- HQ
- Los Angeles, USA
- Company size
- 11-50
- Funding raised
- Private
- Lead investors
- N/A – Not publicly known
- Team location
- Latin America
- Cooperation time
- 2 years
- Product
- Video-first experience platform for local businesses and communities
- Clients
- Kafek, LaRochelle, TukTuk, Fuegos, Hakumaru, and 5,000+ local businesses
Issue
The plan for Franki’s global tech expansion was Mexico. Smart call. Nearshore to Los Angeles, top-tier mobile engineering talent, and cost efficiency that made US hiring difficult to justify. And a first move into Latin America, with no local entity, no compliance framework, and no existing knowledge of the market.
The outsourcing market was the obvious path. But it was structurally incapable of delivering what Franki actually needed. Outsourcing gives you developers. It doesn’t give you a real team.
Engineers whose primary relationship is with the vendor, not the product. A model that optimizes for contract renewal, not engineering quality. No real mechanism for building the cultural alignment that would make a Mexican team work directly with US leadership the way in-house colleagues do.
Franki needed to build differently. Top-10% mobile engineers. Full ownership from day one. A recruitment process that screened for cultural fit as seriously as it screened for technical depth.
Solution:
Alcor ran the process Franki needed, not the one the outsourcing market was selling.
The recruiting brief was specific: senior mobile engineers with the technical capability to work inside a Silicon Valley product team and the professional culture to work directly with US leadership. Alcor’s recruiters evaluated every candidate. Technical screening came first. Cultural fit came second. Neither was optional.
The onboarding structure supported the integration from day one. Alcor set up a compliant framework in Mexico — payroll, contracts, IP protection, no local entity required — so engineers were employed under Franki’s terms, reporting directly to Franki, from the moment they started. No vendor sitting between the team and the product.
The result was a Mexico team that didn’t need to be managed at arm’s length. Engineers knew the product, aligned to the roadmap, and collaborated with the LA team the way in-house colleagues do, because that’s exactly who they were.
Operational support ran in parallel. Hardware procurement, test equipment delivery, and day-to-day ops all handled by Alcor. Franki’s leadership stayed fully focused on the product delivery.
One of the things I loved about working with Alcor was that they provided us with the market overview and the market rates before we started. We knew, being a startup, that we needed to position and sell ourselves aggressively to the right candidates, and Alcor certainly helped with that. We’ve found some great talent in both Mexico and Colombia.
RESULTS:
Build Your AI Engineering Team in 30 Days
No vendor chaos. 0 compliance risk. No more recruiting delays.
Alcor Helped Build the Foundation for Everything That Followed
Alcor builds Franki’s Mexico mobile engineering team
Franki launches Social Club cashback rewards program and Adventures feature
Franki’s revenue doubles quarter-over-quarter
Launches Franki for Franchises: pay-per-visit model with dynamic pricing for multi-location operators
Launches Franki for Brands, extending the platform to national brand partnerships
Use our calculator to estimate your team budget before any conversation starts
Clients Love Us. Teams Do Too.
“The Alcor team has always been supportive and approachable whenever assistance was needed. Rather than feeling like an external resource, engineers working through Alcor are able to integrate closely with the client’s teams. This creates a more collaborative environment and allows engineers to have a greater impact.”
“My overall experience has been outstanding. Alcor’s model offered the right balance — strong operational support combined with genuine ownership and long-term collaboration. In this model, I am a core member of the team. Rather than rotating between projects, I can invest meaningfully in improving the product and establishing processes that deliver lasting value.”
“Whenever I’ve had tricky bank requests or needed extra documentation, Alcor has resolved everything rapidly. I also love their support with business trips and expense tracking—it’s incredibly convenient. Their team is always available via messenger and ready to help. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a hassle-free professional life!”
“Alcor has been a reliable partner throughout, especially in complex situations. Issues are resolved quickly — often within minutes or hours. Their ability to adapt and support us in complex situations has made a real difference for our team.”
