Bluelupin Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the project manager for a nonprofit organization. We work with different government organizations and educational institutions to implement our programs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bluelupin Technologies?

We needed help to develop our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially gave Bluelupin Technologies the old structure, which was based on a WordPress website. We then asked them to redevelop the site. Bluelupin Technologies has used Linux and created a lot of customized options.

What is the team composition?

We’re in touch with Tushar (Co-Founder), who was assigned as our project manager. They have people working on the development, but we mainly coordinate with Ashish (CEO) and Tushar.

How did you come to work with Bluelupin Technologies?

They were recommended by one of the organizations we work with. Also, Bluelupin Technologies worked on one of our projects earlier. The team who got their application the past year recommended going ahead with them. Their work was exceptional, so we got in touch with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in June 2022, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been a seamless experience; we don’t have any details hanging over the site. Moreover, we’ve gotten a positive response from our beneficiaries. All in all, Bluelupin Technologies has met our expectations.

How did Bluelupin Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve delivered all the work on time and maintained their commitment over the months. The team is always up to the mark, and they’ve fulfilled all the requirements.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review? 

I’d like to highlight Tushar. He’s a one-stop solution for all my queries and an excellent resource in the development work. Tushar is available around the clock for us, and he willingly accepts the modifications we express. We’re very happy with Tushar’s support.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do an excellent job. The accuracy they maintain in terms of management and website development is impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t see any areas of improvement, but the cost is higher than other developers. However, considering their work and efficiency, it’s a manageable cost.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Before you get into an agreement, you must be careful about the commitment you’re getting into. Your requirements must be clearly defined, and you must give them a timeline. Overall, there should be a complete understanding of the project. Once both parties agree on it, you get into an agreement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CPO of a gold and silver trading company currently operating in India. We have a web platform that allows users to buy and sell digital gold and silver, and they can also buy gold coins in physical form.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bluelupin Technologies?

We needed assistance to rebuild our web platform’s architecture since it was slow and not scalable. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bluelupin Technologies has rebuilt our platform originally based on a Java framework. Initially, we provided the team with documentation, although it wasn’t very extensive. We also had multiple calls to hand over the ownership of the development process from our previous vendor to them and to do the knowledge transfer. 

Bluelupin Technologies has rebuilt our platform’s architecture on Node.js, which is now scalable on multiple grounds, from a user flow and integration point of view. The team has also developed our mobile apps on Android and iOS and provides DevOps support by managing our software infrastructure. 

What is the team composition?

We have a dedicated team of 14 teammates from Bluelupin Technologies working for us, including a product manager, Ashish (Co-Founder & CEO), and Tushar (Co-Founder & UI/UX Head).

How did you come to work with Bluelupin Technologies?

Bluelupin Technologies was recommended to us by another company they had worked with previously. The team built the company’s platform, which still works.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $300,000–$500,000 on this project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Bluelupin Technologies in January 2023, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been working on this platform since 2022, however, we haven’t been able to launch it because of stability issues. Since Bluelupin Technologies took over our development process, we’ve been able to launch the platform for end users and have seen a steady growth in user volume. 

Bluelupin Technologies has virtually kickstarted our business, and the team continuously builds more functionalities for our users. We were kind of stuck, and they’ve helped us grow and scale our platform.

How did Bluelupin Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Bluelupin Technologies delivers work on time, and Tushar is responsible for project management. He is very good at reporting on a weekly basis the deliverables agenda of the coming week. We work on weekly sprints, and the team tells us what they’ll work on and deliver. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I’d like to shout out Tushar and their team’s excellent work. I’d also like to highlight Ashish’s work, who is always available on call and whenever we need him. They’re very good from the availability point of view and the response time to my queries. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything for Bluelupin Technologies to improve. The issues we’ve encountered have been addressed and fixed quickly.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend potential customers be very transparent about the business skills that you’re looking for. You need to be clear about your business situation and budget constraints because the strength of Bluelupin Technologies is to tailor solutions according to your business requirements and budget constraints. They’re very good at working around budget and setting the right expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work with NASSCOM, a bridge between the IT sector and the government sector of India. We are working on a project called INDIAai, which is India's national AI portal. I'm the product and social media lead for this particular project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bluelupin Technologies?

We wanted to launch the INDIAai website and were looking for companies to help us develop and design the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our website is very content-heavy, and they've helped conceptualize features and determine what features work for certain content. They created the website's front- and backend, which is the CMS for us. They’ve also created a newsletter module for us to send a newsletter to our audience weekly. 

We provided them with an overview of what we were looking for in terms of features, design, and development, and they’ve been supportive in giving the right inputs through that. The technology stack includes Laravel and PHP for APIs and  Next.js for the frontend. We also use AWS, RDS MySQL, Elasticsearch for search, SendGrid for email, Amazon CloudFront as a content delivery network (CDN), and Amazon S3 for storage. 

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is our project manager; we also work with two full stack developers, one UX developer, two QA individuals, and one solution architect.

How did you come to work with Bluelupin Technologies?

We floated an RFP and shortlisted 5–6 web development companies; Bluelupin Technologies was one of the companies we shortlisted after they presented their proposal and ideas to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent roughly $240,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in January 2019, and it is an ongoing project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website was completed and launched in 2020; we’re tracking a few metrics. One is user-generated content, which is the weekly number of submissions, comments, and signups we get; these are consistently increasing. The traffic coming to the website has also increased immensely for us in the last year. We've seen an 80% increase in our user database between 2021–2022. 

How did Bluelupin Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager is always available whenever we text or call him, and he quickly resolves any issues. We’re very satisfied with Bluelupin Technologies' communication skills and the overall process. They use Jira internally as a project management tool, and we use Microsoft Teams, Skype, Google Meet, phone calls, and a few other forms of communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They come up with a solution in-house if it can save us time and money.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Bluelupin Technologies has been perfect so far. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Just give them the right kind of direction and be patient with them because they take a bit to come up with the solution. Trust that whatever solution they give you is the right kind of solution for you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Zoomstar, an IT services provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bluelupin Technologies?

We need a team of developers to build our SaaS platform. The platform, Naaviq, is for logistics and supply chain management. It allows users to correspond over the movement of their goods, from the driver's location to collecting proof of delivery. Even third-party logistic players that work for large organizations can use the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bluelupin Technologies built the product from scratch. I outlined the project and its features. Their team implemented all the technology, from hosting, coding, deployment, bug fixing, and provided other areas of support. They also integrated their GPS hardware and smart locks.

They also helped us with UX/UI, wireframing, and other services needed to deliver our MVP. Bluelupin Technologies added substance to selected features, optimized processes even further, and made the system smarter. When specific requirements changed during development and business needs became urgent, they were extremely flexible.

Their team used AngularJS, MySQL, MongoDB, and Azure for online hosting. Xamarin is used for building the iOS version, which we will deploy later. We currently on focused on implementing the platform on the web and Android applications.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Ashish (CEO, Bluelupin Technologies), Subodh (Co-founder/CTO, Bluelupin Technologies) and Tushar (Co-founder/ UX Head, Bluelupin Technologies).

How did you come to work with Bluelupin Technologies?

We found Bluelupin Technologies online. After a three to six-month process interviewing several companies, they appealed to us because of their location, development capabilities, what methods they use and confidence they exhibited.

Bluelupin Technologies came across as the strongest contender in understanding our business needs and displaying them into deliverable features. Their cost was also in line with our budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $250,000-$500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve launched the platform in ten locations, and are receiving great results. Our team was able to get quick releases regarding deployment and QA within our designated timelines so we could begin generating revenue. It takes time to adopt new technology, but so far, it has been relatively easy.

Their work has exceeded expectations. Bluelupin Technologies is dedicated to delivering what we want but adding value to improve the processes even more. With every deployment, there are faster features. It’s been a great experience.

How did Bluelupin Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked closely with their whole team. Communication is an integral part of our partnership. We discuss information in weekly summaries, review our day to day schedules, and their workflow.

Bluelupin Technologies never left us in the dark. Our team is always aware of what was happening. We consistently interact with Ashish, and concerning business needs, we go to Subodh for guidance. Subodh is in charge of our latest sprints. We conduct in-person meetings and use email, Skype, and Jira.

Bluelupin Technologies helped our team overcome specific challenges, and stretch themselves to make sure they met our deadlines. That’s why we have made this a long-term partnership, with them handling our maintenance and support.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Despite never working with logistics, Bluelupin Technologies understood the complexity of the business with ease. Their approach to design was complex; I was surprised Bluelupin Technologies executed it better than what we had imagined.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Bluelupin Technologies should increase their visibility with others in the industry.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

For people in need of a mobile app, hardware integrations or software solutions, Bluelupin Technologies are the right people to hire. They also have fair pricing and a strong value proposition.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Exactly.me. We’re the only platform that analyzes the true emotions of an e-commerce client.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bluelupin Technologies?

We’re a startup, so we needed a development firm to build our technology platform for iOS.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bluelupin Technologies built our entire platform and developed the underlying technologies that we’re in the market with today. They helped design some wireframes, but our CTO mainly handled that effort. For the most part, we dedicated what to build and they built it.

The platform exists across three solutions. We have a widget, an iOS app, and a web app. Bluelupin Technologies is responsible for the features and functionalities of each iteration. The iOS app is extremely customizable and can provide a unique experience to each user. Whenever we demo the platform, the Bluelupin team embeds potential customers’ logos into the Exactly.me interface so they can get an idea of how their brand will look on our technology. Even though they’re contractors, we think of Bluelupin Technologies as members of our team.

What is the team composition?

We currently work with a project manager and six developers. At the project’s zenith, they assigned 15 developers to our account.

How did you come to work with Bluelupin Technologies?

We put out an RFP after founding the company and received tremendous interest from possible candidates. We interviewed four vendors that were a potential fit but ultimately hired Bluelupin Technologies.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent at least $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2014 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The success of the application can be attributed to the efforts of Bluelupin Technologies. They delivered the code we hired them to write without bugs. They developed an agile platform that can provide the customization options our customers need. We had zero revenue coming in before engaging with them and now the platform’s made just under $10 million. It also performs with a 2% attrition rate. Customers come onto the platform and stay there.

How did Bluelupin Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They utilize a Waterfall management approach that works great. We appreciate their responsiveness and quick project turnarounds. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to get things done within our timeframe. In fact, they often delivered materials ahead of schedule. Our CTO speaks with them often and I interact with them during monthly communication calls. The time zone difference never caused a significant issue.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They tackle assignments that aren’t in the scope agreement and function as true business partners. They’re always available to us and are a pleasure to work with. I often forget that they aren’t employees of the company. I've been consistently pleased with the level of performance and professionalism that they provide us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everyone could always improve on something, but they’re timely and efficient when working on our developments. I’d prefer a localized team, but the cost is a factor as well. The time difference was aggravating at times but wasn’t a serious issue. I wish we had access to their level of professionalism in the United States.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Write a clear RFP that addresses your needs. Try to hire a business partner instead of just another contractor.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the project manager for Ek Kaam Desh Ke Naam. It’s a social NGO focused on solving the problems that most of the people in India are facing related to poverty, education, or skills.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bluelupin Technologies?

In New Delhi, there’s a government body that distributes free trees to civilians to plant so that we can have a greener city. There’s some corruption in the process, though, as distributors give them to private owners without reaching all the civilians. We needed help with building a mobile app to solve this problem.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bluelupin designed and developed a mobile app with which any civilian can request a tree. When the request is placed through the app, a message will be sent to the civilian and to the local distributor responsible for the tree. In the message, there will be code that the civilian will have to show to the local nursery, detailing the number of trees that were requested. With this app, the local nursery can’t say no to the civilian since it makes the request official.

The app is available for both iOS and Android devices. Bluelupin helped from start to finish, and continue to provide development services.

What is the team composition?

There was a team of around 10 people assigned to the project.

How did you come to work with Bluelupin Technologies?

A friend of mine that had worked with them before recommended them. We were in touch with other developers who were too expensive and had slow delivery rates. We chose Bluelupin because their prices were competitive, they had a reputation for delivering on time, and could help us build the app from scratch.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $40,000–$50,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application was officially launched on June 5th, which was World Environment Day. Until now, we have around 5,000–6,000 downloads with the help of our volunteers.

The municipal corporation of Delhi was very impressed and acclaimed it as one of the most impactful initiatives. Now, the people of Delhi are happy that they can get free plants for themselves.

How did Bluelupin Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They completed the work before the deadline. We use email for communication and Skype for brainstorming sessions. We also have in-person meetings either in their office or ours.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their founder and team are humble and have given us their full support. They usually don’t work after 8:00 p.m., but whenever we ask them to come to a meeting at 9:00 p.m., they always come. They’ve never given us any excuses.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could scale up more. They’re going to open an office in other cities soon.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a company working in the educational segment. We have four activity areas: education solutions, technology innovations, skills building, and advisory services. I'm an IT consultant and project manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bluelupin Technologies?

They've been working with us as an implementation partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed two areas of our project: a CMS and an Android app that serves as an output for the CMS. Once content is built and published through the CMS, we can visualize it through an Android app.

We have a financial module within the CMS. The product targets areas where people are not too connected with banks and where there is a lack of financial literacy on how to link with a bank, borrow money, and so on. The financial module has nine chapters, each of them featuring images, video, and audio. There's also a quiz for every session, with a functionality for voice answers. The tool can be used by every user segment, both literate and illiterate. The latter category can listen to the questions and provide answers as well.

There are certain topics for which we’ve also implemented three kinds of simulators. One of those can provide simple interest calculations, the second one related to compound interest, and the third one is an exponential moving average calculator. It provides an overall view of our financial solution.

The CMS allows us to upload text, image, audio, and video content. We can also link YouTube videos in that section, videos which can be public, private, or unlisted. We can choose to whom we want to showcase those videos. The product is multilingual, available in 10 languages.

What is the team composition?

Ashish (CEO, Bluelupin Technologies) was our main contact. I had direct contact with him and a technical resource.

How did you come to work with Bluelupin Technologies?

They're our implementation partner for the current project, which is being run under the roof of Vodafone, who are a client of ours and had connected with Bluelupin prior to approaching us. Bluelupin had developed a digital literacy solution for them.

How much have you invested with them?

Our initial engagement with Bluelupin was for $37,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January or February 2017. The development ran for a period of 3–6 months. They had previously built a system for us for another program. They continue to provide support and handle change requests for whatever we want to add to the system.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a solid relationship with them. We can share any tasks, and they will come up with ideas. They have a reasonable cost for change requests, they're technically sound, and they're proficient in terms of scoping and comment analysis. We haven’t had any differences in thought, where they were pushing in an unwanted direction. We're happy to work with them.

The team in charge of publishing content on the app has shared feedback with us. We've gone through user acceptance testing with them on the app’s functionalities, and there are currently no known unsolved issues.

How did Bluelupin Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We can share requests and feedback with them. They have quick response and turnaround times, and are able to come up with solutions. We haven’t used any project management tools. The project is managed through an Excel spreadsheet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve had exposure to different types of providers, but I hadn’t worked with a partner like Bluelupin before. I’ve been happy to work with them. They have expertise in CMS and content application development, API integration, and UX design.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could involve more people in the engagement. They’ve had good response times and we haven’t faced any issues so far, but it would be helpful for them to onboard more resources on the project management side.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They have a good level of energy and out-of-the-box thinking. They're able to support customers within their areas and come up with solutions for future growth.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of software engineering at Tri Marine, which is a leading supplier of canned tuna to the United States and around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bluelupin Technologies?

We needed a line of business (LOB) application to be developed and installed at one of the canneries that Tri Marine owns. And we needed an online portal to manage shipping operations, FDA fish traceability, and some of the fishing boats.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the LOB, I designed much of the user experience using Agile, but they provided valuable input. Bluelupin came in on a fairly mature project and spent several months continuing our goal of enhancing the application. It’s built on Windows Forms and a SQL Server, and it is heavily focused on allowing the cannery workers to interact with the software and help manage their processes. The online portal project is hosted on Microsoft Azure and is a SQL Server database that uses ASP.NET for its frontend development. With that, we can take specific data from several canneries around the world and centralize it.

What is the team composition?

We began with two or three developers, but that was reduced as the project matured.

How did you come to work with Bluelupin Technologies?

Bluelupin was referred to us by a colleague familiar with the industry. He knew several of the founders there, and I interviewed them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began in February 2016. The LOB is nearing completion and is in maintenance mode. The online portal is still in development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It is difficult to quantify the impact, but the LOB was a critical development. The scope of it is end-to-end. It manages the inventory of the raw fish and tracks it through the thawing, cooking, canning, labeling, packaging, and shipping processes. I don’t think the business could run without that application, so I’ve been pleased with their developments. Their code has been impressive, with very few problems.

How did Bluelupin Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We have regular calls and frequent email exchanges, and we’ve met in person on occasion. We used Microsoft’s TFS to manage the entire project. Though they are India-based, we have had no problems with communication or matching schedules.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The end result was exactly what they said they would deliver. There were very little discrepancies in time estimates, and the code was very good. I’ve been pleased with their engagement.

Any advice for potential customers?

It is best to have a domestic representative that has experience working with offshore teams and working remotely. That can help ensure that all requirements are clear to both parties.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We have entertainment and "escape the room" games. I’m one of the founders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bluelupin Technologies?

We needed help with our website, as well as software designed to manage and announce the experience of users. This project required constant updates, and I needed someone to use long term.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with an escape room. Most of the work was being done manually, and we wanted it more controlled through different technology. They designed dashboards for admins to control the rooms, as well as our clients while playing.

They also designed a website where people can book the events. Now they're working on the software piece, using Microsoft, Android, Apple iOS, and other opensource technology. There are many sensors in the room and many apps involved.

What is the team dynamic?

They've told me my project is exciting, and the whole team is involved. I work directly with an excellent project manager, who has a team lead with four other people. I send technical questions to the team lead.

How did you come to work with Bluelupin Technologies?

I needed someone with expertise in specific technology requirements. My friend referred me to Bluelupin. I talked to them and realized they were professional. Before giving me a quote, they researched and came up with a two-page scenario of what they would be doing, and I could tell they understood what I wanted to do.

How much have you invested with them?

We'll have spent $40,000 when the project is complete. They charge per hour.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m happy with everything so far. The website is mostly done and has been launched. It's very professional. Our customers like it, and my fellow employees like the preliminary design of the dashboard. Now, I need to see how the other modules come through.

How did Bluelupin Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They meet or exceed most deadlines. We communicate through email, Skype, and WhatsApp. If I have a question, I can contact the project manager on WhatsApp, and he lets me know when I can call him.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work ethic, expertise, and professionalism. I told their manager that if they continue providing such services, they’ll keep growing. Customers feel confident with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Right now, I don’t have anything they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their communication is good and they listen to your input.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a SaaS-based technology platform company. Our platforms serve verticals including educational customers (school districts, private schools and education associations), nonprofits and associations. We have modules that help our customers manage community sharing and engagement better within their communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bluelupin Technologies?

We have great developers on staff but we don’t have anyone with the skill and experience with Azure and Microsoft architecture. We wanted to outsource this need in order to access that experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We bring Bluelupin on board every time we need serious architecture help or when we don’t have the skills on staff to handle the complexities of a project. Projects with them will last anywhere from a month to a year. As we take on more new architecture and development projects, we’ll pull them in and out as we need them. For example, we’re building a new document exchange platform, or module. We wanted their help to build the core architecture for it. Our developers will build out the rest of the platform based on the scaffolding that they have built.

As another example, we recently acquired a company that had technology that was 17-18 years old. We needed an Azure cloud-based framework to update that technology. They worked with the lead developers of that technology to build it into a cloud-based environment that will give us scale, be more easily maintained and be faster. They helped us set up a baseline structure for that and we’re building on top of it.

What is the team dynamic?

We interact with the three company founders, who have a team backing them up. We originally had a liaison that acted like a project manager. Given the type of work we do, which is extremely architecture oriented, we just needed the architect and not a project manager.

How did you come to work with Bluelupin Technologies?

Both the founder and lead architect had worked for me before so I knew their experience level. I know that they have the right core expertise on mobile, Azure, cloud, website development. We can rely on them to check our work – I almost think of them as the architectural police. They can make suggestions on how to optimize further, how to think 5 or 10 years out.

How much have you invested with them?

Around $200,000 or more.

What is the status of this engagement?

They’ve been working with us since October 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have both saved us money and increased revenues. For example, one of our products generated more than $1.5 million in revenue for us on old technology. It required 6 developers to maintain it at a cost of $300,000-350,000 per year. Now that it’s been transferred to new technology by Bluelupin, I expect that it will need 2 developers to maintain at around $200,000 per year. I also anticipate that, based on the improved scale of the platform, the revenue base will grow from $1.5 million to $5 million a year.

For me to hire an architect at their level would cost me $200,000 per year and we don’t have enough work to keep a full-time architect busy. The flexibility of our arrangement with them has been extremely useful. I also have faith that whatever they do will be high quality. Nothing they’ve built for me has had to be re-architected. For example, the acquired company with the 17-year-old technology had 300 customers who submitted between 30-50 trouble tickets per month. You can compare that to technology they helped us build which has 400 customers and receives only 3 trouble tickets. That reflects the quality of their code.

They have been able to troubleshoot for us too. For example, one of our customer’s websites on our platform was crashing and we couldn’t solve it. They spent two weeks on it and realized it was a malware attack. They cleaned up the site, re-architectured it to solve the problem. We couldn’t have done that time of firefighting project on our own. We had to hire them and they did a great job.

How did Bluelupin Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through lots of channels, like Slack, Jira, TFS. We use Facetime when we need to talk on the phone and we use Amazon chime for conferencing.

They're very smart and very skilled but they’re not great at meeting deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The founder always takes my call. I've never called the guy at any time of day or night that he doesn't answer. And if he doesn't answer me because the world is crashing in his life, he'll call me back in three hours.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They operate like a small company because they are a small company. I think refinement of process and project management comes as you grow larger and older as a company. They could focus proactively on process and methods, as well as stronger communication, like providing data on progress as opposed to a qualitative email response.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear about the end result that you're expecting and give them the creative latitude to get you there. Focus at the level of results rather than processes or methods. Clearly define that end result – for example, it needs to be scalable, needs to allow for 1 billion visitors – in terms of nonfunctional requirements. Once you’ve been clear on that, get out of their way.