Nelly had spent several months interviewing candidates for their AI engineering team with little to show for it. As product velocity slowed, the cost of not hiring became increasingly visible. They needed a senior AI engineer with strong ownership, technical depth, and the ability to operate in a fast-moving startup environment but inbound channels were exhausted, and the team had limited internal capacity for proactive sourcing. Continuing down the same path meant more interviews, more time lost, and no guarantee of progress.

Partnering with OQ allowed Nelly to shift from a traditional, inbound-led process to a network-first search model. Instead of casting a wide net, we focused exclusively on proven A-players from our existing network – senior AI engineers we already knew could perform in high-velocity, high-ownership environments. Every candidate was vetted not just for technical excellence, but for startup mindset, leadership potential, and the ability to take responsibility end-to-end. This approach prioritised precision over volume and speed without compromising quality.

• Clear technical direction for AI initiatives
• Strong leadership for a growing engineering function
• Immediate impact on execution speed and decision-making