Who We Are
We’re not traditional recruiters. We’re operators, product builders, and fintech veterans — now helping fast-growing teams hire better.
Founded by fintech insiders with deep roots in product, banking, and transformation, Fintech HI.RE was built to do recruitment differently. We’ve scaled teams ourselves — globally, at speed, under pressure — and we know what great looks like on day one.
About
Hi, I’m Cliff van Tonder — founder of Fintech HI.RE.
I’ve spent over 25 years helping fintechs, SaaS vendors, and global consulting firms bring digital products to market — from go-to-market leadership and pre-sales strategy to guiding teams alongside major banks and transformation programs.
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I’ve worked with early-stage startups and scaleups through to industry giants, including fintechs that were later acquired by global players. That journey gave me a front-row seat to what makes product-led teams succeed — and what holds them back.
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Today, I lead Fintech HI.RE USA with one simple goal: to help founders and operators hire better — with speed, insight, and zero fluff.
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Let’s build something brilliant together.
Our Misson
Our mission is simple:
to help VC-backed fintechs and SaaS scaleups build winning teams — faster, leaner, smarter.
You get founder-speed delivery, operator-level insight, and zero fluff.
Our Values
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Built by Operators: We’ve walked in your shoes — we get ambiguity, unpredictability, and urgency.
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Human at Heart: Not databases. Not bots. Real conversations with real people who understand your domain.
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Bias for Action: If speed costs us popularity, so be it — we’re here to deliver.
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Outcome-First: Delivering candidates who do the job and align with your culture and ambition.
What Sets Us Apart
You’ll Notice...
We never quote dashboards
We talk the same language as your tech leads
We work with founders, not procurement
We drop in fast, fit-for-purpose talent — no long contracts required.
Why It Works
We operate off relationships, not keywords
We’ve built and run the platforms your team is hiring to scale.
That’s why we move fast — with legitimacy
From fractional pods to hiring sprints, you choose the model