Partner Article

700% explosive growth for Cloud Employee this year

London and Philippines based technology startup Cloud Employee has reported record growth this year and expects further expansion in 2016.

The company specialises in providing managed facilities and English-speaking IT professionals based in the Philippines, supporting UK firms, especially startups and SMEs, and has reported its client base has risen by 733%. Company revenue has increased 900%, from £10,000 a month to in excess of 100,000 per month.

The team has tapped into an ever-growing need for developers and IT staff, driven by the ongoing UK skills shortage1. Nick Hargreaves and Seb Hall founded Cloud Employee in 2013 after hearing complaints from many of their colleagues in tech companies about difficulties in finding and retaining staff.

“Tech is booming in the UK and before we started there was no reliable offshore solution for tech startups or SMEs looking to hire between one and five staff,” said Cloud Employee founder, Seb Hall.

“By providing UK/US managed offices in the Philippines, we are bridging the gap, giving companies access to a growing talent pool. This enables them to grow while reducing the risk. For many, we have become their strategic partner.”

Many British firms that otherwise might have struggled due to lack of skilled staff have been able to thrive. Venture-funded London startup Qudini has tripled its in-house team since working with Cloud Employee, going on to win large contracts in the UK and US, while Hartlepool-based Property Webmasters said that it would have had to relocate if its skills requirements had not been met.

“It is a big step for a company like ours to look outside rather than employ from within the UK and a certain amount of risk; communication, ability and cost,” said Property Webmasters’ Director Jamie Arthur.

“Cloud Employee took away that risk. Their Manila operations are British-managed and didn’t demand a long term commitment - so I tried them out for two months. That was a year ago, and I haven’t looked back,” he added.

Client retention is also very high, at 87.5%, with many customers moving from a project to a retained basis. And unlike traditional outsourcing, Cloud Employee offers a dedicated staffing model with zero cost in setting up. This allows customers to pick and choose who will be working with them when growing their team.

“There’s no shortage of good business ideas in Britain, but the tech space is outpacing the tech workforce. We are filling that skills gap and enabling firms to thrive and grow,” added Seb Hall.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Cloud Employee .