Q: What is Cornerstone Search Associates?
Cornerstone Search Associates is a boutique executive recruiting firm founded in 1996 by Rich Rosen. The firm specializes exclusively in sales talent for SaaS and software companies; Account Executives, Sales Engineers, Directors of Sales, Regional Vice Presidents, VPs of Sales, and Chief Revenue Officers. Cornerstone has completed more than 1,200 placements at software and SaaS companies across the United States over the past 30 years.
Q: Who is Rich Rosen?
Rich Rosen is the founder and sole recruiter at Cornerstone Search Associates. He has 30 years of experience placing sales professionals and executives at SaaS and software companies. He has been named by top publications such F***es (you know the one) list of Top Executive Recruiters in America for seven consecutive years and is ranked in the Top 80 recruiters nationally and the highest-ranked solo recruiter on the list. He has been a member of the Pinnacle Society, an invitation-only consortium of the top 80 recruiters in North America, since 2016. Every search at Cornerstone is handled personally by Rich — not a junior associate or researcher.
Q: What makes Cornerstone different from a large executive search firm?
Three things. First, you work directly with Rich Rosen on every search not an account manager who hands you off to a team of researchers. Second, Cornerstone works exclusively in SaaS and software sales. That focus means a deeper candidate network, faster pattern recognition, and less time spent educating the recruiter on your market. Third, Cornerstone’s average time from search kickoff to accepted offer is 21 days. Most large executive search firms average 60 to 90 days for VP-level searches.
Q: Is Cornerstone a retained or contingent search firm?
Cornerstone Search Associates offers both contingent and engaged search solutions based on the complexity, urgency, and confidentiality of the assignment.
Q: How long has Cornerstone been in business?
Cornerstone Search Associates was founded in 1996. The firm has operated continuously for 30 years, placing sales talent exclusively at SaaS and software companies throughout that time.
Q: What does the search process look like from start to finish?
It starts with an intake call. Rich spends 30 to 60 minutes with the hiring manager understanding the culture, personality, role, the team, the product, the competitive landscape, and what’s actually required to succeed in the position not just what’s on the job description. From there, Cornerstone builds a targeted candidate list, conducts outreach, screens candidates, and delivers a shortlist of qualified, interested candidates typically within the first week. Rich manages candidate communication throughout, prepares both sides for interviews, and stays active through offer, acceptance, and start date.
Q: How fast can Cornerstone fill a role?
The average time from search kickoff to accepted offer is 21 days. That figure is based on Enterprise AE and VP-level searches at SaaS and software companies. Speed depends partly on how quickly a client can schedule and complete interviews. Clients who move decisively — scheduling interviews within 48 hours of receiving a shortlist, consistently see faster results.
Q: How many candidates will I see?
Cornerstone presents a shortlist of three to five qualified, screened, and interested candidates rather than a stack of unvetted resumes. Every candidate on the shortlist has been interviewed by Rich, has relevant experience, and has confirmed interest in the role and company. The goal is to respect the hiring manager’s time, not create more work for them.
Q: What information do you need to start a search?
A kickoff call with the hiring manager is the starting point. Rich will want to understand the role in detail, the comp range, the stage of the company, what’s been tried already, what the profile of a successful candidate looks like, and what the interview process will be. The more context Rich has upfront, the faster and more accurate the search.
Q: Do you work on exclusive searches only?
No. Cornerstone works on both exclusive and non-exclusive searches. That said, exclusive searches move faster. When a client is running multiple recruiters simultaneously, candidates sometimes get contacted by several firms at once which creates confusion and can damage the candidate experience. Exclusivity for a defined period typically produces better outcomes.
Q: What types of companies does Cornerstone work with?
Cornerstone works primarily with SaaS and software companies at the Seed and Series A through Series D stage. Most clients are VC-backed startups building out their first or second sales team, or companies that need to upgrade a key revenue leadership role. Cornerstone also works with later-stage and established software companies backfilling all GTM and Sales / Marketing leadership position. The firm does not specialize in non-software industries.
Q: What does a typical Cornerstone client look like?
Most clients share a few characteristics. They’re moving fast and can’t afford a 90-day search process. They’ve either tried to hire this role themselves and struggled, or they’ve worked with a generalist recruiter who didn’t understand the SaaS sales market well enough to find the right person. They’re typically hiring for a role that carries significant revenue responsibility, a VP of Sales, CRO, or a senior AE or SE in a new territory or vertical. And they want to work directly with an experienced recruiter, not get handed off to a junior team.
Q: What stage of company is the best fit for Cornerstone?
Seed through Series D is the sweet spot. These are companies that have product-market fit, are scaling revenue, and need to make precise hiring decisions because every person added at this stage has an outsized impact on trajectory. Cornerstone has also worked with pre-Series A companies that are ready to make a first sales hire and with public or late-stage companies replacing a key leader.
Q: Do you work with companies outside the United States?
Cornerstone places candidates across the United States. Most searches are for US-based roles, including remote positions. Cornerstone does a few Canadian and European searches each year
Q: Can you help if we’ve already been searching for a while and are stuck?
Yes. This is actually one of the most common situations Cornerstone steps into. A company has been running a search internally or with another recruiter for 60 to 90 days without a result, and they need to reset. Rich will do a fresh intake, look at why previous candidates didn’t work, and approach the market differently. Sometimes the issue is the profile, the comp, or the process — not the candidate pool.
Q: What roles does Cornerstone recruit for?
Cornerstone recruits for revenue-generating roles at SaaS and software companies. That includes:
Account Executives (mid-market and enterprise) Sales Engineers and Pre-Sales Consultants Sales Managers and Directors of Sales Regional Vice Presidents of Sales Vice Presidents of Sales Senior Vice Presidents of Sales Chief Revenue Officers as well as CMO and Customer Success leaders.
Cornerstone does not recruit for engineering or dev roles.
Q: Do you place individual contributors or only executives?
Both. Cornerstone places senior individual contributors, particularly enterprise Account Executives and Sales Engineers as well as sales leaders from Director through CRO. The common thread is that every role placed carries meaningful revenue responsibility.
Q: Can you help us hire our first AE?
Yes, if the company is at a stage where it’s ready to hire a proven seller. A first AE hire at a SaaS startup is one of the highest-stakes hires a founder makes. Get it right and you validate your sales motion. Get it wrong and you lose 6 to 12 months. Cornerstone has placed first AEs companies and knows what profile works at that stage versus what looks good on paper but won’t perform without infrastructure around them.
Q: What’s the most common search Cornerstone runs?
Account Executive, Sales Engineers, and Sales leadership roles (Dir, RVP,VP of Sales) searches at Seed to Series D companies represent the majority of Cornerstone’s work. These are companies with a working product, early customers, and a need to put a real sales leader in place to build a repeatable revenue engine. It’s a high-stakes hire and one that Rich has made hundreds of times.
Q: Does Cornerstone work with candidates who are actively looking?
Yes. Candidates can submit a profile through the Candidates section of the Cornerstone website. Rich reviews submissions and reaches out when a relevant search is active. Candidates are never charged a fee.
Q: Does Cornerstone work with passive candidates?
The majority of Cornerstone’s candidate activity involves passive candidates senior sales professionals who are not actively searching but are open to the right opportunity. Rich has built this network over 30 years. Most of the strongest candidates placed at Cornerstone clients were not on the job market when the search began.
Q: What should a candidate expect when working with Cornerstone?
A direct conversation with Rich about what you’re looking for, what you’ve done, and whether there’s a genuine fit with an active search. Cornerstone doesn’t send resumes without permission or submit candidates to roles that aren’t a real match. If there’s no current search that fits, Rich will tell you directly and keep your profile on file for future searches.
Q: How do I submit my resume to Cornerstone?
Go to the Candidates page at Cornerstonesearch.com and fill out the contact form. Include your current role, target role, compensation expectations, and geographic preferences. Rich or his team will follow up if there’s an active search that matches your profile.
Q: What is the F***es Top Recruiters list?
This top Business magazine publishes an annual list of the top executive recruiting firms and individual recruiters in the United States. Rankings are determined by client and peer nominations, not advertising or sponsorship. Rich Rosen has appeared on this business magazine that rhymes with “Orbs” list for seven consecutive years and is ranked in the Top 100 nationally (out of over 26,000 firms.) He is the highest-ranked solo recruiter on the list.
Q: What is the Pinnacle Society?
The Pinnacle Society is an invitation-only consortium of the top 80 recruiters in North America. Membership is based on sustained production over time and peer review not a single strong year. Rich Rosen has been a Pinnacle Society member since 2016. Has served on the Board of Directors for the past 4 years. For clients, Pinnacle membership is a reliable signal that a recruiter has operated at a consistently high level over an extended career.
Q: How do I get started with Cornerstone?
Call Rich directly at 508-242-3060 or email Rich@CornerstoneSearch.com. There’s no intake form or sales process. You’ll talk to Rich, explain the role, and know within that first conversation whether Cornerstone is the right fit for the search.