A funded, Udaipur-based agritech startup needed its first Director-level scientist to lead the next phase of R&D in organic and sustainable farming — against a genuinely thin national talent pool and a tight budget. Zifcare mapped the firms working in the space, ran targeted outreach to scientists with the right background, and closed the role on the first attempt with a shortlist of just two.
Company: Agritech startup · Industry: Sustainable agriculture · Location: Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Challenge: Hire a Head of Agricultural Sciences to lead R&D, field trials, and product development for organic and sustainable farming solutions.
A PhD in Agricultural Sciences with 11+ years of experience across bio-pesticides, organic farming, and agri-product development. Previously Lead Scientist at a leading agri-inputs company, running end-to-end product development from land preparation through to market launch. Before that, Senior Research Fellow at a premier agricultural research institute, specializing in bio-pesticides for pest management — with a track record of working cross-functionally with marketing, sales, and regulatory teams to commercialize products.
Why they stood out: deep bio-pesticide and organic-solutions expertise that mapped directly onto the startup's mission; a proven ability to carry R&D through to commercialization; credibility built through prior work with government research bodies; and genuine flexibility on relocation and startup culture.
Sourcing focused on agri-research institutions, agritech firms, and sustainable-farming projects, screened against a clear bar: a PhD in Agricultural Sciences, hands-on field-trials experience without synthetic chemicals, and a track record of leading product development through to commercialization. That produced two real finalists — Candidate X, with 14+ years in R&D specializing in organic fertilizers, and the eventual hire, with 11 years in bio-pesticides and faster, more agile product-launch experience.
A deep dive into past research, field trials, and problem-solving approach, with a specific focus on hands-on organic-farming technique.
Direct discussion with the CEO and founders on business alignment and team leadership, and the candidate's ability to work across marketing, sales, and regulatory teams.
A final validation from an external industry expert, brought in specifically to pressure-test long-term scalability.
This is the kind of mapping-first search Zifcare runs when the candidate pool is genuinely small.