We built Caliber because the AI hiring market is broken — and we knew how to fix it.
A specialist AI talent firm connecting US growth-stage companies with India's finest AI engineers.
Why we exist.
The AI talent gap in the US is not a small problem. Senior ML engineers take 14+ weeks to hire, cost $300,000 a year fully loaded, and often leave before they've shipped anything meaningful.
Meanwhile, India produces world-class AI engineers working at the cutting edge of production ML, LLM development, and data infrastructure. We started Caliber to close that gap.
We are practitioners, not recruiters. We built our entire model around making sure every placement is one we'd stake our reputation on.
We are not a marketplace. We are a curation firm.
Our bench is intentionally small — 12–15 engineers at any time. We turn away 80%+ of applicants. Every profile we send is one we've personally vetted and would deploy ourselves.
Depth over breadth
AI/ML only. No software dev, no design. This focus means deeper vetting, sharper matching.
Transparency as default
You know exactly what you pay, what the engineer earns, and what Caliber's margin is.
Delivery over placement
Our job isn't done when the engineer starts. It's done when you call it a success.
India's best, not just available
IIT/IISc alumni networks, GitHub communities, Kaggle. Not job boards.
Why India
India is not a backup option. It is a primary choice for companies that want engineering excellence at a rational cost. Over 1.5 million engineers graduate from Indian institutions each year. The top AI talent has worked at Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Anthropic. A Caliber engineer isn't a lower-cost alternative to a US hire — they're frequently a better-quality one.
Why AI Only
We made a deliberate choice to be AI-only. The ML engineering landscape moves fast. By focusing exclusively on AI, we stay ahead of what skills matter, what tools are emerging, and what clients actually need. Our vetting frameworks are updated regularly. Our bench reflects current, not historical, market demand.
Built by practitioners, not recruiters.
Arvind is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Quest OntheFRONTIER and Chairman of Synergy Relationship Management Services Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quest. Started in 2002, Quest ontheFRONTIER has emerged as a leading Asian consulting, executive search and training firm with 8 offices and over 350 full time staff.
Arvind started his career with Philip Morris subsidiary in India — Godfrey Phillips — before switching to a banking career with Citibank. He built a successful international banking career in the Asian region with Citibank and Standard Chartered Bank for nearly two decades, holding progressively senior roles across sales, product management, business development, risk management and program management.
He earned his PGDM/MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and is also an alumnus of The Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania and the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Arvind is also the founder of Aavishkaar India Micro Venture Capital Fund, which provides risk capital and expertise to socially relevant ventures in rural India.