Case Study: AfterQuery scales hiring across core functions with Contrario

AfterQuery scales from 3 to 30+ employees with Contrario

AfterQuery, a foundation model development company, faced the challenge of scaling its team from three co-founders to over thirty employees rapidly without compromising its high hiring bar. The founders could no longer handle sourcing and outreach themselves and needed a solution to find candidates with exceptional thinking and a strong sense of ownership. They partnered with the embedded recruiting firm Contrario to address this.

Contrario implemented an ongoing embedded recruiting partnership, delivering curated candidates weekly and integrating directly with AfterQuery's ATS. The solution resulted in key placements across engineering and growth functions, with a first hire achieved in just nine days from role posting. Contrario helped AfterQuery scale its team tenfold while maintaining its rigorous standards, ultimately supporting the company through its Series A fundraising at a $300 million valuation.

AfterQuery