How One Contract Through Upwork Transformed This Founder’s Startup

As an experienced data scientist, David Wrench understood how popular enterprise data warehousing tools worked — and saw some clear issues. One was the price of access. Another was the effect that traditional data warehousing had of siloing information and expecting AI to do all of the data processing.

But in Wrench’s understanding, humans are an important part of the data science process. Turning raw numbers into visualizations and narratives isn’t, in his opinion, something that can be entirely outsourced to artificial intelligence.

Instead, Wrench realized, a more efficient and cost-effective system would look like a series of specialized AI agents solving discrete problems — all while working in tandem with each other and their users. 

“datajoi is a copilot that rides alongside a data scientist or data manager, but it doesn’t replace them whatsoever,” Wrench said. “We think people belong in the process, to trust and verify data architectures — but AI helps our users contextualize their analytics and build complete data stories.”

The challenge

Just as humans-in-the-loop are a key part of how datajoi serves its customers, the work of building datajoi required human hands, too. 

“I had a few junior developers who were, and are, great,” Wrench said. “But I needed someone who could help them level up and make real architectural decisions.” 

Wrench started in that mentor role himself, but with much of his focus still on datajoi’s fundraising, he needed to bring in another expert who could deliver immediate impact, mentor the junior team, and help bring datajoi to market … all without breaking the bank. 

The solution

Wrench had previously had positive experiences hiring on Upwork, so he returned to the platform to see if he could find someone that would fill a clear need: a systems engineer who was senior enough to carry architectural responsibility, but flexible enough to work within a startup environment.

And he did. Through Upwork, Wrench met Dmytro Serdiuk, a systems architect from Ukraine now living in Nashville, TN. 

“From our very first interaction, I felt the vibe that this was the person I had been looking for,” Wrench said. “Dmytro’s ability to come on and see me struggling, and with his experience say, ‘Oh, this is what you need to do,’ was great. It allowed me to let go.”

Wrench and Serdiuk’s professional relationship started with one short-term contract that helped solve some key problems for datajoi. But Serdiuk was at a point in his career where he was looking for exactly this type of leadership role — and quickly became an essential part of Wrench’s team. 

The results

With one hire on Upwork, Wrench went from feeling like he was pulled in too many directions to being confident that he’s got the right team in place.

Better distribution of roles and resources

Right away, Wrench found that Serdiuk’s ability to own complex systems and guide infrastructure decisions brought immediate stability to the engineering process. 

Thanks to Serdiuk’s guidance, the company’s technical team now has a clearer roadmap, stronger foundation, and greater confidence. Wrench has also been able to step away from the day-to-day technical firefighting and focus on the company’s future. 

This shift was critical as datajoi pursued its next fundraising round and refined its go-to-market strategy. 

“Honestly, without Dmytro, I may have continued struggling — or even sunk,” Wrench said. “His arrival felt like a stroke of luck … it allowed me to go start raising money to get the product out the door.”  

Creation of a deep, lasting partnership 

Over time, as Wrench and Serdiuk worked together, their professional bond deepened. Wrench ultimately brought Serdiuk on as a co-founder and explored ways to keep their work moving forward no matter where in the world Serdiuk moves. 

“He’s so committed and dedicated, it was a no-brainer to keep him on and bring him into the company as a co-founder and pursue his O-1 visa sponsorship. I asked him exactly what he needed — because that’s my job now. He’s delivering on his promise, and I have to deliver on mine,” Wrench said. “And if he ever does decide to move back to Ukraine, I want to keep working with him and support him however I can.” 

A plan for continued hiring

For Wrench, the experience of hiring Dmytro through Upwork was more than a short-term win — it became a model for how to build a high-performing, values-aligned team in a resource-constrained environment.

“It’s been the best result I’ve had on Upwork, hands down,” Wrench said. “Going forward, I’m even more committed to using the platform. I’m really happy that when I log on, it’s easy for me to tell which freelancers get what I need and which don’t. I can move forward right away and hire my top three picks, rather than having to sit through dozens of rounds of interviews.” 

Wrench has also found that the professionals he works with enjoy collaborating through Upwork. 

“The developers feel really confident because they know the project is funded, and they can see my history of how much I’ve paid out to other freelancers,” Wrench said. “I feel I’m well represented, so I get to connect with great talent.” 

As datajoi continues to grow its team, sharpen its platform, and redefine how data stories are told — including its own stories — it does so with a renewed sense of momentum … and a clear understanding of what’s possible when the right people are in the right roles.