Case Study
Finding a Full Stack Developer to work on cutting-edge healthcare tech
Constant Therapy Health delivers personalized, science-based digital therapy for speech, language, and cognitive recovery using machine learning, empowering patients and clinicians with tailored, adaptive tools for effective rehabilitation.
Constant Therapy Health
AI-Powered Digital Therapy
Hiring Challenge
How do you compete for a full stack developer with expertise spanning back-end systems, front-end interfaces, and artificial intelligence—on a startup budget?
The Problem
Competing for Top Talent
Constant Therapy Health (CTH) needed someone capable of building across the stack while also integrating cutting-edge AI to power their cognitive rehabilitation platform.
The catch? This kind of talent typically commands steep compensation packages and is heavily courted by well-funded competitors.
Constant Therapy Health’s ideal candidate checklist was ambitious:
- Broad technical expertise across back-end, front-end, and AI.
- The ability to develop and scale a product that directly impacts the lives of patients.
- A strong passion for mission-driven work.
However, as a startup, they couldn’t rely solely on compensation to lure in top-tier candidates. Competing against deep-pocketed tech giants and unicorns, they needed a different strategy.
The Approach
Targeting Early-Career Stars with a Mission-Driven Focus
Rather than chasing established professionals with decades of experience and sky-high salary expectations, we shifted our focus to high-potential candidates earlier in their careers. Specifically, we looked for individuals who:
- Had proven academic and technical excellence, often graduating from top universities.
- Were already accomplished and eager to take on challenges that would accelerate their professional growth.
- Valued mission and impact over compensation alone.
Our outreach was crafted to spark curiosity. We highlighted CTH’s meaningful work, the direct impact on patients, and the opportunity to shape a product at the intersection of healthcare and AI. The founders sweetened the deal by offering broad responsibilities, direct mentorship, and the chance to leave a lasting mark on the company’s trajectory.
The Results
A Rising Star Joins the Team
We identified a standout candidate with impressive credentials:
- Graduated from a Top 20 school with a degree in Computer Science.
- Previous experience in software engineering at startups, giving them exposure to fast-paced, iterative development.
- Broad engineering responsibilities in past roles, including full-stack development, cloud infrastructure, and systems engineering.
- A clear desire to work for a startup and take on meaningful challenges.
- As a bonus, they had already worked extensively with the same tech stack used by Constant Therapy Health, enabling them to hit the ground running with minimal onboarding.
What sealed the deal wasn’t just their technical acumen—it was their alignment with Constant Therapy Health’s mission. Instead of competing solely on salary, the team emphasized the unique opportunity to make a direct impact, own significant responsibilities, and grow alongside a cutting-edge product.
The developer is set to join CTH at the start of Q1 2025 and immediately begin contributing across the stack, helping to refine the product and push forward the integration of AI-driven features. With a keen eye on usability and scalability, they will help shape the platform’s next phase of innovation.
What We Learned
- Mission matters: Talented developers often value meaningful work and growth opportunities over the highest paycheck.
- Offer real impact: Early-career stars want to feel like they’re making a difference, not just filling a role.
- Think creatively about talent pools: Shifting focus to accomplished candidates at the start of their careers opened new avenues for recruitment.
- Bonus skills accelerate impact: Finding a candidate already proficient with the company’s tech stack allowed for a faster transition from onboarding to productivity.
The Takeaway
Startups don’t need the biggest budgets to win top talent. By creating opportunities for growth, impact, and ownership, they can attract individuals who are as driven by the mission as they are by the paycheck.
Are you a startup looking for the right talent to accelerate your product and mission? At Hireable, we connect you with candidates who will not only meet your needs but also help define your future. Let’s find your next game-changer—together.