Outsentia Client Stories

From four people to eighteen in a year, in a new office in Islamabad, without replacing anyone in the US.

The situation

A US primary research firm was growing revenue fast. To keep up, it needed more people in research operations (sector analysts supporting its reports) and in compliance. Hiring locally took two to three months per person and cost far more, and the growth was happening now.

What Outsentia did

We set up a team for the firm in Islamabad. Outsentia recruits and runs the interviews, the firm joins the final interviews and makes the hiring decision with our input. The team reports directly to the US company and we manage it locally, from our office, with HR and payroll handled by us. It started with sector analysts and a compliance team, at 70% below US rates for the same talent. As the firm grew, we hired its full-stack engineering team, front end and back end, which built the firm’s internal client portal. The next hires are AI automation specialists, who automate functions inside the business.

The result

The team went from 4 people to 18 in 12 months. Nobody in the US was replaced: this was growth, a new office in a new country. The firm chose Outsentia for the partners’ domain knowledge and for having the team in an office rather than at home. Estimated annual saving against US hiring: $2.2 million.

A compliance and legal team in Islamabad, reporting to the Head of Compliance in the US, built one hire at a time.

The situation

Every engagement at the firm passes through compliance and legal review before it runs. As revenue grew through 2025, the review work grew with it, and each US hire took two to three months to land.

What Outsentia did

In June 2025 we placed the first Compliance and Legal Associate in Islamabad, alongside the first sector analysts. A second associate joined in November 2025 and a third in April 2026. Each was recruited and screened by Outsentia, interviewed by the firm, and hired on the firm’s decision. The team reports to the firm’s Head of Compliance in the US and is managed day to day by us, from our office. Client data stays in the firm’s own systems.

The result

Compliance moved from a US bottleneck to a three-person team in Islamabad at 70% below US rates. A fourth hire is in interviews, and the same team now shares compliance work with a second company the founders have started.

A new survey platform, staffed from zero to a full product team in Islamabad in six months.

The situation

In March 2026 the founders of an existing client started a second company to run surveys and build panels of senior decision makers for investment research. It had a founder, a plan and no staff. It needed engineers to build the platform, then people to build the panels and run day-to-day operations.

What Outsentia did

We wrote the first team plan with the founders, then ran the searches. The first full-stack engineer was interviewed by Outsentia, by the client’s lead engineer and by both founders, and was offered in the first week of April. Three more hires followed by June. In September the founders chose a Product Manager, a lead AI product engineer from a UK fintech, after our screening, a technical interview, a US interview and an in-person round in our office. An Operations Manager signed the same week for an October start. Outsentia handles HR, payroll, equipment and the office. The team sits alongside the founders’ other team, with the separation between the two companies that the founders asked for.

The result

Engineers, a product manager and an operations manager in place by October 2026, all in Islamabad, none hired in the US. A daily check-in with our client manager keeps the founders in the loop.

From one analyst in January to a seventeen-person delivery team by August.

The situation

A US research and insights firm needed more capacity for outreach and project delivery, with coverage outside US hours, and did not want to hire it at home.

What Outsentia did

In January 2026 we proposed a client delivery team in Pakistan. The agreement was signed on January 8, the first research analyst started on January 12, and outreach associates started in February. Our client manager ran onboarding and a weekly performance call with the firm’s delivery leads. In June the firm made 12 offers and 8 hires in a single round, and we placed a Lead for Pakistan Operations so the team had a senior owner on the ground. Through the summer the team added a project delivery group of senior associates, analysts and associates, plus administrative support.

The result

Seventeen people by August 2026: research, outreach, administration, project delivery and an operations lead, working US hours from our office, all under one agreement that was amended as the team grew.