How to Build Your Executive Team at Series B
At Series B, the executive team typically needs to include a VP Sales (or CRO), VP Engineering, VP Marketing, and VP People — and possibly a CFO if board complexity or financial systems have outgrown what a VP Finance can manage. The hiring sequence should follow the growth constraint: hire the executive who, if in place, would most accelerate the business. This is almost always sales or engineering leadership first.
Series B is the first stage where most companies need a real executive team — not just founders and senior individual contributors. Getting the build sequence right, and getting the right profiles for the stage, is one of the most consequential management decisions of the growth journey.
Series B Executive Team: Typical State
| Function | Typical State at Series B Close | Urgency |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | Often VP Sales already in place; may be wrong stage fit | High — upgrade if needed |
| Engineering | Often technical cofounder or early VP Eng | High — scale needs professional engineering leadership |
| Marketing | Often a demand gen or content lead, not a VP | Medium — hire VP Marketing for Series B scale |
| People | Often HR Generalist or first recruiter | Medium — hire VP People as team scales past 80 |
| Finance | Often Controller or VP Finance | Low–Medium — CFO needed at Series C prep |
The Hiring Sequence Question
Hire in the sequence that removes the biggest growth constraint. At Series B, the most common constraint is: (1) sales team unable to scale beyond founder-led deals, (2) engineering unable to deliver at the pace product needs, or (3) a combination of both. Almost always, the VP Sales or VP Engineering is the first hire to make — not finance or people.Stage Fit at Series B
The Series B stage-fit profile is specific: you need executives who have scaled a function from $8M to $30M+ ARR — not built from zero, and not managed a $100M+ enterprise function. Look for candidates who joined a company at $5M–$15M ARR and scaled through $30M–$50M ARR. That is the experience set that matches Series B needs.Running Multiple Searches Simultaneously
Running 2–3 executive searches simultaneously is common at Series B — and genuinely difficult. The risks: - CEO attention is divided across multiple complex hiring processes - Each search gets less than it deserves - Candidate close rate drops when the CEO is not fully present Mitigation: retain a search firm for at least 2 of the 3 searches. Do not try to run 3 concurrent executive searches internally.Frequently Asked Questions
How many executives should I hire at Series B?
Most Series B companies hire 2–4 executives in the 12–18 months following the close. The exact number depends on what was in place at Series A and what the Series B growth plan requires.
Should I hire executives before or after Series B close?
Typically after close — you have the capital to afford the compensation and the certainty to make credible offers. Hiring before close is possible if you have strong conviction the round will close, but carries risk if the timeline slips.
What is the total executive team cost at Series B?
A full executive team at Series B (VP Sales, VP Eng, VP Marketing, VP People) typically costs $1.2M–$1.8M in annual base salary, plus equity grants. This is a significant but appropriate deployment of Series B capital.
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