup-proven engineers who could thrive in a lean, high-output team.

The brief was specific:
  • Fullstack engineers (TypeScript + Postgres)
  • 2+ years of experience, ideally at startups
  • East Coast-friendly time zones
  • Gritty, autonomous, mission-driven builders
We launched outreach the same day, targeting 965 engineers across our internal network and outbound campaigns. Every intro was vetted for technical skill and startup-readiness: the ability to work through ambiguity, self-direct, and deliver impact fast.

The first intro went out on March 18, just four days after kickoff. That candidate was Matt McCormick.

Matt was exactly the kind of hire GovSignals hoped to make. Within 11 days of kickoff, he was already mid-process. He impressed across the board, especially in his system design interview, where he deconstructed problems clearly, asked the right questions, and showed up with calm confidence and real ownership.

By April 29, GovSignals had made offers to both Matt and another standout candidate, Tyler Couto. Both offers were signed by May 1, and the new hires started on May 5.
"Candor was a lot more hands-on and very focused on what we wanted. They moved fast, adjusted based on feedback, and found candidates who actually fit our culture."
Conner Aldrich
Co-founder & CTO

RESULTS

Five weeks, two closed engineers, and a team ready for scale

Over the course of the search, we introduced 6 high quality candidates. GovSignals made 2 hires — a 33% close rate. Both engineers signed within 48 hours of receiving their offers and started on May 5. By the end of their first week, both were already contributing production code.

For GovSignals, speed wasn’t optional — it was essential. But they weren’t willing to trade quality to get there. With clear alignment and a focused, founder-friendly process, they landed two high-caliber engineers who raised the bar from day one.

The impact was immediate: the team recovered time, unblocked the roadmap, and shifted their focus from screening candidates back to building product. More importantly, the team gained two incredible full-stack engineers fully bought into GovSignals’ mission.
“The process was smooth and low-stress. Everyone I spoke with was communicative and easy to work with. I'm excited about the mission, the projects—and the pace. It feels like we’re building something that matters."
Tyler Couto
Founding Engineer at GovSignals
The GovSignals team is actively hiring across engineering, sales, and customer success — if you’re interested in joining their team, please reach out to recruiters@joincandor.com to chat with our team.

Find your next breakout hire -fast.

Get Started
GovTech
VC-backed
$5.5M Seed round

About GovSignals

GovSignals is an AI platform that helps companies win government contracts faster and more efficiently. It streamlines early research, proposal writing, and compliance, so teams can go after more opportunities and submit stronger proposals in less time.
Hiring
Founding Engineers
Location
In person (NYC) or remote
Time to hire
6 weeks

How GovSignals hired 2 high-caliber founding engineers in just 5 weeks

GovSignals needed to grow their engineering team quickly after raising a $5.5M seed round. Candor moved fast and found two great engineers in just a few weeks.

CHALLENGE

GovSignals needed founding engineers to sprint on product — but only wanted to hire with intention

Fresh off a $5.5M seed round led by Unusual Ventures, the team at GovSignals knew it was time to build. But with just 10 people on the team - four of them founders - they had to scale engineering without losing momentum or compromising on quality.
"Each cofounder was still doing a little bit of everything. We were sprinting to build what we’d promised and trying to hire at the same time."

‍— Conner Aldrich, GovSignals’ CTO
The team had been managing recruiting internally, but sourcing, qualifying, and closing founding engineers while scaling the business wasn’t sustainable. They knew they needed hiring help, but only from a partner who could move fast, prioritize quality, and avoid endless recruiter back-and-forth. Their goal: make their first hire within two weeks.

Enter Candor.

SOLUTION

Just 4 days after kickoff, Candor introduced a founding engineer who exceeded the bar

We kicked off the search on March 14, starting with a deep calibration on the ideal profile. Instead of volume, GovSignals wanted a small number of sharp, startup-proven engineers who could thrive in a lean, high-output team.
The brief was specific:
  • Fullstack engineers (TypeScript + Postgres)
  • 2+ years of experience, ideally at startups
  • East Coast-friendly time zones
  • Gritty, autonomous, mission-driven builders
We launched outreach the same day, targeting 965 engineers across our internal network and outbound campaigns. Every intro was vetted for technical skill and startup-readiness: the ability to work through ambiguity, self-direct, and deliver impact fast.

The first intro went out on March 18, just four days after kickoff. That candidate was Matt McCormick.

Matt was exactly the kind of hire GovSignals hoped to make. Within 11 days of kickoff, he was already mid-process. He impressed across the board, especially in his system design interview, where he deconstructed problems clearly, asked the right questions, and showed up with calm confidence and real ownership.

By April 29, GovSignals had made offers to both Matt and another standout candidate, Tyler Couto. Both offers were signed by May 1, and the new hires started on May 5.
"Candor was a lot more hands-on and very focused on what we wanted. They moved fast, adjusted based on feedback, and found candidates who actually fit our culture."
Conner Aldrich
Co-founder & CTO

RESULTS

Five weeks, two closed engineers, and a team ready for scale

Over the course of the search, we introduced 6 high quality candidates. GovSignals made 2 hires — a 33% close rate. Both engineers signed within 48 hours of receiving their offers and started on May 5. By the end of their first week, both were already contributing production code.

For GovSignals, speed wasn’t optional — it was essential. But they weren’t willing to trade quality to get there. With clear alignment and a focused, founder-friendly process, they landed two high-caliber engineers who raised the bar from day one.

The impact was immediate: the team recovered time, unblocked the roadmap, and shifted their focus from screening candidates back to building product. More importantly, the team gained two incredible full-stack engineers fully bought into GovSignals’ mission.
“The process was smooth and low-stress. Everyone I spoke with was communicative and easy to work with. I'm excited about the mission, the projects—and the pace. It feels like we’re building something that matters."
Tyler Couto
Founding Engineer at GovSignals
The GovSignals team is actively hiring across engineering, sales, and customer success — if you’re interested in joining their team, please reach out to recruiters@joincandor.com to chat with our team.

Find your next breakout hire -fast.

Get Started
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