The right engineering talent can make or break a company. WastePlace, a marketplace revolutionizing the waste and recycling industry, is a prime example of how strategic partnerships can fuel business growth.
WastePlace, a marketplace designed to make booking waste and recycling services easier, confronted one of the biggest challenges in the industry: limited price transparency. Their platform brought the same kind of innovation that revolutionized travel and shipping. But as their product portfolio expanded and business demands grew, the company needed more than just a standard team of developers. That’s when they teamed up with BetterEngineer (formerly SalsaMobi).
WastePlace faced a common yet daunting challenge: scaling operations efficiently across multiple markets. Initially, the concept was validated using a basic Squarespace site. But as the growth opportunity expanded, they needed a sophisticated technology platform. The goal was to address the limited price transparency in the $80 billion US waste management market.
To achieve this, WastePlace required a team with expertise in:
Understanding the critical need for both skill and cultural fit, BetterEngineer adopted a hands-on approach. The first step was to secure funds and build an effective, culturally aligned team. Leveraging nearshore software engineers from Latin America, we ensured that time zone differences didn’t hinder communication and collaboration.
The process involved:
BetterEngineer’s approach wasn’t just to fill technical gaps; it was about understanding the broader business opportunity. Having local time-zone engineers who worked well with the core business team in Austin, TX was key to the success of this hiring initiative.
Only after passing an internal review did candidates advance to interviews with the executive team. This careful, multi-step process ensured that the engineers were a great fit for WastePlace.The team has been together for 8 years, with several engineers eventually joining WastePlace full-time. This flexibility in BetterEngineer’s model kept everyone aligned for future success.
WastePlace’s founders had deep domain expertise and a clear vision for the product. What they needed was a technology partner to help execute that vision. After initial due diligence, Boris Portman, CEO of BetterEngineer, joined as both an investor and advisor. He helped WastePlace plan the development team’s skills and budget while also bringing in outside capital to fuel the company’s growth.
This partnership led to the creation of a top-tier team of Latin American engineers who worked closely with WastePlace to automate and scale the company’s services nationwide.
BetterEngineer’s process for hiring remote software engineers didn’t happen overnight. Over more than a decade, the company built a network of over 10,000 vetted engineers. Through a combination of sourcing talent from local Latin American networks, LinkedIn, and trusted referrals, candidates were put through a rigorous multi-step interview process. This process tested not just their technical skills, but also their ability to work independently and communicate effectively with U.S.-based teams.
The collaboration between WastePlace and BetterEngineer delivered outstanding results:
Beyond just numbers, the success of the partnership was visible in the way the teams worked together. WastePlace even relocated some of the engineers to the U.S., handling all the necessary immigration and logistics to bring the team closer together.
WastePlace’s success with BetterEngineer underscores the importance of choosing the right technology partner. By focusing on cultural fit, rigorous vetting, and flexible hiring models, we helped them not just meet, but exceed its business goals. Ready to scale your team with top-notch engineers and achieve better results? Contact us today and transform your business.