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An alternative to Funded.club

A fee by salary band, or one fee by scope.

[solved] is an alternative to Funded.club for senior technology and leadership hires: one senior talent partner runs each search end to end, and every shortlisted candidate is assessed on evidence of their work and identity verified, at a fixed $10,000 for Specialist Search or $20,000 for Leadership Search, whatever the compensation. Funded.club also charges fixed fees, set by salary band, from $4,900 for roles up to $70,000 to $21,900 for executive roles.

What the fee looks like on your hire

Both firms charge fixed fees. Funded.club sets its fee by salary band; [solved] sets one fee by the search's scope. Move the figure to your role's first-year total compensation.

$180,000

$60k$120k$180k$240k$300k
Funded.club, non-executive role$15,900
[solved] Specialist Search$10,000
Difference on this hire

$5,900 less with [solved]

Less, and every search includes:

  • One replacement search included if the hire leaves within 90 days, or 180 with Exclusive Search
  • Hire a candidate your own team found, and the retainer covers the work completed
  • Exclusivity is your choice, with a preferred rate when you choose it
  • Each search stays active for 180 days from Signal Spec approval
  • Identity verified with documents, a face match and a liveness check
  • Evidence-based assessment, with a Candidate Evidence Brief for every shortlisted candidate

Funded.club fees as listed on its pricing page, October 2026: $4,900 up to $70,000, $7,500 up to $110,000, $11,500 up to $150,000, $15,900 for non-executive roles up to $190,000, and $21,900 for executive roles or above $190,000. Leadership Search is compared with its executive fee.

Side by side

How the fee is set
Funded.clubFixed by total-compensation band: $4,900 to $15,900 for non-executive roles, $21,900 for executive roles
[solved]Fixed by the search's scope: $10,000 for Specialist Search, $20,000 for Leadership Search
Fee on a $180,000 hire
Funded.club$15,900 for a non-executive role
[solved]$10,000 for Specialist Search
Fee on an executive hire
Funded.club$21,900
[solved]$20,000 for Leadership Search
When the fee is due
Funded.clubAn advance to start each search, and the balance when your candidate accepts the offer
[solved]A retainer to begin ($2,500 or $5,000) and the balance when your hire signs
If the shortlist falls short
Funded.clubThe advance can be claimed back if there is no shortlist of at least three qualified candidates within 30 days
[solved]The retainer is returned in full if the shortlist misses the criteria you agreed
Exclusivity
Funded.clubRequired while a search runs
[solved]Your choice. Exclusive Search makes [solved] your only external firm for 20 business days
If you hire a candidate you found
Funded.clubThe full fee applies once a search has started, however the candidate was found
[solved]The search closes, with the retainer covering the work completed
Replacement
Funded.clubFree if the hire does not start; a replacement search at 45% of the original fee if they leave during a 45-day probation
[solved]One replacement search included if employment ends within 90 days, or 180 with Exclusive Search, including a signed candidate who withdraws before starting
Search length
Funded.club60 days; after that, a top-up equal to the advance may apply once a shortlist has been delivered
[solved]Active for 180 days from Signal Spec approval
How candidates are assessed
Funded.clubStructured interviews screening for startup fit, as Funded.club describes it
[solved]Structured interviews and work-based exercises, measured by the outcomes you approved
Best fit
Funded.clubRoles up to about $110,000, across technical and non-technical functions
[solved]Senior technology and leadership hires, where evidence matters, for one role or many

How each works

Funded.club

Funded.club agrees a scorecard of must-haves with you at kick-off, then combines AI sourcing with headhunters and screens candidates in structured interviews, with first candidates in about a week and a shortlist in about two. Each search has a dedicated recruiter, a fixed fee set by salary band and a 60-day search commitment, or 90 days for executive roles. Funded.club also offers a one-time strategy session, the Blueprint, for $495.

[solved]

One of our senior talent partners defines the role with you in one working session and confirms the direction with a few calibration profiles before anyone is contacted. Each shortlisted candidate is assessed on the outcomes you approved, identity verified, and arrives with a Candidate Evidence Brief.

When Funded.club is the better choice

  • The role pays up to about $110,000, where its band fee is lower.
  • You are hiring across many functions, including non-technical roles.

When [solved] fits better

  • The role pays above $110,000, where one fee by scope costs less than a fee by salary band.
  • You want a fixed fee, known before the search begins.
  • The hire is consequential, and you want evidence before your team spends interview time.
  • You want most of the fee tied to a signed hire. Three-quarters of the fee is due only when your hire signs, and the retainer is returned in full if the shortlist misses the criteria you agreed.
  • You want to see the search as it moves, in one Hiring Workspace.
  • You want one search partner, whether you are hiring for one role or many.

Our old debriefs were five smart people using the same words to mean different things. This time, we could point to what we had actually seen instead of arguing about whether someone felt senior enough.

VP of Engineering, Series B data platform

Questions

For senior technology and leadership hires, [solved] runs each search with one senior talent partner, assesses every shortlisted candidate on evidence of their work and verifies identity, at a fixed $10,000 or $20,000 whatever the compensation.

Funded.club lists fixed fees by total-compensation band: $4,900 up to $70,000, $7,500 up to $110,000, $11,500 up to $150,000, $15,900 for non-executive roles up to $190,000, and $21,900 for executive roles or above $190,000.

It depends on the compensation. Up to $110,000, Funded.club's fee is lower. Above $110,000, a [solved] Specialist Search at $10,000 costs less, and a Leadership Search at $20,000 costs less than Funded.club's $21,900 executive fee.

Both charge fixed fees and run structured interviews. [solved] sets its fee by the search's scope rather than salary, assesses shortlisted candidates on evidence of their own work with work-based exercises, verifies identity with documents and liveness detection, and delivers a Candidate Evidence Brief with each candidate.

Funded.club replaces a hire who does not start free of charge, and runs a replacement search at 45% of the original fee if they leave during a 45-day probation. With [solved], one replacement search is included if employment ends within 90 days, or 180 days with Exclusive Search, and it also covers a signed candidate who withdraws before starting.

Funded.club states that once a search has started, its fee applies to any hire for the role, however the candidate was found. With [solved], the search closes and the retainer covers the work completed.

A retainer begins the search: $2,500 for Specialist Search or $5,000 for Leadership Search. The balance is due when your hire signs. If the shortlist misses the criteria you agreed, the retainer is returned in full, and if you stop a search, the retainer carries over when the role reopens or a new search begins.

Start a Search

Tell us about the role. Within one business day, we confirm whether we are the right firm to lead the search.

Talk Through a Role

Bring the job description you have, or the role in your head. We define the role with you.

Sources: Funded.club home page, pricing page and frequently asked questions, read October 2026. Last reviewed October 2026. Funded.club is a trademark of its owner. [solved] is not affiliated with Funded.club.