Working together since 2006. Focused on semiconductors.
We’re Claude Loeffen and Alex Masse. For twenty years we’ve helped deep-tech companies find the people they can’t easily find themselves. Today our work is centred on the semiconductor industry
And we’re very much part of that industry, not just recruiting into it.
The kind of hire we're built for
A senior OPC engineer for a 150–110 nm foundry, after the three people who held that knowledge had all left.
A COO to take a semiconductor equipment maker from 50 to 150 people while preparing a new fab.
A lab director bridging storage research and AI architecture, with the authority to lead ten researchers.
We support companies with a wide range of hires, but this is where we make the biggest difference: the role that’s hard to define, hard to find, or too important to get wrong.
In our own words
Why semiconductors?
“I came from hiring in software and digital, and assumed chips would work the same way. They don’t. Development takes years, there’s no beta version, and a decision in Washington or Beijing can reshape the market overnight. Most recruitment in this sector focuses on engineering roles at scale. But in conversations with founders and executives, I kept hearing the same thing: when it came to highly specialised positions and leadership hires, there was very little support. That’s the gap we set out to fill.”
What makes hiring in this industry so hard?
“The talent pools are tiny and the knowledge is concentrated. Sometimes a company’s critical expertise sits with two or three people. And when they leave, there may only be a handful of candidates in Europe who can replace them. Most of them aren’t looking. You can’t post a job and wait.”
What do you tell a client whose expectations don't match the market?
“The truth, and early. If the salary is off, or the profile doesn’t exist in the form you’ve described, it’s far better to hear it in week one than in month three. Most of our best searches started with a client rethinking the brief.”
Where do you add the most value?
“In the hires where precision matters most. Senior specialists and leaders whose impact is felt across the whole business. We’re happy to help build the team around them too, but that’s where our experience makes the biggest difference.”
Part of the ecosystem, not just recruiting into it
Hiring well in semiconductors means knowing the people, the companies and the forces shaping the industry. So we invest our time in it:
European Chips Diversity Alliance
As Ambassadors, we help open semiconductor careers to talent the industry too often overlooks.
Chips Act 2
We contributed talent insights to Spain’s advice to the European Commission.
On stage
We speak at industry events about talent strategy and hiring in a changing market.
AESEMI
We’re partners of the Spanish Semiconductor Industry Association.
Founders & investors
We introduce deep-tech founders to investors who understand semiconductors. And help them sharpen the pitch.
Who you'll work with
Claude Loeffen
Co-founder. Dutch, based in Spain. Hiring for deep tech since 2006, and focused on semiconductors for years.
Alex Masse
Co-founder. Claude’s partner since 2006 — known for straight talk about the market and the persistence to find the person who fits.
Our research team
Behind every search is our dedicated research team, mapping each market in depth — the companies, the teams and the individuals behind the technology.
Got a hire that matters? Talk to us directly.
No sales team, no account managers. When you get in touch, you speak with Claude or Alex.
