The story of Notchup and the mission to change the future of work – An interview with the co-founder & CRO, Prakash Pilley

Tapping into an ever-changing market to do something quite unique and out-of-the-box is not an easy task. And again, while the idea is always there, it takes immense determination and courage to venture into the unknown.  

Notchup is one such start-up which is creating waves in the tech talent market in the past couple of years.  

In our conversation with Prakash Pilley, co-founder and CEO of Notchup, we unravel the reason behind the creation of Notchup. And, when we are at it, we also try to understand the motivation and the driving force behind his futuristic goals.  

Prakash, can you tell us how it all started and how you met your co-founder?    

"We were introduced by a mutual friend in 2008/2009 when we went on a trip together. The meeting was nothing to do with start-ups or new ventures. The idea of Innovify, our first venture, started taking shape in 2011 when we were operating in stealth mode to identify the challenges and possibilities. And in 2013, Maulik and I started giving shape to our ideas with Innovify and went on full-time to take it to the next level.  

Have you always worked within the tech industry?

Even before Innovify or Notchup, my background was in technology. I have worked with organizations like Vodafone, HSBC, and so on, and I have been managing global teams- from India, Europe, the USA, etc.    

So, Maulik and I have something in common other than our India connections. We have both worked in technology and product management and have experienced how resources burn out in time and the number of resources that goes into each project. We have also seen how a lot of time and energy comes into the picture when looking to deploy specific resources. That is when we identified the loopholes to arrive at the idea of Innovify.  

With Innovify, we worked with companies such as Landbay, Brickowner, and many more. We have seen these companies, which we have hand-held to see them reach where they are today, and still going strong. And when working with them, we realized the potential for a platform where the start-ups can come and deploy a team very efficiently. That can save time and effort spent on deploying resources for each project.  

What was the problem you wanted to solve?

I would like to first talk about the problems and then the solution that Notchup wants to deliver:  

The problem:  

Start-up and scale-up founders struggle to hire a perfect team of top-class and the right technical experts to succeed. Everyone wants the best, and that's understandable in a scenario where you have something to prove in the competitive market. They want their deliverables on time and gilt-wrapped to perfection.  

The solution:  

So, we wanted to build a platform to invite teams from across the globe. With self-organizing teams, we believe it's possible to work synchronously to achieve the desired results.  

It is because, as a self-formed team, you do not need to instil work culture or give them ideas on teamwork. They already have the experience of working together as a team. The teams also come with technical expertise to take on the challenges of a particular project and bring with them the advantage of experience. And the anywhere, anytime work culture throws an entirely different light on deploying tech resources to projects.    

What motivated you to start Notchup?

There were two primary motivations behind the inception of Notchup:

Motivations:  

1. From the talent angle: There are a lot of discrepancies in salaries when it comes to technical talents from different parts of the world. We aim to raise the bar and come up with a goal of a pay structure that will depend upon deliverables and not on geographical locations. That can bring equality in the pay structure that is not there at present. Talents have much to deliver, so the goal is to bring skill sets as determining factors.  

2. Another motivation is working from anywhere, any place, to achieve a work-life balance.  

Our fix:  

1. Compensation based on deliverables is a pipe dream. It may take some years before we get to it. However, we have taken the following steps towards achieving our goal. Sometimes, even with enough funds, organizations hesitate to spend them on resources. We are planning to take one step at a time.  

Notchup plans to enter the Web3 space to induce talents to take equal responsibilities for the deliverables. With Web3 and the introduction of tokens, the perspectives might change.  

2. Again here, Notchup helps the company build tech teams anywhere, anytime. So, we are almost already there regarding our second motivation.

What is your advice to companies who want to build a remote-first company?  

My advice to the start-ups and scaleups is to look into the cash flow. Instead of spending on aspects that may not bring results, go slow initially. For instance, try working out remotely by deploying global teams to get the deliverables on time. So, rather than spending on large office spaces or bringing resources from far and wide and spending on travel, remote working can cut costs.  

You can continually expand and worry about putting up an office space at a later date when you have raised the next round of funding or you have enough clients on hand to think about expansions.

What is your advice to companies who want to build global tech teams?

As an organization trying to build global tech teams, they need to think about the following:  

• Establishing effective communication among employees working from different parts of the globe. We can always figure out the ‘how’, ‘when’ and ‘where’. Also, if there is a need for face-to-face communication, you can always meet up in a common place to interact. We want teams to commit to work.  
• Managing time-zone differences and ensuring everyone respects it.

• Tools – There is a need to enable remote working efficiently. The cloud-based tools are making it much easier for teams to communicate and work easily across borders.  

How do you see the journey ahead for Notchup? 

We envisage a time when hiring teams or talent is no longer a hassle. We want everyone, from start-ups to bigger organizations, product managers, founders and anyone looking for talents to post projects and get one in the next 2-3 steps.  

We want to deploy teams within the next 24-48 hours. We plan to provide the following:  

The best tech teams for business within a very short time  

Jobs that fit their vision for the talents and extra compensation for it.  

For technical talents, we want to give them the option to work on specific, knowledge-based projects according to their priorities.  

Who has been most influential in your journey with Notchup?  

My wife and my kids are the most influential people on this journey. They give me the extra space and mental peace to chase my dreams.  

The other entity that gives me the strength to back up my dreams is the start-ups, which have come from nothing to double-unicorn status. I have seen them making it happen and gathered inspiration from them.  

What does Notchup have that your competitors do not have? 

The whole idea of Notchup itself is unique. If we look at it:  

• From the platform’s angle: We are going strong with more than 25,000 tech talents from around the world signed up for interesting gigs with us.  

• We operate fully remotely. Our employees come from different parts of the globe-Nigeria, Peru, Norway, the UK, Serbia, India, and many more. And, in that, we practise what we preach.  

What (in your opinion) are the biggest trends in product team recruitment that will change how we hire developers and engineers for product teams?

I will give an example to explain my point of view here:  

If you are working on any tech, you need talent access. Sweden, for instance, is a hub for JAVA developers. So, with immense talents in that area, the problem of matching up skills to hiring rates was always a challenge for companies in Sweden.  

There was a mismatch of expectations. The talents were disloyal and expensive. But, at the same time, there are developers available elsewhere. For example, Portugal has JAVA experts with the skill sets to match the budget.  

In such cases, hiring product teams from anywhere can come in handy. Instead of coping with the hassles of constant hiring and attrition, startups can happily hire talents from Notchup and deal with their deliverables on time.

Prakash Pilley is the CRO and co-founder of Notchup. He has extensive experience in technology and product design. He has worked for many firms, including Vodaphone, HSBC, and Lloyds. After achieving phenomenal success in product management, with products nominated for UK app awards and surpassing the billion-dollar milestone, he became an entrepreneur with Innovify and Notchup.

Prakash is enthusiastic about making a difference in the world of technology recruiting, and he devises strategies to bring in new revenue streams for the startup. Prakash, a father of two, prioritizes family values and adheres at all times to his guiding principles to attain his life goals.