Todd Gitlin

Managing Partner & Founder, Safire Partners

Todd Gitlin is the Managing Partner & Founder of Safire Partners, the most active executive search firm in Southern California focused on emerging growth companies. Safire was founded in 2006 and takes on 75 searches annually. Todd has been a recognized leader in executive search since 1999 completing over 700 assignments. Todd is a founding member of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Council on Industry and Innovation (LAMCII), which has been rebranded to inLA (www.inla.org) with LAEDC. He is also a mentor at local accelerators: MuckerLab, AmplifyLA, Science Inc and LaunchpadLA; and serves on a number of advisory boards. Todd worked at two other executive search firms between 1999 and 2006. In 1995, Todd founded CareerCreations.com, a failed venture-backed software company focused on matching companies and college students. Todd has a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management from California State University, Chico.

Articles by Todd Gitlin

Startup Guide to AI Visibility: Be the Brand ChatGPT Recommends

Introduction Today, users aren’t just searching on Google. They’re asking ChatGPT, Claude, Google’s Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI systems for advice. AI visibility is the new frontier of brand awareness....

Practical Uses of AI & Automation for Startup Operations

In a recent Mucker Growth Series session, we invited Rock Vitale, Founder & CEO of Easie, to share how he’s helped early-stage teams move from manual, fragmented workflows to streamlined,...

2025 New York Tech Week Recap Of Mucker Sessions

Last week during New York Tech Week 2025, we joined more than 1,000 events hosted by founders, investors, and VCs. This post is a full Mucker recap of the three...

How to Build a Customer Support Function for Startups Using AI Tools with Alex Velinov

Delivering high-quality customer support can be one of the most resource-draining parts of a startup. The good news: we’re at a turning point where founders can use AI tools to...

Zero → 100: The Exact Steps We Took to Close Our First 100 Paying Customers

Going from zero customers to 100 in just four months sounds impossible—unless you’re a founder willing to roll up your sleeves and hustle relentlessly. I’m Gaurav Bhattacharya, co-founder of Jeeva.ai,...

Unblocking Startup Growth: Best Practices for Sales Discovery & Qualification with Richard Harris

Startups are in a constant race against time and resources, navigating complex sales environments with lean teams and limited margins for error. In a recent session from the Mucker Growth...