Tom Rochford

Founder

A Biochemistry major turned career recruiter, Tom has spent over fourteen years helping build world-class teams at the forefront of advanced technology, giving him a front-row seat to the challenges of scaling scientific innovation in high-growth start-ups.

Grounded in a lifelong passion for chemistry, applied physics, and engineering, this background has placed Tom in a unique position to support companies driving innovation across electrochemical and thermochemical systems, as well as synthetic biology, advanced manufacturing, and more sustainable industrial platforms. Over the past decade, he has focused exclusively on domains that require deep scientific expertise, including battery and fuel cell manufacturing, advanced reactor and propulsion design, lower-carbon energy production, superconducting materials, and metallurgy research.

As the recruitment industry at large has shifted toward volume-driven, less consultative business models, Tom recognized a gap. That realization led him to found First Principle, an agency built to break the cycle of transactional recruitment and instead deliver best-in-class, high-touch service to companies pioneering the future.

Headquartered in New York, where Tom has lived for the last six years, First Principle partners with emerging technology developers across North America, offering embedded search and strategic talent advisory services. Tom works closely with technical leaders, founders, and investors to build organizations that move the world forward, with a strong emphasis on culture-first team building and lasting impact.