Contrary Expands Mission to Back the Next Great Young Entrepreneurs; Launches Talent Program Led by Newly Added Talent Partner Ellis Briery

SAN FRANCISCO, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Contrary, a venture fund backed by the founders of Tesla, Reddit, Facebook, and other iconic companies, has announced a new program, Contrary Talent, and new hire Ellis Briery, who was previously Head of Talent at popular engineering recruiting company, Triplebyte. 

Over the past few decades, many of the most important technology companies — from Google to Snapchat to StitchFix — were started at universities. That's why Contrary exists, operating a powerful network of over 100 scouts across the top 35 research universities and a sophisticated technology platform to identify the next Zuckerberg.

Launched today, Contrary Talent allows young builders to gain lifelong access to a community of both the top and most experienced talent in tech, pairing them with a personal talent agent for free with no strings attached. Agents work with members to share unique, unpublished opportunities at top startups and introduce them to top-of-field operators who act as mentors.

To further support members of Contrary Talent, who are hand-picked, diverse, and the top builders nationwide, Contrary organizes community events that connect everyone as friends, as well as potential collaborators. Whether members want to join a hot startup or build a company of their own, Contrary's talent and investment teams act as their personal backer.

Contrary Talent will be run by the firm's new hire Ellis Briery, a seasoned entrepreneur and executive who was most recently Head of Talent at Triplebyte, the prolific recruiting firm that has raised nearly $50 million from investors to build a data-driven recruiting platform.

"Contrary understands how to identify technical and entrepreneurial talent early - and nurture it as it grows," said Eric Tarczynski, Founding Managing Partner of Contrary. "With Contrary Talent, we're opening additional avenues to help young stars grow their networks, find co-founding team members, expand career opportunities, and be the bridge for this self-curated community of top engineering, design, and product talent discovered through our university network." 

For more information, visit Contrary Talent, read the company's blog, follow along on Twitter, or subscribe to the newsletter. 

About Contrary:

Founded in 2016, Contrary is a venture fund that backs the world's top early-career talent. Backed by founders of Tesla, Reddit, Facebook, and others, Contrary identifies top engineers, designers, and product minds emerging from universities, connects them with a close-knit, career-long support community, and invests in companies they start or join. 

SOURCE Contrary