MENLO PARK, Calif., March 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, leading venture capital firm Menlo Ventures announced it has hired Kandace Elam as Director of GTM Talent.
Kandace joined Menlo from Daversa Partners where she spent the past decade as an executive recruiter, building management teams for venture-backed startups, growth equity deals, and public companies. Most recently, she was Head of Talent Network for Dreamscape, a new division within Daversa creating more Black representation at the board and executive levels of tech companies.
As Director of GTM Talent at Menlo, Kandace will spend her time cultivating relationships with top sales and marketing executives across Menlo’s focus areas, concentrating on SaaS, infrastructure, and cybersecurity. She will also play a critical role in helping founders build out their boards with an eye toward diversity.
The ability to hire and retain talent is a competitive advantage for startups. That’s why Menlo works hand in hand with its portfolio companies to strategically plan for hiring and growth across every function of the business. Recently, Menlo has seen a noticeable spike in demand for GTM talent - 80% of the executive roles the firm helped fill at its portfolio companies in the past year have called for sales or marketing expertise.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Kandace to the Menlo team,” said Jordan Ormont, Talent Partner at Menlo Ventures. “While hiring great engineering teams has always been mission-critical for startups, people would be surprised to see how high the stakes have become in recruiting talented GTM experts. Kandace has deep experience in this area and has already been instrumental in placing high-level executives at several of our most prominent portfolio companies.”
“I love working with startups and venture firms to find and match people to the right job in the right place,” said Kandace Elam, Director of GTM Talent, Menlo Ventures. “I’m particularly passionate about expanding the networks for traditional tech recruiting and opening up opportunities for underrepresented groups. Menlo has an impressive track record of backing and building iconic companies and I’m excited to be part of the team.”
Kandace began her executive search career through an internship at Heidrick & Struggles. She earned her bachelor’s degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia and completed additional coursework at Black Venture Institute—a program dedicated to teaching Black operators how to become angel and venture investors—hosted by UC Berkeley in partnership with BLCK VC, Operator Collective, and Salesforce Ventures.
Kandace is the most recent hire for a firm that has grown substantially. Since this time last year, Menlo Ventures has added nearly 20 members to the team. On the investment side, most notably, they recruited former Splunk CTO Tim Tully to join the firm as an investing partner and added four additional investors to extend their coverage in enterprise SaaS and life sciences. The firm also bolstered their Menlo Labs startup studio team and built out their data/research and back-office team.
Well known for its early investments in Uber and Roku, Menlo Ventures has seen continued success with recent high-profile exits from social e-commerce platform Poshmark, pet care marketplace Rover, and Warby Parker. Menlo counts 20 companies in its active portfolio valued at $1B or more including Abnornal Security, Benchling, Bitsight, Chime, Carta, Everlaw, and Qualia.
About Menlo Ventures
Menlo Ventures is a venture capital firm that strives to have a positive impact on everything we do. That’s why we support businesses including Benchling, Chime, Carta, Poshmark, Uber, and Roku that are reimagining life and work for the better. Over 43 years, we’ve grown a portfolio that includes more than 70 public companies, over 100 mergers and acquisitions, and $5.5 billion under management. We invest at every stage and in every sector, with expertise in consumer, enterprise, and Healthcare. From developing market strategies to creating communities, we provide real impact where entrepreneurs need it most. When we’re in, we’re ALL IN.
www.menlovc.com
@MenloVentures
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