Building a Start-up - RecruitGrads
- Jan 28
- 1 min read
In this session, join Liam Jeffery, the founder of StudentVenture, as he interviews George Pygall, founder of RecruitGrads, discusses his transition from a student at the University of Exeter to a successful entrepreneur. He addresses the common uncertainty graduates face, explaining that his own path was not predetermined. Instead, he found his footing by excelling in sales early in his career, an experience that provided the grit and communication skills necessary to navigate high-pressure environments.
The discussion highlights the practicalities of building a business with minimal resources. George explains how to generate momentum and move a startup from a concept to a revenue-generating entity without the cushion of a large budget. His inspiration for RecruitGrads stemmed directly from identifying gaps in the early-career market; he recognised a need to rethink how employers engage, assess, and develop graduate talent. To address these gaps, he is building innovative job simulations that solve the real-world problems both students and employers face-moving beyond traditional CVs to focus on actual ability and fit. This approach has helped him scale a network that now supports over 10,000 students and graduates.
A central theme of George’s approach is the philosophy of compounding effort. He draws a parallel between his professional life and his experience as an ultrarunner, emphasizing that long-term success is built through consistent, incremental progress rather than immediate results. For recent graduates, his journey serves as a case study in leveraging foundational skills like sales to solve market problems and building a career through persistence and systems-based growth.