Scaling the Company with Heart — SwingDev Story
When I joined SwingDev as Talent Manager, we were a team that could fit into a pretty small conference room — around 19 people, to be exact. It’s pretty amazing to say I’m not even the ‘veteran’ around here. There’s some of us that still remember the brainstorming or coding sessions in our very first workspace — our CTO’s living room, 9 years back!
Fast-forward a few years, and we’re breaking the 100 mark here in Poland. Yeah, we’ve come a long way. This makes celebrating my fifth year at SwingDev feel more than just a personal achievement and a pat on the back. It’s like a collective high-five to our story of how we’ve grown, changed, and yet somehow stayed wonderfully the same.
The journey
Our beginnings were marked by an organic culture, a reflection of our founders’ (Jo, Marcin, Tomek) personalities, vision and their exceptional ability to hire not just skilled individuals, but the right fits for our team. I was brought in, these 5 years ago, to keep this going. One of my goals was to make sure we are still hiring people that fit us best and that our ‘personal touch’ will not become just a ‘policy’ but will stay our daily routine.
This has all been particularly significant over the past few years. Even more so than I had initially anticipated when I joined. Our numbers now have a few more zeroes. We became a part of a product company — Hippo Insurance. A lot has changed.
As we were growing, we couldn’t just rely on happenstance. We had to be intentional about preserving spirit that made us, well, us. Keeping a small company feel in a growing company’s body is like trying to keep your hometown charm in a bustling city. It’s challenging, but not impossible.
The elephant in the room
And while we’re on the subject of growth, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: change. It’s like upgrading your OS; you hope for the best but prepare for a few bugs.
Growth often brings the anxiety of losing that special ‘small company’ vibe. The personal connections, the sense that everyone’s in the same boat. Yes, we’ve had to adapt. As we’ve expanded, the boat’s gotten bigger, but we haven’t turned into faceless avatars. We actually do have our avatars, but each of them is created by our designer — Michał, and I must say, I personally love them!
We might not have the same intimate knowledge of each other’s coffee preferences or weekend plans as we used to — keeping up with 100 different stories would be a challenge! Our flat hierarchy has evolved, adding a few essential layers. We’ve also introduced streamlined processes because, let’s face it, without them we’d probably get a bit lost (or crazy 😀). Not every process is flawless — ask around, and you’ll get a mix of takes. But necessary? Absolutely.
It’s a bit like upgrading your entire tech stack while keeping the system running. You want the new capabilities, but you can’t afford to go offline. That’s been us, learning to scale without losing our spark.
What’s SwingDev now like?
For all the people considering joining us, know this: We might not be a scrappy startup anymore, but we haven’t lost our edge — or our sense of humor. We’re the kind of place where you can work on game-changing insurtech and not have to dodge flying Nerf darts (well, actually, maybe not all the time 😁).
Our founders? They’re still the captains of this ship in Poland. Ask them what’s changed, and they’ll say, “We’ve just added more seats to the table.” They’ve seen us through from version 1.0 to where we are now, still hands-on, still aiming for that perfect balance of professional but not stuffy, cool but not trying-too-hard.
Our ‘no jerks’ hiring policy is still in full swing because let’s face it, nobody works well with a keyboard warrior.
It’s a line in the sand that’s helped us keep the culture healthy. It’s not about being the cool kids’ table; it’s still about respect, support, and a positive vibe that keeps everyone moving forward.
My wish for the future?
I’m rooting for SwingDev to bloom in every way that counts. It’s not just about boosting our headcount; I’m talking about always strengthening trust&honesty, empathy, positivity, smart work and ownership that make this place special.
The goal is clear: scale up without losing the essence of what makes us SwingDev.
And a final note from me: Yes, there’s a few more faces around, and while I might not remember if you’re an espresso or a latte person, I can guarantee I’m as committed as ever to bringing your ideas to life and ensuring you feel at ease at SwingDev.
