The story of 33eleven really begins back in 2011, when Al Stevenson and Mike Fitzgerald crossed paths working in the tech ecosystem in New York City. The two instantly bonded over a common work ethic and approach to search. Al admired Mike’s more than a decade of experience in the startup market while Mike appreciated what Al brought to the proverbial table: enterprise recruiting on a national scope. “I knew from day one that I was going to learn a lot from Mike—he’s the best recruiter I have ever met,” remembers Al. 

The pair spent the next four years building NYC tech startups from the ground up—from seed to Venture to post-acquisition/IPO. They were right there with clients as they went from four to 100 employees in under a year—and from $0 revenue to their first $50M. “We watched inexperienced founders cut their teeth and succeed, and sometimes fail, and we loved every minute of it,” says Al.   

Cut to 2016, Al and Mike were working for a big, privately owned company that was 50 years old and resembled nothing of the startup community they served. They each knew they could move faster, be more agile, and deliver better results for clients. After a series of meetings where the startup ecosystem was described as being "too hard to succeed in" with founders whose "expectations were too high," they both knew they needed to find a new environment to pursue their search passions.

The options on how to move forward were clear. They could identify a more progressive search firm with an established practice to join, or they could venture out on their own. “I give full credit to Al for pushing me into a mindset where starting our own firm was the logical evolution of my nearly 20 years in search. Watching his work ethic and intelligence in the office, coupled with his drive and competitiveness in his personal pursuits (Ironman training), I knew going into business with Al was a no-brainer and the right move for me.”

They went home that night and talked with their families, as this would be a major life change. Mike had consistently been at the top for 10+ and had three kids at home. Al had just gotten married and bought a house. But as Al says, “There was no time like the present to get uncomfortable to grow!”

They developed their business plan, selected the name 33eleven, and were off! They signed their first customer the first week they were in business—no website, no marketing material, just email accounts and personal cells. One client turned to two, turned to six, and the rest is history! 

“Search is a team sport,” Al and Mike. 

Al and Mike are both avid sports fans; the inspiration for the name 33eleven comes from their favorite athletes: Larry Bird (#33) and Mark Messier (#11). As two Hall of Famers with incredible individual abilities and stat lines, they also led their teams to nine world championships between them. “We consider search a team sport as well, so we couldn't think of two better examples as the model for our business’s mission.”