.png?width=335&height=87&name=IMG%20(1).png)
Company Overview
Sentinel U® develops simulation-based learning tools for nursing programs across the U.S., supporting everything from pre-licensure coursework to advanced practice education. The company works with dozens of universities across the nation, from Columbia University in New York to Chaminade in Hawai, providing instructors with data-rich insights into how students perform and where additional support is needed.
As Sentinel U’s product footprint expanded, so did the demands on its engineering organization. They needed to scale without extra admin or management overhead.
The Challenge
By late 2024, Sentinel U® was at an inflection point. The existing portal, largely built by external contractors, wasn’t designed to scale alongside new features and products. The team faced a choice: spend years refactoring legacy systems, or rebuild with more sustainable technologies.
“We needed to double the team in 2025,” said Connor Tunney, Director of Product Optimization. “And we needed people who could contribute quickly without adding a lot of management overhead.”
Connor had already worked with a range of contracting models over the years, from large offshore firms to independent consultants spread across multiple countries. The work often required heavy oversight and time spent managing invoices, equipment, and logistics.
Sentinel U wanted a faster, more flexible way to extend the team.
Why Strider?
Strider came recommended by someone already on Connor’s team. The initial goal was modest: bring on a couple of developers to support a major rebuild effort.
What stood out was speed.
“When I reach out and say I need someone, I’m seeing resumes within two days,” Connor said. “From ask to onboard, it’s about 30 days end-to-end, which includes our comprehensive screening process.”
Equally important was how Strider’s engineers performed after onboarding. Rather than operating as a detached delivery team, they integrated right into the Sentinel U® team and workflow.
“They’re essentially internal employees,” Connor explained. “They ask questions, pick up requirements, work tickets, and collaborate with the rest of the team.”
"We needed to double the team in 2025. And we needed people who could contribute quickly without adding a lot of management overhead."
Impact
Sentinel U® initially planned to use contractors temporarily. “That didn’t happen,” Connor said. “They were too useful. Letting them go would’ve meant losing a lot of capacity, so we renewed plus ended up adding more people.”
One Strider engineer even stepped into a senior responsibility gap, helping review pull requests during a period when internal bandwidth was stretched.
“That kind of deeper trust doesn’t come easily,” Connor noted. “But it worked.”
Beyond technical capability, Strider reduced the operational load on the Sentinel U® leadership team.
Equipment issues, onboarding logistics, and day-to-day admin were handled without becoming distractions.
For a team juggling growth and product expansion, that reduction in operational friction made it easier to stay focused.
"With the production workload we are handling, any efficiency I can find in administration duties is welcomed. Having that support from Strider helps."
Key Benefits
- Flexibility
Today, Sentinel U® continues to use Strider as part of its broader engineering strategy, which requires scaling up when needed and maintaining flexibility as priorities shift. For Sentinel U, the result has been steady progress toward a more scalable platform, without slowing the team down.
TL;DR- Sentinel U® is a U.S. based Health EdTech company that needed to hire engineers quickly without increasing management overhead or operational complexity.
- By partnering with Strider as its hiring platform, Sentinel U hired senior, vetted LATAM engineers who integrated directly into the internal team.
- This helped the company to move faster, reduce admin burden, and maintain delivery speed as the product scaled.
"If someone needs to ramp a team quickly and get people contributing right away, I’d recommend Strider. You still manage engineers as part of your org, but you’re not dealing with constant turnover or rework."
Start Hiring 