8-strong dedicated product team
44M influencer profiles monitored
3x influencer marketing agency of the year
Build flagship software with product engineers
In 2015, Ykone had a highly ambitious vision for their proprietary software, Campaygn. It would change how the company discovered and tracked market influencers, growing Ykone’s authority in its field. The problem was, their existing software was cumbersome, and significantly slower than required. Also, there was a scarcity of local development talent that prevented Ykone from scaling up, adjusting to changing markets, or meeting customer demand. The software that should have enhanced Ykone’s business was becoming a burden — Campaygn became unsustainable.
- Location: Paris, France
- Industry: Marketing
- Number of employees: 200+
- Partnership since: 2015
We were struggling to find talented developers in Paris, but we found them in Bangalore with The Scalers. Our partnership is now in its ninth year, and it’s amazing to see how far they have pushed our business forward.
Building the team
The first steps…
Software development at Ykone was stagnating, and this was causing problems for their wider business. They were crying out for a talented, collaborative team which understood the vision for Campayn, and had the technical skills to bring it to life. On the verge of scrapping a potentially game-changing software product, they asked The Scalers to step in. To become familiar with Ykone’s requirements, The Scalers’ leadership travelled to Paris to talk with the company’s major stakeholders.
Ykone’s Bangalore lifts off
On returning to Bangalore, The Scalers’ recruitment team started sourcing development talent based on defined requirements. The first job was to secure the lead engineer, who would direct the software project. Ykone Bangalore was officially inaugurated on the 1st of October 2015. By facilitating extensive knowledge transfer between the new lead engineer and the existing engineers from Ykone, The Scalers made sure everyone was completely aligned going forward as they continued to grow the Bangalore team.
Build the game-changing product
The recruitment department then handpicked four senior engineers to make up the rest of the development team, taking Ykone Bangalore up to five. The Scalers’ Partner Success team brought all the engineers together and established clear communication channels with Paris. Ykone now had the offshore development team it needed to rebuild Campaygn from the ground up.
Positions hired:
- Tech Lead
- Project Manager
- Senior Developer
- Product Owner
- Lead Product Development
- Data Analyst
- Senior Client Support Executive
Technologies:
- JavaScript
- Vue.js
- HTML
- Node.js
- CSS
- Redis
- Elasticsearch
- MySQL
- Express.js
Running operations
Handling the logistical heavy lifting
Ykone didn’t have local knowledge of Bangalore, nor the on-the-ground understanding of taxation and other legalities. So The Scalers took care of all the heavy lifting, securing a modern workspace in a dedicated business centre, kitted it out with the latest tech, and ensured it was branded and personalised for them. Over the longer term, their assigned Partner Success Manager works alongside the team to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently.
Best-in-class security and support
It was incredibly important that Ykone security measures at home were mirrored in their new Bangalore space. This included NDAs, mandatory data security training for all new employees, and replicated IT protocols. Also, The Scalers’ Partner Success team made sure on-the-ground measures were introduced such as security guards operating round the clock, and electronic access cards issued for all members of staff.
Workation works wonders
In 2022, as a way to bring the whole team together who had been working separately during lockdowns, The Scalers helped Ykone host its first tech summit in Goa. This week-long workation was both a chance to discuss big picture ideas and little details that got lost during typical operations and also to bond as a team in an unforgettable location. The event was a roaring success and led to the team denoting before-Goa and after-Goa in how they operate. These training events and retreats are now a regular part of Ykone’s calendar.
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Lucky number seven
The team in Bangalore currently stands at seven engineers working across nine technologies, a Product Owner, Product Designer, and Senior Client Support Executive. The Scalers assigned a Chief Happiness Officer who makes sure all the team are continually engaged and aligned with Ykone’s global culture. And, the CEO and CTO continue to visit Bangalore regularly to discuss developments and new ideas with the offshore product team.
Elite influencer marketing platform
Fast forward to the present and Ykone’s flagship product is the world’s most advanced analytics platform for influencer marketing investment optimisation. Campaign was on the verge of having its plug pulled, but today it powers Ykone’s operations and the largest beauty and wellness brands in the world.
Award-winning success
Campayn’s transformation has played a critical role in Ykone receiving the Influencer Marketing Agency of the Year award three years in a row. Brands such as Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and Technogym rely on Campaygn to deliver results, and their dedicated product team continually delivers the software, which is now in its 3.0 iteration with bespoke customisations for large clients.
Ykone becomes a market leader
Ykone’s vision for Campaygn was that it would add tremendous value to their offering and drive the business to new heights. By building a world-class offshore development team to continually deliver the software, it has become reality. Campaygn is the cornerstone of their entire operation, which wouldn’t have been possible without The Scalers.
Long-term wins
Fully dedicated team committed to the product
Continual delivery of world-class flagship software
Ykone becomes a leader in its field
