About
A specialist search firm, built by operators.
From Silicon Valley to London, AWOK redefines technical recruiting. Founded by two expert recruiters, we ditch the cookie-cutter approach for tailored, high-intent talent acquisition. Only bespoke searches built on taste and exceptional talent.
Oscar Kusmirek
Co-founder
Former associate at NumberFiveHouse, where he spent his early twenties sourcing founding-team hires for AI and data centre startups. Learned search the hard way: first principles, no shortcuts, real judgment over keyword matching. Now he builds teams for the companies he believes in.
Alphie Walker
Co-founder
Former Head of Recruiting at NumberFiveHouse, where he partnered with founders to source critical ML, GPU, and infrastructure hires for the AI and data center boom. Learned technical search the hard way: deep relationships, rigorous understanding, and honest conversations over volume metrics. Now he builds infrastructure teams for the companies he believes in.
Why AWOK
In technical recruiting, volume is the enemy of quality. Traditional firms rely on automated spam and generic outreach - tactics that elite engineers tuned out years ago.
AWOK fills the gap between lazy sourcing and high-growth engineering. We treat candidate acquisition as a deliberate craft, every outreach is intentional, and every engineer is rigorously vetted. The teams building next-generation AI, energy, and infrastructure deserve a tailored search, not a LinkedIn blast.