MAKING PEOPLE
YOUR UNFAIR
ADVANTAGE

After 25 years in talent acquisition, we knew there had to be a better way.

So we built it…

Built for your stage

We work with scaling companies, bringing 25 years of deep experience to the unique challenges you face at each growth stage.

No generalist approach – Akaina Talent brings focused expertise in startup talent.

A strategic partner, not a service provider

We don’t just fill roles, we build the talent functions that scale with your business

A process that works

Our B.E.S.T. model and stage-appropriate solutions deliver the right people faster. We know what works because we’ve seen this journey before. No trial and error on your runway.

Explore our services

How we work

Asking the quiet questions out loud

Should we even hire for this role?

When mis-hiring costs up to 2x someone’s salary, drops efficiency by up to 30% and risks compromising client satisfaction and wider team retention, we want to be really sure you’re hiring the right people for the right role and for the right reasons.

Not just impressive CVs

Our B.E.S.T. model

We don’t just find someone with a great CV, we find someone who will thrive in your specific environment. Our framework ensures every candidate is assessed on:

Behaviours – how they work
Experiences – what they’ve done
Skills – what they can do
Traits – who they are

So you only interview candidates who will deliver the results you need. Learn more about our B.E.S.T. model.

Saving you time and
protecting your budget

An approach that drives results, not complacency

Traditional approaches to recruitment are weighted to reward complacency, pushing effort downstream into the interview process – and onto you.

We spend time with you at the beginning of our partnership, during our intake call, to deeply understand the competencies, behaviours and traits you’re looking for, so we find better-matched people and you only interview the strongest candidates.

Our team

Robin Beattie

Founder

Robin is a talent strategist with over 25 years’ experience supporting companies like Net-a-Porter, Ovo Energy, Multiverse and Many Pets through critical growth phases.

He founded Akaina after repeatedly seeing talented founders struggle with the same challenge. The issue was not strategy, product, or funding, but people.

His core belief is that exceptional people are the foundation of startup success, and Robin has spent his career helping scaling businesses stand out to top talent through proven, straightforward talent strategies.

Dalia Cohen

Talent acquisition –
technology

Dalia has built engineering teams for some of the most successful UK tech startups, including Net-a-Porter, Wonga and Habito.

Lara Hanson

Talent acquisition –
technology

With over 20 years’ experience building high-performing tech teams, Lara has partnered with ambitious startups and scale-ups including Couchbase, STARK Defence and Ditto Live.