Is Your Hiring Strategy Holding Your Ambitions Back? ft. Deel

Is Your Hiring Strategy Holding Your Ambitions Back? In this episode of The Recursive Podcast, we dive deep into the evolving talent landscape of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with Ivan Valev, Sales Manager for CEE & the Baltics at Deel. Deel is a global payroll and HR giant that has scaled from a small tool to a $7 billion powerhouse, helping over 40,000 companies navigate the complexities of hiring and paying talent across 150 countries. Ivan, a SaaS veteran and GTM expert, shares his unique perspective on how CEE has transitioned from a "low-cost destination" to a premiere hub for world-class technical skills and the next generation of global unicorns. We discuss: 🎙️ How the region moved from being an offshore destination to an established ecosystem home to over 50 unicorns and 12,000 startups. 🎙️ Why shoving compliance under the rug is a business-killer and how to avoid the legal traps of international hiring. 🎙️ Deel’s latest hiring data and the emergence of entirely new roles that didn't exist two years ago. 🎙️ How founders can test new markets in days rather than months, and why speed is the ultimate currency for snagging top-tier talent. 🎙️ Moving away from "boring" admin and Excel spreadsheets to focus on culture, leadership, and human-centric growth. ✨ This episode is a must-watch for startup and SME founders, HR leaders, and anyone looking to scale a distributed team without the regulatory headaches. 🔔 Subscribe to The Recursive for more stories at the intersection of tech, society, and the CEE startup ecosystem. This episode was shot in Vienna, during CEE Forum 2026. Big thanks to wexelerate for hosting us in their hub! Make sure to check their website to learn more about other events they host and the community they are building 👉 https://wexelerate.com/ Connect with Ivan & Deel: - Website: https://www.deel.com/ - Ivan Valev on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanvalev/ - Deel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/deel/