Bull Market? More Like a Talent War
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Welcome to this month’s edition of The Talent Behind Tomorrow. With Bitcoin smashing through the $100K barrier, the Web3 world is buzzing and of course, hiring. But this surge isn’t just good for your portfolio. It’s signalling a new wave of demand across product, growth, and design roles, especially in DeFi, Layer 2s, and exchanges.

Let’s break it down…

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Why Bitcoin’s $100K Moment Matters for Talent

When crypto prices rise, so does confidence and that spills directly into the hiring pipeline. Startups that were conservative in Q4 2024 are now unlocking budget, raising rounds, and scrambling to scale their teams to meet demand.

Venture capital has followed suit. March and April saw a wave of fresh funding into protocols, infrastructure plays, and AI-crypto hybrids, with one common trend: headcount is rising.

Our prediction? The next 3-6 months will be a race to snap up top talent before the competition does.

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Who’s Hiring (and Who They’re Looking For)

Here’s where the demand is coming from and the roles leading the charge:

DeFi Protocols

Roles in demand:

• Product Managers (DePIN, on-chain UX, tokenomics features)
• Smart contract-aware Growth Leads
• Community Managers with a regulatory edge

Why? TVLs are climbing, and user acquisition is back on the roadmap. Products need to ship faster with fewer bugs.

Layer 2 Ecosystems

Roles in demand:

• Ecosystem Growth Leads
• BD & Partnerships Managers
• DevRel and Technical Product Owners

Why? More apps are building on Arbitrum, Optimism, Starknet etc., and L2s need people who can scale ecosystems, not just write code.

Centralised Exchanges & Wallets

Roles in demand:

• Senior UX/UI Designers (mobile first)
• Lifecycle Marketing Managers
• Product Owners with compliance experience

Why? Exchanges are preparing for retail to re-enter. That means clearer onboarding flows, educational UX, and stronger retention.

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Talent Trends We’re Seeing Firsthand!

As specialist recruiters in Web3, here’s what we’re seeing behind the curtain:

• Candidates are back on the move - After months of hesitation, top talent is open to hearing about new opportunities, especially at well-funded startups or those offering strong mission alignment.
• Remote is still king, but hybrid is rising - More European teams are moving to "monthly in-person sprints." If you're scaling, be clear about what "remote" actually means.
• Speed is everything - The best candidates are getting 2–3 offers in a week. Lengthy hiring processes are losing out.

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How Impax Can Help You...

Whether you’re scaling your first DeFi product team or hiring your tenth Growth Marketer, our network is active, ready, and qualified.

We’re speaking to:

• Designers with experience in token economies
• PMs who’ve launched in bull and bear markets
• Growth leaders who understand Web3 native funnels

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Final Thought!

The bull market isn’t just a signal to invest, it’s a signal to build. And building means hiring the right people before your competitors do.

But why Impax? What makes us different? Why trust us to help you grow and expand? At Impax, we don’t just watch the market move, we move with the talent that drives it. If you're scaling a Web3 team, now’s the time to act. The top 1% are already in play.

Let’s talk growth, strategy, and getting the right people through the door, before someone else does.