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About this episode
Rebecca Medina and Jeff Phillips built an AI-powered talent marketplace that's disrupting recruitment with transparent pricing, direct negotiation, and same-day PM hires for SMBs. Rebecca Medina had the network. She had decades of Big Tech experience. She had the credibility. But when she needed project management help on a client engagement as an independent consultant, none of it mattered. "Even with my network of project managers, I couldn't find the right person fast enough," Rebecca recalls. "And it created a big problem for the company because we weren't able to scale as quickly as we wanted." That pain point became Talent Cheetah . Five years later, Rebecca and her co-founder Jeff Phillips have built an AI-powered talent marketplace connecting pre-vetted project managers with SMBs. They've scaled to 300 PMs across 34 US states. They've even partnered with the Project Management Institute. But the metric that matters most: the Bureau of Labor Statistics says it takes 90 days to hire a technical project manager. Talent Cheetah does it in minutes—with same-day hiring possible. In this episode, Medina and Phillips break down the recruitment model that turns recruiting on its head: transparent pricing that exposes hidden markups, lower take rates than traditional agencies, direct PM-to-company negotiation, and real-time hiring through AI matching. Their core unlocks: many traditional staffing firms charge companies a significantly higher rate than what PMs actually earn—often without disclosing the difference to either side; cultural fit matters just as much as credentials (project management exists on a broad spectrum — the skills needed vary widely across industries, company sizes, and stages of growth.); and past execution remains the strongest predictor of future performance. Their 25-point vetting process includes one pivotal test: candidates must be able to produce legitimate professional references—if you can't find even one after years in the field, you're not ready for the platform. In this conversation, they reveal just how much AI is automating routine PM artifacts (like meeting notes, risk logs, and timelines) while increasing the premium on leadership and communication; how their intentional U.S.-based strategy competes on quality and transparency in an industry racing to the bottom on cost; and how Talent Cheetah is opening doors for underrepresented groups in project management; why fractional engagements (such as part-time PM support for short durations) are suddenly viable when traditional agencies can't deliver them well. Key Topics Covered The pain point origin: Rebecca's consulting crisis when her network couldn't deliver PM talent fast enough The 90-day problem: Bureau of Labor Statistics average vs. Talent Cheetah's minutes-to-same-day matching Exposing the hidden markup: traditional agencies bill $x/hour, pay PMs $x/hour, keep $x secret from both parties No posting fees: free to post unlimited jobs (vs. ZipRecruiter/Indeed/LinkedIn pay-per-post), no sign-up fees for PMs The 25-point vetting process: professional references, credential validation, and candidates who wait years The reference test: some applicants can't find anyone to vouch for them after 12-24 months Four-year minimum: experience requirement (not just title) focused on herding cats and managing projects US-based strategy: competing on quality, transparency, and credential familiarity instead of global price competition PMP vs. experience: why certification proves framework knowledge but not execution capability Direct negotiation: PMs and companies set rates transparently, eliminating hidden recruiter markups AI-powered matching: real-time algorithm surfaces top 3 PMs, with 297 more to browse Cultural fit dynamics: startup PMs vs. Big Tech PMs require different personalities Expanding beyond PMs: network architects, developers, product managers using same vetting framework PMI partnership: hiring bonanzas and visibility programs in San Francisco White glove service: helping first-time contractors negotiate rates and structure engagements AI's impact on PMing: automating artifacts while amplifying leadership and communication needs Fractional engagements: 10-hour/week arrangements that traditional agencies can't serve Transparent pricing model: complete visibility vs. hidden markups, lower take rates than Robert Half/Adecco/Tech Systems Chapters: (01:55) Origin story: Talent Cheetah (03:16) What makes Talent Cheetah different: Speed as the #1 differentiator, same-day hiring possible (04:05) US-based strategy: competing on quality and credential familiarity (06:08) Supporting underrepresented groups: veterans (logistics → PM transitions) and women in tech (07:33) Serving both sides: job search help for PMs, FAANG-quality talent for clients (08:43) White glove service: flexible involvement based on needs, negotiation help included (09:16) How it works: 30-second account creation, under-5-minute posting, real-time AI matching (10:15) Platform scale: 300 PMs across 34 US states, discipline-specific but industry-agnostic (11:04) The 25-point vetting process: four-year minimum, references, credentials, interviews (14:09) PMP certification vs. hands-on experience: gold standard plus practical execution (16:02) Exposing the hidden markup: how traditional agencies work (17:08) AI's impact on PM work: automating artifacts, amplifying leadership and communication (20:40) Expanding beyond PMs: network architects, developers, product managers (23:02) PMI partnership: 'hiring bonanzas' and visibility programs in SF (25:12) Ideal clients (26:47) Transparent pricing model: no posting fees for companies, no sign-up fees for PMs (27:36) Getting started: talentcheetah.com, instant talent matching (30:48) Internal messaging and AI matching: top 3 matches with direct communication (32:00) Where to find them on LinkedIn, YouTube, talentcheetah.com Where to Find Rebecca Medina: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccarm Website: https://www.talentcheetah.com Jeff Phillips: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyjphillipspmp Website: https://www.talentcheetah.com Talent Cheetah: X: https://x.com/talentcheetah LinkedIn: ht...
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Episode summary
Welcome to the Startup Growth Podcast. We’ve got the founders of Talent Cheetah, CEO Rebecca Medina and CEO Jeff Phillips. Let’s start with the origin story—when did the idea click?
About five years ago, I was consulting after a long run in Big Tech and couldn’t find a project manager fast enough for a critical engagement, so a simple spreadsheet of available PMs became a marketplace for startups and small businesses that need on‑demand project management.
How is Talent Cheetah different from agencies like Robert Half or Adecco?
Speed and self‑serve access—clients create an account, post a role, and engage top matches in minutes, often hiring the same day, which is why we leaned into the cheetah theme.
Do you work internationally or focus on the US?
We’re intentionally US‑only to avoid a race to the bottom on rates and to ensure quality we can verify, and we actively support underrepresented talent like veterans and women—many veterans pivot into PM work and earn credentials like the PMP.
We serve both sides: we help PMs with resumes, LinkedIn, and their consulting path, and we give clients access to talent with backgrounds from places like major tech companies and big‑four‑level delivery.
We also offer white‑glove support when needed, from coaching newer PMs on rate negotiation to guiding hiring managers through the process.
If I need a PM, how do I get started?
Create an account in under a minute, post your need, and our AI instantly ranks best fits so you can message candidates and hire within minutes.
How big is the talent pool?
Approximately three hundred professionals across thirty‑four states, covering project, program, and product management across many industries.
How do you decide who gets accepted?
We require four or more years of real project experience, run a detailed vetting process with references, education and certifications like PMP or CSM, and conduct a live interview; we’ll coach pivoters, but we only admit those ready to deliver, and lack of credible references is a deal‑breaker.
How critical is the PMP today, especially for career switchers?
It’s still the benchmark, but clients also expect proven wins, like leading a specific ERP rollout, so we screen for both credentials and hands‑on delivery plus client‑facing strength.
What makes your recruiting model a real disruptor?
We flip the agency model by keeping a pre‑vetted bench and letting talent negotiate directly with companies, creating transparent rates instead of hidden markups.
With all the new tools, how is AI changing PM work?
AI now generates notes, action items, and core documents, which frees PMs to focus on leadership, alignment, and shipping outcomes across teams.
Modern tools can draft risk logs, plans, budgets, and schedules, but you still need a human to drive consensus, manage dependencies, and hit dates.
Will you expand beyond PMs?
Yes, we’re applying our framework to roles like network architects while staying PM‑led because clients keep asking for adjacent disciplines.
We won’t turn away good‑fit needs, and our PM and engineering backgrounds help us vet roles like identity and access management or architecture.
How are you working with PMI?
With the PMI San Francisco chapter, we’re growing supply and launching in‑person speed‑hiring events to cut tech PM hiring from months to minutes for Bay Area companies.
Our sweet spot is funded startups and SMBs with real revenue and up to a few hundred employees, and we uniquely support fractional needs, like ten hours a week to close a program, which big agencies rarely touch.
Where should people go to get started with Talent Cheetah? Thanks for joining us today.
Thank you, David. This was a great time.
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