At EUVC Summit 2025, one speaker opened with an unexpected challenge:

“Let’s stop munching grass like a herd of sheep—and start looking toward the horizon.”

What followed was a deeply tactical session on how VCs and founders can recruit, test, and develop top-tier talent, with lessons drawn from—of all places—English football and cybersecurity unicorns.

Will Maunder-Taylor shared the story of Leicester City FC, one of the most improbable sporting triumphs of modern times.

In 2008, they were relegated to the UK’s third division
In 2010, bought by new owners
In 2011, hired Steve Walsh as head of recruitment
By 2016, against 5,000-to-1 odds, they won the Premier League

How? By focusing on:

Mindset over CV
Data over brand
Team chemistry over big-name signings

They built an entire team for £25M—less than what a competitor paid for one player.

“They believed in talent and mindset over character. And they trained accordingly.”

Once founders have the confidence to hire ambitiously, the next question becomes: How?

The speaker offered a practical framework:

Be brutally honest in interviews – Share real concerns and observe how candidates respond. Can they absorb and reflect?
Create structured feedback loops – Let people improve in real time, not post-mortem.
Test behavior, not polish – Past brand names don’t predict future startup grit.
Build in weekly accountability – The only difference in the top-performing teams? They check in—regularly, honestly, and constructively.

“If you're a VC or board member and you’re not instilling weekly accountability in your portfolio, you’re missing the biggest lever.”

Will Maunder-Taylor called on VCs to get tactical—not just strategic:

Ask founders how they’re hiring
Who’s mentoring the team?
What KPIs exist for internal talent development?
How is feedback being delivered?

Because talent isn’t just about who you hire—it’s how you coach, test, and level them up.

Let’s give founders the confidence to stop hiring like sheep—and start winning like Leicester.

Accountability, mindset, and trust in the process win out over pedigree, every time.

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