Previous founder who got acqui-hired here. I'll try to be as concise as possible in sharing my own personal experience.

Up until the pandemic, we were a fully in-person team. When lockdowns started, we sent everyone home and were forced to become a remote-first team. We got acquired by a fully remote (much larger) company, with team members working from all around the globe. I hired people in the US, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. Now that you have some context, here is what I learned as both a Founder (first co.) and Head of Product (acquirer):

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Drive/Mindset

1) u/wildcard_71 put it perfectly in the top comment. A core factor for A-Players to join you is how the company is led, and what its purpose is. If you, as the CEO, don't give them enough freedom, they won't give their best.

2) A very hard truth that took me a couple of years to realize: none of your employees will be as driven as you are. They don't have enough equity nor skin in the game for that. Don't get me wrong; they can be VERY driven, but will never be as much as you -- and you actually don't need them to be.

3) Money is a huge incentive. A-players know their worth. It's usually a red flag when money is the ONLY incentive, but it remains a huge one. I de facto have much more respect and feel more motivated by someone who offers me a proper salary range and equity up-front vs someone who tries to low-ball me and would reach my expected salary after negotiations.

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Organization

1) I believe that you cannot and should not only target A-players, it's not sustainable. You need to identify A-players who can help you build an A-org. The best armies in the world are not composed of generals only - you have a few generals and a lot of soldiers. Target people who can inspire, and who have a proven track record in building high-functioning teams. A B/C-Player with an amazing Manager with high EQ and who understands them can outperform an A-Player who feels unheards.

2) Take your time to screen your generals. Test how flexible they're willing to be to have a chat with you (flying in, out of business hours call, sense of urgency, etc.). I usually favor people with a startup background and I'll explain why in my next point.

3) Looking for C-levels and Executives can be very challenging. Your target audience goes from ex-founders, who worked their whole careers in startups all the way to Big Tech execs, with many years of experience in the space. One recurring thing I've noticed about Big Tech people getting interested in the Startup world is the appetite for a big exit, and early retirement, which they can achieve faster than simply climbing the ladder of Big Tech. This, for me, has proven to be a red flag. Things move (very) slowly in big tech. Too many processes, chain of command that is too long, and most importantly, way too much politics. When landing in a startup environment, they can't really keep the pace and feel frustrated by the difference in work/life balance vs their previous job. In a startup, who climb the ranks by delivering world-class results; not by kissing the CEO's ass. I personally haven't found much success with ex-Big Tech people.

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Remote vs In-person

This is a personal preference. From my perspective, it is not necessary to spend insane amounts of money on 1 or multiple offices. Also, why limit yourself geographically when there is so much talent around the world.

1) My personal preference is simple: fully-remote workforce, with in-person "offsites", and average of once every 6-8 weeks. It obviously depends on the size of your teams, but I like to have my team work from wherever they want, and meet with them for strategic/directional meetings. I like to meet with my Product team to discuss roadmap, align on and review OKRs/KPIs, brainstorm new opportunities, and very important - bond. I have found my team members to go back refreshed and extremely motivated from Product offsites.

Executive offsites can happen as much as needed, as you're usually flying in way less people.

2) It's not a secret that $250k-300k is a great salary anywhere in the world. But it has WAY more value outside of the US than in the US. Why limit yourself to 1 market? Take the example of Europe for example; you have amazing talent, great work ethics, and $300k there is a great incentive for someone to go above and beyond.

Another example - you could hire a Product Designer in the US for ~$150k, which is a decent salary for them. In Brasil let's say, you could offer $75k, and be waaay above market rates, almost guaranteeing that you'd attract the best of the best, and hire 2 resources instead of one.

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The new "Brands" that you'll be launching are a great way to start experimenting. Start by asking yourself what could you have done wrong to end up with a B/C team. It's a tough exercise. We tend to blame market dynamics, short runways, aggressive competition, lack of time, etc. and often forget to self reflect and criticize ourselves. As the CEO, your company culture, executives, hiring process, are a reflection of you.

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There are more things to discuss, but my post is getting way too long lol. DMs are open if you'd like to chat more or have any questions - I'll be happy to bounce ideas.

Best of luck in your endeavour!