Forward-deployed operators  obsessed with great recruiting

Our Story

Our belief: the team you build today is the success you earn tomorrow. 

We learned and tested this thesis inside the best technology companies, venture firms, and recruiting teams on earth — Paradigm, Jump, AngelList, Coinbase, Robinhood, and others.  

In 2023, we started Bull Moose with a simple conviction: build the firm we always wished existed, and channel some Teddy Roosevelt energy to strike out on an alternative path to company building and investing.

Today, talent density is prized, teams are leaner, and traditional VC is commoditized. Bull Moose is a hybrid firm, combining talent services with founder-style investing — equity stakes in select clients today, a dedicated investment arm as we scale. We’re the most hands-on partner a startup will ever have, blending lessons from VC, early- and growth-stage startups, consulting, and executive search into one model.

We bet on ourselves, help others rise, and co-build enduring companies that last for generations.

The Bull Moose Way

Excellence is a Habit
You are what you do repeatedly. Best-in-class comes from depth, quality, and thoughtfulness forged through discipline and repetition over months and years. We treat the job like a craft, and we care about both the work and the results. We focus on the inputs (the detail, the effort, the preparation) and trust that the outputs follow. "Good enough" isn't our standard, but perfection isn't the starting point either: we ship the 80/20, then iterate relentlessly toward 100%. We expect to win, and we hold ourselves and each other accountable to that standard. We play long-term games with long-term people: patient, deliberate, and resilient in the face of adversity.
Humble and Hungry
We earn everything. We're grateful for the trust our clients and candidates put in us, and we know the reward for good work is more work. So we stay hungry: always learning, seeking out feedback, digging deeper than most, and betting on ourselves.
Serve with Empathy
We genuinely care about one another: we see, honor, and respect the human around us. We serve clients, candidates, and colleagues, aiming to leave every person and company better than we found them. We take the perspective of others. We listen to understand, not to respond. We act in others' best interests, not our own. And we care for ourselves too, because we can't pour from an empty cup.
Realistic Optimism
The future will be better than the past, if we make it so. We can make the best of any situation and improve it. But we're clear-eyed: bad things happen, adversity is part of the plan, and we don't flinch from it. We face reality with resolve and stay poised under pressure, steady in knowing we'll make it through. We stay hopeful, especially when it's hard.
Authentically Open
We are our full selves. We all have strengths, weaknesses, and superpowers, and we celebrate the quirky, original, creative, and diverse perspectives that make us better. We communicate honestly: open, direct, kind, and straightforward, resolving issues quickly and candidly. We embrace feedback and accountability. We welcome constructive debate, hold ourselves and one another to it, and don't make excuses.

The story behind “Bull Moose”

The name comes from Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. In 1912, when the Republican Party rejected his bid to return to the Presidency, Teddy refused to back down — launching a third-party campaign powered by principle, courage, and raw energy. Shot in an assassination attempt mid-campaign, he famously declared, "It takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose." The name stuck — a symbol of resilience, conviction, and defiance in pursuit of what's right.

When starting Bull Moose, I channeled that same spirit: I bet on myself, stood by my convictions, and built the firm I wished existed. Bull Moose stands for that — bold, principled, defiant, and built to last. We believe setbacks are invitations, obstacles are opportunities, independence is a strength. We know the strenuous life is worth living, and being in the arena is what counts. The name isn't a mascot — it's a standard we hold ourselves to.  

— Jake Kerr, Founder