QuoIntelligence plays it smart with their global expansion

Large European banks, government bodies, and international law enforcement agencies: these are just some of the groups that trust QuoIntelligence to provide them with the latest cybersecurity and geopolitical threat intelligence and analysis. Since its founding, this German startup has sought to become “Europe’s threat intelligence partner,” and if its exponential growth and impressive clientele are any indication, it’s well on its way to achieving that goal. 

But to be a true global cybersecurity expert, QuoIntelligence needs international talent. This doesn’t just mean hiring from the European Union and the US to create a more diverse workforce. It means sourcing global experts well versed in local cybersecurity threats, who then undergo a strong vetting and background check process.

With so much at stake, an assured and compliant approach to hiring is essential. Find out why QuoIntelligence trusts Remote to be their international employment partner on this journey.

QuotIntelligence at a glance

• Headquarters: Germany

• Founded: 2020

• Company Size: 40

• Industry: Cyber Threat Intelligence

As a tailor-made finished intelligence solution, QuoIntelligence has made an immediate splash in Europe, providing actionable solutions to some of the world’s most influential decision makers. But this success didn’t happen overnight.

In its earliest days, the company realized that it needed to focus on attracting the best talent — regardless of geographical borders. This responsibility fell on chief people officer, Antonio Arias Lopez, whose brief was clear: to double the company’s headcount, and to source talent from countries that could bolster its local cybersecurity expertise.

Antonio knew that if QuoIntelligence wanted to attract the best available talent in Europe, it couldn’t restrict its search to countries where it had a legal entity. The company needed a global expansion partner with owned entities all over the world.

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Setting up entities takes away from BusOps 

The company’s initial attempts to open their own entities in Italy and Spain proved challenging, with chief technology officer (CTO) Odín Rodríguez Lago facing an endless stream of calls, paperwork, and red tape. As well as causing frustration, the process was taking Odín away from core business functions — a less-than-ideal situation for a fledgling startup.

Eventually, after nearly three months, QuoIntelligence decided that a different approach was needed for any further geographical expansion. The company started searching for a global employment services provider that could remove the administrative headaches, ensure compliance, and provide an easy-to-use platform.

We looked at a number of providers. It was important to us that our new partner had their own legal entities in the countries that we were considering. We didn’t want them to have subcontracted that relationship to somebody else. Compliance was, of course, crucial. And finally, it was important for myself and our employees that the UX was really good and easy to use.

Antonio and his people team did their research, before promptly discovering that Remote was a perfect fit. “Remote ticked all our boxes,” he says, “and we’ve since saved hundreds of hours with this approach.”

• Remote offers a flat pricing structure and no hidden fees when hiring new employees

• Remote’s has a robust, easy-to-use, self-serve platform for employers and employees

• Remote’s employment and compliance experts on the ground around the world give QuoIntelligence the peace of mind to hire talent globally

Diversity isn’t just smart, it’s “intelligence”

Working with Remote has also allowed QuoIntelligence to provide more value to its clients. Organizations make better decisions, have richer discussions, and generate healthier bottom lines when they source talent from beyond their borders.

Diversity is absolutely critical for good intelligence. Having people with different perspectives and different points of view helps our clients make a decision. And if we were to only employ people in, say, big cities in Germany, we wouldn’t get that diversity that makes our business so successful.

For QuoIntelligence, a diverse, global workforce is key to something else, too: painting a richer global intelligence picture.

“If you’ve got a team of 10 people, all of whom are born in Western Europe, all of whom are only experts on Russia, then you may be missing the Chinese picture or the North Korean picture,” says Antonio. “So for us, it's important to have different backgrounds in those teams as we grow, particularly on the intelligence operations side.”

Now, QuoIntelligence is able to recruit top talent in countries where it doesn’t have legal entities. And with Remote handling onboarding, payroll, and benefits for employees in those countries, the company can fill in any intelligence expertise gaps.

Stability and predictability in a world that often lacks it

Across the globe, QuoIntelligence supplements its existing workforce with employer of record (EOR) employees. Without Remote, onboarding and managing these EOR workers would be extremely difficult — for both the company and its people.

This is a particularly important point for Antonio, who believes that the stability provided by Remote enables people to do their best work.

Having a sense of security is very important to our employees. They need stability in their lives and the Remote platform helps to provide that. It's intuitive, onboarding is smooth, and all their questions can be answered quickly. That contributes to retention which is crucial, because we know that the success or failure of the company is 99% down to our people. So being able to attract and then retain the best talent is vital to our success.

Antonio also points to Remote’s high level of ongoing support, with a dedicated account manager providing clarifications, following up with employees — and fighting fires when needed.

“We added an external employee (EE) to the platform in December and I was initially skeptical if we would get everything done on time, because the world was going on holidays,” he says. “But the team at Remote did everything in the space of a week: contracts, banking, payroll. And the EE was very happy about it.”

Thanks to Remote, QuoIntelligence has been able to devote more energy to bolstering its security product, ensuring everyone stays happy.

Leaving the competition in the dust

QuoIntelligence already had a strong product, but by being able to widen its recruitment net, it has effectively outmaneuvered the competition.

“A remote-first culture makes you more attractive than local employers,” says Antonio. “If someone has a great job in, say, Valencia, they know they don’t have to move to Berlin to work for us.”

This partnership helps us expand and attract the best talent. Remote is a recognized brand with a powerful history, and that gives candidates a certain level of reassurance over smaller providers. It definitely helps us expand our talent pool.

The remote-first philosophy of both organizations ensures an effective synergy, too. With Remote’s help, QuoIntelligence has developed a hiring process that identifies the right people, and ensures they have the same values and principles as the rest of the company.

“The quality of the people will have a direct correlation with the final success of the company,” says Antonio. “Our CEO and our angel investor are saying the same thing: the success or failure of this company is 99% coming from its people. It’s the people who are building the tools and delivering the services. So for us to be able to access the highest quality candidates with a remote-first culture is essential.”

The future for QuoIntellience 

As cybersecurity threats continue to grow, so too does QuoIntelligence. The company’s horizon is boundless, and Antonio is inspired by its expansion.

“In September 2022, we had our first ever company offsite and there were 30 people in the room. I knew all of them, and had hired 70% or 80% of them myself. It was an amazing feeling. Who knows how the feelings will be when there are 150 people in the room. It’s been an incredible run, and the best is yet to come.”

By 2025, Antonio expects QuoIntelligence’s headcount to grow even further. Remote is proud and excited to be along for the ride, and to continue providing solid, reliable support to a company that prides itself on protecting others against risk.

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