Engineering Solutions for Startups That Need to Move Fast

Why Startups Outsource Engineering

For startups, engineering outsourcing isn't just about cutting costs—it's about moving faster with less risk. Here's why smart founders choose to outsource:

• Speed to market: Hiring full-time engineers takes 3-6 months. An outsourced team can start in 1-2 weeks and ship your MVP in 8-12 weeks.
• Capital efficiency: Every dollar counts. Outsourcing lets you get senior engineering talent at 40-60% of US costs, stretching your runway.
• Flexibility: Scale up after a raise, scale down during conservation. No layoffs, no severance, no drama.
• Access to expertise: Get specialists in mobile, AI, cloud, or specific frameworks—expertise that's hard to find and expensive to hire full-time.
• Risk reduction: A bad hire costs 2-3x their salary when you factor in lost time. Outsourcing lets you validate fit without that risk.

The stigma around outsourcing is outdated. Many successful startups—from Y Combinator companies to unicorns—have used outsourced engineering strategically to move faster and build better products.

Finding the Right Engineering Partner

Not all outsourcing is created equal. The difference between success and disaster often comes down to choosing the right partner. Here's what to look for:

Green Flags

• Startup experience: They've worked with startups before and understand urgency, pivots, and resource constraints.
• Team-based model: You get a dedicated Pod, not a rotating cast of developers who don't know your codebase.
• Clear process: They have a defined methodology with transparency, quality gates, and predictable delivery.
• Direct communication: You talk to engineers, not just account managers. Real-time Slack, not email chains.
• Quality focus: Code reviews, testing, and documentation are standard—not optional extras.

Red Flags

• Hourly billing with no accountability for outcomes
• Junior developers priced as seniors
• No process or project management
• Poor communication or timezone challenges
• Unwillingness to start with a pilot project

MVP Development for Startups

Your MVP is about validating your hypothesis, not building a complete product. Here's how we approach MVP development for startups:

Scope Ruthlessly

The biggest MVP mistake is scope creep. We help you identify the absolute minimum feature set needed to test your core hypothesis. Everything else goes in the backlog.

Build for Learning, Not Perfection

The goal isn't a perfect product—it's learning what users actually want. We build fast but not sloppy, with enough quality to iterate quickly as you learn.

Scalable Foundation

While we move fast, we don't cut corners on architecture. Your MVP should be able to handle real growth when you find product-market fit—not require a complete rewrite.

Typical MVP Timeline

• Week 1: Scoping, design, and architecture
• Weeks 2-6: Core feature development
• Weeks 7-10: Refinement, testing, polish
• Weeks 11-12: Launch prep and deployment

Scaling Your Engineering Team

You've found product-market fit and just raised your Series A. Now you need to scale engineering—fast. Here's how to do it right:

Scale the Team, Not Just Headcount

Adding engineers doesn't automatically mean faster shipping. We help you scale thoughtfully—adding complementary skills, maintaining code quality, and keeping velocity high even as the team grows.

Hybrid Models Work

Many of our startup clients use a hybrid model: in-house leadership and domain-critical engineers, with Salt handling additional capacity. This gives you the best of both worlds.

Knowledge Transfer & Integration

As you eventually build your in-house team, we ensure smooth knowledge transfer. Our documentation, clean code, and collaborative approach make transitions painless.

Common Outsourcing Mistakes Startups Make

We've seen startups make these mistakes with previous vendors. Here's what to avoid:

• Going with the cheapest option: The $15/hour developers are cheap for a reason. You'll spend more fixing their work than you saved.
• No product management: You need to actively manage priorities and requirements. Don't expect engineers to read your mind.
• Too much scope upfront: Define the MVP, not the full product. You'll change direction based on user feedback anyway.
• Skipping discovery: A few days of scoping prevents months of building the wrong thing. It's worth the investment.
• Poor communication rhythms: Daily standups, weekly demos, and real-time Slack should be non-negotiable.

The Salt Approach for Startups

We've worked with 50+ startups from Seed to Series C. Our approach is purpose-built for startup dynamics:

• Lean Pod teams: Small, cross-functional teams (2-5 engineers) that move like a startup within a startup.
• SPARK™ framework: Our quality methodology ensures predictable delivery without slowing you down.
• Startup-friendly pricing: Flexible engagements that can scale with your funding and growth.
• Founder access: Talk directly to engineers. No project manager buffer or communication overhead.
• US timezone alignment: 4+ hours of daily overlap for real-time collaboration when you need it.

Learn more about our SPARK™ framework and how we ensure quality delivery.

Getting Started with Salt

Ready to accelerate your startup's engineering? Here's how to begin:

1. Discovery call: Schedule a 30-minute call to discuss your product, stage, and engineering needs.
2. Scoping session: If there's a fit, we'll do a brief scoping session to define MVP features, timeline, and team structure.
3. Team assembly: We assemble your Pod team and set up communication channels, repos, and project management.
4. Sprint 0: We kick off with architecture, environment setup, and the first sprint planning.
5. Build & ship: Iterative development with weekly demos until your product is live.

Most founders see working software within 2-3 weeks of starting. Your MVP can be in users' hands in 8-12 weeks.

Schedule a call to discuss how Salt can help your startup move faster.