85%
Offer-to-Joining Ratio
(vs. industry average of ~30–40%)
~20%
Shortlist Rate
(418 shortlisted from 2,121 applicants)
7
Specialized Roles Filled
(high close rate for niche, high-bar roles)
Panzura is a leading enterprise B2B platform transforming hybrid cloud file and data services for global organizations. In 2023, Panzura decided to expand its engineering footprint by building a core development team in India – starting from the ground up.
At the time, Panzura had no in-house development presence in India – only a small support team operating through a third-party services provider. The goal was to build a high-performance engineering team that could drive product innovation while benefiting from India’s deep tech talent pool and cost-efficiency.
Panzura needed a deeply involved hiring partner – someone who could look beyond resumes, understand technical depth, and help build their India team from scratch.
The Challenge
- No in-house engineering presence: Panzura had ~30 technical support engineers in India through a services vendor, but no direct development team. Setting up a fully-owned team required a trusted, hands-on partner.
- No in-house engineering presence: Panzura had ~30 technical support engineers in India through a services vendor, but no direct development team. Setting up a fully-owned team required a trusted, hands-on partner.
- Shifting goals and limited budgets: As the product roadmap evolved, so did hiring priorities. With tight budgets, Panzura needed flexibility without compromising on quality.
- No recruitment support from their existing EOR: Panzura’s global EOR (Deel) managed payroll, but provided no hiring support – leaving sourcing, screening, and coordination to the India head.
Objectives with TeemGenie
- Build a specialized engineering team: Set up a strong development team in India from the ground up, starting with key roles like file systems architects, platform engineers, and QA leads.
- Close hard-to-fill roles efficiently: Identify and engage high-caliber talent for niche roles—especially in the storage and cloud infrastructure space—despite tight budgets and limited brand awareness in India.
- Minimize hiring friction for the India head: Reduce the operational load on Panzura’s India leadership by taking ownership of sourcing, coordination, and hiring workflows.
- Lay the groundwork for long-term team growth: Help build the team in phases without disrupting internal pace, while aligning to evolving product goals and hiring requirements.
TeemGenie Solution & Implementation
TeemGenie partnered closely with Panzura from Day 1, helping build their first in-house engineering team in India. The process was hands-on, flexible, and shaped by close alignment with Panzura’s evolving needs.
1. Specialized Hiring for Hard-to-Fill Roles
TeemGenie’s tech-led sourcing team worked directly with Panzura’s India head to close specialized roles in file systems, DevOps, QA, and platform engineering.
- Kickstarting with a targeted acqui-hire: At the beginning of the engagement, TeemGenie identified a pre-existing, high-quality team that fit Panzura’s needs and arranged a targeted acqui-hire. This gave Panzura a head start, allowing them to hit the ground running with aligned, experienced engineers from day one.
- Expert-led sourcing and outreach: Instead of relying on job posts, TeemGenie identified high-fit candidates through referrals, professional networks, and direct outreach – tapping into passive talent who weren’t actively applying.
- Hard-to-fill roles successfully closed: From file systems architects and QA specialists to platform engineers and tech writers, TeemGenie helped close roles that had limited talent availability and high screening thresholds.
- Tight, high-quality funnel: Out of 2,121 applicants, 418 were shortlisted for screening, and 262 were submitted to Panzura after qualification and interest confirmation. This ensured only the most relevant, interested candidates were interviewed – leading to 13 offers and 7 successful joins.
2. Coordinated, End-to-End Hiring Workflow
TeemGenie took end-to-end ownership of hiring operations—from role kickoffs to offer closure—freeing up leadership bandwidth.
- Kickoff sessions aligned on role specifics and tech scope: Every role began with a detailed requirement-mapping call to align on skills, experience, and team fit.
- Screening with context: A dedicated coordination team managed candidate communication, resume collection, and structured screening calls covering compensation, aspirations, and location preferences.
- Offer-to-join success: By managing expectations early and staying engaged with candidates through long notice periods, TeemGenie ensured smooth closures, even for budget-sensitive roles.
3. Adaptive Support in a Dynamic Environment
As hiring needs shifted, TeemGenie remained agile – adjusting processes while continuing to drive outcomes.
- Stakeholder alignment: Panzura’s internal stakeholders had strong views on hiring criteria especially around relocations, compensation, and candidate job history. TeemGenie worked closely with them to refine expectations and align evaluations, often stepping in to mediate decisions and unblock offers.
- High-touch sourcing through ambiguity: Amid evolving hiring plans and shifting budgets, TeemGenie continued to engage passive candidates and keep warm leads active – ensuring no loss of momentum during internal decision delays.
4. On-Ground Presence and Developer Branding
Beyond hiring, TeemGenie supported brand building and operational setup for long-term team health –
- Developer branding activities: TeemGenie organized three key developer-focused initiatives, including an early acqui-hire meetup, a technical launch event featuring Panzura’s CTO, and ongoing branding support in the Pune tech ecosystem.
- Office setup assistance: TeemGenie helped Panzura identify and establish its current office space in Baner, Pune – bringing local operational knowledge to the table.
“TeemGenie was instrumental in building our India engineering team, going beyond typical hiring to become our trusted HR partner. Their seamless support, proactive communication, and flawless execution—like the recent Pune OpenHouse event—make them truly feel like an extension of our own team.”
Mandar Khanolkar VP, Head of Engineering – India, Panzura
Results & Impact
- 7 engineers hired across complex roles: File systems architect, DevOps, QA leads, and platform engineers – all closed within an evolving, budget-constrained context.
- 85% offer-to-join conversion: Far above the industry average (~30–40%), we ensured proactive expectation-setting and consistent engagement throughout 2–3 month notice periods.
- Precision hiring funnel: The hiring funnel demonstrated precision sourcing and focused shortlisting. TeemGenie minimized wasted interviews while maintaining pipeline momentum – particularly important as hiring needs evolved over time.
- Strong brand presence in India’s tech hub: The Pune developer event helped create visibility in the right circles, supporting current hiring and future engagement.
- India became a key product development hub: What began as a lean team has grown into a major engineering centre for Panzura – contributing to core feature development and future roadmap execution.