Expertise over volume
We'd rather work with exceptional people than manage a large pool of average profiles.
About ElevateX
Founded on experience.
Driven by conviction.
We believe the right expert creates more value than more headcount ever could. Too many companies solve technical challenges by adding people, process, and coordination. We believe in lean teams, high talent density, and specialists who deliver real impact fast.
Sören Elser Founder and Managing Director
“I've spoken to every person I suggest to you. And if I don't have anyone, I'll say so.”
Why ElevateX exists
Plenty of profiles look right on paper. We place people we know.
- 2010
Sales, from the ground up
I didn't start in IT. I started in sales, with five years as a regional sales manager. You learn one thing fast there: nobody buys because the presentation is good. They buy because you understood what they actually need.
- 2015
Inside a big agency
Then I moved to one of the large German IT freelance agencies, first as a key account manager, later as a team lead in Berlin. I saw how the system works. In sales, what counts most is how often you pick up the phone. There is little room for the conversation in which you really understand what a client needs. And the person you deal with changes often. Many young salespeople don't want to spend years dialing for numbers, so they move on after a year or two.
- The turning point
“But we've always done it this way”
In Berlin I started building my own team. Every time I suggested something new, I got the same answer: “But we've always done it this way.” That went for how the team worked, for sales, and most of all for clients: what a contract looked like and how we worked together was set in stone. At some point it was clear to me: the kind of placement I believe in, personal and on equal terms with clients and freelancers, would only happen in a company of my own.
- 2019
ElevateX, founded as a duo
Around that time I met Ralf Gehrer. He came from the other side of the market: ten years as a self-employed software developer, with the technical eye to assess people and a clear sense of how freelancers want to work. I had five years of sales and matching on the agency side behind me. In December 2019 we founded ElevateX as a personal, boutique-style agency. Our principle: we only place people we know. If you come to us, you get profiles of people we have spoken to ourselves, and a point of contact who stays.
- 2020 to 2025
Relationships, not a database
Shortly after we started, the pandemic hit, so remote work was normal for us from day one. Since then we have completed more than 500 successful projects, at banks, mid-sized companies and start-ups. Running my own company, I can engage far more with a client's questions, suggestions and ideas, and decide myself how to set up each engagement so it works best for them. Some clients have been with us since the first year, and freelancers come back years later for their next project. That's exactly how it should be.
- 2026
Going separate ways
After more than six years together, Ralf and I decided to go our separate ways. I continue to run ElevateX as sole managing director. I'm grateful for what we built together, and the principle stays the same. Every client and every freelancer talks to me directly.
- Today
Why I do this
One freelancer you really know is worth more than ten who look right on paper. And the first question is rarely: freelancer or permanent hire? It's: what do you need for this job, right now? That's what I help you with, even when the honest answer is: hire someone permanently. Or: use a platform, if you have the time to go through lots of profiles and post the project yourself.
Send your request to Sören
Free of charge, no commitment. Sören gets back to you personally.
500+ Successful
projects
projects
99% of engagements
completed successfully
completed successfully
2019 Year
founded
founded
100% Remote
first
first
5.0 ★ 26 reviews
on Google
on Google
A small number of experts often outperforms a much larger team.
Too little seniority, too much coordination, and too little ownership are the silent killers of engineering velocity. We built ElevateX around the opposite.
Expertise creates leverage.
Autonomy drives quality.
Domain knowledge matters.
The right expert raises the level of the whole team.
Our view on the future
The future of engineering teams is leaner and more intentional.
Strong core teams will always matter. Modern tools will keep reducing repetitive work. But when complexity rises and stakes are high, specialist expertise becomes even more valuable.
We believe the strongest teams combine three forces:
- Core employees who protect vision, own culture, and provide continuity.
- Modern tools that increase leverage and remove repetitive work.
- Senior freelance specialists who step in when deep expertise or speed is critical.
Our values
What guides every decision we make
Seniority over handholding
We value experts who think independently, take ownership, and contribute from day one.
Precision over noise
Great matches come from understanding context and real technical need, not keyword matching.
Trust over transactions
Strong collaboration starts with credibility, honesty, and understanding both sides of the market.
Long-term thinking over short-term filling
The best external support strengthens teams, transfers know-how, and creates lasting value.
Why this matters
The hidden costs are rarely just budget.
The real cost of the wrong hire shows up as slow onboarding, unclear ownership, avoidable mistakes, and teams managing complexity instead of solving problems.
The right expert brings clarity faster, makes better decisions earlier, and raises the level of the whole team.
That is why this matters to us. And that is why ElevateX exists.
FAQs
What does the name ElevateX stand for?
"Elevate" stands for the empowerment of our clients: we enable companies to elevate their project, idea, product, app, team, or X, to the next level by tapping into the know-how and execution power of true freelance experts. The "X" is a variable that represents the individual needs of our clients.
I'm a company. How can I find the right freelancers with ElevateX?
Submit an initial request and we will analyse your architecture, roadmap, and team dynamics. Within 48 hours of discussing your request, you will receive up to three hand-picked, technically pre-qualified profiles, so your interview focuses purely on personal fit.
I'm a freelancer. How can I become part of the ElevateX community?
You can register for free for our community. In an initial call we will get to know each other, and shortly after you can start working on ambitious projects with leading tech companies across the DACH region.