developer recruitment for startups and software companies, by tech headhunters
developers who choose your product, headhunted by specialists in your stack.
We hand your role to the headhunter with the most developer hires at startups, scale-ups and software publishers: same stack, same stage, same product culture.
- no setup fees, pay on hire
- guaranteed replacement
they hire their developers with muzzo
how do you hire a developer for a startup or software company?
Muzzo hires developers, tech leads and engineering managers for startups, scale-ups and software publishers. Each role goes to the headhunters with the most hires for product teams: they check the stack and what the person has shipped to production. Fee of 5 to 30%, paid on hire. Leaves within 3 months: we restart the search free.
the figures
developer hiring in tech in figures
source: Urssaf, private-sector employers and employees by APE code (APE 6201Z, computer programming), end of 2025 (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Urssaf, private-sector employers and employees by APE code (APE 6201Z, computer programming), end of 2025 (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 64 (IT development) (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 64 (IT development) (opens a new window), 2025 data
how it works
you only pay if you hire
01
you describe the role
Using the form above: the role, your company, your sector. The rest is scoped in your first conversation with the Muzzo team.
02
the right headhunters get started
Those who have already recruited developers on your stack and at your level.
03
you meet the profiles
Approached and technically assessed by the headhunter. You choose who you meet.
04
you hire, then you pay
Not before. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost.
they hired with muzzo
Muzzo's strength is the diversity of its recruiters: there is always someone listening to our needs.
With Muzzo, I get the reactivity of a marketplace and the quality of a search firm.
let's talk about your role
Antoine and the Muzzo team help you scope your role and choose the right headhunters. Describe your role in the form: we'll call you back to discuss it.
Antoine GigomasCEO and co-founder of Muzzo
one last question?
You set the fee for each role, between 5 and 30%, and you only pay it on hire. No deposit, no fixed fees. An experienced developer on a common stack and a founding engineer who will lay down the whole architecture do not call for the same search effort: the fee follows that difference.
You get a double guarantee. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, for example because the product team's pace or the on-call duty were not what was planned, we restart the search at no cost. If no replacement is found within 4 months, we refund 50% of the fees. On average, 94% of Muzzo hires are still in post after 3 months.
our tech headhunters are ready to start
A hire signed in under 26 days. You only pay when you hire.
the reality
a tech company competes with banks and large groups to hire
salary alone won't win them over
According to Apec, a managerial developer earns less in IT companies than in banking. The headhunter makes the case with the product, the team and the autonomy, not just the pay scale.
a developer from an IT services firm hasn't always maintained a product
Moving from client assignments to a product maintained for years takes other habits: code quality, releases, on-call. The headhunter checks that experience.
in a small team, every hire shows
With five developers, one wrong choice slows the whole product. The headhunter checks level and ways of working before the interview.
the roles
the developers our headhunters hire for tech companies
From a startup's first engineer to a scale-up's engineering manager, each role goes to a headhunter who knows product teams.
software engineers and full stack developers
They ship features end to end within a product team. Libeo, Doctrine and Bigblue hired theirs with Muzzo.
already hired in tech
backend developers
They build the API and the processing that holds up under load. Go, Python, Node.js: the headhunter searches on your language, not on a keyword.
already hired in tech
mobile developers
They ship your product's iOS and Android app. Partoo hired theirs with Muzzo.
already hired in tech
lead developers and tech leads
They set the architecture and review the team's code. Partoo and CircleCI hired this profile with us.
already hired in tech
engineering managers
They hire, organise and grow the development team. Partoo and Theodo hired theirs with Muzzo.
already hired in tech
founding engineers
The first engineer lays the product's technical foundations, often right after a funding round. A hire that commits the company for years.
already hired in tech
the method
a headhunter who knows product teams
Hiring for a startup or software publisher is not like hiring for a large group's IT department: the headhunter must understand your product and your stage.
the brief starts from the product and the team
Stack, team size, release pace, on-call, remote work: these decide the profile far more than years of experience.
a headhunter who hires for product teams
Among more than 2,500 selected headhunters, your role goes to those with the most developer hires at startups, scale-ups and software publishers.
production work checked
The headhunter checks what the person has shipped to production, at what scale, and how they worked with product and design. Your technical test fits into the process.
hiring developers at a tech company
why do startups and software publishers use a headhunter to hire developers?
A startup or software publisher rarely has a technical recruiter or a well-known employer brand. Up against large groups and banks, it has to win over developers already in post with a product, a team and a way of working.
The headhunter presents that project in the right terms. On their side, they check that the person has already worked in a product team: frequent releases, code maintained over time, direct work with design and product.
do tech companies pay their developers less?
According to Apec, there is a gap: managerial software developers earn a median €47k in IT companies, while banking, insurance and telecoms pay more. Company size matters little: a €2k gap either side of the 250-employee mark.
Salary alone rarely closes the gap. Tech companies put forward product scope, autonomy, remote work and sometimes BSPCE share warrants. The headhunter knows what matters to each profile and tells you before the offer.
IT services developer or product developer: whom should you hire?
According to Urssaf, IT systems and software consultancy had 343,064 private-sector employees at the end of 2025, almost three times as many as computer programming. Many developers have therefore worked in IT services or consulting.
A developer from an IT services firm brings variety: several clients, several stacks. What they sometimes lack is experience of a product maintained for years, with its releases and on-call duty. The headhunter checks this from the first conversation.
how do you present your stack and product to a developer already in post?
A developer in post skims recruiter messages. What makes them reply: the real stack, not a list of keywords, the technical problem to solve, the team size, the release pace and what they will be able to decide alone.
The headhunter prepares that message with you during the brief. They also know what puts people off: a vague job title, a hidden salary, an interview process that drags on.
can you hire a whole product and tech team?
Yes. After a funding round, a software publisher often opens several roles at once: developers, an engineering manager, a product manager, a product designer. Each role goes to its own headhunter, and the searches run in parallel.
For a software company's sales and customer success roles, see our SaaS page: the same method applies across the company, one headhunter per job.
your questions about hiring developers in tech
According to Apec, managerial software developers earn a median €52k gross a year between 35 and 45 (80% between €41k and €74k), and €57k after 45 (2025 edition). In IT companies, the median for these managers across all ages is €47k.
According to Urssaf, computer programming had 125,285 private-sector employees at the end of 2025, against 91,417 at the end of 2020: 37% more in five years. Over 2025 alone, headcount stayed almost flat (124,481 at the end of 2024). Most experienced developers are therefore in post: you have to go and find them.
It is not a must. BSPCE, the French founders' share warrants, can partly offset a salary lower than at a large group, but they do not appeal to every profile. The headhunter tells you, profile by profile, whether this lever matters and how to present it clearly in the offer.
Yes, when the person has already worked on a product maintained over time, or has the foundations for it. The headhunter checks real production releases, code quality and how they work with product and design, not just the number of assignments or clients.
Our developers page covers every employer: banks, industry, large groups' IT departments. This page is for startups, scale-ups and software publishers, where the developer works on a product, with a product and design team, and where engineering culture weighs in the decision.