Background:
A SaaS startup in Austin had recently raised a $20M Series A. Their roadmap demanded doubling engineering capacity in under 3 months, but local hiring cycles and salary inflation made this impossible.
Challenge:
With senior engineers costing $180,000+ annually in the Valley, scaling 10–15 headcount would drain runway. Outsourcing was considered, but the founders feared loss of culture and IP leakage.
Senatio's Approach:
We activated our Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model. In the first 7 days, our India-based analyst pod curated a shortlist from our vetted engineering talent pool. By Day 14, a pod of 4 senior engineers had been interviewed, hired, and onboarded under Senatio payroll, with compliance, benefits, and training in place.
The founders retained operational control: daily standups, code reviews, and product decisions ran seamlessly across time zones. Meanwhile, Senatio managed HR, compliance, and payroll.
Outcome:
The pod scaled from 4 to 12 engineers within 3 months, at one-third of US cost. The startup extended its runway by 12 months and gained investor recognition for operational efficiency.
Broader Lesson:
BOT beats outsourcing. It gives startups cost leverage, operational control, and talent loyalty - without diluting culture.
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