Scaling a US Marketplace with a Dedicated Offshore Team
Over a two-year partnership, African Giant worked closely with Delivery.com to scale and strengthen their technology function. What began as a need for additional engineering capacity evolved into a fully embedded, high-performing offshore team that accelerated product delivery, improved collaboration, and supported long-term growth.
During the contract period, African Giant increased the Delivery.com team by 12 dedicated resources across product management, backend and frontend engineering, DevOps, and design. The result was a more agile development operation, faster turnaround times, and improved delivery confidence across the business.
“African Giant transformed our development process, helping us scale quickly and efficiently while maintaining the highest standards of quality.”
About Delivery.com
Delivery.com is a US-based online marketplace that enables consumers to order from local restaurants, liquor stores, grocery providers, and other neighborhood businesses. Operating in a competitive and fast-moving industry, the company relies heavily on a robust and scalable technology platform to support merchants, customers, and partners across multiple cities.
As the business continued to evolve, Delivery.com recognized the need to expand its internal development capacity to maintain momentum and stay competitive.
The Challenge
Delivery.com had previously partnered with European development firms to extend their engineering capabilities. However, several challenges emerged:
Language barriers that created friction in communication
Time zone misalignment resulting in slower iteration cycles
Limited integration between offshore and in-house teams
Slower turnaround times impacting product velocity
While the technical capabilities of previous partners were strong, operational inefficiencies were slowing down progress. Delivery.com needed more than outsourced development — they needed a true extension of their internal team.
Their objective was clear: scale quickly, improve speed to market, and maintain high engineering standards without compromising collaboration.
African Giant’s Approach
At African Giant, we don’t believe in simply “adding developers.” We build embedded teams that function as a natural extension of our client’s organization.
Deep Discovery & Alignment
We began by conducting a structured discovery process with Delivery.com’s leadership and product stakeholders. Our focus was on:
Understanding their technology stack
Identifying gaps in their current team
Clarifying product roadmap priorities
Defining communication and workflow expectations
This ensured that every resource we deployed was aligned not just technically, but culturally and operationally.
Building a Dedicated, Cross-Functional Team
Over the course of the engagement, we scaled the team to 12 dedicated professionals, including:
Product specialists
Backend engineers
Frontend engineers
DevOps engineers
Designers
Each team member was carefully selected for both technical expertise and communication ability, ensuring seamless collaboration with US-based stakeholders.
Rather than operating in isolation, our team integrated directly into Delivery.com’s existing workflows — attending standups, sprint planning sessions, retrospectives, and roadmap discussions.
Seamless Integration & Workflow Optimization
Time zone alignment between South Africa and the US created overlapping working hours that significantly improved collaboration compared to previous European partnerships.
Key improvements included:
Faster feedback loops
Real-time problem solving
Reduced rework due to clearer communication
Improved sprint predictability
Our DevOps resources helped streamline deployment processes, while frontend and backend engineers accelerated feature development. Product and design support ensured initiatives were properly scoped and user-focused from the outset.
The result was not just more output — but better structured, more efficient delivery.
Measurable Impact
Over the two-year partnership, Delivery.com experienced:
Increased development velocity
Faster feature rollouts
Improved platform stability
Stronger cross-team collaboration
Reduced operational friction
Most importantly, they gained a scalable technology function capable of supporting business growth.
By embedding a cohesive offshore unit rather than fragmented contractors, we enabled Delivery.com to operate with the confidence of a larger internal team — without the overhead and complexity of traditional hiring in the US market.
Why it worked
Several factors contributed to the success of this partnership:
Cultural Compatibility
South African professionals bring strong English proficiency, Western business alignment, and high accountability — reducing friction and misunderstandings.
True Team Integration
Our team was not treated as an external vendor. They were embedded contributors aligned to shared goals.
Long-Term Commitment
The two-year contract created stability, allowing knowledge accumulation, product continuity, and sustained performance improvements.
Focus on Quality
Scaling quickly did not mean compromising standards. Every engineer and designer was vetted to ensure they could contribute at a high level from day one.
Conclusion
This two-year partnership demonstrates what is possible when offshore talent is strategically integrated rather than loosely outsourced.
African Giant didn’t just provide additional developers to Delivery.com — we helped build a stronger, more agile technology function. By combining technical excellence, communication clarity, and operational discipline, we enabled Delivery.com to scale efficiently while maintaining quality and momentum.
For companies seeking to expand their engineering capacity without sacrificing collaboration or control, the right offshore partner can be a catalyst for sustainable growth.
