Category: News

  • Riviera Partners Acquires Lateral Labs, Expanding Its AI and Machine Learning Talent Search and Placement Capabilities  

    Riviera Partners Acquires Lateral Labs, Expanding Its AI and Machine Learning Talent Search and Placement Capabilities  

    Acquisition unites industry’s leading tech-focused executive search firm with pioneering AI-native recruiting organization. 

    San Francisco, CA — June 24, 2026 — Riviera Partners, the leading global executive search firm specializing in technology leadership, today announced the acquisition of Lateral Labs, a specialized recruiting firm serving top AI startups.  

    The acquisition comes as companies remain challenged to meet the demand of organizational AI readiness. Adding Lateral Labs positions Riviera Partners to help companies meet that challenge across the full arc of an AI company’s growth, offering executive and technical talent search from seed-stage startup through IPO. 

    Lateral Labs partners with some of the most demanding technical teams in AI, including Cursor, ElevenLabs, Runway, Scale AI and Luma Labs. 

    Its embedded, retained and contingent search models meet the specific demands of machine learning and AI research roles through deep domain knowledge, talent relationships and repeatable processes to support high-growth startups with their most critical hires. The company was established in 2024 by Founder and CEO Rob Infantino, a veteran recruiter for leading AI labs including OpenAI and Amazon Web Services. 

    “Our research shows as few as two percent of companies are organizationally ready to execute with AI, and the gap almost always comes down to talent,” said Kyle Langworthy, Partner and Head of AI, ML & Data Practice at Riviera Partners. “This acquisition gives companies deeper access to the most in demand  AI and machine learning talent their businesses need to execute.” 

    “The people who build great AI are rare and in high demand, and reaching them takes real relationships, infrastructure and know-how,” said Lateral Labs Founder and CEO Rob Infantino. “Together, Riviera Partners and Lateral Labs can support an AI company’s hiring across its full lifecycle — from its first technical hire through IPO — spanning research, science, infrastructure, engineering, product and leadership roles.” 

    About Riviera Partners    
    Riviera Partners is a global executive search firm specializing in technology and product leadership. With over two decades of experience and a proprietary platform that combines deep recruiting expertise with data-driven insights, Riviera is the go-to talent partner for venture capital, private equity, and public companies. Learn more at rivierapartners.com.   

    About Lateral Labs 

    Lateral Labs delivers bespoke hiring solutions for AI startups, operating as an embedded extension of clients’ teams. Founded by former AI lab practitioners, Lateral combines rigorous search methodology with deep machine learning domain expertise to help startups build exceptional technical teams. Learn more at lateral-labs.com. 

  • Riviera Partners promotes Chris Rice to Managing Partner and General Manager of Paragon by Riviera Partners

    New York, NY — March 4, 2026 — Riviera Partners, the leading global executive search firm specializing in technology leadership, announced today the promotion of Chris Rice to Managing Partner and General Manager of Paragon, the firm’s global high-volume recruiting division supporting technology founders, leaders, and investors.

    Rice previously served as Partner and General Manager of Paragon since 2024, leading the growing division’s work with engineering and product organizations to grow and transform teams from individual contributors through directors.

    “Talent remains the clearest advantage in the AI era,” said Michael Newcomer, Chief Executive Officer of Riviera Partners. “Companies are rebuilding product and engineering teams faster than planning cycles can keep up. Chris’s leadership will ensure Paragon has the operating discipline and talent-market perspective to help clients build teams that can continually execute, adapt, and deliver.”

    “From growth-stage companies through enterprises, hiring teams are carrying bigger mandates with tighter timelines,” said Rice. “Paragon is built to partner with internal recruiting and business leaders to deliver consistent, high-volume hiring and strategic insights so that technology teams can scale talent capacity quickly and keep quality high as the market shifts.”

    Rice, an eight-year veteran of the United States Army, joined Riviera Partners in 2020 after serving as Director of Talent at JUUL Labs and Head of Global Talent Acquisition, for Intel’s Artificial Intelligence Division. His extensive experience also includes talent acquisition leadership roles for engineering, R&D, data, digital, IT, and quality and regulatory organizations.

    About Riviera Partners
    Riviera Partners is a global executive search firm specializing in technology and product leadership. With over two decades of experience and a proprietary platform that combines deep recruiting expertise with data-driven insights, Riviera is the go-to talent partner for venture capital, private equity, and public companies. Learn more at rivierapartners.com.