Creandum’s VP of talent Michelle Coventry: ‘I’ll tell you where you shouldn’t hire from’

2026-02-10 · Source: Sifted · Field: Business & Management — Entrepreneurship & Start-ups, Human Resources & Workforce Development, Corporate Strategy & Leadership · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, quick

Summary

Michelle Coventry, VP of Talent at European VC firm Creandum, discusses the evolving landscape of startup hiring and team scaling, particularly in the age of AI. Creandum, known for its 13x return on its first institutional fund (Creandum II) with investments in Spotify and iZettle, now boasts a realized MOIC of 7x across all seven funds. The firm recently participated in Trade Republic's secondary sale, valuing it at €12.5bn, and backs unicorns like Factorial, Fuse, and Bolt. Coventry's insights, shared on the Sifted Podcast, cover advising fast-scaling companies like Lovable and Black Forest Labs, changes in hiring playbooks due to AI, effective interview questions, and strategic talent acquisition, including where not to poach employees from. Creandum also released its fourth report on founder and C-suite compensation across Europe.

Key takeaway

For VPs of Engineering or Data leading rapidly scaling teams, understanding the shifts in talent acquisition due to AI is critical. You should re-evaluate your current hiring playbooks to integrate AI-driven changes and consider strategic talent sourcing advice, including identifying areas to avoid poaching from, to secure top-tier talent effectively. Reviewing Creandum's compensation report can also inform your C-suite compensation strategies.

Key insights

AI is significantly reshaping startup hiring strategies and talent acquisition playbooks.

Principles

• Startup strength correlates with team quality.
• Strategic talent acquisition is crucial for scaling.
• Compensation trends are dynamic in Europe.

Method

The article highlights a method of advising fast-scaling companies on team building, adapting hiring playbooks for AI, and identifying optimal talent sources while avoiding specific poaching targets.

In practice

• Adapt hiring playbooks for AI's impact.
• Prioritize strategic talent acquisition.
• Review compensation reports for benchmarks.

Topics

• Talent Acquisition Strategies
• AI Impact on Hiring
• Venture Capital Investments
• Startup Scaling
• Founder Compensation

Best for: VP of Engineering/Data, Entrepreneur, CTO, Director of AI/ML

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Sifted.