"Working with Fraction has been transformative for Verdova. Their structured approach and the quality of their vetted engineers have significantly improved our development velocity"
Accelerating Agricultural Data Innovation: Driving Velocity through Team Integration and Growth with Fraction
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.
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."
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.
Understanding Verdova’s growing pains firsthand, Fraction provided a structured approach to onboard Verdova's first fractional software developer, which included:
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.
"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."
