EPISODE · Mar 27, 2025 · 36 MIN
Anneli Scopazzi: AI-Driven Talent Management and Upskilling Strategies for High-Growth Ventures
from Scouting for Growth · host Sabine VdL
On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Anneli Scopazzi, CEO and Founder of Boulevard Recruiting. With a background rooted in fast-growth startup environments, Anneli has become an authority on matching world-class talent to the right opportunities—particularly in an era brimming with AI-driven disruption. Expect a compelling conversation about how technology is changing the face of recruiting, the critical importance of upskilling and reskilling in today’s competitive market, and what early-stage ventures need to keep in mind while scaling with AI. KEY TAKEAWAYS We work with early-stage startups, starting with series B but it’s moved down to series C when the market crashed, but we now sit in series A where we’re hoping to scale with those clients for the next couple of years to be the first recruiters on the ground, working very closely with the founders. As the companies start to scale and hire internal recruiters the we’ll work very closely with them too. Covid benefitted us in vary big way as a remote company founded in Q4 2019, I was fiercely committed to working remotely, it was the number one driver of the company, the name Boulevard was chosen because it represents remote work. When Covid happened, everyone had to figure out how to work remotely and now companies are accustomed to it and how it works. AI is something that felt scary for a minute back when ChatGPT was released and there was all this appearance of fast acceleration. But, working in tech, we’ve known this has been going on for years. I wanted to be the first to adopt and work with these early tech companies, you don’t want to be the company that doesn’t survive the extinction event if you can’t work it out. In the recruiting landscape I haven’t seen any amazing AI solutions just yet. There are some things that make us more efficient, but we’re in a bit of a safe space because of the relationship focus, which is really hard to replicate with AI technology. The more exciting thing is working with the AI companies and seeing them get funded massively. It’s an exciting space to be in. BEST MOMENTS ‘I’ve loved the French language and Paris since I was very young and I didn’t want to name my business after myself. What I love about Boulevard is that it’s of French origin but it’s very recognisable around the world.’ ‘What excites me about working with early-stage startups is that you have the ability to do more than you’re qualified to do.’ ‘A lot of my personal growth has been very self-taught. That’s been very liberating and rewarding but also can be very painful at times learning through mistakes.’ ‘There’s a lot of administrative work in recruiting, in-bound applications have surged dramatically in the last couple of years globally. The recruiting tools we’re seeing are sorting through profiles faster and narrowing it down to a shorter list for the human to review.’ ABOUT THE GUEST Anneli Scopazzi is the CEO and Founder of Boulevard Recruiting, a boutique San Francisco-based agency that specializes in matching startups with world-class talent in engineering, product, and beyond. She began her career in accounting before transitioning into recruiting about seven years ago, initially stepping into a 100% commission role at a boutique agency and later being recruited to Palantir. This non-traditional path enabled Anneli to grow quickly in leadership, ultimately becoming Head of Talent at Figma, where she played a key role in tripling the company’s headcount through its Series B and C stages. In September 2019, driven by her passion for connecting people and technology, Anneli founded Boulevard Recruiting—a remote-focused firm that balances expert matching of talent with a flexible work culture for its team members. LinkedIn ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet. If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights. And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at [email protected]
What this episode covers
On this episode of Scouting For Growth, Sabine VdL sits down with Anneli Scopazzi, CEO and Founder of Boulevard Recruiting, to explore how hiring is changing in the AI era — and why, even with automation everywhere, talent still comes down to one thing: people, trust, and timing. Anneli brings rare perspective: she’s scaled inside some of the most iconic fast-growth environments (including Palantir and Figma) and now supports early-stage startups as they build the teams that will determine whether they scale… or stall. Recruiting is changing fast — and startups feel it first Boulevard Recruiting works hands-on with early-stage ventures, increasingly at Series A, staying close to founders and acting as the “first recruiters on the ground.” The goal isn’t just filling roles — it’s building foundations that last. As startups scale and bring internal talent teams in-house, Anneli’s approach evolves into partnership mode: working closely with founders and internal recruiters to keep hiring aligned with business momentum. Remote work wasn’t a trend — it was the thesis Anneli founded Boulevard in late 2019 with a fiercely remote-first philosophy — before remote became mainstream. The name “Boulevard” was intentionally chosen to reflect a global, flexible way of working. Then COVID hit… and the world caught up. What began as a contrarian operating model became the standard, and Anneli’s experience offered an edge: she didn’t have to learn remote work under pressure — she built the company for it from day one. AI in recruiting: helpful, but not the hero (yet) Anneli is candid about AI’s impact on recruiting. When ChatGPT launched, it briefly felt like an extinction-level event — but in tech, she knew the acceleration had been building for years. Her mindset was simple: adopt early, learn fast, and don’t be the company that gets left behind. But here’s the twist: she hasn’t seen recruiting AI fully replace what matters most. Some tools increase efficiency — especially when it comes to sorting through a flood of inbound applications — but the heart of recruiting is still relationship-driven. And relationships are notoriously hard to automate. AI can help narrow the list. Humans still make the right match. Upskilling, reskilling, and the “do more than you’re qualified for” advantage One of the most compelling themes in this episode is growth — personal and professional. Anneli shares that early-stage startups offer something rare: the chance to do more than your job title suggests, more than you’re “qualified” for on paper — and to grow at speed. She also speaks openly about self-taught learning: liberating, rewarding… and sometimes painful. But in today’s market, where roles shift fast and AI changes the skills landscape constantly, that ability to learn is becoming the real differentiator. Why this episode matters For founders, this episode is a reminder that scaling with AI still requires hiring the right humans — especially early. For enterprise leaders, it’s proof that even as technology transforms workflows, hiring remains one of the highest-leverage decisions a company makes. Because in the AI era, tools will change. But the companies that win will still be the ones who know how to build teams people actually want to be part of.
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Anneli Scopazzi: AI-Driven Talent Management and Upskilling Strategies for High-Growth Ventures
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