A strategic talent partnership that delivered 94% retention, halved recruitment costs, and built high-performing teams across three continents

The Challenge: Scaling at Speed Without Compromising Quality

When this award-winning PropTech company in Finch Capital’s portfolio hit their growth inflection point, they faced the same brutal reality that confronts every scaling tech business:

Traditional recruitment was becoming their biggest bottleneck.

• Time kills deals: With 23+ day average hiring cycles, they were losing top candidates to competitors
• Quality vs. quantity dilemma: High-volume hiring often meant compromising on candidate quality
• Cost explosion: Traditional agencies were demanding 20-25% fees, making each senior hire a £20-30k investment
• Geographic constraints: Expanding into new markets meant starting talent acquisition from scratch
• Resource drain: Internal teams were burning out trying to manage multiple hiring processes across different skill sets
• Fixed cost trap: Building internal recruitment teams would add permanent overhead without guaranteed ROI

The CEO was clear: “We needed recruitment flexibility that could scale up and down with our growth phases, not another fixed cost on our P&L. We also wanted to leverage existing market presence – why spend months building relationships when we could tap into established networks immediately?”

The Strategic Partnership: Hurren and Hope’s Systematic Approach

Rather than treating recruitment as a transactional service, we embedded as a strategic talent partner, delivering:

Multi-Vertical Excellence

Built teams across:

• Software Engineering (Full-stack, Backend, Frontend)
• Data & Analytics
• DevOps & Infrastructure
• Go-to-Market (Sales, Marketing, Customer Success)
• Commercial Operations
• Leadership & Management

Global Reach, Local Expertise

• Europe: Established core engineering and commercial teams
• Philippines: Built offshore development capabilities leveraging EOR partnerships for seamless onboarding
• US Expansion: Currently scaling US market entry teams with compliant local employment structures

Quality-First Process

• Rigorous 3:1 CV-to-hire ratio ensuring only pre-qualified candidates
• Cultural fit assessment beyond technical skills
• Comprehensive reference and background checking

The Results: Metrics That Matter to Investors

Financial Impact

• 50% cost reduction: £233,900 in recruitment fees vs. £467,800 traditional agency costs
• £1.87M in salary placements over 18 months
• ROI optimization: Every £1 spent on recruitment generated £8 in salary value

Operational Excellence

• 94% retention rate: Nearly eliminating costly mis-hires
• 23-day average time-to-hire: 40% faster than industry standard
• 36 successful placements: Consistent delivery across all verticals

Strategic Advantages

• Multi-timezone coverage: Seamless 24/7 recruitment operations
• Scalable model: Proven system deployed across three continents
• Global compliance: Partnered with EOR organizations for hassle-free international onboarding
• Partnership continuity: 18+ month relationship with ongoing expansion

Why This Approach Works for Growth-Stage Companies

For CEOs

“We needed a recruitment partner who understood our growth trajectory, not just our current needs.”

• Variable cost model: Scale recruitment investment with business growth, avoiding fixed headcount
• Instant market access: Leverage established brand presence and candidate networks from day one
• Strategic flexibility: Ramp hiring up or down based on funding rounds and market conditions
• Capital efficiency: Preserve runway by converting fixed recruitment costs to performance-based investment

For CTOs

“Technical hiring is about more than just matching keywords to job descriptions.”

• Deep technical assessment: Beyond surface-level screening
• Cultural integration: Engineers who fit your team dynamics
• Rapid scaling: Build entire engineering teams, not just individual hires

For VC Partners

“Portfolio companies need recruitment partners who can scale with their growth ambitions.”

• Capital efficiency: 50% cost savings directly improve unit economics
• Risk mitigation: 94% retention rate reduces execution risk
• Portfolio leverage: Proven model deployable across multiple investments

The Finch Capital Advantage

This PropTech portfolio company represents the future of property management – integrating AI, automation, and user experience to serve 100+ global enterprise partners. Their rapid scaling demanded a recruitment approach as sophisticated as their technology.

Key Success Factors:

• Domain expertise: Understanding PropTech, SaaS, and B2B software markets
• Stage-appropriate solutions: Recruitment strategies that evolve with company maturity
• Investor alignment: Cost structures that support sustainable growth metrics

Ready to Scale Your Team Like a Portfolio Company?

Whether you’re preparing for Series A, scaling post-funding, or expanding internationally, the companies that win are those that solve talent acquisition before it becomes a constraint.

Our proven framework works for:

• ✅ SaaS companies (10-250 employees)
• ✅ AI/ML product companies
• ✅ Tech consultancies
• ✅ VC-backed growth companies

Get in touch to discuss how we can:

• Reduce your recruitment costs by 50%
• Achieve 90%+ retention rates
• Scale internationally without local HR infrastructure
• Build high-performing teams in weeks, not months

Hurren and Hope specializes in strategic talent acquisition for growth-stage technology companies. We’ve helped 50+ businesses scale from startup to scale-up without compromising on quality or budget.