The 20-minute version:
Minutes 1–5: Stage and trajectory. Pull their funding history (Crunchbase or Pitchbook). Recent funding round? Layoffs in the last 6 months? Public earnings call commentary? You're looking for "are they growing, stable, or contracting?"
Minutes 5–10: Leadership. Find the CEO, CFO, and the head of the function you're applying to (CMO, CRO, CTO, etc.) on LinkedIn. Read their last 5 posts. Their public language tells you what the company actually values right now.
Minutes 10–15: The specific challenge. Read the company's latest blog post, press release, or earnings discussion. What are they publicly worried about? What strategic shift are they making? This is the context your application should connect to.
Minutes 15–20: Internal moves. Search "company name + new VP" or "company name + announces" in news. Recent leadership changes mean priorities are shifting. Apply with that context in mind.
You now know more about the company than 90% of other applicants. That shows up in your cover letter's first sentence, which is what gets read first.
What part of the research feels hardest? Drop it in the comments.
— Dr. Hosney Adel