HR & People
HR for scaling startups
HR infrastructure for venture-backed startups: handbooks, hiring, compensation frameworks, and compliance from 10 to 100 employees.
HR at a venture-backed startup is a function most founders would rather not build until it is too late. The handbook does not exist, offer letters vary by candidate, contractor classifications drift, and the first Series B diligence request for an employment audit trail turns into a two-month cleanup. The companies that scale cleanly build the HR infrastructure before it becomes a diligence item, not after.
This section covers when to make the first HR hire and what that person actually owns, the employee handbook and offer letter templates a Series A team needs, multi-state employment compliance as headcount goes remote, and the compensation frameworks that keep hiring conversations honest as the team grows past 25 employees. It also covers benefits selection at scale, contractor-versus-employee classification, and the operational work that makes hiring, onboarding, and offboarding a repeatable process.
If you're figuring out where HR fits into a Series A or B org chart, start with the first-hr-hire post and the employee handbook piece, then read the multi-state compliance post before your next remote offer letter goes out.
HR & People
When to hire your first HR person (and what they should actually own)
When to hire your first dedicated HR person at a venture-backed startup, what the role should own at Series A vs. B, and the signals that say it's time.
9 min read
HR & People
Multi-state employment: what changes the moment you hire across state lines
A practical operator's guide to the compliance, tax, and HR work that kicks in the moment your startup hires its first employee in a new state.
10 min read
HR & People
How to administer payroll and 401(k) plans at a startup without losing your weekends
A practical guide to running lean payroll and 401(k) administration at a Series A/B startup — provider recommendations, automatic remittance, and the cadence that keeps weekends free.
14 min read
HR & People
Building an employee handbook that actually protects you — and what most templates miss
An operator's guide to building a startup employee handbook that protects the company, sets expectations, and stays defensible when things go wrong.
11 min read
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