RALEIGH – In the Triangle’s startup economy, job opportunities are again on the rise for the second straight week after following eight weeks of decline.
“The Triangle has some incredibly well-run startups that have taken a measured approach to hiring in the past few years,” said entrepreneur Rachael Classi, the founder and CEO of Tiny Earth Toys in an interview with WRAL TechWire. “This is allowing them to stay nimble now and hire talented individuals as they scale.”
Talent is in demand in the region, and that remains to be the case in the startup economy as well, despite the recent drop, said Classi.
Who’s hiring: These 50 companies in Triangle post nearly 3,300 open jobs
“In general, I see a lot of startups focused on the fundamentals in this region which can help insulate them from the macro issues at larger tech companies,” said Classi.
Tiny Earth Toys, which raised a second fundraising round of $1.6 million in 2022, has also ramped up hiring in recent months, bringing on board three additional employees in the last week alone, said Classi.
The firm decided to hire additional workers due to a ramp up in demand for the company’s high-quality toy rental company, Classi said.
“We continued to have robust investment in startups in the Triangle,” said Scot Wingo, co-founder and CEO of Spiffy and the founder of the Triangle Tweener Fund.”
Jobs market across Triangle remains ‘healthy’ but openings are down, data show
Still poised for growth
And despite the month-over-month drop in job advertisements in the startup sector, the region’s entrepreneurial economy remains poised for growth, according to multiple investors who told WRAL TechWire earlier this month that they’ll continue to invest in startups in 2023.
Wingo, for example, told WRAL TechWire that fundraising activity for early stage startups is “quite strong” entering February.
“Startup founders are reading about all of the big tech layoffs and trying to get ahead by picking some of the most talented up before they start a serious job search,” said David Gardner, managing partner at Cofounders Capital. “We tell out CEOs and founders to always be recruiting.”
