Notion Podcast First Block: Interview with Brendan Foody, Co-Founder & CEO of Mercor
Aug 26, 2025
Brendan Foody, Co-founder and CEO of Mercor, transformed an AI-powered recruiting platform from $1 million to $100 million in just 11 months. He discusses his unusual start selling donuts and how that sparked his entrepreneurial drive. Brendan dives into the challenges of scaling teams and the innovative ways to modernize hiring. He also shares insights on navigating the wild emotional journey of startups and the critical need for a long-term vision while leveraging AI for efficiency and growth.
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Early Hustles That Shaped Him
- Brendan scaled a donut business in eighth grade by buying cheap donuts and reselling them to friends for profit.
- He later ran an AWS consulting side hustle in high school, charging $495 to build sites and claim startup credits.
Exponential Early Growth
- Mercor grew from $1M to $100M ARR in 11 months and serves over half a million users.
- They conducted hundreds of thousands of interviews and work with major AI labs and large tech firms.
From Student Projects To Hiring Platform
- Brendan and high-school friends hired engineers in India to build projects and match talent for their startups.
- Observing ChatGPT's rise, they automated manual hiring processes and dropped out of college to scale Mercor.