Meet Alexandra Di Nella, The Founder of YZ Talents

Alexandra Di Nella is an ex-BCG Project Lead and had been working within technology, retail, and digital space for the past 10+ years. Prior to joining BCG, she was building companies for VCs in Berlin and in other European capitals.

Alexandra to date is coaching teams in Founders Institute, University of Miami, in VCs competitions on various subjects from idea origination to geographical expansion.

Since 2016 she leads YZ Talents, a challenger tech recruitment agency working with leading startups, VCs, and corporations on bringing in the best technical talent to their teams. Alexandra works in all roles from Head of Technology to Business Analyst roles.

The team is especially valued for its technical expertise in the field of AI and Fintech. Raised on the values of strong technical knowledge and candidate experience, they focus on building next-generation Product and Engineering teams with their clients.

In 2021, after years of training their own consultants, Alexandra launched “The Good Recruiter & Co” course in Tech Recruitment to further aid the next generation of tech recruiters.

GrindSuccess Magazine recently caught up with Alexandra to discuss her journey to building her business and here’s what went down:

Could you please tell our readers a brief background about yourself and how you started your business?

I am Alexandra Di Nella, After spending a significant portion of my career in the VC space with Rocket Internet as well as the digital and tech consulting space with BCG, I decided to capitalize on my experience and an eye for unique talent and set up a boutique recruitment and talent management agency with a specific focus on quality, next-gen technology profiles worldwide.

My team & I work with some of the most exciting names in the startup and VC scene out there. We also work with traditional corporate clients; to bring highly prized talent and top skill sets across a wide range of levels and experience.

We help bring in catalyst hires with global reach and a uniquely personalized and curated approach to find the best fit for both parties.

Where did the idea for YZ Talents come from?

Our role as Talent Advisors is to match the best opportunity and the candidate, which requires a fit on both technical skillsets, aspirations as well as the culture of the organization we hire for. This ensures we achieve sustainable growth for our clients and increase retention.

We act as an in-house talent consultancy, working hand in hand with our clients to bring the best talent to the team. We help our clients to hire smarter and build next-generation products and services with our flexible, in-house talent acquisition teams by providing:

Expertise: With our comprehensive sourcing and screening process, we make sure that you only spend time on interviews with qualified and matching candidates.

Agility & Presence: As a boutique agency with a dedicated team of trained specialists, we adjust to your feedback or any change in requirements instantly, allowing us to deliver high-caliber candidates with unparalleled efficiency.

Personal Approach: We believe in building long-term relationships with you and your teams. Our team is always on to take your calls and always ready to advise on the options, be it hiring in a new location or exploring remote candidate opportunities.

Attracting and retaining talent is an art and is one of the main drivers for the success of organizations. As Lawrence Bossidy said,

“I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day, you bet on people, not on strategies.”

As an entrepreneur, what is it that actually motivates and drives you?

We work hand in hand with organizations to help build next-generation products and services, and being a part of that journey and impacting the future of the companies we work with is extremely rewarding.

What social media platforms do you usually use to increase your brand’s awareness and why?

Recruitment is a very relationship-driven business, we work very closely with our clients and many things are simply kept confidential. We are announcing our wins, and sharing trends and best practices on Linkedin.

What piece of advice do you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?

Not every client is your ideal client – stick to your niche and expertise area and excel there.

What excites you most about your industry? Where do you see it heading in the near future?

Technology recruitment had been relatively untouched by the pandemic, and what we see from the side of the employers now is the ultimate shift to flexible or remote working conditions, a matter that technology professionals not just appreciate, but that can actually improve their job satisfaction, living standards, and productivity.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

Hardly any recruitment agency works without ATS – we have selected the next generation ATS that is used by companies like Shopify and Netflix, this helps us to find and hire the right candidates quickly and nurture the relationship with our database members.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

The “Small Big” – is a powerful insight into small changes you can implement in your daily life to cause a big impact on your goals.

What advice would you give to a newbie Entrepreneur setting up their first business?

Make sure you love what you do before starting the business in your selected domain, you will have plenty of bumps on the road and long hours ahead.