Rapid consolidation in several high-tech sectors such as software is creating a kind of headhunter's dilemma. Recruiters are finding that lots of executives relieved of their duties after a merger or acquisition are willing to go work for a startup, but their large company skills don't always translate to an entrepreneurial environment. During a panel Wednesday at the IBF Venture Capital Investing Conference, several VCs said that Oracle Corp.'s aggressive acquisition strategy in particular had left in its wake a massive pool of talent.

Talent can be a relative term. "Over the years, we have had really bad luck hiring from big companies," said Will Price, principal of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners. "It's like the difference between a pilot and a plane builder. We definitely need to see some record of success in a small organization where there aren't a lot of failsafe procedures in place." —Andrea Orr  

See March 1 story on Oracle at TheDeal.com