About

Meet Dr. Heather Doshay

In my career, I’ve supported 100+ visionary founders, personally managed 60+ team members, and hired 2,500+ people. I was a startup’s first people leader 3 times. I was a startup’s first executive hire, where I helped take the company from seed stage to unicorn in 2 years. I was the head of talent and partner at a VC firm where I partnered with dozens of companies throughout their company building journey. I earned my doctorate in organizational leadership where my dissertation was focused on early startup careers. I know startups. I love startups.

The biggest lesson learned:
Ideas don’t build companies. Funding doesn’t build companies. People build companies.

When you get people right, incredible business outcomes happen. Products advance, revenue skyrockets, and you get the growth story you dream of. When you get people wrong, you stall out with customer and employee churn, low morale, and rocky board dynamics.

The common assumption is hiring more experience means lower risk, but it’s also common to see a revolving door of senior leaders that are costly in more ways than one. Here’s what’s really going on:

It's not the years of experience that determine the ROI of a hire, but the slope. It's not about how high they start, but how quickly they grow. High Slope Talent is your greatest advantage. Look closely, and you'll see high slope in the journeylines of all the greats.

This is why I founded Waypoint Works. I partner with brilliant founders who see what many miss:  unproven, curious, high-agency talent is a strategic advantage.

Founders often begin partnering with me because of my experience in seed to unicorn startup success stories and time in venture capital, but they stay because of how I show up. A lot of consultants are super polished and structured, speaking in corporate jargon you have to look up. I show up as myself. High-energy, sleeves rolled up, ready to dive in with you to the messy, exhilarating work of building something that matters. I believe the hardest challenges should also be the most energizing ones. I got my start in the startup world as a high slope employee, and now as a founder I’m back on the climb.

My mission is straightforward: to help you turn your early bets on people into your greatest competitive advantage. Let’s climb together.