Civic and Social Organizations
Building and Managing a Full Custom-Coded E-commerce Squad
42%
cost savings vs hiring a full internal product team
3×
delivery capacity during critical development phases
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About
Semear.pt is a Portuguese social impact organization focused on inclusion, training, and employment for people with special needs. Their e-commerce platform supports the mission financially and requires a robust, scalable digital infrastructure.
Industry
Civic and Social Organizations
Company size
11-50 employees
Founded
2005
Share
The Company
Complex operations, mounting risks
Semear operates in the social impact sector, with unique product needs that include accessibility, storytelling, and diversified product lines. Their e-commerce platform plays a key role in sustaining initiatives and requires a fully custom technical foundation.
The Challenge
High Complexity, Limited Internal Bandwidth
Semear needed a robust e-commerce platform with custom business logic, accessibility considerations, and specific integrations — none of which could be supported by low-code tools like Shopify or Webflow. The internal team lacked the bandwidth and expertise to run a full-cycle UX and engineering project, requiring a complete squad capable of owning end-to-end delivery.
The Solution
A Dedicated Team Owning the Entire Build
Maestro assembled and managed a dedicated product squad consisting of three full-stack developers and one UX/UI designer.
The squad:
Designed the complete UX and user journey
Built the entire platform with fully custom code
Developed core shopping logic, CMS components, checkout flows, and admin tools
Integrated external services and internal operational systems
Delivered work in structured sprints with full transparency
This was a Maestro-led team operating independently while maintaining tight alignment with Semear’s stakeholders.
The Results
A Seamless Delivery of a Fully Custom Solution
Semear launched a scalable, accessible, fully custom e-commerce platform aligned with its mission. Internal teams avoided the complexity of managing a development squad and maintained operational focus while Maestro delivered end-to-end.
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