Hiring us vs hiring an in-house engineer
A senior engineer in London is $100k+ and 3 months to hire. Here's the math.
50% on kickoff, 50% on delivery · 30 days of free revisions · you own the code
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Why we wrote this. We ship work like this ourselves — not as a reseller or a marketplace. The timelines, deliverables, and price bands below come from real engagements we've run end-to-end at Smartly Built Ventures Limited (trading as Vibed Ventures).
Who this is for
- Founders with a hiring approval but no time to recruit
- Heads of product weighing contractor vs FTE
- Anyone who keeps losing offers to FAANG
What you get
- True cost of a senior hire (salary + employer NI + equity + tools)
- Time to first shipped feature: contractor vs FTE
- When in-house genuinely wins (after PMF, mostly)
- How to transition from us to your first hire cleanly
Dig deeper
Frequently asked
When should we make our first hire?
Usually after PMF, when the roadmap is steady enough that one person can own it. Before that, contracting is often cheaper and faster.
Will you help us hire?
Yes — we'll do a tech-screen call with your finalists for free if you've worked with us. Honest assessment, no kickbacks.
What happens next
- Step 1Tell us the problem60 seconds in the /solve box. You don't need a brief.
- Step 2Get a tailored reportROI, build plan and a rough price band — emailed to you.
- Step 3Book a 25-min callWe talk it through honestly. If it's not for us, we'll say so.
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