Skip to content
Riseup Asia

How we vet

The filter behind every engineer we place.

We vet offshore developers in six stages: application screening, aptitude filters, a practical build, a client-simulated challenge, a proctored interview without AI assistance, and reference checks. Roughly 5% of over a thousand applicants reach the bench you interview from.

Six stages stand between an application and your shortlist. Most candidates fail at stage two. That's the point.

How we filter

One thousand applicants. Six filters. Three hires.

Designed by engineers with twenty years of leadership behind them. Most people fail at stage two.

  1. 01

    1,000+ reached

    Multi-country sourcing

    Targeted campaigns across Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, India and Bangladesh.

  2. 02

    20 / 1,000

    Aptitude filter

    An alertness, adaptiveness and aptitude screen. Twenty of every thousand get through.

  3. 03

    3–5 layers

    Foundational training

    Three to five graded modules: memory training, structured note-taking, professional working habits.

  4. 04

    20–25 hrs

    Practical build

    A real two-to-three month build compressed into 20–25 hours, written by twenty-year engineering leaders.

  5. 05

    2 modes

    Client-simulated challenge

    Tasks modelled on your stack, split into AI-assisted and AI-free halves. We test research ability too.

  6. 06

    1 hr, no AI

    Live proctored interview

    One hour of live coding. No internet. No AI. A proctor present. Then negotiation and onboarding.

Only the top 5% of an assignment-stage cohort reach your shortlist.

Why it works

Three principles behind the funnel.


Designed by engineering leaders

The funnel was written by people with twenty years of engineering leadership — not recruiters reading a keyword list.

AI-proof by design

Every candidate faces tasks in two modes — AI-assisted and AI-free — plus a live, proctored hour with no internet. We test the engineer, not their tools.

Tested on your world

Final-stage challenges are modelled on your actual stack, so the shortlist you meet has already worked on problems like yours.

Ready when you are

Put the engineeringproblem on the table.

A senior leader will assess it.

A focused 30-minute call with an engineering leader, not a salesperson. We define the technical risk, team shape and next step; scoped work receives a written proposal within 48 hours.

Direct inquiry

info@riseup-asia.com