Zero To One Search

Zero to One Search is a retained executive search partner founded in 2017 by Marat Yakupov, specialising in placing leaders who define categories within artificial intelligence, deep technology and venture-backed software companies. Operating across multiple locations including Berlin, Munich, Lisbon, San Francisco and Sao Paulo, the firm positions itself as the trusted recruiting partner for founders, boards and chief people officers hiring the C-suite and VP-level leaders that determine whether roadmaps ship. The firm's philosophy rejects fixed playbooks, instead tailoring engagement models around specific outcomes, from embedded in-house recruiters to category-defining executive search.

Zero to One Search works across three service models: embedded recruitment where a senior recruiter joins the client organisation for three to nine months as internal talent partner; professional search targeting principal engineers, staff researchers and front-line managers shipping product; and retained executive search for C-suite and VP positions including Chief Technology Officers, Chief AI Officers, research heads and leadership roles in transformation initiatives. The firm's search methodology emphasises calibration over specification, dedicating two weeks to immersion with founders, board members and incumbents to define roles the job market has not yet named. Zero to One Search then surfaces 80 to 120 potential candidates, narrowing to eight worth meeting through conviction-led outreach that represents the client's mission with the same conviction as the founder.

Zero to One Search's outcomes validate its approach: a 94 per cent search completion rate, median 11-week timeline to signed offer, 92 per cent of placements remaining in role at 24 months, and a combined client portfolio valuation of USD 3.4 billion. The firm maintains a database of 100,000 vetted professionals and operates a 140,000-person LinkedIn community around founder Yakupov. The firm also provides relocation and documentation support for candidates moving to Portugal, bundling visa assistance, tax orientation and housing coordination with retained search services.