Nokkel's Story

Helping a London Fintech / Proptech start up go from zero to 19 people in 2 years. 

Nokkel

Mission: Empowering homeowners and buyers to unlock property potential.  

Nokkel are a Fintech / Proptech who are partnered with FNZ. They have built a SaaS platform that intelligently consolidates property data, supports user engagement, and connects property-related opportunities with financial solutions.

We were recommended to the founders at the beginning of 2022, to help grow a brand-new London based start-up. Fresh from a round of funding, they already had a proof of concept app and a roadmap and now they needed to build a full team to make their platform a reality.

This was our first time hiring for hybrid roles in London and it came during the post covid software hiring boom. We knew we could help build a tech start up because we had done it before, but the London hiring market is very, very competitive so we knew it would be hard. Nokkel needed us to take care of everything recruitment related whilst they concentrated on building their platform and company. 

Journey from start up to fully fledged team. 

We started in earnest in Feb 2022, with nothing but a 2 year plan and some great ideas on the culture we would like to build. The first challenge was to find Software Engineers who could work with a really challenging tech stack and were happy to work hybrid in a London office. There was no collateral, systems and processes in place and no one knew who Nokkel were. 

The service was focussed on using the best tools for the job then building the employee brand from day one, We set up all the tools, processes, and collateral, adjusting as we grew to make everything as slick as possible.

We were heavily involved every step of the way. We advised on every role and led the entire talent acquisition process. From what skills and personality we might need, to the best way to recruit, remuneration strategy for the key hires we worked hard to secure the very best people. 

We wrote all of the content, we were responsive to questions, and were quick to hire to make sure we didn't miss out on the people we wanted.

Everyone in the process, applicants and hiring managers, received all the information upfront and we kept everyone informed of developments as they happened. People told us that the process was enjoyable and different from what they had encountered before. They felt well prepared for interview, had the info they required and knew what to expect at every step. They also really appreciated the feedback at each stage! 

The Nokkel Team:

Head of Product, Project Director, Software Engineering Manager, Senior Product Managers, Senior Product Designers, Lead & Principal Data Scientists, Software Engineers (all levels), Social Media Exec.   

 

What we all achieved.

By the end of the 2nd year we had found every hire in perhaps the most challenging market conditions.

Across 2 years we hired a 19 person SaaS Product team in London with no external agency help. Nokkel had their platform up and running. The hiring plan was complete and the stage was set for the further development of their platform.  

Geoff, the CTO best summed up how things went during the 2 years. 

“I cannot recommend Conga highly enough. Gemma and Nick built my whole team across Product, Design, Engineering and Data Science. They found excellent candidates in challenging markets. They interpreted my hiring needs and filtered candidates with such expertise that I rarely met with a bad prospect whilst never feeling like I was missing out. They represented the company to prospective hires so well, plus gave such insightful suggestions on compensation packages, that we rarely had an offer rejected.

Thank you!”  Geoff Lay, CTO, Nokkel. 

 

Contact us to find out more

"Conga played an instrumental role in supporting our accelerated growth plan. They were proficient in both sourcing and filtering candidates, and importantly fully immersed themselves into our business - acting as an extension of the Nokkel team. Nick and Gemma form an exceptional team and I’d highly recommend to anyone looking for hiring solutions" -  Roland, CEO and Founder.   

 

 

Testimonials

Trust our clients

  • You have transformed our recruitment process. We've had so much positive feedback on it since we started working with you.
    Andrew Lyle, CEO and Founder
    Locogen
  • Working with Gemma and Nick (Conga Group) has been, and continuous to be, a fantastic experience. Our partnership started back in February 2022 and there has been no occasion where they haven’t delivered what we have asked. Our main roles include the Software Development and Product side, but they have even been able to help us find some really complex and niche roles like a Head of Geomatics in Qatar with a very long list of essential criteria. They take the time to understand our business, our culture, and the specific needs we look for in our new team members. We consider them an extension of Cyberhawk Talent Acquisition team and have full trust of them representing our business and branding. The process has always been smooth, efficient, and professional; and the candidates they’ve introduced to us have been consistently meeting our standards. Thanks to their support, we’ve been able to bring in great talent that has made a real impact on our team. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to find tech expertise for their company, and even outside the Software function.
    Helena Ferrer, HR Business Partner
    Cyberhawk
  • Conga played an instrumental role in supporting our accelerated growth plan. They were proficient in both sourcing and filtering candidates, and importantly fully immersed themselves into our business - acting as an extension of the Nokkel team. Nick and Gemma form an exceptional team and I’d highly recommend to anyone looking for hiring solutions.
    Roland White, CEO and Founder
    Nokkel
  • We first chose Conga because we felt they really listened, understood our needs and brought lots of good ideas that aligned with our thoughts, views and values. Conga instantly became trusted members of the team, helping us set the tone for what our culture would become. Their collaborative style, person centric approach and dedication to finding solutions has meant we were able to build a diverse, remote team through a pandemic. They have Exizent's interests at heart and the feedback we get from everyone has been through our process is fantastic!
    Nick Cousins, Founder
    Exizent
  • Conga have consistently delivered this year against very difficult permanent roles including: software engineering, sales, marketing, customer success, UX/UI and service design and BAs during a pandemic and without us needing any external agency help. They bring ideas and energy to every role and we trust them to represent Exizent honestly and with integrity. Their help and advice is well thought out, they are flexible, adaptable and always available, going over and above what we expected. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to find people for their technology business.
    Aleks Tomczyk, Founder
    Exizent