Executive Search Research FAQs

Intellerati is an executive search research lab and AI incubator. We power corporate talent acquisition teams with investigative candidate sourcing, executive talent mapping, and AI-assisted recruiting research. Founded by an award-winning investigative journalist, we bring a methodology that goes far beyond LinkedIn.

Traditional retained search firms charge engagement fees that routinely exceed $150,000 per search, and 40% of those engagements fail to complete. Intellerati is built differently. We work as a research and sourcing engine behind your internal team, delivering actionable candidate lists, qualified prospects, and competitive talent intelligence at a fraction of the cost. Your team stays in control. We make it faster and smarter.

AI recruiting tools aggregate and surface existing data. Intellerati conducts original investigative research. We go beyond what any database holds, tapping proprietary sources, applying human judgment, and delivering research that is custom-built for your specific search. We use AI to accelerate and sharpen that research — we do not outsource the thinking to it.

We serve Heads of Talent Acquisition, CHROs, and in-house executive recruiting teams at technology companies and tech-adjacent organizations across the United States. Our clients range from venture-backed growth companies to large public enterprises.

Depending on your needs, we deliver one of three things: an actionable list of prospective candidates with full biographies and contact information; a shortlist of interested, qualified candidates we have screened on your behalf; or end-to-end management of the full executive search when your team lacks the bandwidth or specialized expertise.

Yes. We ask for your existing list at the start of every engagement. We use it to avoid duplicating work already done, and we analyze it to identify gaps. That analysis frequently surfaces candidates others miss.

We reach well beyond LinkedIn. While LinkedIn is a starting point for most recruiters, its data is crowdsourced and frequently outdated. Intellerati taps proprietary databases, primary research, and investigative sourcing techniques developed over decades. We specialize in identifying passive candidates — executives who are not actively looking but are open to the right opportunity. That is where the best talent lives.

Most engagements run one to three months. We also offer longer-term virtual RPO engagements from four months to one year, designed for corporate teams that want ongoing research support across multiple searches or strategic talent initiatives.

Yes. We provide regular progress reports and meet with your team throughout the engagement. We share research as it develops and align strategy in real time to maximize results.

Intellerati is an AI incubator as well as a research lab. We develop and apply AI-assisted tools to accelerate candidate identification, pattern recognition across talent pools, and competitive intelligence research. AI handles the scale. Our researchers handle the judgment. The combination produces results neither can achieve alone.

It means we treat recruiting research as a discipline — one that requires methodology, tools, and continuous improvement. We build proprietary processes, test new approaches, and apply investigative rigor to every engagement. Your search benefits from everything we have learned across hundreds of prior engagements.

Executive talent mapping is the systematic identification and profiling of executive talent within a target company, competitive set, or market segment. It answers the question: who are the best people, where do they sit, and how do we reach them? It is a strategic tool for succession planning, competitive intelligence, and proactive recruiting.

Org chart software like Organimi or Lucidchart builds charts from data you already have. Intellerati researches and constructs talent maps from scratch using investigative methods. We confirm reporting relationships, identify key executives, and build a picture of a target organization that no software product can generate on its own. The result is competitive intelligence, not a template.

A well-constructed talent map reveals the distribution of executive talent across divisions, geographies, and functions. It can surface unannounced organizational changes, emerging business units, and leadership gaps at target companies. Our clients use talent maps for executive search, succession planning, competitive intelligence, sales strategy, and market analysis.

We charge a flat fee based on the scope of work. We do not charge by the name or by the hour. Our pay-as-you-go retainer model means you pay for exactly the research you need — nothing more. For pricing details, visit our pricing page.

We reduce time-to-hire, improve candidate quality, and increase the probability that a search closes successfully. For corporate teams managing searches that would otherwise go to a retained firm, the cost savings are substantial. More importantly, you retain control of the process and the candidate relationships.

We specialize in technology and tech-adjacent industries. Our core expertise covers Cloud, SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, Data Science, Machine Learning, AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. We also serve clients in Pharma, Biotech, Fintech, e-Commerce, EdTech, HealthTech, and technology-driven travel and hospitality.

We research and source candidates at the Vice President level and above, including SVP, EVP, and C-suite roles such as CTO, CIO, and COO. We also conduct research for divisional CEOs, General Managers, and Managing Directors.

We serve clients across the United States. We have deep experience in the Greater New York area, Connecticut, New Jersey, Greater Boston, Greater Seattle, Silicon Valley, and San Francisco. We also conduct research across all major technology markets in between, as well as Canada.

Yes. Our database holds more than 75,000 executive candidates, with extensive talent mapping of major technology companies. We conduct fresh research for every engagement rather than reselling existing research. Confidentiality is foundational to how we work.

Every profile includes a biography, available photo, contact information, and relevant links. Profiles are built to give your team everything needed to make an informed outreach decision without additional research.