Technical search for exceptional talent
We find the engineers others overlook.
ByteSearch is a boutique search firm for early-stage companies across AI, software, deep tech and quantitative trading. We run a small number of searches at a time, and we run them properly.
Teams we’ve helped build
How we work
Where a search begins.
Retained search
End-to-end search for a single critical hire. We map the market, approach directly, and deliver a shortlist with a written case for every candidate.
Embedded talent partner
An ongoing partnership for teams making multiple hires in a year. We act as your in-house talent function without the overhead.
Contingent search
Flexible, success-based support for roles where you want access to our network without committing to a retained search.
Beyond the obvious
Exceptional engineers don’t tend to appear in the same places as everyone else.
We search within the world’s strongest technology companies, research teams and universities, as well as communities shaped by ICPC, IMO, IOI and IPhO.
These backgrounds aren’t shortcuts or guarantees. They’re signals that help us find people with unusual technical ability, strong judgment and the capacity to solve problems others struggle with.
Our shortlists are deliberately small, focused on the few people who could genuinely raise the level of your team.
From the people we place
In their words.
“It was a real pleasure working with Sean. He introduced me to an exciting company with great potential, and it turned out to be an excellent match. He was highly responsive and professional throughout the process. I'd absolutely recommend him to anyone looking for their next role. Thank you, Sean!”
What we search for
Deep expertise across technical hiring.
Software Engineers
Full-stack, backend, frontend, systems, and mobile engineers who ship product in ambiguity and stay close to the customer.
AI & ML
Applied AI engineers, ML researchers, inference specialists, and the first AI hires who set a company's technical direction.
Founding Engineers
Zero-to-one builders, technical co-founders, and first engineers who can define culture and architecture before process exists.
Quant & Trading
Quantitative researchers, developers, and systematic traders for firms operating where advanced engineering, mathematics, and markets meet.
Infrastructure & Platform
DevOps, SRE, cloud, platform, and MLOps engineers who make systems reliable, scalable, and cheap to run.
Technical Leadership
Heads of Engineering, VPEs, and CTOs — the hires that change the trajectory of a company and the shape of its team.
For candidates
No spray. No mystery clients.
If we contact you, we've read your work and we know why the role fits. You'll get the company name, the stage, the funding, and the honest risks in the first message.
We stay in touch between moves — even when there's nothing to pitch — and keep exceptional people in mind for the right founding team.
Let’s find the people who will build what comes next.
Send a short note about the role and the stage. We'll reply within a day with an honest read on whether we're the right search partner.
hello@bytesearch.co.uk