How it works
Build, operate, transfer: a team you judge by what it ships
One contract and three phases. We build and run an AI-native engineering team that works on your product, under your direction. You judge it the way you judge any team: by whether your engineering gets more done. When you feel that it does and you're ready, you take the team in-house.
Phase 1
Build
First engineers start in about 4 weeks
We agree the team you need, then set up everything it takes to employ that team in another country.
- Location choice. We recommend a location based on the roles, time-zone overlap, language, talent depth in AI-assisted development, and where we can operate today.
- Entity and workspace. We use our existing entity or set up a new one, plus office space or a remote-first setup with secure equipment.
- Recruiting to your bar. You define the profile and interview the shortlist. You approve every hire. Our assessment includes a hands-on AI-assisted engineering exercise.
- AI tooling and onboarding. We set up the AI coding tools you approve, with your security policies, and bring new engineers up to speed on your codebase and workflow.
Phase 2
Operate
Typically 3 to 5 years; you choose when to transfer
Your team works as part of your engineering organization. We run the company around it, so your attention stays on the work.
- People operations: payroll, benefits, local employment law, performance cycles, retention and replacement hiring.
- Finance and legal: local accounting, tax, contracts and compliance.
- Workspace and IT: office, equipment, access control and security practices that match yours.
- Delivery support: an on-site lead or engineering manager if you want one, plus regular reviews with your leadership.
- AI practice: ongoing training as tools change, shared prompts and review standards, so the team keeps getting more out of the tools.
Phase 3
Transfer
Whenever you're ready. No fixed date.
There is no set transfer date and no notice period to plan around. Your right to take the team in-house is in the contract you sign before the first hire. You use it when the team has proven itself in your own work and you want to own it outright.
We know transfers work because we have done it at scale, twice: Igor's first offshore team, built in St. Petersburg from 1992 under a different company name, was transferred to Cendant Corporation in 1997 with over 120 employees. Northern Light took on about ten senior engineers Scoros built for them.
- What moves to you: the engineers' employment, and if you want it the local entity, office lease, equipment and vendor contracts.
- What you already own: all code, IP, documentation and accounts, from the first day.
- Handover support: HR, payroll and compliance handover, with a period of support after transfer whose length we agree with you at the time of transfer.
- Transfer fee: agreed with you at the time of transfer. Like buying a business, the price depends on what the team has become by then.
Judging success
How you'll know it's working
You'll know the way you know with any team: your engineering gets more done. More of the roadmap ships, and the people you already have spend less time waiting on capacity. AI-native engineers get more done per person, and you see it in your own releases, not in a report from us.
That same feeling tells you when you're ready to transfer. When the team is clearly part of how your company ships, and you want to own it, you take it in-house.
We don't promise a fixed productivity multiple. It depends on your codebase and your work.
Responsibilities
What you control, and what we handle
You control
- Who is hired: you set the profile and approve every hire
- What the team works on: roadmap, priorities, sprints
- How it works: your repos, tools, rituals and standards
- Which AI tools are allowed, and what data they can see
- Code, IP and accounts, owned by you from the first commit
- When to scale up or down, and when to take the team in-house
Scoros handles
- Location choice, entity setup and local registration
- Recruiting, assessment and onboarding
- Payroll, benefits, tax and employment law
- Workspace, equipment and IT security
- Retention, performance cycles and replacement hiring
- AI tooling setup and training
- The transfer itself, whenever you choose to make it
Pricing model
How pricing works
One all-in monthly price per engineer. It covers salary, benefits, office, equipment, HR, payroll, legal and our management. No separate monthly fees.
We set the rate for each engineer we hire for you, so you know your monthly price for every person on the team.
The only other fee is the transfer fee, agreed at the time of transfer.
Common questions
How is this different from staff augmentation or outsourcing?
Staffing firms rent you people who stay on their payroll and can be moved to other clients. Outsourcing firms own the delivery. With Scoros the team is dedicated to you, works under your direction, and has a written path to becoming your own employees.
How is it different from an employer-of-record platform?
An employer of record handles payroll and compliance for people you have already found. We also choose the location, recruit and assess the team, run the operation day to day, build the AI practice, and manage the transfer.
How will we know the team is working?
By your own productivity. If your engineering organization gets more done with the team in place, it is working. You'll feel it in your releases and your roadmap.
When do we transfer the team?
Whenever you're ready. There is no fixed date and no notice period. Teams typically run with us for 3 to 5 years first. The transfer fee is agreed at that time, based on what the team has become.
Do we have to transfer the team?
No. Transfer is an option, not an obligation. Some companies prefer that we keep operating the team long term.
What size of team makes sense?
We work with North American companies, from early-stage startups to established firms. Team size depends on the work. Because we build AI-native teams, we usually recommend starting smaller and more senior than you would have a few years ago. Teams can start from as few as two engineers.
Can the team build AI features for us?
Yes. Besides using AI tools to write software, the team can build LLM features, agents, retrieval and search, and internal automations. See AI-native teams.
Talk to us about your own team abroad
Start with a 30-minute call. Bring your hiring plan; leave with a straight answer on whether build-operate-transfer fits.