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Launch HN: Astro (YC W21) – Build your own dev teams in Latin America

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Re: Launch HN: Astro (YC W21) – Build your own dev teams in Latin America

#11

Post by bberenberg »

Seems cool. How much coaching do you have for US companies to better understand the team's local culture issues?

For example, I worked with teams in Brazil in the past and while they were smart, kind, etc they were slow in every sense of the word. They didn't have the US culture of respond quickly, unblock people, get shit done, etc. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, in fact working slower may be a benefit, but the US company needs to understand this as they establish the relationship.

Your pricing makes sense, but I would like to understand some kind of ballpark numbers based on role title. Can you share that?

Re: Launch HN: Astro (YC W21) – Build your own dev teams in Latin America

#12

Post by jacsamira »

Marcelovk wrote: post #9

I think that this is a fantastic idea. Before the pandemic, all the good software development jobs were attached to big cities, and hardly any company accepted remote work. What would happen in many instances, is that companies from outside latam would pay a lot for relocating them (and their families) to other countries, commonly to US, Canada, Spain, Germany and UK - however a portion of those devs come back becaus…

Yes, we couldn't agree more! People shouldn't have to uproot their life. My mom moved half-way around the world for work and building a family away from your family, while professionally necessary, was very hard on her and us. In today's modern society, it's simply not necessary anymore.

And to answer your question, top tech companies aren't usually price sensitive and are willing to pay for top talent. Because of our transparency in our fees, everyone knows what everyone is making and it's the developer who sets their own rate.

Re: Launch HN: Astro (YC W21) – Build your own dev teams in Latin America

#13

Post by jacsamira »

bberenberg wrote: post #11

Seems cool. How much coaching do you have for US companies to better understand the team's local culture issues? For example, I worked with teams in Brazil in the past and while they were smart, kind, etc they were slow in every sense of the word. They didn't have the US culture of respond quickly, unblock people, get shit done, etc. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, in fact working slower may be a benefit, but the…

We work very closely with our devs and US partners. We have intermediaries to help with these cultural blockers. We believe it's never a technical bar that are misses, but a cultural one. We've designed our entire support system around this to help both our US companies and our LATAM devs. And our support system aren't 20 year old CS reps with no knowledge of anything, our support system are seasoned Engineering Managers with former experience working on US teams and local to our LATAM offices.

Re: Launch HN: Astro (YC W21) – Build your own dev teams in Latin America

#14

Post by samstave »

Looking at your screenshots, suggest you provide definitions...

You have a screen: https://i.imgur.com/dRVwqZ2.png

What if a profile doesn't match that?

--

When looking for a "scrum master" How am I to then evaluate who ends up in said bucket... but If I select a bucket, how can I be known to the guy who heavily sides on scrum master (in your bucket) but they are really a talented [OTHER] bucket that doesnt show up with my check-box clicks?

Re: Launch HN: Astro (YC W21) – Build your own dev teams in Latin America

#15

Post by jacsamira »

bberenberg wrote: post #11

Seems cool. How much coaching do you have for US companies to better understand the team's local culture issues? For example, I worked with teams in Brazil in the past and while they were smart, kind, etc they were slow in every sense of the word. They didn't have the US culture of respond quickly, unblock people, get shit done, etc. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, in fact working slower may be a benefit, but the…

Pricing-wise, I'd say our all-in fees on a per dev basis are comparable to a developer's salary here in the US, but our fees are inclusive of benefits, tech, offices, etc... and the US salary is not.

Re: Launch HN: Astro (YC W21) – Build your own dev teams in Latin America

#16

Post by FrankLicea »

Marcelovk wrote: post #9

I think that this is a fantastic idea. Before the pandemic, all the good software development jobs were attached to big cities, and hardly any company accepted remote work. What would happen in many instances, is that companies from outside latam would pay a lot for relocating them (and their families) to other countries, commonly to US, Canada, Spain, Germany and UK - however a portion of those devs come back becaus…

Sure, because we're not a consulting agency, Astro is designed for teams that know finding good talent wherever they are located is a real risk to growth. Typically these kinds of companies are true technology companies and know the value of good people, so they often pay above market rates whenever they find the right person.

These kinds of companies don't typically use Thoughworks to develop their own product, but are willing to accept international logistical help to find and manage their own teammates.

Re: Launch HN: Astro (YC W21) – Build your own dev teams in Latin America

#17

Post by FrankLicea »

samstave wrote: post #14

Looking at your screenshots, suggest you provide definitions... You have a screen: https://i.imgur.com/dRVwqZ2.png What if a profile doesn't match that? -- When looking for a "scrum master" How am I to then evaluate who ends up in said bucket... but If I select a bucket, how can I be known to the guy who heavily sides on scrum master (in your bucket) but they are really a talented [OTHER] bucket that doesnt show up w…

Thanks for the feedback! Yes good catch. We chose the roles we see most often requested, but when you scroll a little further down, you'd see a field where you can just type the role you're looking for! Thanks!

Re: Launch HN: Astro (YC W21) – Build your own dev teams in Latin America

#18

Post by setgree »

This seems like a great idea and I’m glad to see you working on it!

Just curious, of all the ways you might get this off the ground, what tipped the scales in favor of VC funding? Personally, it’s hard for me to imagine this becoming a Reddit-sized operation (perhaps I lack imagination) and really easy to imagine your funders pushing you to pivot when you’re not growing 10X YoY or whatever.

Did you think about incorporating as a non-profit?

Re: Launch HN: Astro (YC W21) – Build your own dev teams in Latin America

#19

Post by jeanlucas »

FrankLicea wrote: post #10
jeanlucas wrote: post #7

Sr dev from Brazil, was a hiring and devrel for a (good) software house that hired a lot in Latin America. How does this differ from companies like remote.com? Does it work in Brazil? Will you focus on "teaching" companies that it is OK to hire in Latin America? I feel that besides payment the biggest struggles are: * Trust - the distrust was clear about several things from people "disappearing" to legal fears of hir…

We actually do everything that remote does plus a few other things: We have local fulfillment teams that can actually do things on the ground like help with local recruiting, finding meaningful local benefits, provide local equipment like Macbooks, Airpods, even treat teams to local team building events, etc. Our best shot at convincing companies to use us is to point to the large engineering departments that are alr…

I see, I think you will have to spend a lot of energy on creating that trust to make them want to hire before they are convinced to use your platform. Otherwise they won't be interested in just using it.

Or... They will already have developers in Latin America and already have a solution to hiring here overall.

Re: Launch HN: Astro (YC W21) – Build your own dev teams in Latin America

#20

Post by jacsamira »

setgree wrote: post #18

This seems like a great idea and I’m glad to see you working on it! Just curious, of all the ways you might get this off the ground, what tipped the scales in favor of VC funding? Personally, it’s hard for me to imagine this becoming a Reddit-sized operation (perhaps I lack imagination) and really easy to imagine your funders pushing you to pivot when you’re not growing 10X YoY or whatever. Did you think about incorp…

Thanks so much! We grew like crazy last year (over 400%). Do I think we can do the same this year, not sure, but definitely 100 times again this year and 100 times again next year.

The company is only as big as the need for employing great devs worldwide. We may not be a consumer known product, but we hope to help lots of companies and devs for many years to come! Also, we've been very careful to not give up control so the company would never be forced into pivoting against our mission!

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