Why hiring the weirdos works with Isaiah Granet, Bland

About this episode

Isaiah Granet discusses a unique approach to hiring that prioritizes passion and curiosity over traditional qualifications.

If one thing has become clear this season, it’s that there is no formula to building the perfect team. But no one breaks the mold quite like this week’s guest, Isaiah Granet, the co-founder and CEO of Bland. The voice AI startup has been growing at a breakneck speed but the founding team has taken their time to prioritize passion over pedigree and find their team members in places many might not think to look. In this episode, Isabelle Johannessen and Isaiah Granet unpack a radically different approach to hiring that prioritizes aligned work ethic, curiosity, and flexibility rather than resumes and connections. So far, that approach has worked for Bland. The scrappy team has gone from pre-seed to series B in less than a year. They discuss: How to identify “hidden gem” talent in unexpected places The role of cold inbound and unconventional sourcing When to hire ahead of need and when not to How hiring philosophy shapes company culture at scale Apply to Startup Battlefield: We are looking for early-stage companies that have an MVP. So nominate a founder (or yourself): techcrunch.com/apply. Be sure to say you heard about Startup Battlefield from the Build Mode podcast. TechCrunch…

People in this episode

Host: Isabelle Johannessen

Guest: Isaiah Granet

Topics covered

• hiring
• team building
• startup culture
• voice AI
• entrepreneurship

Keywords

• hiring philosophy
• hidden gem talent
• company culture
• startup growth
• voice AI

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bland, TechCrunch

More episodes of Build Mode

• Best of Build Mode: Scaling Company Culture · June 11, 2026 · 18 min
• Best of Build Mode: The Founder Mistakes That Cost Time, Money, and Growth · June 4, 2026 · 27 min
• Best of Build Mode: Cofounders, Conflict and Compatibility · May 28, 2026 · 21 min
• The 7-Failure Rule: How Forethought AI Found Product-Market Fit with Co-Founder Deon Nicholas · May 14, 2026 · 46 min
• Maintaining Momentum and Morale During the Long Road to FDA Approval with Robhy Bustami, BioticsAI · April 30, 2026 · 32 min
• Don't stop hiring humans. Stop hiring the wrong humans with Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Artisan · April 23, 2026 · 37 min