VENTURE VISIONARIES

Episode 6

Started From The Bottom,
Now We Here:

Lessons From Childhood Friends &
BrightHire Co-founders Ben Sesser
and Teddy Chestnut.

In this episode, we sit down with Ben Sesser and Teddy Chestnut, Co-founders of BrightHire. BrightHire is a groundbreaking AI-powered interview intelligence platform. BrightHire is born from the belief that interviews are the bedrock of hiring outcomes. Their platform acknowledges the costly consequences of flawed hiring processes and aims to inject clarity and quality into this critical phase. It’s a platform that offers real-time interview guidance, AI-powered notes, highlights, and actionable insights, making interviews more efficient and elevating the caliber of hires.

Ben and Teddy explore their entreprenurial roots and the  origin story of BrightHire. They dissect the lack of rigor and transparency in the hiring process and the transformative potential of technology in this sphere. They walk us through the key ingredients of a productive co-founder partnership. They reflect on the centrality of stakeholders, particularly talent acquisition leaders and recruiters, in shaping a collaborative hiring process. We reflect on the intricacies of growing a business amidst economic volatility and the unique imprint of the global pandemic on their product. Teddy and Ben, both parents, share the challenges of juggling parenthood and entrepreneurship and offer a multifaceted path to seeking balance that’s as inspiring as it is insightful.

Episode
Highlights

Prioritizing Stakeholders and Building a Collaborative Hiring Process:

Ben and Teddy share their insights on building a collaborative hiring process and prioritizing stakeholders, including the talent acquisition leader and recruiters. They also discuss the importance of putting candidates first and investing in features that may not be visible in demos but are crucial for candidate privacy and data handling. The conversation highlights the challenges of entrepreneurship and the need to wade through the darkness to find solutions.

The Cofounder Story Behind Bright Hire:

Ben and Teddy share their background in HR and experience as operators in tech startups and LinkedIn, which led them to recognize the critical importance of the hiring process and the need for more rigor and discipline in it. They share the big aha that led them to the solution that was BrightHire. They discuss the ingredients of a strong co-founder relationship and how it has helped them build their company.

Navigating Economic Uncertainty and
Entrepreneurship:

Teddy and Ben discuss the challenges of building a business during a volatile economic period and the impact of the global pandemic on their product. They emphasize the importance of being able to navigate economic uncertainty and the need to seek advice from investors and advisors. They also discuss the role of family in their lives as founders.

The Power of Bright Hire in Transforming the Hiring Process and Game Changing Insights:

Teddy and Ben explain how Bright Hire is changing the way recruiters and hiring managers approach the hiring process saving time and freeing up recruiters to focus on candidates. They also explain how new technology unlocks new new insights for clients.

Balancing Parenthood and Entrepreneurship:

Ben stresses the importance of being transparent with one’s spouse and designing one’s life around family needs, while Teddy emphasizes the importance of having a patient and supportive spouse and creating meaningful overlaps between work and family life. Both speakers acknowledge the challenges of balancing these two roles, but also express gratitude for the support of their families.

Stories Segment

Venture Visionaries goes
beyond the boardroom,
giving a voice to the heart
of every organization –

 its employees. In our Spoken Stories segment,
BrightHire employees answer the question
‘Why BrightHire?”

Recent episodes

Episode 03

Shaking Things Up:

A Study in Industry Transformation with Arielle Kilroy, CEO Dado

Episode 04

Values and Vision:

A Blueprint To Keep Pointing In The Direction From Rajeeb Day, CEO Learnerbly

 

Episode 05

Being Brilliant And Owning It:

Inside the Mind of Jasmine Shells, CEO of Five to Nine

Don't miss an episode! Subscribe
to Venture Visionaries

Subscribe to Venture Visionaries on your favorite podcast platform and
stay connected to the stories shaping our world.