THE CONTEXT

HopeTech is a startup with the goal of enhancing the quality of life for individuals with visual impairments through innovative haptic technology. HopeTech have developed wearable haptic devices that use vibrations and other sensory cues to convey information about the surrounding environment to users, enabling them to navigate and interact with the world around them more effectively.

After receiving funding, HopeTech's founder (Brian) brought the business over to Bristol from his home city of Nairobi. He had grand plans for the product and needed a team around him to help bring those plans to fruition. Being in a new country hiring for the first time, Brian was recommended to come to ISL.

“I had the pleasure of working with Freya, a highly-skilled talent and recruitment expert, who has been instrumental in the growth and success of my business. Freya's expertise in early-stage talent mapping, crafting effective job descriptions, and managing end-to-end recruitment has been invaluable, particularly for a startup like ours."

Brian Mwenda, CEO

Solutions

As a fledgling startup with a first-time founder, HopeTech needed help building its entire talent strategy from the ground up. As Brian only needed a handful of first hires, he chose base_down partnership with ISL.

With little prior experience in recruitment, Brian received all the support he needed to get his ideas onto paper and mapped out in a detailed hiring plan for us to execute.

Guided by Brian's ambitions and timescales, we worked out the feasibility of each role, designed job specifications, nailed down possible job titles and reward packages, drafted compelling adverts, and defined the assessment strategy.

Brian now employs two fantastic individuals who are bought in to HopeTech's mission; a Founder Assistant in Bristol and UX Researcher in Vienna.

The Results

While the end goal was achieved, HopeTech benefitted in several other ways:

Employer branding

Being an early-stage startup, HopeTech's employer branding was minimal at first. Understanding the story behind HopeTech's mission and values, we built them a solid and consistent employer brand. This included a bespoke microsite to capture interest from candidates and help tell the story of HopeTech. This, along with our co-branded outreach, meant that HopeTech received a high level of engagement and a strong talent pool to choose from.

Hands on support

Even after finding some brilliant profiles, it didn't stop there. Brian received coaching on interview best practices to make sure he was getting the most out of each interview and minimising bias. He appreciated having one of us sitting in on every interview, to guide the process and help him evaluate who was the right fit. Not to mention, it was great for the candidates too.

Long term trusted advisor

ISL's dedicated consultants acted as key pillars of support throughout HopeTech’s recruitment process, advising on market conditions and candidate motivations. Even though recruitment has stopped (for now), the support they receive hasn't. HopeTech continues to come to us as a trusted advisor on talent mapping, building an investor-ready people strategy, and further expansion plans.

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