Bret leads Talent at TheGP, where he helps founders turn potential into cohesive teams. He’s spent two decades building high-functioning orgs from scratch, both as an operator and within VC. He's worked hands-on with founders at companies like Stripe, Confluent, Retool, and DoorDash to establish core talent processes from scratch. Before TheGP, he ran early-stage Talent at Sequoia Capital and helped build the core team at Mozilla (employee #35). He's especially proud to have played a part in constructing the early RUST team.
Highlights
Firsthand lessons from the open web.
At Mozilla, Bret joined when Firefox had 35 people and a mission to make the internet better. That experience taught him that great teams form when people care deeply about the mission and each other, a principle he still brings to every company he supports.
Track record of early-stage scale.
At Sequoia, Bret helped companies like Stripe, Retool and DoorDash grow their early teams. He’s worked across engineering and leadership, helping place the critical first hires that become core culture carriers and future leaders.
Deep in the work.
Bret doesn’t just advise on org design, but builds them from zero. From scoping roles to refining messaging and coaching teams to making the final close, he’s in the loop with founders every step of the way. His goal is to make hiring a structured, repeatable, founder-led advantage.
Superpowers
Serendipity meets precision.
Bret has spent 20 years building deep, trusted relationships across technical and startup networks. He’s known for making connections across networks that allow serendipity to happen. More good people knowing each other is good for the world, and Bret loves playing matchmaker for roles, interests and funding.
Passion-first talent evaluation.
Whether someone’s obsessed with infrastructure or Pokémon cards, Bret looks for people who go deep on things they care about. He believes that the depth of just about any passion is often the best predictor of early-stage impact.
Honest feedback for fast cycles.
One of Bret’s most valued tools is candor. He gives clear, kind feedback to founders and candidates alike, and believes most hiring failures come from a lack of shared clarity up front, not with the fabled "top of funnel". His goal is to help teams avoid wasted cycles and move faster with confidence.
