Capital Markets Gateway

How we helped Greg, Mike, and Stamo build an offshore tech hub and scale their team

Stakeholders
Greg Ingram
,
Co-Founder & CEO
Stamo Hadjiyski
,
Co-Founder
Mike Wilcox
,
Co-Founder
Location
Chicago, Illinois
Stats
25+ employees hired
BOOST
October 2017 - Present day
ddd

Capital Markets Gateway is a FinTech firm offering an integrated digital workflow and analytics platform for capital markets professionals.

OAK'S LAB Provided Services
Office Set Up
Recruitment Process Outsourcing
Employee Onboarding
Hardware & Equipment
Team-building Activities
Expense Management
Payroll & Compliance

In 2017, Greg, Mike, and Stamo saw the potential to build a tech solution that would modernize the equity capital markets.

Astonished by the time and resources being spent in a fragmented system, they set out to build a solution that would connect investors and underwriters via a neutral platform delivering integrated equity capital market data and workflow efficiencies.

“As our company grew, we started facing the challenge of scaling our team fast enough to build features that would meet the growing demands of our clients.”

The Challenge

In order to meet the growing demands of the platform, CMG needed to quickly and efficiently scale their product development team.

In 2019, following their Series A fundraising round, Greg, Mike, and Stamo found themselves facing a common challenge among startup founders in the growth stage: how to efficiently and cost-effectively secure exceptional engineering talent. The US market, with its high competition and saturation, presented a significant challenge as it was difficult to recruit local talent at a reasonable speed and price.

To add top-level talent to their in-house product development team while keeping operational costs low, the founders sought a solution and decided to partner with our OAK'S BOOST division and tap into the European labor market.

“OAK'S LAB's ability to support startups at any stage is impressive. For early-stage startups, they have high-quality teams that are able to design and build products from scratch. For growth-stage startups, the OAK’S LAB model offloads the administrative burden from the startup to OAK’S LAB, allowing startups to focus their attention on the more important task of building.”

Stamo Hadjiyski Headshot
Stamo Hadjiyski
Co-Founder, CMG

The Solution

OAK’S BOOST enabled CMG to tap into the European tech talent pool, engage a senior product development team, and set up office space to accommodate the European team.

The co-founders entrusted their expansion to our OAK'S BOOST division and initiated a long-term partnership in September 2019.

Our plan consisted of three main phases: Strategy, Kick-Off, and Execution & Oversight, with the goal of creating a European tech hub for CMG. Throughout the process, thorough analysis, communication, and mutual agreement between OAK'S BOOST and CMG were crucial as we worked independently but in close collaboration.

Strategy Phase

(September 2019)

Based on CMG's business needs and tech stack, we selected the Czech Republic as the ideal location for CMG's new European product development team. The city of Brno, known for its excellent computer science program and large pool of recent graduates, was selected for its high-quality technical talent, affordable cost of living, and significantly lower salary ranges compared to the US.

After the location was selected, OAK'S BOOST created a detailed operational and recruitment roadmap that aligned with CMG's strategic goals and a budget that reflected the planned growth of the European team. Upon approval of the roadmap and budget, OAK'S BOOST independently executed the following phases.

Kick-Off Phase

(September - October 2019)

To establish CMG's European tech hub, OAK'S BOOST was responsible for creating a European entity that complied with the Czech legal system, including the preparation of all necessary legal documents such as employment and data processing agreements.

We selected an office space in a beautiful historical building in the heart of Brno, which could accommodate up to 25 staff members. We designed the office to inspire in-person collaboration and equipped it with ergonomic furniture, high-tech hardware, and modern decorations to create a welcoming environment for staff.

Utilizing our local market know-how, we then kicked off recruitment and started hiring new CMG team members according to the recruitment roadmap.

Execution & Oversight Phase

(November 2019 - Present Day)

We hired the first role for CMG in the Czech Republic in November 2019, and the team has since continued to grow. To ensure a smooth staff onboarding experience, we created a structured onboarding process that enabled new members to be effective within a few weeks of their starting dates.

To foster a positive and engaged team culture, we organize regular team-building activities and schedule visits from CMG US leadership to the Brno office. These efforts, along with other culture-building initiatives, contribute to a motivating atmosphere and above-average staff retention.

As part of the Tech Hub package offered by OAK'S BOOST, we currently manage all aspects of its operation, including recruitment, office management, hardware and equipment, and team-building activities. We also handle all administrative tasks such as personnel agreements, insurance, onboarding processes, operational expenses, payroll, and bookkeeping and taxes.

“OAK’S BOOST hired personnel to support our business. We now have a Czech team working from a private office exclusively on our product.

The team built by OAK’S BOOST plays an important role in the development of our product and has consistently delivered at a high velocity.”

Stamo Hadjiyski Headshot
Stamo Hadjiyski
Co-Founder, CMG

The Outcome

OAK'S BOOST gradually expanded CMG’s European team and brought onboard 25 experienced software engineers, product designers, and product managers.

Greg, Mike, and Stamo now have a productive European hub that is fully integrated into their engineering culture and delivers top results, even supporting the platform during US off-hours.

As a result of this expansion, CMG’s European office now also serves as a launchpad for the possible future offering of their product in the European market.

Today, the CMG platform is used by over 100 buy-side companies and 15 investment banks in the United States, and they continue to grow and expand their team in the Czech Republic.

Our Work

Case Studies

EspressOOO Martini by Francesco:  1x vodka shot (50ml), 1x espresso shot (40ml), 2g of sugar, no coffee liqueur, mix well in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice for 30 sec to create foam, pour in martini glass and garnish with 3 coffee beans. See you at Groove.

EspressOOO Martini by Francesco:  1x vodka shot (50ml), 1x espresso shot (40ml), 2g of sugar, no coffee liqueur, mix well in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice for 30 sec to create foam, pour in martini glass and garnish with 3 coffee beans. See you at Groove.