Case study · Proptech · London, Europe and the Philippines
40+ hires, an AI-first pivot and a new engineering hub
In short: Lavanda, a VC-backed proptech in Finch Capital's portfolio, has made more than 40 hires with us across engineering, go-to-market, operations, training and finance. We helped it pivot to an AI-first engineering model, placing its first 3 harness engineers, and built a new engineering team in the Philippines alongside its UK team, with further hires across Europe. Fees came in 50% below traditional agency rates, paid monthly through Pay While They Stay.
Key numbers
hires and counting, across engineering, go-to-market, operations, training and finance
working together since, with hires made every year
lower fees than traditional agency recruitment, paid monthly
retention across the hires
Fee and retention figures cover our first 18 months together. We continue to work closely with Lavanda today, so they capture a moment in time rather than the relationship now.
The challengeWhat did the client need?
A VC-backed scale-up at its growth inflection point, Lavanda needed to hire at speed without lowering the bar. Then its engineering model changed, and it needed people for roles that barely existed a year earlier, in new countries as well as at home.
- Cost: traditional agencies were asking 20 to 25% fees, making each senior hire a £20k to £30k investment
- Quality: high-volume hiring often meant compromising on candidate quality
- Geography: each new market meant starting talent acquisition from scratch
- Capacity: internal teams were burning out running several hiring processes at once
- Fixed cost: building an in-house recruitment team would add permanent overhead with no guaranteed return
How Hurren & Hope helped
We worked as an embedded talent partner rather than a transactional supplier.
Six functions, one partner
Software engineering (full stack, backend, frontend), data and analytics, DevOps and infrastructure, go-to-market (sales, marketing, customer success), commercial operations, and leadership and management. As the relationship grew, we even took on their finance hiring.
UK, Europe and the Philippines
The UK: engineering, go-to-market, operations, training and finance teams. Europe: hires in Spain, Portugal and Romania, among others. The Philippines: a new engineering team built alongside the UK team, onboarded through employer of record (EOR) partners.
One Slack workgroup
We worked inside a dedicated Slack workgroup with Lavanda's line managers, so communication stayed quick and simple. A 3:1 CV-to-hire ratio meant they only saw people we had already qualified, assessed for cultural fit as well as technical skill.
Growth, AI first and a new hub
Growth at speed
Backed by Finch Capital, Lavanda needed a partner that could keep pace with its growth. We work as an extension of the team rather than a supplier: we learnt the culture, sat close to the leadership and showed them only people we had already qualified.
The pivot to AI first
In late 2025 Lavanda changed how its engineers work, moving to an AI-first model where engineers design, orchestrate and govern the AI agents that write the code. That meant hiring harness engineers, a role that barely existed a year earlier. We have placed 3 so far and are still hiring as the team grows.
A new engineering hub in the Philippines
Lavanda's Philippines team was about expansion, not replacement: project-led, adding capacity and flexibility alongside the existing UK team, with no redundancies. We built it from scratch, new ground for both of us, with every search held to the London standard.
ResultsWhat happened next
Cost and cash flow
- Fees 50% below traditional agency rates, reflecting a rate earned through the volume of hiring and a long relationship
- Paid monthly through Pay While They Stay, so scaling fast never meant a stack of upfront invoices, and payments stop if a hire leaves
Delivery
- 40+ hires and counting, across engineering, go-to-market, operations, training and finance
- 3 AI harness engineers placed since the pivot, a role that barely existed a year earlier
- 94% retention and a 23-day average time to hire over our first 18 months
Reach
- A new engineering team built from scratch in the Philippines, alongside the UK team
- Hires across Europe, including Spain, Portugal and Romania
- An award-winning client: Best Proptech Solution at the Property Week Student Accommodation Awards 2024, the Best in Class Proptech Award 2022 and a Tally Stars of the Workforce award in 2023
- A close relationship that continues today
More case studiesOther teams we built
From 30 to 240 people without losing the culture.
Derivco grew its Ipswich engineering and product operation eightfold, hiring for skill and for fit with its values.
Read the case studyEight acquisitions brought onto one technology platform.
Penguin Random House used our PMO, service delivery, change and data specialists to unify the technology of 8 acquired companies.
Read the case studyA Salesforce team from admin to architecture.
NHS Professionals built its Salesforce, transformation, integration and product teams with us.
Read the case studyHiring for a team like this?
A 20 minute call with Mark or Mike about your roles, your timeline and what it would cost. No slides, no obligation.
Questions about this case study
Who was the client?
Lavanda is an award-winning proptech company in Finch Capital's portfolio, serving 100+ global enterprise partners. Its awards include Best Proptech Solution at the Property Week Student Accommodation Awards 2024 and the Best in Class Proptech Award 2022, and Booking.com made it a Premier Partner in 2023. Lavanda is also the client that inspired Pay While They Stay. The idea came from a conversation with Dan Taylor, Lavanda's commercial officer: its own revenue came in only while its customers stayed, and we thought recruitment fees should work the same way.
How much did the client save on recruitment fees?
Over our first 18 months together, Lavanda's fees came in 50% below traditional agency rates. That reflects a rate earned through the volume of hiring and its loyalty as a client. It pays monthly through Pay While They Stay, so each fee is spread over 12 months instead of landing on the start date, and payments stop if a hire leaves.
How did you help Lavanda move to AI-first engineering?
In late 2025 Lavanda moved to an AI-first engineering model, where engineers design, orchestrate and govern the AI agents that write the code. We recruited harness engineers for that model, a role that barely existed a year earlier, and have placed 3 so far, with more to come.
Did the Philippines team replace UK roles?
No. It was a project-led expansion that added capacity and flexibility alongside the existing UK team, with no redundancies. We built the team from scratch through employer of record partners.
Which roles did you recruit?
Software engineering (full stack, backend and frontend), AI harness engineering, data and analytics, DevOps and infrastructure, go-to-market, operations, training, finance, and leadership and management.
Where did you hire for Lavanda?
In the UK, across Europe, including Spain, Portugal and Romania, and in the Philippines. In the Philippines, employer of record (EOR) partners handled compliant employment and onboarding while we ran every search to the same standard as in London.
Can venture-backed companies spread or defer the fee?
Yes. Any client can pay monthly through Pay While They Stay. Venture-backed founders can also use Aligned, on hurrenandhope.vc, which defers up to 75% of the fee until the next funding round. If that round doesn't happen, the deferred part isn't owed.
What does Hurren & Hope charge for a permanent hire?
20% of first-year base salary for permanent hires below executive level, or 18% on every hire when you give us three or more roles to fill. You can pay it as one invoice on the start date, or monthly over 12 months through Pay While They Stay, where payments stop if your hire leaves. UK fees are plus VAT.US clients are not charged VAT.
Want results like these?
Hurren & Hope in numbers