[CASE STUDY]

How Braintly helped Zaro scale a fintech platform confidently.

A fintech connecting 3,000+ dealerships with major banks for collateral loans. In fintech, where a system failure can damage partnerships and trust, "moving fast" wasn't enough. Zaro needed to move fast and be right.

The Context

Zaro. Fintech platform for vehicle collateral loans. Scaling stage; product-market fit achieved, expanding to 11 provinces.

Financial services. Regulated. High-stakes. Sergio Zaera, non-technical CEO, launching solo.

The ask: A development partner who could think strategically, not just execute.

• Company: Zaro - Fintech platform for vehicle collateral loans
• Stage: Scaling (product-market fit achieved, expanding to 11 provinces)
• Industry: Financial services (regulated, high-stakes)
• Founder: Sergio Zaera - Non-technical CEO launching solo

In a sector that grew 35% in 2025, standing still meant falling behind. Zaro needed to scale its technology as fast as its business, but the foundation had to be rock-solid.

COMPANY

Zaro

INDUSTRY

Financial Services / Fintech

3,000+DEALERSHIPS

11PROVINCES

The Real Problem

Sergio already had a development agency. They were responsive. They delivered features. But he couldn't trust them.

The surface problem: "We need to move faster."

The actual problem:

No confidence in technical decisions

As a non-technical founder, Sergio had no way to validate if the team was building the right things the right way

Fear of scaling on fragile foundations

What if the system breaks when we grow?

Communication gaps

Development and business weren't aligned

No strategic thinking

The other agency executed requests but didn't challenge assumptions or propose alternatives

This wasn't just about velocity. It was about trust. In fintech, where uptime, security, and compliance are existential, Sergio needed a partner who understood the stakes, not just a team that wrote code.

The Risk

What was at stake:

Business risk

Losing momentum in a fast-growing sector (35% annual growth)

Competitors moving faster with better tech

Missing market opportunities in new provinces and bank partnerships

Reputational risk

System failures damaging relationships with bank partners (Supervielle, Santander, ICBC)

Unreliable service hurting dealership trust

Loss of credibility in a trust-sensitive industry

Founder risk

Making critical technical decisions without the knowledge to validate them

The unsustainable anxiety of delegation without confidence

Scaling a business while constantly second-guessing the tech foundation

Sergio made a difficult decision: rather than replace his existing team, he hired two agencies in parallel. Braintly would need to prove itself.

What Braintly Did Differently

Sergio wasn't coming in blind. In his previous role, he'd seen Braintly in action.
He knew how the team worked. But familiarity wasn't enough. Braintly needed to deliver something fundamentally different.

The approach:

Criterion over execution

Braintly doesn't just build what's asked: the team thinks critically, challenges priorities, and proposes alternatives based on business impact.

Pushback as culture

It's in Braintly's DNA to say "no" when necessary and explain why.

Elevating the technical bar

Building for scale and robustness, not just MVP.

Business-first thinking

Every technical decision validated against real-world impact.

Overdelivery as standard

Consistently delivering more value than expected.

2-week sprints

Clear planning and accountability, on-time delivery, and proactive communication when delays occur.

Zero ramp-up time

Deep domain expertise and pre-existing trust let Sergio delegate technical ownership completely and focus on scaling the business.

THE UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

10 years of fintech expertise. Braintly had spent nearly a decade
working with another fintech client in a very similar space.

The entire learning curve: regulatory constraints, bank API
integrations, security requirements, scaling challenges, incident
management; had already been completed. For Zaro, there was no learning curve.

The Squad in Action

Braintly deployed a dedicated squad of 5 senior professionals (backend, frontend, architecture); full-time, committed, not a rotating cast of contractors.

Ownership — Braintly

Development, architecture, technical prioritization, roadmap execution

Ownership — Zaro

Product definition, market validation, bank and dealership relationships

What the team delivered:

Fully automated end-to-end collateral loan process

Financial innovation module for enhanced capabilities

Improved credit decision-making process (core business)

Regional operations infrastructure (no physical branches needed)

Competitive intelligence system

Professional framework and structured processes

The real value wasn't just execution: it was trust. Sergio didn't need to validate every decision. He didn't need to wonder if the system would hold up. He could focus on banks, dealerships, and expansion, knowing the technical foundation was solid.

Results

HARD OUTCOMES

Record growth

Opened the most branches in Zaro's history (made possible by technology)

Increased monthly revenue (direct financial impact)

Geographic expansion without physical infrastructure costs

Operational efficiency

20 credits per employee on average (productivity benchmark)

End-to-end loan process fully automated

More credits with fewer resources

Speed and quality

2-week sprints with on-time delivery

Deliverables consistently meet or exceed expectations

More predictable, business-aligned roadmap

Robustness

System supported record-breaking scaling

Infrastructure ready for continued growth

Competitive performance in fast-growing market (35% sector growth in 2025)

SOFT OUTCOMES

Less founder anxiety

Sergio could trust the tech without constant validation

Delegation without fear

Peace of mind during scaling

More clarity

Clear roadmap aligned with business goals

Understanding of technical tradeoffs

Confidence in decision-making

Better communication

Continuous alignment between tech and business

Common language between founder and technical team

Greater trust

Braintly acted as a "fractional CTO:" strategic thinking + execution

Sergio didn't need deep technical knowledge to trust decisions

What changed

"I don't know if my team is making the right calls" → trust established

"We're moving slowly and I don't know why" → clear priorities, high velocity

"The system will break when we scale" → robust foundation in place

What Sergio Says

Rating: 5.0/5.0 across all categories (Quality, Schedule, Cost, Willing to Refer)

"Above all, the values: Transparency, honesty, and clarity. Enhancing our strengths and helping us when things get tough. That's what a real partner does. True partnership is evident when there are problems to solve, not when everything is going well. And Braintly is always willing to resolve any situation in the most beneficial way for both parties."
"I would choose Braintly again, and in fact, I did. I worked with them in a previous experience and chose them again to be the technology team for my company. The overall experience has been excellent."
Sergio Zaera
CEO & Founder, ZARO

Read full review on Clutch

Who This Case Is For

This case is for you if:

You're scaling a fintech, healthtech, or regulated platform where robustness isn't optional
You're a non-technical founder who needs strategic guidance, not just execution
You have a development team but can't fully trust them to make the right technical decisions
Tech is core to your business and system failures have real consequences (reputation, revenue, compliance)
You need a partner who already understands your domain. No learning curve, no ramp-up time