HireStrategy.com Forms Emerging Growth Practice To Work with VCs and Their Portfolio Companies

Reston, VA, October 4, 2000

HireStrategy.com ("HireStrategy")announced today it has formed an Emerging Growth Practice to facilitate the company's partnerships with Venture Capital (VC) firms and other business accelerators and their portfolio companies. Mindy Suissa, a veteran executive recruiter, has been named to direct the Emerging Growth Practice.

According to HireStrategy President & CEO Paul Villella: "Our Emerging Growth Practice will help companies win the 'race for talent,' a critical factor in business success or failure in the Internet economy, by providing complete recruiting solutions from executive management to mid-level professionals. Our Emerging Growth Practice extends our commitment to support high-growth companies and complements our New Media and New Economy practices.

"We focus our professional recruiting services on start-ups and fast growth companies. Our best-in-breed methodology and proprietary technology enables companies to grow quickly by hiring talented and highly qualified but hard-to-find 'passive' candidates not available through other recruiting services," Villella says.

HireStrategy provides a full suite of recruiting services for portfolio companies and their VC sponsors, from identifying, qualifying and guiding candidates through negotiating offers to retention strategies. Along with a flexible, discounted fee structure, HireStrategy offers the best in recruiting techniques, including (1) access and reach through Internet channels; (2) active searching and recruiting of passive candidates, and (3) face-to-face, high-touch services to qualify candidates and drive results.

The Emerging Growth Practice will develop a strategic staffing blueprint to map the goals of a portfolio company's business plan. Ms. Suissa, the Practice Director, will manage the relationships with the professional, industry-trained recruiters in the other HireStrategy practices: Executive Management, Technology, New Media, New Economy, Finance & Accounting and Sales & Marketing. "Our mission is to address the entire organizational recruiting needs of fast growth companies, from the senior management level on down through the functional areas. Our success has begun with our relationship with Columbia Capital in supporting their portfolio company, 86.com," Ms. Suissa says.

Ms. Suissa, Director of the Emerging Growth Practice, has been in the executive search industry since 1987. During her career, she has specialized in executive level search assignments serving such industries as software, telecommunications, and information technology. She is experienced in all phases of the search process, including research execution, candidate development and final candidate selection and appointment. Prior to joining HireStrategy, Ms. Suissa spent 10 years with Dinte Resources, Inc., a boutique retained search firm in McLean, VA. She holds a B.S. from the University of Texas.

HireStrategy is a Web-enabled Human Capital Management (HCM) firm serving Internet and technology businesses and professionals. The company, based in Reston, Virginia, uses its proprietary technology and experienced, industry-specific professionals who serve as career agents to quickly match talented individuals and teams with rapidly growing firms. HireStrategy's innovative "high tech/high touch" approach helps companies win the "race for talent" in today's highly competitive job market.

HireStrategy's strategic business partners include Columbia Capital, The McLean Group, Brainbench, AllBusiness.com, PlanetIT.com, Microsoft and Salary.com. Media partners include Fast Company, Red Herring, Business 2.0, Washington Business Forward and Potomac Tech Wire. HireStrategy's customers include Andersen Consulting, American Online, Marriott International, Apptus, Verizon, Etensity, Xpedior, Nextel, Network Solutions and 86.com.