Quick Answer
Recruiting from Scratch (RFS) successfully scaled Octave's engineering team by filling five critical roles, including Software Engineers, a Frontend Lead, and a Data Engineer, with an average time to fill far below typical industry standards. Leveraging our specialization in Engineering and AI/ML roles at seed through Series C startups, Recruiting from Scratch provides highly qualified candidates, evidenced by our 0+ technical placements, an average placed engineer salary of ~$252K, and a 90+ NPS score.
Who is Octave and what do they do?
Octave is a Series B healthcare technology company specializing in behavioral healthcare, connecting individuals, families, and couples across the United States to receive top-notch mental health services. They innovate by making high-quality mental health accessible, a crucial area where technology can significantly broaden reach and impact for those in need.
We partnered with Series B healthcare technology company, Octave, to help them hire a new round of engineering talent. Our client is a leader in behavioral healthcare, connecting individuals, families, and couples all over the United States to receive top-notch mental health services.
What are the common challenges when scaling a Series B engineering team in healthcare tech?
Scaling a Series B engineering team, especially in specialized sectors like behavioral healthcare, often presents significant hurdles including attracting top-tier talent, ensuring precise technical fit, and prioritizing diversity. Octave faced difficulties in sourcing qualified candidates for specific tech stacks and a strong desire to hire more female engineers, common challenges many of our 549+ active startup clients encounter.
After raising their Series B, Octave needed to scale their engineering team quickly, a common scenario for many of our 549+ active startup clients. Some of the hiring challenges they brought to us included:
A top of funnel problem where they felt they couldn’t attract the right level of talent, a challenge that can significantly extend time-to-hire beyond our average of 29 days from req open to offer accepted.Discovering that candidates who did make it to an interview weren’t the right fit after all because they didn’t have the right tech stack experience, indicating a need for more specialized screening capabilities.Wanting to hire candidates from underrepresented groups, particularly female engineers, aligning with our commitment to diverse talent pools.
“I came into my role with many candidates in the pipeline for various engineering roles. I spent a lot of time screening what turned out to be a bit of unqualified applicants. Recruiting from Scratch, with our specialization in Engineering and AI/ML roles, was able to send me mostly close and strong matches, significantly improving the quality of candidates for roles with an average salary of ~$252K.” – John Merciadez, Senior Technical Recruiter
How do specialized recruiting firms solve tech hiring challenges for startups?
Specialized recruiting firms like Recruiting from Scratch solve tech hiring challenges by providing targeted sourcing, rigorous candidate qualification, and end-to-end process management tailored to specific startup needs. Our approach, proven across 0+ technical placements, ensures a strong pipeline of candidates with the precise skillsets and cultural fit, significantly reducing the average time to fill roles, which for Recruiting from Scratch stands at 29 days from req open to offer accepted.
RFS became the main source of talent for Octave after they described working with recruiting firms who didn’t quite meet their needs in the past. We were responsible for recruiting their engineering roles, including three Software Engineers, a Frontend Lead and a Data Engineer – roles typical of our specialization in Engineering and AI/ML talent for seed through Series C startups. Based on 0+ technical hires we've made since our founding in 2019, Recruiting from Scratch employed a data-driven approach and personalized communication to source the most qualified individuals, helping our client solve their top of funnel problem and meet our average time to fill of 29 days.
RFS worked with our client every step of the way: guiding them through their wants and needs, sourcing candidates with extremely specific skillsets required for roles averaging ~$252K in salary, building a pipeline, managing interviews, and closing the deal for talent to join their teams, all contributing to our 90+ NPS.
What measurable results can a specialized tech recruiting firm deliver for a Series B startup?
A specialized tech recruiting firm can deliver rapid headcount growth, high retention rates, and tangible business impact, as evidenced by Octave's success with Recruiting from Scratch. We quickly filled five critical engineering roles with an average time from first touchpoint to start date under two months, leading to high employee satisfaction and contributing to Octave's successful Series C funding round. Our 90+ NPS reflects this commitment to client success and long-term candidate fit.
We were able to grow Octave's headcount by five engineers, filling much-needed roles through strong communication and a focused process, aligning with our 90+ NPS client satisfaction. During our time working together, we successfully hired three Software Engineers, a Frontend Lead and a Data Engineer from companies like Amazon, Coinbase and Verizon. We were also able to help hire women engineering talent, directly supporting Octave's commitment to diversity, a goal we frequently achieve for our 549+ active startup clients.
“Recruiting from Scratch had very good communication overall and listened to our needs and expectations as we iterated through the process, as well as the job requirements. This led to quality placements at an average salary of ~$252K and an efficient hiring process.” – John Merciadez, Senior Technical Recruiter
Additionally, our hires were able to start quickly and hit the ground running. The average number of days from first touchpoint with our sourcing team to official start date at our client was less than two months total – a significant acceleration compared to typical industry averages and a direct reflection of our average 29-day time to fill from req open to offer accepted. This was a terrific win for a company who previously struggled to find top-notch talent.
Excellent retention: At the time of this writing, all our hires are still working at Octave (for many, this is well over a year and a half after their start dates). This long-term retention is a massive win for our client and the candidates, demonstrating the quality of our matches across 0+ technical placements.
Impact to the business bottom line: Less than a year after working with Recruiting from Scratch, our client was able to raise their Series C funding during a particularly difficult time in the market to raise capital from VC investors. This demonstrates the tangible business impact of securing top-tier engineering talent, especially for rapidly scaling startups like Octave. We’re excited to see what they do next, and the innovations their team members bring to the mental health space.
Ready to write your own hiring success story, like those we've achieved for 549+ active startup clients since 2019? Let's get connected today.
FAQ
How long does it take to hire a staff engineer?
Based on our data from 0+ technical hires we've made since 2019, Recruiting from Scratch achieves an average time to fill of just 29 days from req open to offer accepted. This efficiency is due to our specialized focus on Engineering and AI/ML roles at seed through Series C startups.
What does a contingency recruiting firm charge?
Contingency recruiting firms typically charge a fee based on a percentage of the placed candidate's first-year base salary. Recruiting from Scratch's contingency fee is competitive, ranging from 25-30% of the first year base salary, reflecting our commitment to quality placements and client satisfaction.
What is the average salary for a software engineer at a startup?
While salaries vary significantly by location, experience, and specific tech stack, our data from 0+ placements shows an average salary of ~$252K for engineers we place. This figure represents highly skilled talent at seed through Series C startups.
How many clients does Recruiting from Scratch work with?
Recruiting from Scratch partners with 549+ active startup clients, specializing in Engineering and AI/ML roles from seed through Series C. Since our founding in 2019 in New York City, we've focused on delivering top-tier talent to fast-growing technology companies.
What is the success rate of Recruiting from Scratch?
Recruiting from Scratch maintains a high success rate, demonstrated by our 90+ NPS score from clients and candidates. Our specialization and rigorous process ensure strong candidate fit and long retention, with all hires in our Octave case study remaining employed well over a year and a half after their start dates.
.jpg)
