Bespoke Partners Shatters Records with AI-Driven Recruiting Model

SAN DIEGO, CA – January 06, 2026 – While the executive search industry saw healthy growth in 2025, Bespoke Partners, a firm specializing in private equity-backed software companies, reported a breakout year that significantly outpaced the market. The company announced a staggering 40% year-over-year revenue increase and an 85% surge in profits, attributing its success to a finely tuned, tech-forward approach that is setting a new standard in high-stakes talent acquisition.

With 307 executive placements in 2025—a 36% jump from the prior year—the San Diego-based firm is demonstrating the potent impact of combining proprietary AI with deep human expertise. The performance stands in sharp contrast to the broader executive search market's solid, yet more modest, 10-11% growth projections for the same period. Bespoke’s results signal a pivotal shift in how private equity firms secure the leadership necessary to drive value creation in their fast-moving portfolio companies.

“2025 was a breakout year. We paired disciplined execution with our data-rich approach to deliver faster recruiting cycles and stronger outcomes for our clients,” said Eric Walczykowski, Chief Executive Officer of Bespoke Partners. “The momentum is the result of the grit and hustle of our amazing team, showing why we have earned the trust of our private equity firm clients looking to solve their most critical leadership challenges.”

The AI Edge in a Competitive Market

At the heart of Bespoke Partners' record performance is its proprietary AI-powered platform, the Executive Index. Developed over three years, this system continuously analyzes and verifies the backgrounds of nearly 700,000 software and SaaS executives. Unlike public platforms that rely on self-reported data, the Executive Index aggregates information from hundreds of public and proprietary sources, using its AI engine to validate track records, revenue growth achievements, and successful company exits.

This data-driven foundation allows the firm to slash search times by a reported 30%, with many C-suite searches closing in under 90 days—less than half the industry average. This efficiency is a critical competitive advantage for private equity sponsors who need to install transformative leadership quickly to execute on ambitious value creation plans.

“Our platform continues to compress search timelines and surface elite operators that other recruiters miss,” noted Adam Boone, the firm's Chief Commercial Officer. “That’s translating directly into growth for us and, more importantly, outsized value creation for our clients.”

This embrace of technology reflects a wider trend, as major firms like Heidrick & Struggles and Spencer Stuart also integrate tech-enabled assessments. However, Bespoke’s hyper-specialization in the private equity software sector, combined with its comprehensive data platform, creates a uniquely powerful tool. By automating the discovery and initial vetting process, the firm’s human recruiters can focus on the nuanced, high-touch aspects of the search: assessing cultural fit, navigating complex candidate motivations, and conducting exhaustive back-channel referencing.

'Built Different': A Human-Centric Structure for Success

While technology provides the speed, the firm's 'Built Different' organizational philosophy provides the precision. Bespoke eschews the traditional “lone wolf” recruiter model, where generalists handle varied roles across industries. Instead, it has established dedicated teams that specialize in specific functional roles, such as CEO, CFO, CRO, and Chief Product Officer. These teams are constantly engaged with the talent market for their specific function, completing more searches in their niche than any other recruiters in the industry and developing unparalleled expertise and networks.

This structure is reinforced by a unique incentive model. Bespoke recruiters are compensated for successfully placing a candidate, not for simply selling a search engagement. The firm’s final retainer is contingent on a successful hire, a stark contrast to the standard industry practice of collecting the full fee upfront. This model aligns the firm’s interests directly with its clients and has cultivated a 98% placement success rate, effectively eliminating the risk of a firm “quiet quitting” on a difficult search.

Further contributing to this success is a rigorous due diligence process. Bespoke’s teams conduct an average of ten back-channel reference checks for a typical search, gathering candid, off-the-record insights into a candidate’s performance and leadership style. This deep validation is a key reason why executives placed by the firm demonstrate exceptional longevity, with a 95% retention rate after two years—significantly above industry averages.

Strategic Expansion Beyond Software

Leveraging its proven model, Bespoke Partners made a significant strategic move in 2025 by launching its B-Industrials practice. Led by partner Jared Moriarty, this new division provides executive search services for private equity-backed industrial companies in sectors like aerospace, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure. The press release noted the practice delivered “outstanding results” in its inaugural year.

This expansion is a calculated response to a major market trend: the convergence of technology and traditional industry. As private equity firms acquire industrial assets, they increasingly require leaders who can implement digital transformation, automation, and data-driven strategies to unlock new value. Bespoke's expertise in finding tech-savvy executives makes it uniquely positioned to serve this growing need, applying its proven search methodology to a new, high-demand vertical.

The firm’s physical expansion, with a new state-of-the-art office in Austin and an expanded presence in New York City, further underscores its aggressive growth trajectory. These moves, combined with the growth of its Bespoke Partners Leader Community to over 2,500 vetted executives, paint a clear picture of a company scaling rapidly to meet intense market demand.

By integrating advanced AI with a specialized, results-driven human approach, Bespoke Partners has engineered a powerful engine for talent acquisition. Its remarkable 2025 performance is more than just a set of impressive numbers; it is a case study in how to build a modern executive search firm that delivers quantifiable speed, accuracy, and value in the demanding world of private equity.