Audit

The Verified Head of Agents standard

A network is only worth as much as its bar. Here is exactly what we verify, how the process works, what verification does not mean, and the neutrality rules we hold ourselves to.

What we verify

Most “vetted” talent networks verify that a person exists and has a plausible resume. That is not the bar here. To become a Verified Head of Agents, a candidate has to clear three things:

Agents shipped to production
Real agent systems running in production — not demos, prototypes, or slide decks. We look for the reliability, evaluation, and guardrail work that production implies.
Reference checks
We talk to people who have actually worked with them and can speak to how they operate under real constraints, not just how they interview.
A practical assessment
A hands-on evaluation we design and run. We are uniquely credible to design it because we do the job ourselves.

The stages

Every candidate moves through the same four stages. Only people who reach Verified appear in the public network or in a shortlist we send a company.

  • Applied— they've submitted an application. Public listing does not happen at this stage.
  • Screened— we've reviewed their background and production claims and confirmed there's a real basis to go further.
  • Assessed— they've completed the practical assessment and reference checks.
  • Verified— they've cleared the full bar. Published, and eligible for shortlists.

Applications that don't meet the bar are marked Rejected and never published. When someone is Verified, their profile shows what we verified and the date we verified it.

What verification does not mean

Being Verified is a statement about a person's track record — not a promise that they're the right fit for your specific company, stage, or culture. It means:

  • Not an endorsement of fit. Fit is what the final interviews are for. We verify capability; you decide fit.
  • Not pay-to-rank. No candidate can pay to be verified, to rank higher, or to appear in more shortlists. There is no paid tier for the supply side, ever.
  • Not a guarantee of availability. Verified members set their own availability; some are listing only and not actively looking.

Neutrality and conflict of interest

The value of a shortlist depends entirely on it being honest. So we hold a few rules without exception:

  • Shortlists come only from verified network members.Every name we send a company is an independently verified person. We don't pad shortlists with unvetted profiles.
  • The curator never appears in a shortlist or the network.The person who designs the vetting bar and assembles shortlists is never a candidate in them. We can't grade our own homework, so we don't place ourselves.
  • Commerce is always labeled. We earn placement and match fees from the companies hiring, and referral fees from vetted consultancies. Every commercial relationship is disclosed. Referrals follow the work — never a payment for rank.
  • The supply side never pays. Candidates and consultancies list free. Our revenue is demand-side only, which is what lets us keep the bar high without pressure to inflate the network.

Every paid relationship is listed on our disclosures page. If you ever see a shortlist or listing that appears to break one of these rules, that's a bug — tell us.

Join the network or request a shortlist

If you lead agent work and want to be considered, apply to join — it's free. If you're hiring, request a vetted shortlist or start with an audit.