Valiant Finance scales global hiring with speed and confidence using Global Teams EOR by Employment Hero
At a glance
Company
Valiant Finance
Location
APAC and United States
Employees
190+
Product
Global Teams EOR
Read this case study if:
- You’re a fast-growing startup exploring overseas expansion but unsure how to hire compliantly in new markets
- You need to get international hires up and running quickly without setting up a local entity
- You want to retain control of your hiring strategy while reducing admin
From scrappy startup to global scale-up
Valiant Finance is an Australian fintech startup helping small businesses secure the right funding. Since its inception, the business has grown rapidly, exponentially growing in size after its Series C funding round, expanding from 22 staff to over 180 across Australia and Manila.
Josh Minzie, Valiant’s Head of People and Talent, joined the business in 2019 to help scale the team and build internal processes. “I came in as the first talent acquisition hire. My role has been to roll out people initiatives whilst making sure that we scale,” he explained.
As Valiant grew, it needed to hire quickly and strategically to support its ambitions, especially as it looked beyond Australia.
The challenge of hiring globally
When Valiant saw the opportunity to expand into the US market, the team quickly realised international hiring came with complex legal, operational and compliance challenges.
“We were looking to scale into the US, but we weren’t really sure how and when we would need to really build and scale an office there,” said Josh. “We were kind of looking at: do we set an entity up? How long does it take?”
Setting up a legal entity was not only expensive but also time-consuming.
“If we actually set up an entity, it could have taken three to six months. And the business might not go as planned. Then we’ve spent all this money on something we can’t reverse,” he said.
Valiant needed a way to test the market, validate their hiring needs and move quickly, without the overheads and risks of setting up from scratch. That’s when they discovered Global Teams EOR through Employment Hero.
Why Valiant chose Global Teams EOR with Employment Hero
There were plenty of international hiring providers on the market, but Employment Hero stood out for its honesty, transparency and hands-on support.
“We spoke to Deel, Rippling and others,” Josh shared. “Deel were quite sales heavy. It was always, ‘This is why we’re the best,’ instead of, ‘This is what we can do for you.’ I found that Employment Hero were more focused on the relationship. They held our hand every step of the way.”
Josh explained that pricing wasn’t the main factor: “It wasn’t even about pricing. Deel were happy to match or beat it. But it felt like a sales call. With Employment Hero, it didn’t feel like we were just another number.”
Hiring their Head of Sales in the US in weeks, not months
Once Valiant decided to use Global Teams EOR, things moved quickly. Within weeks, the company had made two international hires: a Head of Sales in the US and a team member based in New Zealand.
“We found one of the candidates with Global Teams EOR, and within three weeks, everything was done,” Josh said. “It was just nice to have that automated touch through the system.”
Because the company didn’t have a dedicated HRIS, the built-in workflow and compliance tools in Global Teams EOR were a game-changer.
“Everything’s stored in the Global Team system. All the documents are there. It gives you a checklist of how to move through each stage. It just made my life easy.”
Josh also appreciated that Valiant had full control over the recruitment process. Unlike Business Process Outsourcing arrangements, where the vendor manages hiring, Global Teams EOR allowed Valiant to recruit its own people and use the platform to support onboarding and compliance.
“It was nice to find our own person,” said Josh. “You just have more control of where your money’s being spent. We could find someone we know is a fit and just needed to get them set up to join the business.”
Speed, confidence and compliance
Valiant’s ability to move quickly was one of the biggest benefits of using Global Teams EOR.
“Our CEO turned around three months before the hire and said, ‘Hey, we actually want to accelerate this now,’” Josh recalled. “Because I was already talking to providers, we could move quickly. Once we had a candidate, we knew onboarding would only take two to three weeks.”
Compliance support was another major win. Hiring internationally comes with vastly different legislative requirements – from healthcare obligations to superannuation equivalents and employee entitlements. For Valiant, having Global Teams EOR guide them through those complexities gave the team confidence and peace of mind.
“Global Teams EOR send us documentation about each country’s laws, like how healthcare works in the US, how pensions work, and how Medicare differs. Things you wouldn’t even think of, Global Teams EOR made seamless,” Josh said. “I didn’t realise how different the American compliance environment was until we started. There’s so much that’s different from Australia and Global Teams EOR helped us stay on the right side of all of it.”
A foundation for future growth
Using Global Teams EOR has set Valiant up for future success as it continues to expand internationally.
“If we wanted to go into Singapore, London or Tokyo, we know we could set up quickly, with no fuss, because we’ve done it before,” Josh said. “It gives us a lot more confidence expanding with boots on the ground. It also helps with decision-making. We’re not worrying about how much cash burn is involved in setting up an entity.”
Josh also noted the strategic value of freeing up time and internal resources.
“Our CFO and legal counsel can keep doing the work they were already doing instead of spending time setting up entities. And we’ve got someone in the role quicker, which means we can hit the ground running and not risk losing the candidate.”
Advice to other scaleups
Josh’s advice to other growing businesses is clear:
“If you’re a startup and you want to try another market, you might see that your product could have a good offering in another region, but you’re not sure how to set up an entity or what the costs are… I’d definitely go with something like Global Teams EOR,” he said.
Ready to make global hiring faster and easier?
Speak with an expert today and see how Global Teams EOR can help your business scale with confidence.
