01 Why 02 Services 03 Stages 04 Start here 05 Who 06 Proof 07 Talk
Behind the equation

The people equation is bigger than hiring.

Executive search, on-demand leadership, and embedded capability across the GCC — so growing companies build what’s next.

Find what you need → Explore all services ↓
01  /  Why we exist

Startups do not have
a hiring problem.

They have a capability problem.

01

A startup is not a small corporate.

A corporate reorganises every five years. You reinvent every six months.

02

Build capabilities, not departments.

You need the capability of a CFO. You rarely need the department.

03

Every stage changes the equation.

What won you seed will quietly break your Series B.

02  /  Services

Founder. Leadership. Engine.

Three parts of the same people equation.

Scan all seven, then open the one that is yours.

03  /  The stage map

Every stage needs
a different equation.

    04  /  Where you start

    Start with who you are,
    not with a job title.

    Ten common asks. Seven services. Hover or tap any line to see where it lands — several roads run to the same place, which is exactly the point.

    The service

    Not sure which line is yours? Run the solver and it will tell you in ninety seconds.

    05  /  Who is behind it

    Built on two decades of proof.
    Not a pitch deck.

    Imran Yousuf, Founder and CEO of TheFounder&Co.
    IYAdd portrait
    Imran Yousuf Founder & CEO
    LinkedIn

    For more than two decades I’ve worked at the intersection of investors, founders, leadership and growth — advising on critical hires, building leadership teams, assessing and hunting founders, coaching CEOs. Then I crossed the table and became one: founder, investor, board member, built and exited a business. That combination changed how I see talent.

    Imran at a glance

    20+ years. Executive search, leadership and talent advisory across MENA.

    Built from the top. Former Middle East President of a world top-10 leadership advisory firm.

    Founder and entrepreneur. Built and exited a company from idea to acquisition in 18 months.

    Investor and board member. Working alongside founders and leadership teams as businesses build, grow and scale.

    Founder and CEO coach. Coach and mentor to founders and CEOs of tech startups and scale-ups across the region.

    Founder hunter. Worked with venture studios and some of the world’s leading investors to identify, assess and hunt founders for new ventures.

    Creator of FQ. Founder of Founder Quotient, a first-of-its-kind assessment built specifically to understand founder potential, fit and capability.

    Trained in psychology. Degree in psychology from a top business school — the grounding under everything that follows.

    Science and judgment. BPS-certified assessor bringing structured assessment and evidence-based thinking to founder and leadership decisions.

    Both sides of the table. Recruiter, founder, investor, board member and CEO adviser, bringing a rare 360° view of what makes founders, leaders and companies succeed.

    The whole idea

    We don’t start with a job title.We start with the result the business needs,then solve the people equation around it.

    06  /  Where the pattern was built

    Companies we have worked with.

    07  /  Start the conversation

    Tell us the stage.
    We'll tell you the shape.

    A 30 minute working conversation. No CV dump, no service pitch. We map your situation first, then tell you exactly how we would run this — including what we would not do.

    Run the solver → Email us WhatsApp
    Direct
    Where we work

    Mandates across the GCC and MENA, remote and on the ground. We reply to every enquiry within one working day.