120+ Engineers and 300+ Data Team
Launched and enhanced flagship product
5,400 m² dedicated office space
Scale fast and collaborate easily
In early 2018, Preqin realised it needed to expand its engineering capacity to deliver its planned projects. Its ambitious goals included a new flagship product, Preqin Pro, requiring developers with expertise in specific technologies. Scaling its existing London team wasn’t possible with the local talent shortage and suboptimal costs. The leadership team wanted to ensure complete cultural alignment, and for the new developers to be instilled with the ‘Preqin DNA’ — fully integrated into their global development operations.
- Location: London, UK
- Industry: Financial Data Provider
- Number of employees: 2,000
- Partnership since: 2018
We wanted to have our own team and make it very ‘Preqin’ and we wouldn’t have been able to build that team so quickly without The Scalers. They handled all of the hassles so we could spend our time building quality software and collecting quality data. And we wouldn’t have grown as Preqin without the team in India.
Building the team
It all began with a single team...
The COO of Preqin discovered The Scalers while searching for an offshoring partner. At the time, Preqin was working with another development partner in India, and they weren’t happy with the results. After meeting with Emilien Coquard, The Scalers’ CEO in Preqin’s London headquarters, they agreed to start with one scrum team as a test of The Scalers’ model.
The four roles were soon filled following the 7-step recruitment process The Scalers completes for every candidate. Within two months the team was in place complete with all their required equipment and onboarding into Preqin’s systems.
4 to 50 in 6 months
The first scrum team soon impressed Preqin’s leadership. The quality of the candidates and unique model made all the difference. They were Preqin employees using the same systems and processes so they delivered more value, pushing development forward.
Preqin decided to add two further scrum teams to work on developing its Preqin Pro. But it didn’t stop there. The results of Preqin’s Bangalore office were so impressive that more development teams followed. By the end of the first six months, its office had reached 50 engineers and had become the cornerstone for its future engineering plans.
Beyond development
By January 2020, Preqin had reached two milestones — over 100 engineers and the public launch of Preqin Pro. With the value of their Bangalore centre proven, the leadership team set their sights on fulfilling other functions in Bangalore as well as hiring both support and senior figures.
It wasn’t a problem for The Scalers. Over the year, Preqin gained skilled team members for its IT support, Billing and Order Management, Sales, and DataOps teams. All this occurred while they expanded their development team to include more senior development positions.
Positions hired:
- Back-end Engineer
- ML Ops Developer
- Front-end Engineer
- Security Engineer
- Software Architect
- SQL Developer
- DevOps Engineer
- VB.NET Developer
- Release Manager
- Power BI Developer
- Scrum Master
- Data Operation
- Engineering Manager
- Business Analyst
- Sales Admin
- Salesforce Developer
- Research Associate
- IT Desktop Support Engineer
- Finance Manager
- Mobile Developer
- Data Sourcing Manager
- Python Developer
- People Operations Specialist
- Test Engineer (Quality Analyst)
- Head of Billing and Order Management
- Training and Development Manager
- Marketing Automation Specialist
Technologies:
- React
- Salesforce
- Redux
- VB.NET
- HTML5
- DevOps
- CSS
- SQL
- Python
- C#
- DNN
- Puppeteer
- Javascript
- Playwrights
- AWS
- Chai
- Protractor
- Mocha
- Cyprus
- Power BI
Running operations
Offshore, but In-house
From day one, The Scalers has ensured every team is a Preqin team, infused with its DNA. This was true from the smallest of details, like having branded equipment and office space in a business park, to using the same systems and processes as the London office and meeting the rigorous security standards Preqin demands.
A dedicated support team
As Preqin grew, so did their support needs. As they approached 100 employees, the Scalers assigned dedicated support staff for Preqin. These included Shatabdi, their Chief Happiness Officer, in charge of all employee engagement activities; Chiranjeev, who oversaw hiring negotiations; and Sreejith, Paresh, Sindhu, and Pradeep who oversaw interviews. And when they needed even more support, The Scalers assigned additional personnel.
Developing people, not just products
Preqin’s team have always had onboarding and upskilling trainings run by The Scalers’ People and Culture team to help them start well and continue to flourish. As more teams joined, these programmes expanded to include compliance and industry trainings as well as soft skills workshops to help their developers and analysts stay on top of changes in the markets, deliver more value to their customers, and develop personally and professionally.
A place of their own
Preqin’s executives wanted a dedicated office to help increase in-person collaboration and facilitate trainings. The Scalers took care of everything. With their knowledge of Bangalore, they soon found a prime location in the heart of the city with enough space for over 250 employees, meeting rooms, a canteen for daily meals, and training rooms. The Scalers coordinated and managed the whole process from designs, to materials and construction.
At the end of 2022, the office was officially opened and was in full use by the start of February 2023. It was an instant success and has driven increased collaboration and facilitated training.
Scaling at speed:
Preqin case study
How we helped a FinTech scale to a 450+ person R&D Centre in Bangalore
DOWNLOAD CASE STUDYScaling without limits
Scaling fast, scaling smoothly
By the end of 2023, the Bangalore office had over 120 engineers, 300 data experts and tens of other members of other departments. Every one of the aggressive hiring targets was hit, even during lockdown. With the cut in attrition rates compared to their London office, Preqin has created a solid foundation for years to come.
Their most powerful application
Preqin’s partnership with The Scalers resulted in the release and ongoing development of Preqin Pro, their most powerful application to date and new flagship product.
A platform that provides access to private capital and hedge fund data sets and tools, it’s an innovative solution that helps alternative assets professionals make informed, data-driven decisions.
Planning for the long haul
When the trajectory and eventual scale of Preqin’s team became clear, they developed a plan with The Scalers to become a legal entity and transition operations under their control. The Scalers assisted through out the legal process, helping establish the entity.
Once established, Preqin continued to use The Scalers’ HR, admin and recruitment infrastructure. Over time, more functions were handed over to Preqin to run on their own.
Scaling new heights
4-person scrum team starts
70 engineers and the public release of Preqin Pro
Over 150 employees including new Data Team
217 employees; Preqin establishes own entity in India
305 employees; Preqin moves to dedicated office building
Over 450 employees in Bangalore; 120 engineers and 300+ person Data Team
Success beyond expectations
Preqin’s Bangalore presence has transformed from a single team to the heart of its development and data analytics. From the start, every team has been a Preqin team, with their cultural DNA written in. The close collaboration and alignment enabled the Bangalore team to deliver ongoing value, driving the development of Preqin Pro, and helped Preqin secure its position as a global leader in alternative assets insights.
Long-term wins
Launched entity and dedicated office in India
Accelerated product development
Driven revenue and company growth
