About Us
A Personal Word from Our Founder
“I made plenty of assumptions when I first got into the semiconductor industry.
Most of them turned out to be wrong!
For many years, I worked in talent acquisition in the software & digital world.
You know, with the well-known “cool companies.”
Fast-paced, full of new ideas, rapid scaling, always chasing the next product launch.
And when I first started getting involved in the semiconductor industry, I honestly thought it worked like any other part of tech:
Smart people, innovative ideas, and funding to help it all grow.
“Easy peasy”,
“I know all of this!”
“Been there, done that!”
“Let’s start recruiting!”How wrong I was.
What I learned over time is that this world plays by very different rules.
When I worked on the software side, everything moved fast.
You could build something, test it, get feedback, and change direction in days. And hiring is based on this way of working.
A Different World
When I started working with companies in the semiconductor and hardware space, I realised that things don’t work like that here.
Startups in this industry have a completely different journey.
Most rely first on public or government funding, because private investors are often hesitant.
Developing IC’s takes years, costs a fortune, and you can’t just release a “beta version.” Everything has to work perfectly before it ever reaches production.
Raising private funding later is even harder.
Investors are used to quick returns, but in semiconductors, timelines are long and risks are high.
That alone changes how founders have to plan and grow.
Constant Changes
Another thing I’ve learned is how fragile and cyclical this industry can be.
One year there’s huge demand and hiring everywhere. The next, projects slow down because of supply issues or funding cuts.
It teaches you not to take momentum for granted.
And then there’s geopolitics.
Decisions made in Washington, Brussels, or Beijing can reshape the industry overnight. Where chips are made, who can sell to whom, or what technologies are allowed to move across borders.
“These are just a few examples, and each one impacts how companies hire.”
The biggest lesson for me has been this:
Having a great technical idea isn’t enough.
Taking it to market in this space is extremely difficult and not many companies manage to do so. It takes time, resilience, and a lot of patience.
If you’d ask me what I’d do differently If I could go back?
1️⃣ Spend more time early on understanding how semiconductor businesses are funded and structured.
2️⃣ Spend more time understanding the supply chain.
It’s impossible to appreciate how complex it is until you see how many players and dependencies are involved.
3️⃣ Be more patient with how long things take to move.
Progress here isn’t slow (although it does feel like it at times), it’s just different.
4️⃣ Keep a long-term mindset from day one.
This industry doesn’t reward quick win. But it rewards people who can think and plan in years, not quarters.
Claude Loeffen
CEO | The Silicon Search
The semiconductor industry is powering the future
yet it rarely gets the spotlight.
The Silicon Search was created around a simple belief: this sector matters!
There’s so much innovation happening here.
In design centres, in labs, across Europe and beyond and yet too often, hiring is stuck in the past.
Talent Acquisition in semiconductors is different. And it deserves to be treated that way.
Generic recruiters, misaligned processes, talent strategies that don’t reflect how complex the work really is.
We’re here to change that
Why we exist
There was a moment that stuck with me: a hiring manager once told me they’d stopped using recruiters altogether because it felt like a waste of time.
That stuck with me.
If companies feel they have no choice but to go it alone, something’s broken.
We have seen too many companies rely on generalist agencies who didn’t really understand what they do.
We’ve seen hiring managers waste time explaining the difference between an SoC architect and a backend physical design lead , again and again.
That’s not how it should be.
What we believe
We’re not here to tick boxes or throw CVs at a problem.
We’re here to solve hiring problems properly.
Whether that means helping you scope a role, rethink your interview process, or plan how to scale a team across multiple countries.
We tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.
If your salary budget is off, or your expectations are unrealistic, we’ll talk about it early.
That’s how good hiring decisions get made.
How we work
Since 2006, We’ve worked in talent acquisition across the deep tech and startup world from early-stage engineering hires to executive search and building out entire leadership teams.
We’ve been in the debriefs where everyone’s unsure.
We’ve seen offers fall apart.
We’ve helped reset broken processes.
That’s shaped how we work today: clear structure, honest conversations, and zero hype.
Clients have told us that we make hiring feel easier, not harder.
That’s the biggest compliment we can get.
Claude Loeffen
CEO | Semiconductor Talent Acquisition
We combine technical understanding with business sense.
We know the pressure that comes with tight tapeout schedules, and how important it is to find the balance between speed and quality.
And above all, we value trust and real connection.
Because when that’s in place, great hires follow.
Alex Masse
Partner | Semiconductor Talent Acquisition
