Case Study · 2021
From 2-Week MVP to 1000+ Users: Scaling an ESG Platform
I joined Nossa Data as the first hire and delivered a production-ready MVP in 2 weeks. Six weeks later, we scaled to 170+ companies and 1000+ users as the official WDI reporting platform.
Client
Nossa Data
Date
2021-04
Service
MVP Development, AWS Infrastructure, ISO27001
Key Results
- → Delivered a fully functional MVP to trial users (Toyota, Vodafone) within 2 weeks using FastAPI, React, Next.js, and AWS Fargate.
- → Scaled from pre-MVP to 170+ companies (1000+ users) in 6 weeks after closing a major deal.
- → Became the official reporting platform for Thomson Reuters Foundation Workforce Disclosure Initiative (WDI).
- → Promoted to Head of Engineering and led full ISO27001 security refactor using Pulumi.
The Challenge
Nossa Data needed to deliver a fully functional MVP to trial users, including Toyota and Vodafone, within just 2 weeks. The platform had to be ready for these companies to start filling out the Workforce Disclosure Initiative (WDI) questionnaire immediately.
Additionally, they had just closed a major deal and needed to scale from pre-MVP to supporting nearly 1,000 users across 170+ companies within 6 weeks.
The pressure was on. No room for error. No time for rewrites.
What I Did
As the first hire at Nossa Data, I led the technical execution from day one:
Week 1-2: MVP Development
- Rewrote the back-end in FastAPI (Python) for speed and maintainability
- Kept the existing PostgreSQL database but optimized queries and indexing
- Built the dashboard UI using Next.js, React, and Tailwind CSS based on Nossa Data’s mockups
- Containerized everything with Docker and deployed to AWS ECR
- Hosted front-end and back-end apps on AWS Fargate for auto-scaling
- Handled data migration and AWS ELB switchover with zero downtime
Week 3-4: First Onboarding Wave
- Onboarded the first 8 trial companies onto the platform
- Fixed bugs in real-time as users reported issues
- Simplified the questionnaire UX based on user feedback
Week 5-6: Scaling to Production
- All 170 companies (5-50 users each) were successfully using the platform
- Users provided glowing reviews: “easiest ESG data submission tool on the market”
- Became the official reporting platform for ShareAction’s (now Thomson Reuters Foundation’s) Workforce Disclosure Initiative
Months 7-24: ISO27001 & Head of Engineering
- Promoted to Head of Engineering
- Led the full ISO27001 security refactor to enable enterprise deals
- Migrated from a single AWS account to a multi-account AWS org with SSO
- Implemented Teleport for strict ACL-based database access
- Used Pulumi (Infrastructure-as-Code) for reproducible, auditable infrastructure
The Tech Stack
- FastAPI (Python)
- React + Next.js
- PostgreSQL (AWS RDS)
- AWS Fargate
- Docker + AWS ECR
- Pulumi (IaC)
- Teleport (Zero Trust Access)
- ISO27001 Compliance
The Results
- 2 weeks — MVP to Production
- 170+ — Companies Onboarded
- 1000+ — Active Users
- 100% — Uptime During Scale
Within 2 weeks, the first 8 trial companies were onboarded. Two weeks after that, all 170 companies with 5-50 users each were successfully using the platform.
Nossa Data became the official reporting platform for Thomson Reuters Foundation’s WDI, gaining a strong foothold in the ESG reporting space.
Client Testimonial
"Elephant and Rope enabled us to roll out a product that delighted thousands of users, on schedule. They were responsible for various key aspects of our platform, from our core back-end infrastructure to providing technical insight and implementation as we rolled out v1 of dozens of features. While professionally an engineering firm, Elephant and Rope has an eye for design and strength in product, which is key for any early-stage tech start-up."
Julianne Flesher
Co-founder & CEO of Nossa Data
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