OFFSHORE CASE STUDY

How Rondah built its core engineering team entirely
from Pakistan

How Rondah built its core engineering team entirely
from Pakistan

How Rondah built its core engineering team entirely
from Pakistan

From Techstars pre-seed to 300+ dental practices. Six engineers. Two and a half years. One partnership that’s still going.

From Techstars pre-seed to 300+ dental practices. Six engineers. Two and a half years. One partnership that’s still going.

Rondah co-founders Burhan Syed, Allan Svirsky and Mohammed Mian

Burhan Syed, Allan Svirsky and Mohammed Mian, co-founders of Rondah

Relationship

Relationship

2.5+ years

2.5+ years

Engineers placed

Engineers placed

6

6

Capital raised

Capital raised

$3.5M

$3.5M

Sector

Sector

AI · Healthcare

AI · Healthcare

ABOUT RONDAH

Rondah builds AI receptionists for Dental Service Organizations, the PE-backed groups that operate hundreds of dental practices across North America. Their agents answer every patient call, schedule appointments, handle insurance queries, and update practice management systems in real time, around the clock.

The company was co-founded by Burhan Syed, Allan Svirsky, and Mohammed Mian, three longtime friends who grew up working in Allan’s family dental practices. They watched the front desk chaos firsthand. Phones ringing nonstop, staff stretched thin, patients falling through the cracks. They built Rondah to fix it from the ground up.

Backed by: Techstars 2024 · 2048 Ventures · Twelve Below

Today: $3.5M raised · 300+ practices across the US and Canada

THE CHALLENGE

Their first engineering hire had to be exceptional. Not just good.

Their first engineering hire had to be exceptional. Not just good.

Their first engineering hire had to be exceptional. Not just good.

Rondah engaged Taraki shortly after closing their Techstars-backed pre-seed round. The company had three co-founders, all technical, all building at a pace that demanded more hands.

Rondah engaged Taraki shortly after closing their Techstars-backed pre-seed round. The company had three co-founders, all technical, all building at a pace that demanded more hands.

Their ask was specific. They didn’t want a contractor or a typical offshore resource. They wanted someone who would function as a founding team member, sit in product calls, and take complete ownership of the product.

Their ask was specific. They didn’t want a contractor or a typical offshore resource. They wanted someone who would function as a founding team member, sit in product calls, and take complete ownership of the product.

“We weren’t looking for someone to close tickets. We needed a builder who could sit in product conversations, push back when they saw something off, and treat what we’re building as their own.”

“We weren’t looking for someone to close tickets. We needed a builder who could sit in product conversations, push back when they saw something off, and treat what we’re building as their own.”

Burhan Syed, CEO

Underneath the brief was an unspoken test. The founders wanted to know whether Pakistani talent could match what they would hire in San Francisco. The answer to that question would shape every decision they made about offshore hiring from that point forward.

Underneath the brief was an unspoken test. The founders wanted to know whether Pakistani talent could match what they would hire in San Francisco. The answer to that question would shape every decision they made about offshore hiring from that point forward.

THE FIRST HIRE

How we made the first hire

How we made the first hire

How we made the first hire

We started by listening, then sourced against a sharper brief than the role required. Our discovery call went deeper than most. We understood how the founders communicated, how responsibility moved day to day, what growth trajectory they envisioned and what had worked in previous working relationships.

We started by listening, then sourced against a sharper brief than the role required. Our discovery call went deeper than most. We understood how the founders communicated, how responsibility moved day to day, what growth trajectory they envisioned and what had worked in previous working relationships.

One framing came out of that conversation and shaped the entire process.

One framing came out of that conversation and shaped the entire process.

They wanted engineers who behave like product owners. Not ticket-closers. Not remote contractors. Builders who take initiative.

They wanted engineers who behave like product owners. Not ticket-closers. Not remote contractors. Builders who take initiative.

From there:

From there:

1

Sourcing

Sourcing

We went into our talent pool specifically against the product-owner profile. AI engineering background required. Strong English communication is non-negotiable.

2

Pre-screen

Pre-screen

We ran our own technical and behavioral screen before any candidate met Rondah.

3

Their interview process

Their interview process

Technical screen with the CTO, then a product and culture conversation with the CEO.

4

Close

Close

We managed the offer stage end-to-end.

First hire placed: ~1 month from kickoff.

First hire placed: ~1 month from kickoff.

THE RELATIONSHIP

How the relationship grew

How the relationship grew

How the relationship grew

That first hire worked. It took over a month to close, but it reset expectations. Rondah came back for a second engineer, then a third. By the sixth hire, placements were closing in two to three weeks.

That first hire worked. It took over a month to close, but it reset expectations. Rondah came back for a second engineer, then a third. By the sixth hire, placements were closing in two to three weeks.

Hire 1

Over a month

Over a month

Hire 6

2 to 3 weeks

2 to 3 weeks

The subsequent hires moved so much faster because we already knew what worked at Rondah. Not on paper but in practice. We knew how the founders gave feedback, what tripped people up in their first month, which technical strengths translated and which didn’t. Each new placement was calibrated against a real, working example.

The subsequent hires moved so much faster because we already knew what worked at Rondah. Not on paper but in practice. We knew how the founders gave feedback, what tripped people up in their first month, which technical strengths translated and which didn’t. Each new placement was calibrated against a real, working example.

What changed between hire one and hire six

The bar didn’t change, our ability to read the signal did. We stopped guessing what a Rondah engineer looked like and started recognizing one.

The bar didn’t change, our ability to read the signal did. We stopped guessing what a Rondah engineer looked like and started recognizing one.

RONDAH’S GROWTH ALONGSIDE THE TEAM

The Pakistan team isn’t adjacent to Rondah’s growth. It’s a load-bearing part of it.

The Pakistan team isn’t adjacent to Rondah’s growth. It’s a load-bearing part of it.

The Pakistan team isn’t adjacent to Rondah’s growth. It’s a load-bearing part of it.

Two and a half years on, the partnership is still active. The six engineers have shipped across the product surface area, owned core systems, and freed the founders to focus on customers, fundraising, and expansion.

Two and a half years on, the partnership is still active. The six engineers have shipped across the product surface area, owned core systems, and freed the founders to focus on customers, fundraising, and expansion.

300+

300+

practices across North America

practices across North America

3

3

cities

cities

$3.5M

$3.5M

pre-seed

pre-seed

100%

100%

offshore retention

offshore retention

That stability isn’t a coincidence. It’s what happens when you hire people who were embedded from day one, not bolted on as contractors.

That stability isn’t a coincidence. It’s what happens when you hire people who were embedded from day one, not bolted on as contractors.

IN THEIR WORDS

“Finding engineers who think like founders is hard. Taraki didn’t just find us engineers, they found us builders. Two and a half years later, they’re still core to everything we ship.”

“Finding engineers who think like founders is hard. Taraki didn’t just find us engineers, they found us builders. Two and a half years later, they’re still core to everything we ship.”

“Finding engineers who think like founders is hard. Taraki didn’t just find us engineers, they found us builders. Two and a half years later, they’re still core to everything we ship.”

Burhan Syed, CEO and Co-Founder of Rondah

Burhan Syed

CEO & Co-Founder, Rondah

Bg Line

Hiring your founding engineers from Pakistan?

We help early-stage founders build engineering teams that grow with them.

Book a 20-minute intro call

Bg Line

Hiring your founding engineers from Pakistan?

We help early-stage founders build engineering teams that grow with them.

Book a 20-minute intro call

Bg Line

Hiring your founding engineers from Pakistan?

We help early-stage founders build engineering teams that grow with them.

Book a 20-minute intro call