Problem:
A food waste startup in Germany aimed to build a scalable digital platform to automatically match supply and demand. However, the CEO lacked the necessary knowledge to make an informed choice regarding the platform's development. Additionally, the startup didn't have the right internal resources to support the CEO in making this decision.
Solution:
We began by gathering internal and external requirements for the platform and simultaneously began recruiting a CTO/CPO to take over the project in phases. After collecting all requirements, we presented a financial analysis with four options: build the platform in-house, outsource to a supplier, a hybrid form of both, or acquire an existing platform and adapt it to the specs. The CEO and leadership team chose the hybrid option to avoid being solely dependent on an external supplier, and to develop proprietary IP for the platform.
Results:
With budget constraints, we advised the CEO to have the backend developed in Ukraine and the front-end in Vietnam to reduce costs and avoid dependence on a single supplier. We expanded the team in Germany with a project manager, architect, business testers, and product owner. The digital food waste platform is now live in 40% of European countries.