Catena is now Pearl Talent! Same mission, new name.
Hire top 1% of overseas talent. We vet more aggressively than anyone else.
Pay 60% lower salaries.
Onboard talent in under two weeks.
Hire people who work harder, on your time zone.
Top Founders Use Pearl
You’re in good company
We’ve helped fast-growing founders scale out their teams from their first EA to their 50th client success hire.
Y Combinator Startup
"Working with Pearl has been a fantastic experience! They helped us hire a candidate who’s not just very intelligent but also kind and professional. She’s taken initiative and embodies a growth mindset, which we truly appreciate. Excited about more successful placements with Pearl, and I’ve already recommended them to my founder friends!"
Julian Shapiro
"Over the last few months, they've helped the team with tons of work projects and taking work off our plate. She’s proactive and really cares. Better than most people I've ever hired."
A16Z-Backed Startup
"I cannot recommend Pearl’s services enough. The quality of candidates they were able to provide us with was unmatched. The EA we hired had high integrity, problem-solving horsepower, and a desire to deliver excellence. Consequently, she was able to upskill quickly and take a lot more work off my plate than I originally thought possible."
We're the most prestigious sourcer of Philippines and Latin America talent. Through our university professor network, we hire stronger candidates than other sourcing companies. We vet talent aggressively—getting harder working, more motivated workers with extensive software experience.
Pricing
Two flexible models depending on the needs of your company.
Managed Services
$3,000/month
Best for companies that are scaling quickly and want us to handle the compliance nitty gritty.
Monthly fee per hire dependent on the role
We handle compliance, global payroll, and training support
If candidates are not working out, we'll replace them at zero additional cost
Direct Placement
$7,500 one-time
Best for companies who have the resources to manage and train their hires internally.
One-time, upfront fee to place a hire
We help you set up an employer of record and write hiring contracts
90 day replacement guarantee, at no extra cost, if candidates are not performing to your level
Roles
Which role are you hiring for?
Competitors’ talent retention is under 5 months on average. With Pearl, it’s 1.5+ years. Because we vet better. Meanwhile, we cost exactly the same.
Operations Associate
A great operations associate should be able to do anything the best US-based hires can do
They should come to you proactively with suggestions to improve your processes, create in-depth reporting, and even help scale your operations.
Over the 300,000 applicants and hundreds of hires we’ve placed, we’ve developed a proven process that ensures proactivity, systems-oriented thinking, attention to detail, and strong communication skills. To test for these, we put candidates through a series of live simulations and case studies that closely mirror their role as an Operations Associate.
Over the 300,000 applicants and hundreds of hires we’ve placed, we’ve developed a proven process that ensures proactivity, systems-oriented thinking, attention to detail, and strong communication skills. To test for these, we put candidates through a series of live simulations and case studies that closely mirror their role as an Operations Associate.
We find lifelong hires.
Our hires are often flown to the US and UK to spend time with their teams, and have been promoted to run divisions at their companies. We hire the type of people we want in our companies: someone who takes things off your plate and proactively builds systems for you.
And we’ll help you train them too.
We’ve developed a playbook of best practices with Fortune 100 managers leads that we use to help train your hires. And if you determine they’re not a fit, we replace them immediately.
Executive Assistant
The best assistants should feel like an extension of you
They answer emails in your own voice, build systems for your organization, and proactively come to you with things they can take off your plate so you can focus on scaling your company.
Over the 300,000 applicants and hundreds of hires we’ve placed, we’ve developed a proven process that ensures proactivity, systems-oriented thinking, attention to detail, and strong communication skills. To test for these, we put candidates through a series of live simulations and case studies that closely mirror their role as an EA.
Over the 300,000 applicants and hundreds of hires we’ve placed, we’ve developed a proven process that ensures proactivity, systems-oriented thinking, attention to detail, and strong communication skills. To test for these, we put candidates through a series of live simulations and case studies that closely mirror their role as an EA.
We find lifelong hires.
Our hires are often flown to the US and UK to spend time with their teams, and have been promoted to run divisions at their companies. We hire the type of people we want in our companies: someone who takes things off your plate and proactively builds systems for you.
And we’ll help you train them too.
We’ve developed a playbook of best practices with Fortune 100 managers leads that we use to help train your hires. And if you determine they’re not a fit, we replace them immediately.
Client Success Manager
The best client success managers make your clients feel delighted.
The best client success managers make your clients feel delighted: they’ll speak English natively, give straightforward responses, and are flexible to your clients' needs.
Over the 300,000 applicants and hundreds of hires we’ve placed, we’ve developed a proven process that ensures proactivity, systems-oriented thinking, attention to detail, and strong communication skills. To test for these, we put candidates through a series of live simulations and case studies that closely mirror their role as a Client Success Manager.
Over the 300,000 applicants and hundreds of hires we’ve placed, we’ve developed a proven process that ensures proactivity, systems-oriented thinking, attention to detail, and strong communication skills. To test for these, we put candidates through a series of live simulations and case studies that closely mirror their role as a Client Success Manager.
We find lifelong hires.
Our hires are often flown to the US and UK to spend time with their teams, and have been promoted to run divisions at their companies. We hire the type of people we want in our companies: someone who takes things off your plate and proactively builds systems for you.
And we’ll help you train them too.
We’ve developed a playbook of best practices with Fortune 100 managers leads that we use to help train your hires. And if you determine they’re not a fit, we replace them immediately.
Testimonials
We’ve helped hundreds of teams hire the most ambitious operators worldwide
"With Pearl, they have brought us highly qualified individuals that were capable in all the areas we needed at our company."
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"I am so happy with Pearl that I plan to hire my entire Operations and Assistants team with them forever because they’re just so much better than any alternative."
"I spoke with Oceans, Athena and others that I thought had proven programs but went with Pearl because they have the best candidates and they (Pearl) moved very quickly."
Since my hire started, my workflow rhythm has become five times more efficient. I'm genuinely excited about the growth of our partnership
Working with Pearl Talent has been a fantastic experience! They helped us hire a candidate who's not just very intelligent but also kind and professional.
Pearl Talent truly took charge of the entire process and with their personalized approach, they found individuals specifically tailored to my requirements.
Pearl Talent helped us quickly fill an executive assistant role. She onboarded quickly and since then, has taken over running the logistics of my and other C-suite executives' lives at our company.
We've really enjoyed working with you and were very satisfied with the quality of applicants you proposed.
I appreciate the patience and flexibility that Pearl Talent displays throughout their selection process.
Our Pearl Talent-sourced EA+ has been a force-multiplier to our team, enabling us to shore up our back-end and day-to-day operations to focus on growth.
Our hire was able to pick things up quickly and has become accustomed to our company’s needs in such a short period of time.
Pearl Talent takes care of all the work you would normally invest in screening and hiring an assistant. They make the process easy, and provide support step by step along the way.
My assistant is doing great - she's independent, a quick learner, and positively impacting some of our big projects.
Pearl Talent has been brilliant. I was unsure about what would happen but they spent a lot of time discussing my issues. They sent me two candidates for interview, both had been well screened and they have videos of themselves talking about what they have done.
I wish I found you guys years ago, because they [Pearl Talent] are way better than the sourcing I've been able to do on my own accord.
With Pearl Talent, they started out by really understanding our needs with a thorough but also fast intake process.
I cannot recommend Pearl Talent’s services enough. The quality of candidates they were able to provide us with was unmatched.
Our Ops Associate has added immense value from day one, leaving us wishing we had hired her sooner!
Just interviewed a candidate and WOW you guys source fantastic people!
Pearl Talent gave us an impressive pool of candidates, which made our decision-making process pleasantly challenging.
The hiring process with Pearl Talent has been straightforward and seamless. Their attentive approach to understanding our specific needs and preferences truly stood out.
The hiring process with Pearl Talent has been straightforward and seamless. Their attentive approach to understanding our specific needs and preferences truly stood out.
Pearl Talent gave us an impressive pool of candidates, which made our decision-making process pleasantly challenging.
Just interviewed a candidate and WOW you guys source fantastic people!
Our Ops Associate has added immense value from day one, leaving us wishing we had hired her sooner!
I cannot recommend Pearl Talent’s services enough. The quality of candidates they were able to provide us with was unmatched.
With Pearl Talent, they started out by really understanding our needs with a thorough but also fast intake process.
I wish I found you guys years ago, because they [Pearl Talent] are way better than the sourcing I've been able to do on my own accord.
Pearl Talent has been brilliant. I was unsure about what would happen but they spent a lot of time discussing my issues. They sent me two candidates for interview, both had been well screened and they have videos of themselves talking about what they have done.
My assistant is doing great - she's independent, a quick learner, and positively impacting some of our big projects.
Pearl Talent takes care of all the work you would normally invest in screening and hiring an assistant. They make the process easy, and provide support step by step along the way.
Our hire was able to pick things up quickly and has become accustomed to our company’s needs in such a short period of time.
Our Pearl Talent-sourced EA+ has been a force-multiplier to our team, enabling us to shore up our back-end and day-to-day operations to focus on growth.
I appreciate the patience and flexibility that Pearl Talent displays throughout their selection process.
We've really enjoyed working with you and were very satisfied with the quality of applicants you proposed.
Pearl Talent helped us quickly fill an executive assistant role. She onboarded quickly and since then, has taken over running the logistics of my and other C-suite executives' lives at our company.
Pearl Talent truly took charge of the entire process and with their personalized approach, they found individuals specifically tailored to my requirements.
Working with Pearl Talent has been a fantastic experience! They helped us hire a candidate who's not just very intelligent but also kind and professional.
Since my hire started, my workflow rhythm has become five times more efficient. I'm genuinely excited about the growth of our partnership
Pearl Talent has been brilliant. I was unsure about what would happen but they spent a lot of time discussing my issues. They sent me two candidates for interview, both had been well screened and they have videos of themselves talking about what they have done.
We've really enjoyed working with you and were very satisfied with the quality of applicants you proposed.
Pearl Talent truly took charge of the entire process and with their personalized approach, they found individuals specifically tailored to my requirements.
My assistant is doing great - she's independent, a quick learner, and positively impacting some of our big projects.
I cannot recommend Pearl Talent’s services enough. The quality of candidates they were able to provide us with was unmatched.
Our Pearl Talent-sourced EA+ has been a force-multiplier to our team, enabling us to shore up our back-end and day-to-day operations to focus on growth.
Working with Pearl Talent has been a fantastic experience! They helped us hire a candidate who's not just very intelligent but also kind and professional.
Since my hire started, my workflow rhythm has become five times more efficient. I'm genuinely excited about the growth of our partnership
Our Ops Associate has added immense value from day one, leaving us wishing we had hired her sooner!
The hiring process with Pearl Talent has been straightforward and seamless. Their attentive approach to understanding our specific needs and preferences truly stood out.
I appreciate the patience and flexibility that Pearl Talent displays throughout their selection process.
Pearl Talent gave us an impressive pool of candidates, which made our decision-making process pleasantly challenging.
I wish I found you guys years ago, because they [Pearl Talent] are way better than the sourcing I've been able to do on my own accord.
With Pearl Talent, they started out by really understanding our needs with a thorough but also fast intake process.
Just interviewed a candidate and WOW you guys source fantastic people!
Our hire was able to pick things up quickly and has become accustomed to our company’s needs in such a short period of time.
Pearl Talent helped us quickly fill an executive assistant role. She onboarded quickly and since then, has taken over running the logistics of my and other C-suite executives' lives at our company.
Pearl Talent takes care of all the work you would normally invest in screening and hiring an assistant. They make the process easy, and provide support step by step along the way.
How it works
You’re less than 2 weeks away from better hires
Step 1
Talk to us for just 10 minutes
We’ll spend this time mapping your organization and helping you identify key hires you need (or we can go straight to asking about the role if you already know who to hire for).
Step 2
Interview your candidates
Your candidates go through a series of behavioral and skill assessments that test their proactivity, attention to detail, and communication skills. Only 2.7% of candidates make it through our process.
Step 3
Hire your candidate
For Managed Services clients, we handle payroll, compliance, onboarding, lifelong training, and replacements for your candidates.
For our Direct Placement clients, we get you set up with our executive coaching program, where we teach you how to successfully onboard and work with a hire from a different culture.
FAQs
Common Questions & Answers
How good can an overseas contractor or employee really be?
The candidates we hire have been able to build out client success divisions, organize events, run financial analyses, build competitive landscape charts, and take on operations roles at Sequoia and a16z backed startups.
I can find top-tier candidates on my own through recruiting websites.
Our founders were born and raised in the Philippines. We’re deeply embedded in the culture of the countries we recruit from and understand nuances that international companies don’t. We’ve partnered with top university alumni networks, professors, and startup operators to find candidates you wouldn’t see looking for roles on a platform like Onlinejobs.ph, Jobstreet, Indeed, or Upwork.
Why shouldn’t I go with a cheaper managed services agency?
We pay our people almost double the average wage other companies do and take much lower margins. That means we get the first pick of sharp candidates over our competitors. We invest most of our resources into ensuring our North Star goal is met: 90% long-term retention rates with our hires. This means we spend far more time curating a search for people who are looking for long-term roles vs a gig, and invest into their growth through continuous upskilling and coaching after.
Why trust us?
We founded Pearl Talent after helping countless friends and friends of friends replicate our winning hiring model. We’ve built successful startups in the US and Canada, and spent time making international hiring mistakes to perfect our process. We’ve helped dozens of companies hire some of their best-performing employees while being thanked for the savings on cost of labor.
If this is such a good deal, why aren’t more people hiring Filipinos?
COVID and remote work opened up a new section of Filipino talent to international remote roles. Top tier-Filipino talent didn’t use to look for jobs online. Post-COVID they’re realizing this is an incredible opportunity. They’re now able to 1) earn 2-3x in wages, 2) save 2 hours a day otherwise spent in traffic, and 3) learn from top operators like you in a much less culturally hierarchical work environment.
Get started
Hop on a hiring consultation call
Are you a candidate looking to work with Pearl Talent? Go here.
