We’re more than a bunch of pretty faces

  • Jake Whittall

    Co-founder

    Jake spent 9 years working in the IT sector and loves working with people. It’s why he thinks he has the best job in the world! There is nothing better for him than helping someone achieve their next step up. When not in the office, Jake can be found trying to perfect his downward dog, reading any history book he can get his hands on or simply in the pub.

  • Burim Hykaj

    Co-founder

    Burim has over 12 years of experience in tech and has worked with some of the biggest and smallest tech companies in the UK and Europe. He is passionate about one thing: delivering the best services to his clients – day in and day out. When not at work, Burim can be found being a devoted dad and husband, or trying to get a six pack – still…

  • Ashton Carter-Ridgway

    Senior Consultant

    Ashton got into recruitment after his dodgy shins (still not fixed) ended his dream of joining the army. After beginning his recruitment career, he has successfully made a name for himself by consistently delivering a quality service to his clients. Having met the Danish girl of his dreams, he has a particular interest for working with clients in Scandinavia – he’s learning Danish so he can throw in a few of the latest phrases he has learnt if you fancy a chat!

  • George Rutter

    Consultant

    George started off as a marketer for of the world’s largest beauty companies, but realising that marketing wasn’t for him, he quickly jetted off to the Rocky Mountains to spend  year skiing off cliffs, hiking with bears and canoeing the Bow River. George has since ditched the snow and mountains for a new challenge – helping designers find their dream job and making the world a better place for all!

  • Kevin Kelly

    Senior Talent Partner

    Kevin is our Senior Talent Partner, working with tech companies to grow their teams or make their first technical hires. Kevin partners with businesses to develop talent acquisition strategies that span the medium to long-term, helping them sustainably drive efficiencies and cost savings, all the while ensuring they have an engaging and impactful experience. When not working, Kevin can be found with his nose in a book, an Xbox controller in hand or learning the principles of web development.

  • Tom Hicks

    Senior Consultant

    Tom fell into recruitment whilst trying to make an honest living playing professional poker…years on and he knows it’s the best thing that could ever have happened to him. He thoroughly enjoys the challenge of finding the ideal match for both candidates and employers and developing talent solutions to help businesses grow. With the cards behind him, he spends most of his time searching for his ball on the fairway.  

  • Unais Qasmi

    Consultant

    Unais is the go-to guy for everything Python and data. With a background in psychology and neuroscience, he loves working with people and helping them find the right job! When not in the office, he can be found exploring new places to eat…saying Unais is a foodie is an understatement!
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Hey Siri, what do our clients say about us?

“Venture Up provided an excellent service as our recruitment team went through a challenging period of expansion in the company. They provided a high level of service and professionalism and outperformed every other agency on our PSL. I would happily recommend them to any company looking to grow their tech teams.”

Senior Talent Acquisition, Fintech

“Having heard the horrors of working with agencies I was sceptical at first when I heard of Venture Up when working at ClearScore. That scepticism was all blown away after meeting Jake and Burim. They are head and shoulders above any other agency I have ever worked with. Usually we hear the saying that agencies are only after making money, but this is not the case for Venture Up. They took the time and effort to ensure the best candidate and interviewer experience. I would happily and gladly work/recommend anyone to work with them.”

Talent Acquisition, Fintech

“I have worked with Venture Up for many years in which time they have placed a much higher proportion of excellent quality candidates than his competitors. They have always been on top of their game, know the industry well and perseveres in a difficult market”

HR Director, Financial services

“I’ve known Venture Up for a number of years. They are very professional and efficient in helping us with our positions which are quite difficult to fill. They constantly produce many credible and qualified candidates from which we were able to find very good matches to our requirements. The team are personable and have always been dedicated to the task at hand. I recommend Venture Up’s services to any organisation that wants efficient and very effective recruitment services.”

CEO and Founder, Betting Tech

“I’ve worked with Venture Up for over 5 years now and they have always worked hard to understand our needs technically and culturally. There are many other agencies that would love to work with us, but we have consistently used the team at Venture Up as they have always delivered on our requirements where others have failed.”

CTO, e-commerce tech company

“Venture Up has been recruiting for us for many years now and has consistently provided us a strong selection of candidates to choose from that matched our requirements very well. They have been incredibly efficient in finding candidates and has ensured our roles are filled in good time. The Venture Up team has always made sure communication has been excellent, we are always kept well informed and they is always there if we need to speak to them. We thoroughly enjoy working with the Venture Up team – they make the hiring process more fun and enjoyable and would recommend their services.”

Talent Acquisition Manager, E-Gaming company