Tech startup founders are hiring differently than they were two years ago. In this panel, early-stage leaders talk through what they look for, what they skip over, and what candidates get wrong about working at startups in the age of AI. Whether you're job hunting now or thinking about making a move, this is what the people doing the hiring wish you knew.
Anatoly Khen is the founder and CEO of Captus.ai, where he is building AI-powered risk detection to eliminate construction rework, a $220B problem in the United States. He brings over a decade of experience building AI products for public safety and enterprise software, including work at Axon, Paylocity, and VC-backed ventures like Revelen.ai. His teams have shipped products used by some of the largest law enforcement agencies in the country. He is currently pursuing his Executive MBA at MIT (Class of 2027).
Outside of work, Anatoly spends his free time exploring the outdoors with his daughter, two labs, and wife. As a family, they love finding new and unique places to eat.
Darren Apfel is a technology executive and founder with nearly three decades of experience building products at the intersection of AI, developer platforms, and SaaS. He is the founder and CEO of limerIQ.ai, an agentic platform that orchestrates AI coding tools to automate software development lifecycle workflows. Before founding limerIQ, Darren held VP and GM roles at Ford Model-e, Twilio, Zillow Group, and Microsoft, where he launched and scaled products spanning connected vehicles, global communications, consumer finance, gaming, mobile, and enterprise SaaS. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Yale University, with a concentration in music composition and music technology. He lives in Redmond, WA with his wife and two French Bulldogs.
Shama Keskar is a serial entrepreneur and AI builder with two decades of experience scaling systems at Google, LinkedIn, and Amazon." Currently, the Co-founder and CTO of Suede (backed by AI2 Incubator), she previously co-founded ventures that resulted in a $25M acquisition exit.
As a technology leader & founder, who has built high-performing engineering teams from the ground up, Shama brings a "builder-as-hirer" perspective to the tech ecosystem. She is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of talent, helping them bridge the gap between AI research and real-world impact.
Gayathri (G3) Venkataraman is the Founder and CEO of GeoProspex.ai (formerly dodda.ai), a Techstars-backed startup using AI to streamline land acquisition and site feasibility, for real estate, and energy sectors.
She brings over two decades of leadership in search, AI, and enterprise productivity from senior product roles at DocuSign and Microsoft, where she led key products across Office 365, Bing, and Microsoft Search after starting her career as a software engineer in SQL Server. She holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Florida. She lives in Seattle with her husband, two girls and an adorable goldendoodle, Mochi.
Dr. Shawn L. Ramirez is a seasoned entrepreneur and Data/AI expert with a proven track record of accelerating high-growth technology companies from early-stage R&D to broad impact. Her career spans the full innovation lifecycle—from architecting AI-driven systems to overseeing the development of over 200 tech products to now pioneering the use of AI in healthcare.
A former Harvard Fellow and Emory professor, Shawn brings a rare combination of academic rigor and "in-the-trenches" startup leadership. She is a frequent advisor to growth-stage companies and serves on boards for Ethical AI and Education, where she helps define the roadmap for scaling in the AI era and career pathways in technology.