The Client

Upvest is a fast-growing fintech company with offices in Berlin and London. With their white-label investment infrastructure API, they enable other businesses to seamlessly integrate securities trading and investment products into their platforms. Clients such as Revolut, N26 and Raisin demonstrate how successfully Upvest has disrupted the fintech market – and with their entry into the banking world, the next chapter of growth is just around the corner.

The Challenge

Pre-sales and solution consulting profiles are generally among the most difficult roles to fill in the tech sector. At Upvest, the challenge was compounded by the fact that the ideal candidate had to bring a rare trifecta: deep functional end-to-end knowledge of securities settlement, technical understanding at API level – and, at the same time, the commercial tact of a pre-signature advisor.

This combination is extremely hard to find in the German-speaking market. Upvest's internal recruitment team worked on it for nine months – without success. The position was vacant for a total of over twelve months.

Our Approach

The contact with Upvest was established through a referral from the shared network directly to Sarah Roles, Head of Solution Consulting. From the very beginning, it was clear: this search would not be a standard process.

We started with a broad look at the market, but quickly realised together with the CPO that functional depth was non-negotiable. Consequently, we systematically deepened our sourcing across all relevant competitors and players in this very small, highly specialised market segment.

What helped us here: our fintech-specific network and genuine market insights into which companies and profiles develop this rare expertise. Instead of recycling candidates, we recalibrated the search with every feedback loop until we found the perfect fit.

The Results

Within four months, we successfully filled the role:

• 1 Principal Pre-Sales Consultant (Remote)

Client Feedback

Sarah Roles, Head of Solution Consulting at Upvest, says:

"What surprised me most was how well Nova Search adapted as our requirements became increasingly specific. Instead of pushing back or recycling candidates, Morten really took our feedback on board and recalibrated the search each time. He also brought valuable insights into the solutions hiring market, which helped us better understand the talent landscape. For such a niche role, exactly this combination of responsiveness and market knowledge made all the difference – and ultimately led to the successful placement."