Devlyn AI · Global Capability Centre
A captive engineering centre that becomes part of your org — built by Devlyn, owned by you.
A Global Capability Centre engagement builds a dedicated, captive engineering organisation — typically 10 to 50+ engineers — that operates as an extension of your company, not as a vendor. Devlyn handles the entire setup: entity establishment in the target geography, talent acquisition and onboarding, engineering-culture seeding, operational infrastructure (offices, IT, HR), and the 12-month transition plan that converts the GCC from a Devlyn-managed operation to a fully client-owned subsidiary. The GCC model is how companies like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Google built their Bangalore and Hyderabad engineering centres — Devlyn makes the same model accessible to $20M–$500M companies that lack the operational infrastructure to do it independently..
What this model delivers
A Global Capability Centre engagement builds a dedicated, captive engineering organisation — typically 10 to 50+ engineers — that operates as an extension of your company, not as a vendor. Devlyn handles the entire setup: entity establishment in the target geography, talent acquisition and onboarding, engineering-culture seeding, operational infrastructure (offices, IT, HR), and the 12-month transition plan that converts the GCC from a Devlyn-managed operation to a fully client-owned subsidiary. The GCC model is how companies like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Google built their Bangalore and Hyderabad engineering centres — Devlyn makes the same model accessible to $20M–$500M companies that lack the operational infrastructure to do it independently.
Engagement details
Ideal for
GCC engagements fit companies that have validated their engineering model with Devlyn pods and are ready to build permanent, captive engineering capacity in a cost-advantaged geography. Common scenarios include a Series D or growth-stage company that needs 20+ engineers but cannot afford US-market compensation for the entire team. A public company that needs a captive centre for IP-ownership, data-residency, or regulatory reasons that offshore contractors cannot satisfy. Or an enterprise that wants to build a centre of excellence for a specific capability — AI/ML, data engineering, platform infrastructure — in a geography with deep talent supply.
Team composition
A GCC engagement starts with a seed pod of 5–8 engineers that Devlyn recruits, onboards, and manages during the establishment phase. The seed pod validates the engineering culture, code conventions, CI/CD pipeline integration, and communication cadence with the client's existing teams. Over 6–12 months, the GCC scales to the target headcount through Devlyn's recruitment pipeline in the target geography, with each new hire onboarded into the established engineering culture rather than starting from scratch. The GCC includes engineering management, technical leads, DevOps, QA, and administrative support — a complete engineering organisation, not just a collection of individual contributors.
Pricing
GCC engagements are custom-priced based on target headcount, geography, and operational scope. The pricing model has three components: (1) a setup fee covering entity establishment, office infrastructure, and initial recruitment; (2) a monthly management fee during the Devlyn-managed phase covering HR, payroll, IT, and operational oversight; and (3) a per-engineer cost that runs 50–70% below equivalent US-market fully-loaded FTE compensation. The 12-month transition plan includes a structured handoff where the management fee reduces as the client's in-house leadership assumes operational control.
Why this model
The GCC model solves the structural cost problem that pod retainers and contractor models cannot: at 20+ engineers, the per-engineer cost in a captive centre runs 50–70% below US-market compensation while providing stronger IP protection, data-residency compliance, and talent retention than any vendor model. The Devlyn-managed establishment phase eliminates the 18–24-month timeline and $500K+ setup cost that companies typically face when building a GCC independently. And the structured 12-month transition ensures the client owns the centre completely — no ongoing vendor dependency, no margin layers, no lock-in.
Compliance ownership
In a GCC engagement, compliance ownership follows a phased model. During the Devlyn-managed phase, Devlyn owns operational compliance (employment law, tax, entity management) while the client owns engineering compliance (security posture, regulatory frameworks, data handling). During the transition phase, both operational and engineering compliance transfer to the client's in-house leadership with Devlyn providing advisory support. The GCC model provides stronger IP protection and data-residency compliance than contractor or pod models because the engineers are direct employees of the client's subsidiary, not vendor staff.
Scale path
GCC engagements scale from the seed pod (5–8 engineers) to the target organisation size (20–50+ engineers) over 6–18 months, depending on the talent market in the target geography and the client's absorption capacity. The end state is a fully client-owned subsidiary with its own engineering leadership, HR, and operational infrastructure. Devlyn's involvement transitions from full management to advisory support over the 12-month handoff period. Some clients maintain a Devlyn advisory retainer post-transition for continued recruitment support and engineering-culture coaching.
Timeline
Discovery and scoping: 2–4 weeks. Entity establishment and seed-pod recruitment: 2–3 months. Seed pod operational and integrated: month 3–4. Scale to target headcount: months 4–12. Transition to client-owned operation: months 12–18. Total elapsed time from decision to fully operational captive centre: 12–18 months. The seed pod is productive and shipping code by month 3, so the client sees engineering output long before the full GCC is established.
Real outcomes
Calenso · Switzerland
4× productivity
5,000+ integrations after AI-augmented engineering.
Creator.ai
6 weeks → 1 week
6× faster delivery, 50% leaner team.
Klaviss · USA
$4,800/mo pod
Real-estate platform overhaul shipped in 8 weeks.
Haxi.ai · Middle East
AI at scale
Spec to production by one pod.
Browse by stack or vertical
Top verticals
Other engagement models
Questions about Global Capability Centre
-
How fast can a Global Capability Centre engagement start?
Discovery and scoping: 2–4 weeks. Entity establishment and seed-pod recruitment: 2–3 months. Seed pod operational and integrated: month 3–4. Scale to target headcount: months 4–12. Transition to client-owned operation: months 12–18. Total elapsed time from decision to fully operational captive centre: 12–18 months. The seed pod is productive and shipping code by month 3, so the client sees engineering output long before the full GCC is established.
-
What does a Global Capability Centre engagement cost?
GCC engagements are custom-priced based on target headcount, geography, and operational scope. The pricing model has three components: (1) a setup fee covering entity establishment, office infrastructure, and initial recruitment; (2) a monthly management fee during the Devlyn-managed phase covering HR, payroll, IT, and operational oversight; and (3) a per-engineer cost that runs 50–70% below equivalent US-market fully-loaded FTE compensation. The 12-month transition plan includes a structured handoff where the management fee reduces as the client's in-house leadership assumes operational control.
-
Who owns compliance in a Global Capability Centre engagement?
In a GCC engagement, compliance ownership follows a phased model. During the Devlyn-managed phase, Devlyn owns operational compliance (employment law, tax, entity management) while the client owns engineering compliance (security posture, regulatory frameworks, data handling). During the transition phase, both operational and engineering compliance transfer to the client's in-house leadership with Devlyn providing advisory support. The GCC model provides stronger IP protection and data-residency compliance than contractor or pod models because the engineers are direct employees of the client's subsidiary, not vendor staff.
-
How does a Global Capability Centre engagement scale?
GCC engagements scale from the seed pod (5–8 engineers) to the target organisation size (20–50+ engineers) over 6–18 months, depending on the talent market in the target geography and the client's absorption capacity. The end state is a fully client-owned subsidiary with its own engineering leadership, HR, and operational infrastructure. Devlyn's involvement transitions from full management to advisory support over the 12-month handoff period. Some clients maintain a Devlyn advisory retainer post-transition for continued recruitment support and engineering-culture coaching.
-
What makes Devlyn's Global Capability Centre model different?
The GCC model solves the structural cost problem that pod retainers and contractor models cannot: at 20+ engineers, the per-engineer cost in a captive centre runs 50–70% below US-market compensation while providing stronger IP protection, data-residency compliance, and talent retention than any vendor model. The Devlyn-managed establishment phase eliminates the 18–24-month timeline and $500K+ setup cost that companies typically face when building a GCC independently. And the structured 12-month transition ensures the client owns the centre completely — no ongoing vendor dependency, no margin layers, no lock-in.
Ready to scope
Book a 30-minute discovery call. We will scope whether a Global Capability Centre engagement is the right shape for your roadmap — and if not, we will recommend the model that is.