Case Studies: 7.1 Tech Hub
Implementing ProSiebenSat.1's Portuguese Tech Hub from scratch
Overview
3
With Tech Hubs in Munich, Berlin, and now Porto, ProSiebenSat.1 has expanded its footprint beyond Germany with Damia’s help.
22
Tech hires.
5
Main hired tech profiles: Cloud & Fullstack Developers; Data, BI & Machine Learning Engineers.
61%
61% offer acceptance rate in the first year.
We knew we needed a strong partner for our first Tech Hub outside Germany. We were lucky that Damia came highly recommended from our network, not just for tech recruiting but also for their invaluable support in establishing our operations in Portugal.
Dr. Stephanie Beckmann
Co-Founder & Managing Director
@ 7.1 Tech Hub
The challenge
Scaling a team in a new country is always a fun but demanding challenge. What started out with a founding team of three people has emerged into a workforce of around 40 employees in just 365 days.
After extensive analysis by ProSiebenSat.1’s HR team, Porto was chosen as the preferred location, checking all key criteria such as:
- employee appeal;
- quality of higher education;
- quality and quantity of STEM (Science, Tech; Engineering, Mathematics) graduates & professionals;
- high English proficiency;
- economic landscape;
- competition for tech talent;
- EU member country with a common legal framework;
- little time-zone difference;
- Frequent and affordable direct flights to Munich (MUC) and high quality of life.
Reaching #1 as "Most Loved IT Company" in Portugal
Soon after, Damia was chosen as the key partner for growth, adding two extra hands to the recruitment efforts through our Embedded Recruitment service.
Damia’s service scaled with time, and 7.1 Tech Hub was finally equipped to expand sustainably, armed with the essential cultural and market insights for success.
In less than a year, 7.1 Tech Hub reached the top of Teamlyzer’s – the Portuguese Glassdoor – “most loved IT companies in Portugal” ranking, and the “Fastest-growing Tech company in Portugal”, even ahead of established industry players.
Damia supported in securing the title of “Most Loved IT Company” including through their exceptional approach to conducting pre-screen interviews, and give workable candidate feedback.
Dr. Stephanie Beckmann
Co-Founder & Managing Director
@ 7.1 Tech Hub
This milestone is based on the consistently positive reviews from candidates and employees and shows the hard work, commitment, and passion of the entire team.
As of early 2025, 7.1 Tech Hub has grown into a diverse team of around 40 employees from five countries. With Software Developers, Data Scientists, and BI Engineers from Portugal, Brazil, Italy, and Poland, their combined expertise fuels fresh ideas and innovative solutions that are driving the Entertainment business forward.
Partnership Achievements
Provided expertise on scaling Tech Teams, with end-to-end processes of sourcing, attracting, hiring, and informed insights about highly skilled tech talent.
Provided key cultural understanding to attract tech talent and become a respected local tech brand, while making the growth journey more informed, seamless, and transparent.
Brought market knowledge in order to increase competitiveness and achieve what others could not.
Successfully enhanced candidate’s experience, ensuring that every process, regardless of the outcome, had a positive impact on every single person, strengthening the Partner’s employer branding along the way.
Enabled Partner’s informed decision-making with Salary Benchmarks, Talent Mapping, and valuable insights, avoiding costly mistakes.
Provided candidate’s success metrics to ensure that any bottlenecks would be identified and corrected before affecting either the roadmap or the candidate’s experience.
About 7.1 Tech Hub
7.1 Tech Hub makes digital entertainment happen!
ProSiebenSat.1’s first-class products and technology coming out of Porto are reaching millions of viewers and users every day.
Permanent Recruitment
Embedded Recruitment
