How Olby Helped Benepass Hire Top Talent Globally

Benepass is a platform to flexibly distribute benefits and non-salary compensation globally. With a card + mobile app, Benepass consolidates multiple perks into a single platform, making benefits intuitive and easy to use. Founded in 2019 by Jaclyn Chen, Kabir Soorya, and Mark Fischer, the company is headquartered in New York, United States, and serves companies such as Bright Health, Wix, Jamf, and Mural. 

Olby played a pivotal role in establishing and expanding Benepass's dedicated team of software engineers and designers in Brazil. This partnership significantly contributed to Benepass's streamlined expansion, enabling the company to deliver products to leading companies successfully.

The beginning of a great partnership

Benepass came to Olby's attention through a referral from a VC. When Olby initiated a partnership with Benepass, the company was in its early stages and did not yet have a dedicated technology team. In fact, the co-founders themselves were developing the product, and at this moment, Olby entered the scene. By adding a Brazilian talent to the tech team, the company's engineering department began to gain more structure.

“It has set the tone for the team at Benepass. As we [later] hired in the US and Canada, our team, including the originals from Olby, set a high standard for engineering and product excellence.”

Rachel Smedley, Chief of Staff at Benepass

Challenges of growing up cultivating a strong culture 

Growing a team without compromising the company's culture in a global environment posed a significant challenge. However, with a strong desire to foster a robust culture, the assistance of Olby, and a keen focus on the benefits of remote work, Benepass managed to thrive in harmony.

 "Finding people that communicate well in a fully remote environment is challenging," Rachel emphasized. "And I would say, as a startup, we don't have official levels or a very rigid titling structure. And so we are hiring to fill specific needs of the business as they arise." she continued. 

Today, Benepass has a team of 39 individuals, with 14 of them working in the tech department, including four professionals who came from Olby, each employed under different contractual structures. Some have direct ties to Benepass, while others fit the staff augmentation profile, highlighting the flexibility of partnering with Olby.

"Knowing that the quality of professional engineers and product designers was always so high, we felt very good about bringing on more talent from Olby. And then we also really liked the fact that everybody already knew each other because they knew how to communicate and work together, and that just really promotes a good culture", Rachel said.

“My advice to a startup that's considering working with Olby is just to get in touch and talk about what your thoughts are and see what flexible arrangements can be made”.

Rachel Smedley, Chief of Staff at Benepass

Sustaining success beyond hiring

Moreover, at Olby, the partnership doesn't end once a talent signs a contract. With regular check-ins to assess how the talent and the company interact, Olby strives to ensure that both employee and employer adapt and forge a lasting connection. "The Olby team is very responsive, transparent, and understanding. When there are concerns, Olby's team responded very fast, which was great.", Rachel said.

“Without Olby, the opportunity wouldn't exist. I greatly value my autonomy at Benepass, and I see Olby as a facilitator bridging the gap between talent and the company.”

Henrique Salvaro, Staff Software Engineer at Benepass

In essence, the strong partnership between Olby and Benepass isn't just about hiring talent; it's about sharing values and principles, which enriches our relationship and reinforces our commitment to innovation, excellence, and continued success.