/w=256,quality=90,fit=scale-down){kind=logo}
Dead Startups is a startup hiring engine for the people who built the hard stuff — even if the company didn’t survive.
Create your startup-ready candidate profile in 5 minutes. No CV required.
The Startup Hiring System Is Broken
Startups say they want:
- High-agency generalists
- People who can build from zero
- Operators who own outcomes
But hiring still filters by CV keywords, job titles, and legacy org charts.
We built Dead Startups to fix that.
🪦 Dead Startups helps surface the talent funded startups are already looking for.
It doesn’t just help you write a better profile.
It helps startups actually see you.
New Zealand Startups Are Hiring — They Just Can’t Find You
Right now, dozens of Kiwi startups are actively hiring generalists, operators, builders, and first-hires.
These teams are raising, scaling, and recruiting now — but the hiring system still filters for job titles and tidy LinkedIn timelines.
They want people who can:
- Ship product without perfect specs
- Build systems that didn’t exist last week
- Solve real problems with no playbook and no budget
We help you get seen by teams like these. No CVs, no cold outreach.
Halter
Partly
Hnry
/w=384,quality=90,fit=scale-down){kind=logo}
Auror
Tracksuit
How It Works (in 2 Steps)
1. Drop in what you’ve got
→ 
ChatGPT ChatGPT - Dead Startups GPT
Paste the:
- Contents of your LinkedIn
- CV (messy is fine)
- Bullet points or a rough summary of your experience
Dead Startups GPT will turn it into a startup-ready profile that hiring teams want to read .
No re-formatting. No cover letter.
2. Submit your profile
Edit your final version, then paste it here:
Submit Your Candidate Profile Here →
What Makes Dead Startups Different
- Built for generalists, ex-founders, and early operators
- Works with whatever you've got (even if your resume’s a mess)
- No cover letters. No portals. No guesswork.
- Structured profiles hiring teams can read in 30 seconds
This Space Is For You
You built without a blueprint.
You wore every hat.
You made it work long after others would have walked.
Maybe you're between things. Maybe you're done being a founder. Or maybe you're already in your next role but miss the speed, the pressure, the building.
You're not done.
You're just in between chapters.
This space is for you.
For Hiring Teams
If you’ve just raised or you’re scaling, you don’t need another narrow specialist.
You need someone who can execute and own outcomes.
We surface talent who’ve built in chaos and learned by doing.
Want access to the pool? Get in touch →
For Startup Recruiters
You work with founders. You know how hard it is to find generalists who thrive in early chaos.
Dead Startups is a shortcut.
We surface talent that’s already survived the hard part — and is ready to go again.
Want access to the pool? Get in touch →
Unparalleled access in your inbox. Drop your email, here.
Know Something We Don’t? We’d Love to Hear from You.
It’s hard to keep track of an ever-changing ecosystem.
We appreciate your contribution to What Founders Want. Together we can make starting a startup easier for founders in New Zealand.