April Starlight talking lively with people

April Starlight smiling sitting at table

Your perfect hire in less than a week

Smart, fast, inclusive recruiting and HR support for startups and growing teams—without guesswork, burnout, or bias.

You're Next. See What's Possible.

I am thankful for Tangerine's dedication and conversations throughout this process. It means a lot. They have been the ultimate sounding board and support system for me.

Matthew Bee

Product Manager at Curb

My Tangerine recruiter assisted with salary negotiation, resulting in a compelling offer in just 24 hours! I highly recommend the Tangerine team to professionals seeking recruiting experts with a proven track record. Grateful for the positive experience with Tangerine!

Daniella Serquen

eCommerce Consultant

Katie has excelled in supporting my company with HR needs and compliance. Her methodical and direct approach is a perfect fit. I've gained valuable insights from her that aid me as a CEO in employee management. Thank you, Tangerine, for this invaluable service!

Marc Hernandez

CEO Postmarc

Tangerine Search came to our rescue. By being very responsive, they came on site to familiarize themselves with the office location and culture and also interviewed the hiring managers that they were going to support. This was beyond my expectations.

Talat Tehranchi

Head of HR at Raxium

Thanks to Tangerine Search, Oncue has been able to build and maintain a highly diverse team that has greatly contributed to our organization's success. I wholeheartedly recommend Tangerine Search as a partner for anyone looking to attract and retain top-quality, diverse talent.

Kate Dewald

CEO and Founder of Oncue

"The Tangerine Team has supported technical and product related searches with a sense of urgency and professionalism."

Holly Villar

VP Talent Acquisition, BlueVine

"The Tangerine team matched our energy and progress exceedingly well."

Nils Swart

VP of Product Management, Styra

"These folks became an integral part of a big project and helped us deliver what we needed! I look forward to engaging with April again!"

Vidura Stich

Senior Manager, CVS Health

"I was impressed by their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to an outstanding candidate experience."

Maricia du Plessis

Senior HR Manager, Tomorrow Health

Based in San Francisco.
‍Hiring Worldwide.

Tangerine Search is headquartered in the Bay Area and supports scaling tech startups across the U.S., Canada, and Europe—including New York, Austin, Seattle, Toronto, London, Berlin, and beyond.

We specialize in supporting high-growth organizations and distributed teams.

People Strategy That Actually Works

Most firms focus on filling roles.
We focus on building teams that last.

Whether you need hiring support, embedded recruiting, or fractional HR leadership — we help you build the people side of your business with clarity and confidence.

Startup Recruiting, Executive Search & Leadership Hiring

High-impact hiring for startups, scale-ups, and growth-stage companies.

Our recruiting expertise supports:

Startup recruiting
Technical recruiting
Executive search
Leadership hiring
Hard-to-fill roles
Confidential searches

Every candidate is vetted by a senior recruiter. No resume blasts. No AI dumping. No maybes.

We help you define the role, align your hiring team, and make decisions you can stand behind.

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) & Embedded Recruiting

Ongoing recruiting support without building an in-house team.

Our RPO services are ideal for companies that need:

Embedded recruiters
Full-cycle recruiting
Hiring process design
Interview training & calibration
Talent pipeline development
Employer branding support

RPO includes access to our recruiting team and sourcing tools, no extra subscriptions required.

Think of us as your outsourced talent acquisition team.

Fractional HR & Scalable Human Resources Support

Flexible HR leadership that grows with your company.

Scalable solutions can provide:

Fractional HR support
Part-time HR consulting
Compliance guidance
Onboarding systems
HRIS & ATS setup
Employee relations support
Policy development
Contractor & international workforce guidance

Need more support this quarter? We scale up. Need less next quarter? We scale down.

No full-time HR salary required.

What makes Tangerine Search different?

We don’t just execute. We advise.

Founders and executives bring us into high-stakes conversations — before a role is even posted.

We help you think through:

Should we hire now or wait?
Is this one role or actually two?
Do we need recruiting support or fractional HR first?
How will this decision affect our runway and team structure?

We prepare you for internal meetings.
We join conversations with your leadership team.
We help you walk into the room clear and confident.

That’s the difference.

We’re not just filling roles or checking compliance boxes.
We’re helping you lead well.

Transparent Pricing - Recruiting & HR Services

Most of our startup clients invest between $3,000–$25,000 depending on scope and urgency.

We believe in clarity from day one. No surprises. No hidden fees.

Contingent Search 20% of first-year salary
Executive Retained Search 35%
Monthly HR Packages Starting at $3,000
Hourly HR Support $285/hour
Project-Based Work Custom pricing based on scope and deliverables
Contractor Placement Hourly rate varies by role and location
RPO Services Starting at $5,000/month (Includes access to our team and recruiting tools like LinkedIn and job boards — no extra subscriptions required.)

✨ Your intro call is always free.

Book a Discovery Call

Meet April Starlight, Founder of Tangerine Search

After a decade inside boutique recruiting agencies, April saw a pattern.

Startups were moving fast.
Hiring felt chaotic.
And too often, founders were left without real guidance.

So she built Tangerine Search to prove something simple:
‍
Hiring can be ethical.
It can be efficient.
And it can feel human.

Today, April helps founders make hiring decisions they can defend in the boardroom and stand behind a year later.

Learn More About April & Our Team

Founder April Starlight Smiling wearing red glasses and a navy sleeveless top with white bird prints sitting at a table near a window.

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs

What does a startup recruiting agency do?

A startup recruiting agency helps early-stage and scaling companies find and hire top talent quickly—especially for technical, executive, and hard-to-fill roles.

How fast can you fill a role?

Many roles are filled in under a week. For executive or highly specialized hires, it may take longer—but we’ll always give you a realistic timeline.

What is scalable HR support?

Scalable HR support means flexible, outsourced human resources expertise that grows with your business. It’s fractional HR—brought in on a part-time or as-needed basis—to help startups stay compliant, onboard effectively, and build strong people systems.

Some seasons require more support. Some require less.

With scalable HR, you can adjust up or down—without the cost of a full-time hire.

Do you work with startups outside of tech?

Absolutely. We specialize in tech but also support growth-stage companies in restaurants, finance, healthcare, nonprofits, and beyond.

Is Tangerine Search a San Francisco Recruiting Agency?

We are! Tangerine Search is a boutique recruiting and HR firm rooted in the San Francisco Bay Area. While many of our clients are local, we also partner with teams across the U.S. and around the world.

Can you help with international hiring or remote teams?

Definitely. We’ve supported distributed teams across multiple countries and time zones — hiring both full-time employees and contractors. Whether you're building a fully remote team or expanding internationally, we can help you do it thoughtfully and compliantly.

How much does it cost to work with Tangerine Search?

Our pricing depends on the type of support you need — whether that’s contingent recruiting, retained executive search, HR consulting, or RPO. Most engagements start between $3,000–$5,000, with recruiting fees based on a percentage of first-year salary.

Ready to Talk It Through?

Hiring doesn’t have to feel chaotic.
Let’s bring clarity to your next move.