How to avoid bad hires in early-stage startups | TechCrunch

TechCrunch

by Maggie Nye, Isabelle Johannessen

February 26, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

TechCrunch’s recent podcast episode featuring Sarah Lucena, CEO and co-founder of Mappa, highlights a pressing issue for early-stage startups: avoiding bad hires. Lucena founded Mappa after struggling with wrong hiring decisions while building her marketing team. She realized that traditional markers like degrees and experience weren’t enough to guarantee success in a role. Instead, she developed Mappa, a behavioral intelligence platform powered by voice AI, which analyzes speech patterns to assess compatibility with the company culture and role. Lucena emphasizes that hiring should focus on how well a candidate’s tendencies align with the team and environment rather than just their skills. Her proprietary dataset, built from hundreds of interviews, helps identify biomarkers in speech that predict job performance. This approach ensures that candidates are not only skilled but also compatible with the company’s values and goals. Mappa’s all-Latinx team brings a unique perspective to solving hiring biases. They understand firsthand the challenges of being overlooked due to superficial biases and lack of traditional “correct” experiences. By building this technology, they aim to create more equitable opportunities in tech while empowering underrepresented founders to succeed. Lucena advises early-stage founders to take their time during hiring to ensure compatibility from the start. This approach reduces the costly cycle of hiring, firing, and rehiring by focusing on long-term fit. Mappa’s innovative solution not only addresses a universal pain point for startups but also opens doors for diverse talent in tech. For tech readers, this approach matters because it challenges traditional hiring practices that often favor certain backgrounds or experiences. By prioritizing compatibility and behavior over简历credentials, Mappa helps startups build stronger teams and fosters innovation by creating more inclusive opportunities in the industry.

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Originally published on TechCrunch on 2/26/2026