Hierloom Case Study: Fractional Expertise with Full-Time Results

The Problem

Heirloom.Cloud, a cloud-based service specializing in digitizing photos and videos for online streaming and sharing, was looking to expand its platform’s capabilities. As a growing startup, they needed to scale their services and maintain a steady pace of feature development. However, they faced a few significant challenges:

• Technical Expertise: Heirloom required a partner with deep AWS expertise who was also US-based to ensure effective communication and time zone compatibility.

• Hands-On Leadership: Beyond strategic guidance, they needed someone who could tackle immediate technical issues, lead the development team, and align the team with the long-term vision.

• Streaming Issues: Addressing customer issues related to streaming resolution was critical to ensuring a seamless user experience.

The Solution

Heirloom.Cloud engaged Fraction for its experience in sourcing and vetting elite US-based talent at a capital efficient cost.

“When we started the search for a technical partner, we needed someone with AWS expertise, but also US-based,” said co-founder and CTO John Rahaghi. “We wanted to work with a resource on the East Coast for time zone compatibility and effective communication.”

Through Fraction, Heirloom onboarded Jeremy King, a seasoned CTO with over 20 years of technical leadership experience and expertise in AWS. King quickly integrated into the Heirloom team, getting up to speed on their technical and strategic needs.

King took on a multifaceted role, addressing immediate technical challenges, leading the development team through weekly sprints, and contributing to the long-term architectural vision.

The Results

Technical Improvements: King swiftly resolved Heirloom’s biggest customer issue—streaming resolution. His solution led to a dramatic reduction in customer complaints, virtually eliminating concerns about streaming quality.

Strategic and Operational Benefits: King’s leadership was instrumental in shaping Heirloom’s future architecture. He ensured that the platform could support ongoing feature development and scale to accommodate user growth. His effective communication and leadership aligned the development team with the company’s broader vision.

Fractional, but Felt Full-Time: King’s deep involvement and seamless integration made it feel like Heirloom had a full-time, highly skilled technical partner. This fractional partnership provided significant value, enabling Heirloom to progress toward its goal of making cloud-based data preservation easily accessible.

“Working with Fraction, particularly with Jeremy, has been transformative for Heirloom,” said John Rahaghi, co-founder and CTO. “His ability to quickly grasp our needs and deliver results has been invaluable. The improvements in streaming and the strategic guidance have put us in a much better position. We couldn’t be happier with the collaboration.”