How a medtech startup handled a hiring spike

Open roles doubled in two weeks, and a three-person talent team couldn't keep up. InTandem built VitalBio a modern TA practice fast, and the company made 25 hires in 11 weeks.

Vasu Nadella has built companies before. He founded a machine-learning startup and sold it. He spent time as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Inovia Capital, backing healthcare founders. Today he's co-founder and CEO of VitalBio.

But in March 2026, VitalBio's hiring outran its talent team. Open roles jumped from 19 to 38 in about two weeks. Two of them were confidential engineering leadership searches.

Vasu brought in InTandem for those two searches and discovered fractional recruiting. Four months later, InTandem was running VitalBio's entire talent function.

Thirty-eight open roles and a three-person team

VitalBio builds hardware and software together: robotics, biochemistry, computer vision and microfluidics. Its engineering leaders need depth in both. Software headcount had already grown from 2 to 25 in 18 months.

The talent team was three people, based in the US, on a new ATS with no modern sourcing tools. The roles were in Oakville. Vasu's goal was clear: land two leaders who could span hardware and software, then hire at a pace VitalBio had never sustained.

"We doubled our open roles almost overnight. We needed a partner who could find senior hardware and software leaders, and who actually knew the GTA."

So when an introduction through VitalBio's investors put InTandem in front of him, Vasu took the call.

Fractional recruiting that moved at a founder's pace

InTandem replied to the intro the same morning, held the call that afternoon and sent a proposal before the day ended. A competing vendor was in the running, but it wasn't focused on executive search. InTandem had a record of hiring engineering leaders across hardware and software.

The structure kept the risk low. It was a two-month term on a flat monthly retainer, with both leadership searches included and room to swap in other roles as priorities shifted. No contingency fees per hire.

"When you're growing like we were, you can't wait around. We needed people who actually cared if the hire worked out. InTandem did. And honestly, they moved faster than anyone else we talked to."

Both engineering leadership roles were filled. In May, VitalBio extended the partnership. By summer, Vasu was ready to hand over much more.

From two searches to running the talent function

On July 1, InTandem stepped in as VitalBio's interim Head of Talent Acquisition through its Strategy track: fractional talent leadership on a flat monthly retainer. It owned TA end to end: strategy, stakeholders, pipeline health and reporting.

The mandate went beyond filling roles. InTandem hired a new Head of TA and two recruiters within the first 30 days, then onboarded and ramped them. It moved VitalBio to a new ATS, Teamtailor, with workflows, templates and reporting. And it set up sourcing, screening and interview processes that keep running after the handover. InTandem worked inside VitalBio's Slack and ATS and spent regular time at the Oakville office.

"InTandem didn't sit outside the business. They were in our office, in our Slack, and accountable for the outcome like any leader on our team."

The new system went live in August. Then the hires started to land.

The model, proven at speed

In the 11 weeks after the Teamtailor launch, VitalBio made 25 hires across six departments, from manufacturing and engineering to science and finance. Average time to hire was 23 days. Fifteen of those hires, 60%, were passive candidates InTandem found and engaged with its own AI-driven sourcing tools.

For Vasu, the bigger result is what stays behind: a rebuilt in-house team, led by a new Head of TA, built to keep hiring at VitalBio's pace.

"If your hiring is outgrowing your team, don't just add more agencies. Find a partner who will build the function with you and leave it stronger than they found it."

Results at a glance

• 25 — Goal met: hires in 11 weeks across six departments

• 23 days — Average time to hire

• 60% — Of hires were passive candidates sourced by InTandem
  

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