Respiris

Yesterday was one of those long, but truly amazing days at #LATechWeek It definitely is a marathon - not a race. It started with navigating the 405 South Highway to get to a 8:00 am breakfast with Jason Yeh, heading to Venice Beach for follow up meetings, and then hitting the 10 East Highway to Downtown LA for a 6 pm meet and greet with Stifel Bank, Vamos Venture Partners, Plug In Ventures, BLCK VC, SomosVC, etc Along the way, I met with banks, co-founders, investors, and incredible people supporting founders like me. I’m feeling so much gratitude right now — after yesterday’s conversations, I finally have clarity on how to scale Respiris over the next 6 months. Thank you everyone! It’s crazy to think we’re only 8 months old, and people were surprised to hear that we’ve already pitched to Berkeley SkyDeck and Microsoft for Startups, have partners, revenue, testimonials, and a fairly strong pitch deck that frames our four beachheads. Feeling energized and grateful for what’s next! #startup #fundraising #founder

Day 2 of LA Tech Week in the Books! Excited to share that today I had the pleasure of meeting several incredible professionals, each with a unique perspective on how to drive innovation in their fields. It’s also great to see familiar faces as I start to meet the same people in different forums, which reinforces the strength and collaboration within the tech community. Shout out to Gabe Linares, CPA,Andy Sacchetti, Abe Serrano, Jonathan Zoucha, Kayvon Moshiri, Brandon Cooper, Steven Imes IV, and Daricus Releford (again ??????♂???). We shared our journey on how Respiris is reinspiring transitions, enabling a marketplace of job search coaches, and offering a product that provides 10 coaching sessions over a 3-month period for $1500—all without the usual per employee per month (PEPM) fees to private equity and venture capital backed companies. We are committed to making a real impact during periods of career transition and growing the company in phases. We are learning how to work with investors, ask the right questions, and navigate bootstrapping as the easiest path while considering raising a round to scale Respiris further. It’s been an eye-opening experience as we learn how to align with the right partners for growth. Looking forward to the rest of LA Tech Week and the possibilities ahead! #LATechWeek #Networking #TechCommunity #Innovation #Transitions #Marketplace #Startups #Bootstrapping

Day one of LA Tech Week is complete. Now readying for Day two with FounderFamilia and Techqueria. Nice to meet you Ramona Ortega, Daricus Releford, Michelle D., Omar Mattox, MBA, Jose Perez, Catherine Huang, etc. Thank you MaC Venture Capital, Seth Pablo Welty, MBA and Marlon C. Nichols for hosting us and providing us access to pitch Microsoft for Startups. #LATechWeek #microsoft #culturehouse #fundraising

I am going to pitch investors. This is when preparation meets opportunity. Every person reading this post will experience directly or indirectly the following words: “I am sorry to let you know that based on business conditions that today is your last day of employment.” Whether it is your mom or dad, a relative or a friend, job eliminations impact everyone! Respiris exists to ensure that no one faces career transitions alone. #LATECHWEEK #fundraising #bootstrapping

It was great attending Lattiverse in San Francisco yesterday! A big thank you to Sarah Franklin and Gianna Driver, for the invitation, and to all the Lattice employees and sponsors that made the event a success. While I didn’t get the chance to spend 1:1 time with many I wanted to, it was great to see a strong cross-group representation of founders, HR leaders, and business partners. It was exciting to see how AI is being embedded into the Lattice platform, and I enjoyed making new connections and deepening existing ones. I am inspired to see how these innovations will align with our Respiris mission to support transitions. More to come on this later Leigh Alcott. Shoutout to Sarah Holland, Deborah Hanus, Kate Stewart, Remy Beers, Felix Calero, Tammy Polanco, SPHR, SHRM SCP, Hailey Tielkemeier, Samantha Dresser, MSHRM, PHR-CA, iezana mekonnen, Morgan Williams, Marc Prager, Anthony Garcia and the amazing Melanie Naranjo for the great conversations. Looking forward to what’s next! #Lattiverse #AI #Networking #Innovation #Respiris #Transitions

Founder led sales is a thing. For those who are new to VC backed companies, the sales strategy definition is when the founders of a startup company are directly involved in the sales process. This strategy is often used in the early stages of a startup, before a sales team is formed or during the early days of working with one - typically for feedback. In addition to being a Founder, I am also a Fractional Head of Human Resources with multiple private equity and venture capital backed company. Fractional is a concept of companies acquiring your time on a limited capacity. Generally, 8, 16, or 32 hours a month to leverage your expertise. I made a last minute trip to San Francisco tonight to attend Lattice’s Lattiverse HR Conference to continue to build relationships. It is also a developmental opportunity for me to not only understand how companies are leveraging AI, but a good opportunity to figure out how we can reinspire transitions with Respiris. Let’s go. Or as my Latino friends would say… dale duro! #lattice #lattiverse #headofpeople #outplacementassistance

My Journey as a Fractional Head of Human Resources: Key Lessons Tech Stack: Google, Workable, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Pipedrive, LemList, ContactOut, Crunchbase, Sequoia Consulting Group, Remarkable, MacBook, iPhone 15, 3 external monitors. Since January 2023, I’ve been working as a fractional Head of Human Resources. Along the way, I’ve learned key lessons: 1?? Agency Work Doesn’t Scale: I realized that the agency model wasn’t scalable. By November 2023, I went fully independent to focus on companies that align with my values and pace. 2?? Establish Boundaries: Startups often lack resources and may stretch your time and services. Setting boundaries ensures productive relationships. 3?? Clear SOWs: A well-defined Statement of Work (SOW) is essential to align expectations and avoid scope creep. 4?? Hourly Pay Doesn’t Scale: Invoicing by day rather than by the hour ensures scalability and proper compensation. 5?? Transition Takes Time: Moving to fractional work required confidence and a solid framework to manage multiple clients. 6?? HR Services Can Be Hidden: Making your impact visible while scaling HR services is an ongoing but rewarding challenge. 7?? Seamless Transitions: At Respiris, I’m focused on building a company that supports transitions smoothly. 8?? Multiple Time Zones Increase Revenue, Not Balance: Clients across time zones can boost revenue, but they don’t provide work-life balance. 9?? Iterate & Over-Communicate: Quick iterations and multiple devices (two MacBooks, iPhone 15, etc.) help me stay agile. ?? Treat Every Day Like a SATURDAY: I treat every day with flexibility, reserving Fridays for operations and personal work. ?? ? ? BONUS ? ?? ?? Network Selflessly: Networking and sharing without expecting anything in return builds long-term trust and success. Want to network, grab 15 minutes on calendly.com/angelcruzado

The future of work has changed, but will we adapt? Covid and Generative AI has disrupted how we work, but it hasn’t altered what we do. Yet, there seems to be a growing disconnect in how we relate to each other, especially as expectations shift back to full-time, on-site work. As some teams return to the office, we can’t lose sight of the deep empathy and human connection we embraced during Covid. We can’t unlearn the lessons of working remotely and asynchronously—these are now part of our work culture. Post-Covid, I’ve designed quarterly offsites to bring teams together, similar to how sales teams meet to align goals and development. Working synchronously and asynchronously is the new norm, and companies will need to adapt by creating business rhythms that allow teams to gather in person for a week each quarter while continuing to work remotely. I foresee companies embracing shared office 'company spaces' like WeWork, where teams can collaborate when needed while maintaining flexibility. The real shift isn’t just about technology or location — it’s in how we come together, collaborate, and lead with empathy. As we navigate this evolving landscape, I’m curious how leaders, companies, and employees will adapt. There is likely to be a distinction between hardware, software, professional services, etc. with some industries needing to paying an "on-site premium tax." In HR, it’s our responsibility to ensure that every interaction—whether in person or remote—is grounded in empathy and community. How will we support our clients adapting will be interesting. #corevalues #revisitingcorevalues #humanresources

As of recent I have been fully embracing “alive time” — taking more meetings, connecting with more people, and traveling to broaden my impact. No regrets, no holding back — just continuous growth through iteration. For years, I’ve been focused on supporting others in their transitions: ? From college to private sector as a university recruiter; ? From dissatisfaction in a job to fulfillment in a new role; ? From a termination referral event to a new role in the private sector; and ? From hiring based on performance alone to supporting organizations to hire for both performance and potential. While the HR industry may see us as outplacement specialists, at Respiris, we see ourselves as B2B2C and B2G2C transition experts. The hardest part in building a marketplace that serves others effectively is getting the MVP and Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) right — and scaling in a way that truly supports people through every phase of their journey. It’s not about my path — it’s about creating something that helps others navigate theirs. This journey has taught me that building something impactful requires community, asking for help, and giving back. I’m filled with gratitude for those who have trusted me and Respiris, and together, we are reinspiring transitions by betting on the potential of others. It’s always about empowering people to evolve, grow, and succeed—because when we bet on people, we all win. #transitionexperts #careerprayer #outplacementassistance #humanresources

I flew up from LA to San Francisco yesterday — not knowing what to expect but ready to invest my time, money, and energy into this opportunity. And wow, it was absolutely worth it! The Sequoia team pulled off an event that was so well-organized and inspiring that I’m seriously considering catching their next one in New York with Mark Cuban. Met some amazing people, learned a ton, and even got to spend time with the incredible Samara Jaffe. We dove into being founders, learning from feedback, how Transform is building micro communties, and how Respiris is innovating in the last mile of the employee lifecycle journey. On Tuesday we shared our pitch deck with Berkeley SkyDeck. For anyone who has pitched before, each slide takes about 4-6 hours to create. I W a s T i r e d ! But this event with Michele Floriani and the Sequoia team exceeded my expectations. It was like having a POWERBAR! This trip wasn’t just about meeting new people; it was also about deepening relationships I’ve been building for years. And running into Samara? Total bonus! San Francisco, you never disappoint. Grateful for the experience and looking forward to seeing where these new and existing connections with Jason Aceituno, Joleen Eeson Ruffin, Omar Gomez, Koryna Turner, Bryan Flemming, Chrissy Selva, Theresa. Dahdouh, and Dana Mason, PMP/SHRM-CP take us next! ??