Matt Peligri
New York,NY
Summary
Strategic Talent Acquisition leader with experience scaling venture-backed startups from early-stage through growth. Trusted advisor to CEOs and leadership teams on headcount planning, organizational design, and talent strategy. Utilizes AI-powered tools and workflow automation to optimize sourcing, candidate engagement, and recruiting operations, enabling faster and more scalable hiring outcomes.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Talent Acquisition Partner, Internal & Portfolio
Downing Capital Group (Private Equity Firm)
02.2025 - Current
- Own talent strategy and execution across 9 private equity-backed portfolio companies spanning healthcare, technology, automotive, e-commerce, and real estate.
- Drive end-to-end hiring across all levels (entry-level through C-suite), including executive searches and critical leadership hires.
- Reduced time-to-fill by 30% by implementing standardized recruiting infrastructure and pipeline strategies.
- Partner directly with CEOs and leadership teams on headcount planning, org design, and hiring prioritization.
Talent Partner, Clinical
DaVita Kidney Care
06.2023 - 03.2025
- Led high-volume, full-cycle recruitment across multiple markets for clinical roles.
- Consistently exceeded hiring targets across all quarters (150-220%+ to goal).
- Drove 40%+ increase in applicant flow through recruitment marketing partnerships.
- Recognized as a top 5 recruiter nationally (2023-2025).
Global Talent Acquisition Partner, Tech & GTM
OpenTable
04.2022 - 05.2023
- Owned global hiring across Technology, Sales, Customer Experience, Revenue, and Operations.
- Reduced time-to-fill by 20% while maintaining 95%+ hiring manager satisfaction.
- Built and launched interviewer training programs across multiple regions.
- Supported global hiring compliance across 7+ countries.
Senior Talent Acquisition & HR Specialist
Benitago (Seed-Stage Startup)
11.2021 - 04.2022
- First Talent Acquisition hire for a pre-seed Amazon aggregator.
- Built TA and HR infrastructure from scratch including ATS and HRIS.
- Hired 30+ employees across Operations, Investment, Tech, and GTM.
Corporate Recruiter, Tech & GTM/Operations
BentoBox (Series A/B Startup)
11.2020 - 11.2021
- Promoted after a few months to Corporate/Lead Recruiter role from Talent Coordinator.
- Exceeded hiring targets at -145% across GTM, Operations, and Tech teams.
- Supported growth from Series B to Series C to acquisition.
- Built recruiting processes and dashboards improving hiring efficiency.
Technical Recruiter
Talener (Recruitment Agency)
06.2019 - 11.2020
- Full desk recruiting and business development for technical positions.
- Focused on QA, Java/.NET, and DevOps engineers.
- Partnered directly with hiring managers at Tech Startups to fill difficult positions for their organization.
- Role impacted by COVID-19 layoffs.
Education
Bachelor of Science -
American College of Greece
05.2018
Bachelor of Science -
Loyola University Maryland
Baltimore, MD01-2019
Timeline
Talent Acquisition Partner, Internal & Portfolio
Downing Capital Group (Private Equity Firm)
02.2025 - Current
Talent Partner, Clinical
DaVita Kidney Care
06.2023 - 03.2025
Global Talent Acquisition Partner, Tech & GTM
OpenTable
04.2022 - 05.2023
Senior Talent Acquisition & HR Specialist
Benitago (Seed-Stage Startup)
11.2021 - 04.2022
Corporate Recruiter, Tech & GTM/Operations
BentoBox (Series A/B Startup)
11.2020 - 11.2021
Technical Recruiter
Talener (Recruitment Agency)
06.2019 - 11.2020
Bachelor of Science -
American College of Greece
Bachelor of Science -
Loyola University Maryland