Written by: The Betts Team
Fact Checked by: Sandra Polak, VP of Revenue
Updated: May 11, 2026
New York City has over 25,000 startups spanning fintech, healthtech, adtech, and AI. It is also home to some of the world’s largest enterprises across finance, healthcare, retail, real estate, media, life sciences, entertainment, and tourism, creating a prime environment for B2B tech companies targeting high-value accounts.
To secure these deals, startups need strong go-to-market (GTM) teams that include frontline, pre-sales, and post-sales roles. From sales development representatives (SDRs) and enterprise account executives to customer success engineers, these professionals work together to demonstrate product differentiation, provide consultative value, and cultivate long-term relationships with buyers.
At the top of the funnel, high-performing SDRs deliver customized outreach that reflects a deep understanding of the prospective customer’s tech stack, buying committee, and use case. This personalization plays a key role in helping you establish early credibility.
As AI products become more complex, organizations are increasingly prioritizing candidates with technical fluency, customer-facing acumen, and experience that aligns with their buyer persona. With this skill set, sales reps are equipped to validate product fit, address integration challenges, and support customers post-sale, ultimately building trust with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Below are the top five sales recruiting agencies in New York City. These firms are known for their deep networks and ability to place exceptional candidates in high-growth environments.
Methodology
Throughout this process, we conducted rigorous research and evaluation to achieve objective results and prevent bias. Our data comes from each firm’s website, LinkedIn page, marketing materials, press announcements, job postings, online Glassdoor and G2 reviews, and published resources such as case studies, articles, and compensation guides.
We began by drawing on our deep knowledge of the NYC market and our local competitors. This gave us a pool of dozens of NYC-based sales recruiting agencies with tech hiring expertise.
Each of these firms was evaluated based on initial selection criteria to determine which would be included in our list of the top five NYC sales recruiting agencies in tech (2026). Only firms scoring 7/10 or higher were included in our final ranking.
Selection Criteria:
1. Recognizable Client Logos
- 2 = Strong portfolio of recognizable tech clients
- 1 = Some visible client relationships
- 0 = Limited client visibility
2. Years of Experience (since founding)
- 3 = 10+ years
- 2 = 5–10 years
- 1 = <5 years
3. NYC Relevance
- 3 = Strong NYC presence + NYC clients + NYC-based office and recruiters
- 2 = Strong NYC presence + NYC clients without NYC-based office location
- 1= Some NYC activity
4. Tech Sales Relevance
- 2 = Clear SaaS / GTM recruiting focus
- 1 = General tech recruiting
After evaluating firms through our selection criteria, we identified the top five, in no particular order: AC Lion, Betts Recruiting, Captivate Talent, Formative Search Partners, Stott and May.
Our ranking selection followed a separate methodology that accounted for the precise needs and interests of the candidates and hiring managers in our network. We followed a similar point system, though firms were scored out of 15 points, not 10.
Our ranking criteria:
1. Role Focus
- 3 = Primarily GTM/sales roles
- 2 = Only GTM leadership roles
- 1 = Mix of sales + other non-GTM functions
2. Industry Focus
- 4 = Primarily SaaS / AI companies
- 3 = Broad tech focus across software and hardware
- 2 = Tech is a major focus but not exclusive
- 1 = Broad industries (finance, healthcare, etc.)
3. Proven GTM Expertise
- 3 = Published, in-depth insights on hiring and compensation trends, market data, GTM roles, etc.
- 2 = Some relevant content
- 1 = Minimal digital evidence of GTM expertise
4. Growth Stage Alignment
- 3 = Strong startup / high-growth focus
- 2 = Mixed
- 1 = Primarily serves mid-market through enterprise orgs
5. Proprietary GTM Data / Talent Network
- 2 = Proprietary platform or database specific to sales talent
- 1 = Claims strong network but no clear, data-driven system
Results:
| Firm | Betts Recruiting | Captivate Talent | AC Lion | Formative Search Partners | Stott and May |
| Score | 15/15 | 14/15 | 13/15 | 11/15 | 10/15 |
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Key Takeaways
Our ranking methodology assesses firms primarily for their depth of functional, domain, and NYC market expertise. Firms are rewarded for evidence that they are experts in recruiting sales professionals for innovative tech companies in New York City.
See our in-depth ranking below:
1. Betts Recruiting
Betts is the trusted partner for the world’s most innovative tech and tech-enabled companies seeking top GTM candidates. Its forward-looking approach has helped more than 10,000 partners, including 75 unicorns, achieve immediate and long-term growth.
The firm accommodates a range of budgets, hiring volumes, timelines, and growth stages through its various hiring models.
Through its proprietary Recruitment as a Service (RaaS) model, companies can make unlimited hires for an annual fee, reducing time-to-hire while receiving support from a dedicated recruiter.
Both the RaaS and self-sourcing models include access to Betts Connect. This AI-powered talent platform allows hiring managers and recruiters to source from over 10,000 pre-vetted GTM candidates based on role, location, salary, industry, and a range of other criteria and KPIs.
Key Data Points:
- NYC office: 99 Hudson St 7th Floor, New York, NY 10013
- Core specialities: Go-to-market, SaaS, AI, cloud
- Hiring models: Contingency, Executive, Self-sourcing, and RaaS
- Typical fees: Contingency fees are 15–25% of the placed candidate’s first-year base salary or OTE. Betts Connect and RaaS fees available upon request.
- Time-to-fill: Typically between two to six weeks.
- Best for (who and when): High-growth startups, especially between Series A-D.
Relevant case studies featuring NYC clients: Attentive, Upflow, Yotpo, Red Points
2. Captivate Talent
Captivate Talent specializes in placing GTM and RevOps talent for high-growth SaaS startups.
The firm has partnered with over 100 companies since its founding in 2017. Recruiters provide market analysis, salary benchmarking, and tailored solutions that align with your specific growth stage.
Unlike Betts, Captivate Talent does not have a candidate sourcing platform.
Key Data Points:
- NYC office: 1412 Broadway, New York, New York 10001
- Core specialities: GTM, RevOps, SaaS, AI
- Hiring models: Contingency
- Typical fees: 20%–25% of a candidate’s first-year base salary.
- Time-to-fill (range by role, if available): 60+ days
- Best for: Early- to growth-stage startups (Seed to Series C)
Relevant case studies featuring NYC clients: Harmonya, Nayya, Dandi, Cognism
3. AC Lion
Founded in 1996, AC Lion recruits mid- to senior-level sales, marketing, product management, and operations talent for fast-growing tech companies of all sizes.
Recruiters leverage AC Lion EQ, a proprietary talent platform that features candidate scoring and ranking based on psychometric assessments and feedback from hiring managers.
The firm is not exclusively GTM-focused. It also recruits marketing, product, finance, HR, operations, and leadership roles.
Key Data Points:
- NYC Office: Address: 1216 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10001
- Core specialities: Mid- to senior-level sales and customer success, digital media and AdTech, MarTech
- Hiring models: Disruptive Retained, Contingency, Team Builds, Talent Pipeline Development
- Typical fees: Flexible, custom-fit pricing models
- Time-to-fill: Not Publicly Available
- Best for: Revenue team build outs for digitally native companies in the mid-market to enterprise growth phase
Read a relevant case study here.
4. Formative Search Partners
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in New York City, Formative Search Partners exclusively recruits GTM leaders for scaling SaaS and AI companies. This includes Heads, VPs, and C-level executives.
As former software engineers, the founders bring deep technical expertise. Their bespoke approach includes role definition support, founder coaching, and candidate assessment.
The firm’s executive focus means it is not a practical partner when building full revenue teams.
Key Data Points:
- New York Office: Remote-first team with a strong presence in New York City
- Core specialities: Technical GTM leadership, SaaS, AI
- Hiring models: Executive Search
- Typical fees: Not Publicly Available
- Time-to-fill: Not Publicly Available
- Best for: Founder-led tech companies at key growth transitions
Check out the firm’s portfolio of NYC clients.
5. Stott and May
Founded in 2009, Stott and May recruits technical sales, AI/ML, infrastructure and cloud, and software engineering candidates for high-growth tech companies across the US and UK.
Domain-specialized recruiters conduct talent mapping, salary benchmarking, and candidate screening to find technical sales talent with deep product knowledge.
While the firm brings exceptionally deep technical expertise, its recruiting capabilities extend beyond sales to functions including software engineering, AI, and cybersecurity.
Key Data Points:
- NYC Office: 10 West 18th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10011
- Core specialities: Technical sales, cybersecurity, AI, software engineering
- Hiring models: Permanent, Contract, Statement of Work/Project Solutions
- Typical fees: Varies widely depending on features included
- Time-to-fill: Not Publicly Available
- Best for: Mid-market through enterprise organizations hiring highly technical sales reps
Relevant case studies featuring NYC clients: The Maze Group, Proton
Recap:
| Firm | Betts Recruiting | Captivate Talent | AC Lion | Formative Search Partners | Stott and May |
| Score | 15/15 | 14/15 | 13/15 | 11/15 | 10/15 |
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| NYC Office | Yes | Yes | Yes | Remote | Yes |
| Specialities | Go-to-market, SaaS, AI, cloud | GTM, RevOps, SaaS, AI | Mid- to senior-level sales, AdTech, MarTech | Technical GTM leadership, SaaS, AI | Technical sales, cybersecurity, AI, software engineering |
| Hiring Models | Contingency, Executive, Self-sourcing, RaaS | Contingency | Disruptive Retained, Contingency, Team Builds, Talent Pipeline Development | Executive Search | Permanent Contract, State of Work/Project Solutions |
| Best for | High-growth startups between Series A–D | Early- to growth-stage startups | Revenue team build outs for scaling mid-market to enterprise orgs | Founder-led tech companies at growth transitions | Tech companies of all sizes seeking sales reps with high technical proficiency |
Let Betts Build and Scale Your Sales Teams
Our niche market and functional expertise helps us identify experienced candidates with the skills to make a long-term impact.
Check out our Comp Engine for real-time benchmarks based on location, industries sold to, and funding stage. For data-backed insights into the market trends influencing these ranges, see the Enterprise, Executive, and regular Compensation guides.
Chasing ambitious revenue goals? Contact Betts today to build and scale top sales teams.
FAQs: NYC Sales Recruiting Agencies
How should I choose a NYC sales recruiting agency?
When choosing a sales recruiting agency in NYC, look for firms that specialize in hiring for SaaS, AI, and high-growth technology companies. These agencies should have proven GTM specialization, a strong network of pre-vetted sales candidates, and a track record of placing SDRs, AEs, and sales leadership in the NYC market. You should also evaluate how closely the firm’s expertise aligns with your growth stage, whether they utilize any technological tools to make the hiring process more efficient, and if they source active or passive candidates.
What’s the difference between contingency, retained, and RaaS/subscription recruiting models?
During contingency services, your company is not charged until a candidate is successfully placed. This fee is usually a percentage of the placement’s first year salary.
Retained searches often require an upfront fee. These services are typically used to hire senior roles.
Recruitment as a Service (RaaS) is Betts Recruiting’s proprietary, subscription-based mode that allows unlimited hires. For an annual fee, clients receive personalized and ongoing recruiter support as well as access to Betts Connect. This model is a flexible option for companies hiring at scale.
What are typical recruiting fees and guarantee periods in NYC sales hiring?
Agencies typically charge 15% to 30% of the placement’s first-year base salary for contingency searches. Retained searches typically range between 25% to 35% of the placement’s first-year salary. Many NYC sales recruiting agencies offer a 90-day replacement.
How long does it take to fill SDR vs AE vs leadership roles in NYC?
In NYC, SDR roles typically take 2–4 weeks to fill with a 2–3 week interview span. AE roles take an average of 4–6 weeks with a 3–5 week interview span. Leadership roles take roughly 8–12+ weeks with a 4–8+ interview span.
Do NYC sales recruiting agencies also recruit RevOps, Customer Success, and Sales Engineering roles?
Yes, many specialized GTM recruiting firms in NYC support other revenue-generating functions such as Marketing, Customer Success, RevOps, and Sales Engineering.
Glossary
- Go-To-Market (GTM): A company’s strategy and team structure for acquiring, converting, and retaining customers. In tech and SaaS companies, GTM functions typically include sales, marketing, customer success, and revenue operations working together to drive revenue growth.
- SDR (Sales Development Representative): An entry-level or early-career sales role focused on outbound prospecting, lead qualification, and scheduling meetings for Account Executives. SDRs are often responsible for sending personalized outreach to prospective buyers, following-up on leads, and generating a top-of-funnel pipeline. The use of AI tools is becoming increasingly crucial to this role.
- AE (Account Executive): A quota-carrying sales professional responsible for managing the sales process from discovery through closing. In SaaS and tech companies, AEs typically run demos, negotiate contracts, and convert qualified prospects into customers.
- RevOps (Revenue Operations): A strategic function that aligns sales, marketing, and customer success teams to improve revenue performance and forecasting. RevOps teams typically manage CRM systems, sales analytics, process optimization, territory planning, and GTM reporting.
- RaaS (Recruiting as a Service): A subscription-based recruiting model that provides ongoing hiring support rather than traditional per-placement commissions. RaaS is commonly used by high-growth startups and scaling SaaS companies for high-volume hiring spikes or team build outs.
Contact Betts here to secure top sales talent who accelerate your revenue growth.