Appniv

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We develop, market, and deliver educational technology platforms based on artificial intelligence and big data. I'm the COO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Appniv?

Over the last three years, we've worked with them to develop an innovative product. We didn’t have a lot of market feedback at the start, so we needed to work with an agency that could be flexible as our needs changed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with them on an architecture that would be scalable and that could work on a modular level. We identified the key modules to start with, then we developed an initial beta version. After we got some market feedback, we realigned the development program. I'm not a technical expert, and they provide a lot of insight. The platform is Azure-based and has a heavy backend and light frontend that can be adapted to different requirements from various schools.

The backend uses Java, and the frontend uses Angular. We gave them a lot of freedom in the technology, and all their choices have been correct. We have a lot of heavy restrictions and regulations, and they work well with APIs that help us maintain our compliance and confidentiality. The platform serves secondary school students all the way through universities and corporate training programs.

What is the team composition?

My main contact was their CEO. The teams were fairly flexible and ranged from three to eight. Our lead backend and frontend developers were fairly consistent, and the team under them scaled as needed.

How did you come to work with Appniv?

They were introduced to us through a mutual friend. We trusted that reference and started working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

The development budget was somewhere between $250,000–$500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2017, and the project finished around July 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Once the system was up and running, we discovered we needed to add another integration function. We had a workshop with them that was very successful. They came to us and stayed for a few days, and they were always wonderfully flexible. They met all their milestones, and our customers are very happy. We've expanded our customer base, and the only reason we ended our partnership was that we needed to grow our internal team. Without their contributions, we wouldn't be where we are today. We're very impressed by the progress we've made.

How did Appniv perform from a project management standpoint?

They worked very quickly, and our lines of communication were very open and clear. They always understood the rationale behind our requests, and they found ways to give us what we wanted.

In the beginning, we didn't know how big the project would be. Our partnership grew over time, and they always reacted well to changes. We had a lot of confidence in them. They contributed a lot to the process, and they coped very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They managed my expectations very well, and they constantly told me what they were going to do next. Their code was very correct, and there were no surprises at all. If anything changed, we were always informed, and their openness was consistent throughout the project. We really appreciated their level of communication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They met all our requirements, and they were always very sensitive to our costs and other needs. I can't think of anything they should improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the managing director of a digital education company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Appniv?

We wanted to deliver interactive content to students and give teachers control of the learning process, so we hired Appniv to develop a software solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a web app and mobile app for iOS and Android. After producing a proof of concept and demonstrating graphics on the platform. Starting front scratch, they used Angular and Ionic to develop the frontend. For the backend, they used Java and MongoDB as a database.

What is the team composition?

The team was comprised of Ido (Founder, Appniv) and a group of developers.

How did you come to work with Appniv?

I’ve worked with Ido on another project and really liked his work, so I reached out again.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from early 2017–August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The app is still in development, but they’ve met every milestone and delivered on all the modules we assigned to them. We’ve recently paused development, but that isn’t due to Appniv’s work. Overall, they delivered a quality product.

How did Appniv perform from a project management standpoint?

We had daily phone calls and used Jira occasionally. Although they’re willing to invest a lot of time and effort to deliver a quality product, they were a little difficult to communicate with. They were in a different time zone, so it was hard to connect, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, I personally enjoyed working with them. We were becoming a team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Most programmers just do what they’re asked to do, but Appniv provided a lot of suggestions for improvement. They care about their work and are willing to go the extra mile to deliver a good product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more accessible by working during more traditional hours.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Invest in developing a communication channel with them, and assign a primary leader to portray your project’s goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief product officer for Rimo3. We provide professional services and software for large IT organizations, banks, and government institutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Appniv?

We needed to scale our ability to develop very innovative core products to meet market demand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

This development’s architecture is very unique, and some elements need to be controlled by the customer, which can pose a threat to security. Appniv started this hybrid product from scratch and has provided mostly web development services. They’ve helped build out something that hasn’t been done before. Once complete, the app will be a medical device working around IoT. Because of this, there’s are mobile and cloud components that have to work together. 

Using C#, ASP.net, and MySQL, Appniv has worked with us on developing the architecture, basically creating the cloud side of the app on their own. They’ve worked to find solutions to complex issues, identifying engineers who can work quickly and cost-effectively. Additionally, they’ve lent us resources when our in-house team runs into problems on the mobile end of the development.

What is the team composition?

There were between 2–5 professionals working on the project. I had a main point of contact but often worked directly with the developers.

How did you come to work with Appniv?

We’ve worked together on-and-off for many years.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $200,000–$1,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in February 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

When we had an issue with the UI, they found a resource to correct it and keep the project moving within a month. I found that quite impressive.

How did Appniv perform from a project management standpoint?

The CEO is effective and understands technical difficulties, putting in extra effort to get the job done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re transparent, so I always know what’s going on. I’m able to speak with the developers directly to get a good idea of their progress, which is rare for contractors. I was quite impressed by the quality of the engineers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s a high level of turnover with their staff.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure your requirements are clear, but I have no doubt that they can deliver.