Big update incoming: Our newest branch in Colombia’s capital of Bogota is now fully operational!
With teams on three continents now, we’re truly growing a multicultural network of developers. It’s bringing us closer and closer to fulfilling our mission of providing automated business solutions to clients in every corner of the world.
But why Colombia? What’s the office like over there? And as the team grows, what can we expect to see? Three of our key team members answer that and more:
CEO Ben Bushoy on what factored into the decision to expand to Colombia
Even when Urchin Systems was just a small, Boston-based software shop, we had dreams of bringing together talented engineers from across continents.
With that goal in mind, Colombia was a no-brainer:
- We can now tap into a tech-friendly economy that has created a fast-growing pool of talented engineers
- We enjoy the convenience of a location that broadens our reach while staying within our natural time zone (thereby reducing communication lag)
- And we get to fully immerse ourselves in the country’s rich culture & storied history
So far, these benefits have easily lived up to (and exceeded!) all expectations. Perhaps the greatest advantage of all, though, is that our global engineering teams now have endless opportunities to learn from one another and diversify their approaches — all in the name of building the best solutions for our clients worldwide.
Colombia’s country manager Mateo Abreu on the new branch’s roadmap
As Ben mentioned, Colombia makes sense as an expansion point for three big reasons:
Talent. Location. Culture.
Talent-wise, we’ve seen a huge boom in the IT ecosystem over the past decade. Companies like Rappi and Mercado Libre has been at the forefront of building up Colombia’s tech potential.
With location, the time zone factor is huge — not just for the sake of Urchin Systems’ internal teams, but for many of our clients! We’re in prime position to communicate with and solve problems on their time.
And then the culture: Ben mentioned it, but allow me to emphasize just how much pride we Colombians take in our work ethic. It’s our big differentiator — something we’re looking forward to showing each and every client.
Over the next six months, it looks like we’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so. Client demand for top-of-the-line IT talent is soaring, so we’re looking to rapidly expand our team to provide the supply. To be specific, we’re looking at hiring some 50 people in this timeframe — primarily in IT, but a handful in Customer Success, Design UX/UI, HR, and more.
Developer Andrés Florez on what it’s like at Urchin Systems Colombia
It’s the kind of safe, comfortable environment you always want to work in. Everyone really lives by an ‘open door policy,’ where your ideas are always heard and valued.
That feeling of being valued really shows itself in how much room there is to grow — not just in terms of role and salary, but also as a professional and an individual. It feels like this company sees my potential and is investing in my future.
Overall, this kind of support really makes you feel like part of a team, and it makes you want to give your best work to the team.
As a full-stack developer, my tasks have been fascinating, challenging, and highly rewarding. Urchin Systems’ code base/architecture is extremely robust, so there’s a lot to catch up on in terms of what’s already been done. But the amazing thing is that the process hasn’t been at all frustrating. Challenging, yes, but not in a frustrating way.
Recruiter Laura Reyes on what the future holds for prospective Colombia employees
First off, I’m truly honored to have joined this special team — with such innovative HR and recruitment processes. Especially as we build up this new Colombia branch, it’s been an exciting adventure finding the right people to bring in.
As for who the right people are, I think it’s more people who have the attitude that Andrés does. People who are adaptive, passionate, and friendly; people who look forward to taking on a revolving door of new challenges; people who complement our team in a variety of ways.
Most of our openings right now are, expectedly, in IT. But we’re still looking for newcomers to bolster other departments (like Human Resources).
Ultimately, though, what we’re really looking for are people who are ambitious about learning new things — this has been consistent across our most successful interviews. And if those candidates come into the interview with complete honesty, with real-life context to support their answers, and with some company research in their back pocket, they’re definitely setting themselves up for a call-back.
About Urchin Systems: A homegrown company gone global
Urchin Systems was founded in 2005 by Ben Bushoy, a talented software engineer with several decades of relevant experience across various industries. Since then, we’ve grown our team to over 60 employees who implement solutions for startups, large organizations, and everything in between. No matter who we work with, though, we pride ourselves on delivering customer-centric service and top-tier software development talent.
Now, we’re a global company working on both sides of the Atlantic. So far, we have awesome teams in the U.S. (Boston), Eastern Europe (Republic of Moldova), and, of course, Latin America (Bogota, Colombia). We’re making the most of our similarities and our differences — treating them as opportunities for skill refinement and personal growth. So that even while our Zoom calls may be apart, we’re thoroughly united in interests, passions, and big picture goals!