Today, referral programs are one of the most powerful recruiting strategies available to companies. Referrals are 85 times more likely to be hired than inbound candidates, over twice as fast to hire, and they stay with companies — on average — 70% longer than non-referrals.

Another day, another tech industry layoff. At least, that’s how it’s felt lately, with tech titans’ layoffs and hiring freezes dominating headlines. If you’re a startup watching this all happen, you may be wondering what this all means for your own growth and hiring — especially as the stock market falls and interest rates rise.

While the Great Resignation was spurred on by the pandemic, the real reason employees are leaving jobs has little to do with COVID-19. For employers that are now backfilling empty roles, that’s an important distinction to make — because it means an entirely different approach to recruiting is needed.

The war for talent has never felt fiercer. If you’re a startup in the tech space, that battle can feel especially rough — after all, you’re facing up against titans like Google, Meta, and Apple when it comes to attracting potential employees. If you’re using traditional hiring methods, it can feel like your cold emails are going unread and your job postings unnoticed.

The Swarm enabled uMed to automate and scale relationship-based outreach with a centralized, searchable combined network organized by strength of relationships. By leveraging their extended network, uMed uncovered new opportunities and faster conversions in both business development and fundraising.

They can lean on existing relationships and shared experiences, on top of fit and intent signals, to move deals forward and accelerate their growth.

Quorum1's use of The Swarm exemplifies how network-driven organizations can harness the power of their extended networks to enhance their operations, foster collaboration, and create more opportunities.

Using The Swarm, 500 Emerging Europe is able to unify and search through their collective network. They're already using the platform to introduce founders to top talent and plan to use it for sales and other high-potential introductions.

The new GTM playbook is about building relationships and leveraging influence to drive deals forward. It’s no longer enough to rely on cold outreach and a flood of emails. The winners in today’s market will be the ones who tap into sales data 2.0 and capitalize on their network’s power.

The webinar emphasized the critical role of network operations in venture capital, highlighting how VCs have always relied on their networks for sourcing investment opportunities. The ability to map and leverage relationships is now recognized as essential across various aspects of a VC fund’s performance, including fundraising, deal sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio support.

Here's a practical playbook with ten insights for startup leaders focusing on building and leveraging their networks!

Experts explain the tactical, network-based approaches companies should take to succeed in 2023 — and why they matter: Richard Cho (Advisor & Former Chief Recruiting Officer at Gem), Nolan Church (CEO at Continuum), David Connors (Co-Founder & CEO at The Swarm). Panel event moderated by Opal Franklin (Events Lead at The Swarm).

Executive hiring runs on two invisible assets: unposted roles and trusted relationships. Whispered combines both into a single solution, where The Swarm helps map and turn relationships into opportunities.‍

‍In outbound, speed and personalization win. By powering AiSDR’s enrichment layer, The Swarm helps sales teams book more meetings with their ideal prospects.

The numbers speak for themselves: 16% reply rate on hyper-targeted outreach campaigns by combining AI-driven signals with The Swarm’s relationship data.

The San Francisco-based company announced today that it raised $8 million in funding to expand its relationship mapping technology. The latest round includes participation from HubSpot Ventures, Motivate Ventures, and TRAC VC, signaling growing demand for network mapping tech that enables connections and warm introductions.