In today’s fast-moving startup world, growth often outpaces understanding. Companies scale rapidly, sometimes overlooking the people driving that momentum. But leaders like Brano Vargic, Co-Founder and CEO of Talent Square, don’t just follow the pace – they rethink the playbook altogether.
Brano’s career is anything but linear. He moved across industries, roles, and geographies by design – not by default. His goal? To understand business from every angle. Grounded in a master’s in HR and organizational development, and shaped by a PhD exploring how organizational and national cultures influence business & leadership behavior, Brano built a foundation rooted in people, systems, and context.
He began in consulting at the Hay Group, focusing on leadership, performance and reward strategies. But a turning point came when a client – CEO of one of Central Europe’s leading banks – invited him to become his HR Director. It was Brano’s first move from advising to building and executing.
That led to broader roles: M&A Program Manager, then six years in Southeast Asia as COO in consumer finance and life insurance, where he led major digital transformations. In Southeast Asia, he got his full flavour of what digitalization really means. As he puts it: “The speed of innovation adoption in that region is neck-breaking. I learned how to integrate, test, pivot, and do it all again – sometimes within days.” It wasn’t just about technology – it was about rethinking service delivery from a digital-first perspective, with customer experience at the center. This part of the world played a defining role in shaping Brano’s product mindset and tech skill set.
It was here that two threads of his experience – deep HR understanding and hands-on tech leadership – started to converge. Not just an HR person dabbling in tech or a coder guessing at HR, Brano brought both fluencies together.
Rewriting How Talent Sourcing Happens
Talent Square didn’t begin as a big idea – it started as a bottleneck. Brano and his team were knee-deep in social media campaigns, promoting job openings on social media for their clients manually. Each campaign needed a PPC expert, creative input, and constant management. It was slow, expensive, and impossible or at least super pricey to scale.
Meanwhile, Brano was watching other industries leap forward. Shopify turned anyone into an online seller. YouTube turned anyone into a creator. Canva made anyone a designer. Why hadn’t HR marketing caught up? That question lit the fuse.
The team set on to build a do-it-yourself platform that let recruiters run their own targeted job ad campaigns without agencies or marketing teams. Just log in, upload a job description, and let the AI handle targeting, copywriting, and campaign execution. Crucially, Talent Square was built to reach passive candidates – the 70% of the workforce who aren’t actively job hunting on job boards but might still be open for a new job, should the right opportunity present itself and is presented in attractive verbal and visual format.
It wasn’t built overnight. Before launching full automation, Brano and his team manually ran hundreds of social media job campaigns across different industries and regions. This became Talent Square’s “secret sauce.” That real-world testing helped the team gather the data and insights needed to train their targeting algorithms – not in theory, but in practice.
In one test, Talent Square’s platform went head-to-head with a top PPC expert. Same job vacancy, same social media budget, same audience. Manual targeting set-up vs. AI driven automated targeting. The AI-driven campaign delivered the same number of leads but did it faster, with almost zero setup time, and at half the cost. Clients report lowering their cost-per-lead by 40% and cutting campaign deployment time from hours to minutes.
From Smarter Ads to Sharper Hires
Talent Square brings performance marketing precision to talent sourcing. At the moment, the platform is fully integrated with Facebook and Instagram, enabling users to launch campaigns quickly and effectively. The team is actively working on new social media integrations, with TikTok next in line (decision on TikTok as the next integration is based purely on users’ demand). The ultimate vision is to embed AI that not only executes campaigns but also advises users on how to split their social media budgets across various social platforms – based on an analysis of the company’s industry and the complexity of the position they’re hiring for.
This is a game-changer for companies hiring in multiple locations or in highly competitive sectors. It’s gaining traction in Europe, where lean recruitment teams must stretch every euro. Brano is now actively looking for early adopters in the U.S., knowing the market is fundamentally different – faster, louder, and more saturated. “You can’t just transfer a European playbook here,” he says. “We’re finding our way, one conversation at a time.”
Beyond visibility, Talent Square focuses on conversion: how many people click, land, and express interest. Campaigns can go live across Meta platforms in seven clicks and seven minutes. The system transforms job descriptions into sharp, engaging ads, complete with visuals, tone of voice, and smart targeting. Recent research shows that campaigns using dynamic targeting and behavioral data achieve up to 3x higher click-through rates, and 83% of TA leaders say efficiency is now their top priority given stagnant or shrinking recruitment budgets.
And the market is following this shift. According to another recent industry research, 74% of employers now say social media is their most important employer branding channel, and over 50% plan to increase spend on social recruiting in 2025. This reflects a broader reality: job boards are no longer the first stop for talent – attention has moved to scrollable, story-driven platforms like Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn.
The platform also introduces tools typically out of reach for small and mid-sized businesses. First among them is an AI-powered hate speech manager, already used in the last two presidential campaigns in Central Europe, now embedded into Talent Square campaign manager to moderate ad comments in real time and protect employer brands. Next in line is an AI voice screening assistant, currently being integrated and expected to go live by the end of summer 2025.
This assistant will conduct first-round interviews and provide a traffic light evaluation to help recruiters quickly assess fit. In the future, a video AI creator will also be added, enabling users to produce entire campaigns – visuals, copy, and assets – without needing external help. Especially for SMEs – without marketing or HR departments but in need of candidates – the do-it-yourself aspect of the platform is a key to efficiency. Together, these tools streamline workflows and provide enterprise-grade protection without the enterprise price tag.
Reframing the Talent Mindset
More than a talent sourcing platform, Talent Square encourages teams to rethink talent itself. Brano believes no candidate is ever the wrong candidate – just not the right one yet. Proactive recruitment is key here: with various AI-powered talent matching tools now available, companies can evaluate role-fit for all applicants – not just those suited for the current vacancy. Candidates who aren’t selected today can still be screened, tagged, and revisited later for potential roles in various organizational areas – sales, compliance, risk, customer services and others. Talent Square supports this mindset by enabling recruiters to build long-term talent pools and maintain employer visibility beyond the immediate hiring cycle.
Brano often asks: How can rejected candidates become company brand ambassadors – or even clients – if they aren’t already? In a hiring climate where candidates are bombarded with options, employer branding isn’t a bonus – it’s a baseline. HR leaders are responsible for making sure their company stays top-of-mind. Every interaction, even those that end in rejection, leaves a lasting impression. And if you’re not converting a candidate into a hire, perhaps you can convert them into an advocate. We often talk about customer and employee experience, next in line is candidate experience and specially rejected candidate experience.
Recruitment today is a long game. Building a pipeline isn’t just a tactic – it’s the strategy.
Spreading the Message
Changing how companies find talent isn’t just about building software – it’s about shifting mindsets. Education is built into Talent Square’s DNA. The team regularly publishes insights, hosts webinars, and speaks at events to help recruiters rethink what’s possible. “Evangelization is part of our daily work,” Brano says. “We’ll talk to anyone who’s willing to listen.”
That conversation often begins with apprehension around automation and AI – particularly the fear that these tools might eventually replace recruiters. But Talent Square sees it differently. Automation isn’t about cutting people out; it’s about clearing the clutter. By taking over repetitive, time-consuming tasks like campaign setup, ad targeting, and initial screenings, AI gives recruiters time back to focus on what they do best: building relationships, collaborating with hiring managers, and shaping candidate experience.
It also empowers recruiters in a way that’s long overdue. No more waiting for agency-designed visuals or hoping internal marketing makes your hiring campaign a priority. With Talent Square, recruiters can launch professionally branded, high-performing campaigns on their own – quickly, easily, and without bottlenecks.
This belief guides every customer interaction. Whether walking someone through performance data or speaking at industry events, the team doesn’t just promote the product – they help reframe recruitment itself. “If we want the industry to change,” Brano says, “we have to do more than sell – we have to teach.”
And the industry is listening. The majority of HR leaders now rank social media as their top channel for employer brand visibility, and 61% believe AI-powered advertising will be critical for staying competitive in recruitment over the next two years.
Wearing Every Hat
Running a startup is rarely glamorous. Brano might be jumping from investor calls to product sprints to legal paperwork in a single day. He describes it like “juggling ten tennis balls while forty more are on the floor.”
Yet Brano wouldn’t trade it. “The pace is insane, but I’ve learned one thing – momentum is everything,” he says. “No matter how chaotic the day gets, I try to always zoom out and see the bigger picture. It’s easy to drown in the operational grind, especially in a startup. But if you don’t keep your eye on where you’re going, you’ll just keep running in circles. My job is to steer the ship, even when I’m in the engine room.”
That mindset has already paid off. Talent Square was bootstrapped from day one – no venture capital, just belief, sweat, and resolve. Since launch, the company has been selected as a semifinalist at the Slovak Startup Awards and joined the Fast Forward accelerator program. It’s also earned early recognition from global HR tech communities and startup watchers.
What makes Brano proudest isn’t the awards, though – it’s what they represent. “We built all this in just over a year,” he says. “A tiny team, no outside funding, and a ton of conviction. That’s what it takes.”
A Founder’s Mindset
For Brano, success isn’t just about the hire. It’s about impact, speed, and adaptability. Metrics like impressions and clicks matter – but only if they lead to real conversations. Recruitment, in his view, should borrow from e-commerce: track the full funnel and keep optimizing.
“Hiring is not a form you fill out,” he says. “It’s an active, strategic effort. I’m always asking: what’s our conversion rate? How do we improve it? What’s the drop-off? If we treated job ads like e-commerce campaigns, we’d get way better results – and we’d stop pretending job boards are enough.”
This performance-driven mindset runs deep at Talent Square. It’s about empowering teams to move fast, test continuously, and improve what works. “I don’t believe in vanity metrics,” Brano adds. “Likes and shares don’t matter if no one applies or engages. We care about outcomes. That’s how you build a hiring engine that actually works.”
He’s also cautious about how the industry defines success. “Everyone talks about cost per hire,” he says. “But from my experience, it’s a tricky measure. When I was CHRO, we changed the definition of cost per hire multiple times over five years. There were long debates – should the cost of the HR IT system be included? Should it reflect time-to-fill or the rigor of interview rounds? Even within the same company, cost per hire can vary wildly between departments. Some hiring managers prioritize speed, others prioritize fit. It’s not one-size-fits-all.”
This clarity and discipline also extend into how Brano approaches partnerships and investment. “Don’t chase capital. Chase alignment,” he says. “One good partner beats ten wrong ones. I’ve learned that the hard way. I don’t want just money – I want people who understand what we’re building and why.”
That founder mindset became even more important as Talent Square began seeking early adopters in the U.S. “The American market is a different ball game,” he explains. “You need traction, storytelling, and presence – fast. But you also need people who believe in you before the big numbers show up.”
Rather than chasing scale for its own sake, Brano is focused on finding the right footholds: smart partners, ambitious clients, and early believers. “We’re not selling hype. We’re building trust.”
That trust is also guiding the company’s go-to-market strategy. Talent Square is zeroing in on industries where traditional sourcing tools fall short and the candidate pool lives online – on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. These include healthcare, hospitality, logistics, skilled trades, manufacturing, and staffing agencies – sectors all grappling with persistent talent shortages. And as the platform expands its integrations to include additional social media channels, that list will only grow.
Off the Clock
Outside the startup world, Brano’s days are often defined by school runs, cooking dinner, and long walks with his dog. “That’s where I do most of my thinking,” he says. “Walking clears the head. It’s where I try to make sense of things, even when there’s no time to truly unplug.”
With three children and a business that never really sleeps, true work-life balance is more of a theory than a daily reality. “I try to be present,” he admits. “But when you’re building something from the ground up, the lines blur. Your mind keeps running long after the laptop closes.”
Still, that effort to stay grounded matters. Long-distance friendships – from Vietnam to Europe – remain a vital part of his life. “Some of my closest friends are thousands of miles away, but I try to keep them close,” he says. “They remind me who I am outside of my job title.”
“What I do know is this: building a company forces you to confront yourself constantly. Your strengths, your limits, your blind spots. And if you’re lucky, your values get sharper with every step.”
A Word for the Brave
If there’s one thing Brano has learned from his journey – from corporate boardrooms to startup chaos – it’s that courage isn’t loud. It’s quiet, persistent, and often invisible from the outside. “I’ve worked with some incredible people,” he says. “And the bravest ones aren’t always the ones giving speeches or raising funding rounds. They’re the ones who show up every day, stay in the game when it gets tough, and do the work nobody sees.”
His advice to fellow founders or anyone at a crossroads? Don’t confuse noise with progress. “There’s a lot of noise in the startup world. A lot of chasing the next big thing. But your path doesn’t have to be loud to be real.”
“Find your pace. Surround yourself with people who care more about building than bragging. And if you can – build something that makes others better. That’s the best kind of success.”
Quotes
“Don’t let fear or overthinking hold you back. Try it so you don’t live with regret.”
“And if you fail, you’ll still walk away with more knowledge than you could ever gain by playing it safe.”
