Verdova Case Study: Accelerating Agricultural Data Innovation

Problem

Founded in 2021 by a team of technologists, generational farmers, and agriculture experts, Verdova aimed to revolutionize data utilization in the agriculture sector. Co-Founder and CTO Max Feinberg envisioned empowering farmers to extract value from their data by selling it to partners across the food value chain and uncovering hidden insights. To rapidly launch to its first users, Verdova needed to expand its technical team. However, assembling a skilled and cohesive technical team for the startup proved to be a challenge.

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Challenges

Building a technical, distributed team is challenging for any company, but it is especially difficult for growing startups that require both technical proficiency and clear, consistent communication. "The shift to remote work was beneficial because it expanded hiring possibilities, but it also posed challenges since many people were still more accustomed to in-person work," said Feinberg. "I needed to build a team that not only understood the technical nuances of our project but also worked with the intuition and urgency required for effective remote collaboration."

Solution

Feinberg connected with Praveen Ghanta, Co-Founder and CEO of Fraction, a platform dedicated to connecting growing businesses with vetted, US-based senior experts in software, healthcare, finance, and marketing. Fraction was founded based on Ghanta’s personal experiences as a fractional developer and later as a founder who hired fractional talent, leading to a successful exit.

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Understanding Verdova’s growing pains firsthand, Fraction provided a structured approach to onboard Verdova's first fractional software developer, which included:

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1. Vetting and Onboarding: Fraction thoroughly reviewed the developer’s experience with remote and distributed teams and put the developer through Fraction’s proprietary screening to evaluate their real-time communication abilities.

2. Structured Setup: In addition to the fractional software developer, Verdova received support through Fraction’s built-in team structure, which included a dedicated Project Manager (PM). Fraction’s PM was instrumental in facilitating a smooth onboarding process and integrating the developer into the Verdova team. With these critical pieces in place, Verdova was able to quickly ramp up and begin working on essential projects.

3. Effective Collaboration: Establishing effective communication methods, such as asynchronous ticketing and weekly check-ins, allowed the team to collaborate efficiently. "The combination of structured support and clear communication channels made a significant difference in our ability to execute work swiftly and effectively," said Feinberg.

Results

Fraction's structured setup allowed the Verdova team to hit the ground running, rapidly expanding their project work with efficiency. By focusing on the pace of task completion rather than rigid deadlines, Verdova found a productive rhythm that continuously enhanced their development velocity. The team's seamless adaptation to remote work was made possible by the experience and structure provided by Fraction, ensuring effective collaboration and communication. As a result, Verdova onboarded another fractional developer and worked more closely with Fraction’s PM on board management and QA, expanding its fractional team to three.

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"Working with Fraction has been transformative for Verdova. Their structured approach and the quality of their vetted engineers have significantly improved our development velocity,” said Feinberg. “The way we have been able to achieve and continuously improve our pace is remarkable. Fraction feels like an extension of our team, providing the technical expertise and leadership we needed to grow."