Exyte

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of engineering at EastBanc Technologies. We’re a full-lifecycle software development company focused on delivering flexible technology solutions that integrate with existing systems. Our customers are primarily large enterprises but we also work with several startups as well as some state and local governments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte? 

A hybrid team was required for a new project. Half of the team would be staffed by EastBanc Technologies and the other half by an external partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Exyte collaborates with EastBanc Technologies on a mobile project. While I’m not able to disclose details about the project at this stage, I can say that they’re helping us mostly with frontend development—design is done by our team. The current phase is for iOS. Android will be scheduled later in the pipeline.

What is the team composition?

We work with two full-time developers.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

After visiting their office to learn more about Exyte, I saw that they had a great team. It felt like a good fit, so we decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began around November 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m really happy with the quality of their work. Exyte has become a solid extension of our team. We're always looking for vendors to partner up but are quite picky. That’s why we always do a site visit in order to talk to management as well as the developers. They met our standards, so we started out with a small project. Since the partnership worked out well, we plan to expand our collaboration in the near future.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

Working with the Exyte team has been a true pleasure. We manage the development process on our side, they follow it easily, never miss a deadline, and consistently deliver on time. For project management purposes, we use Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their laser-focus on iOS. Instead of trying to do it all, Exyte focuses on one specific capability where they clearly excel.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It's hard to say because since we tightly control everything. Whenever we needed to adjust the process, they responded immediately. Since then, we’ve been in agreement on how to move forward, and we haven’t had any issues.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to do what we did, which is to start small and then grow your project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director and CEO of Aerum, a blockchain engineering company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

Experienced Solidity developers are not easy to find, because deep knowledge of Solidity is not necessary to develop mainstream applications. We needed someone with a very in-depth understanding of this programming language because we were developing a new protocol and platform. We hired Exyte to build smart contracts with Solidity for enterprise development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Exyte used Solidity to develop smart contracts for a seasoned network related to on-chain governance processes. They worked with Salesforce repositories.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Yuriy (Blockchain Consulting Lead, Exyte). He fully integrated with our team but in more of an outstaffing than outsourcing way. He was present in our meetings and acted as a team member.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

My company posted on Upwork and interviewed multiple candidates. Exyte was the ideal match for the skills and experience we wanted.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement spanned May–October 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The code that they submitted to the repository was high-quality. Exyte provided the skills that we needed and completed an important part of the project.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

My team handled project management. The project progressed a bit slowly because of the time zone difference, but Exyte always met deadlines. We worked in an agile methodology and used Confluence, Jira, and Bitbucket. We’re happy with how the project went.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their skill level and integrity were impressive, and they completed all of the milestones. They were good people to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some communication could be improved.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Because you’re working from different locations and time zones, you need to plan specifics upfront to keep everything synchronized.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a digital consulting firm. We develop software for clients around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

My company needed help with software development in the blockchain space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I cannot disclose many details, but we have worked with Exyte on multiple blockchain projects. For instance, they helped us build hardware wallets. They also developed a security protocol on the block for blockchain initiatives. Our work together is ongoing.

What is the team composition?

We have worked with a lead architect and a full spec engineer.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

An industry associate recommended Exyte to us. We chose them based on their communicative nature and knowledge of the software we needed.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project commenced in 2018, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Based on code reviews conducted by my company and our clients, Exyte’s work provides a huge amount of value. Clients are pleased with our progress and output.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

Exyte performs well in terms of responsiveness, timeliness, and organization. They communicate effectively via email, phone, Jira, Slack, and Telegram.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They maintain strong communication skills and vast technical knowledge. The team provides regular updates on project milestones, which ensures transparency and clarity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of.

Any advice for potential customers?

Determine your requirements and have them ready for the vendor before proceeding with the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

BB: I’m the VP of marketing for SoliPoints, which is an environmental loyalty program. Our mission is to reduce consumers’ carbon footprints. We’re the first company that rewards consumers for reducing their carbon output with their everyday purchasing.

RM: We convert carbon emission offsets and credits into consumer rewards. This is the first time that the consumer is enabled to create a measurable impact on their carbon reduction at the point of sale. It’s a punch-based program where every point that the consumer earns lowers the carbon footprint by two pounds. I’m the founder and president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

BB: We needed an app developed. We needed the means to capture the transactional data at the point of sale.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RM: They were responsible for design and development of the UX/UI.

The mobile app shows the merchants nearby or online who are members of our program. It also shows users how many pounds of carbon they’ve reduced by using our program.

BB: If you register your credit or debit card with us, we automatically pick up the transactional information with any merchant in our global network. It’s seamless for both the merchant and the consumer.

It’s developed only for iOS; we’ll do Android at a later date.

What is the team composition?

RM: They had programmers and QA people. I interfaced exclusively with the project manager.

BB: They worked with our developer for the backend.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

BB: They came highly recommended. We interviewed several firms and went with them.

RM: We needed expertise in UX/UI. It was critical that our app was consumer-friendly and functional. Of all the people we looked at, they were the best.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February until November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

RM: It’s a robust app. They did a phenomenal job for us.

BB: The app took a lot of critical development and they did a fine job. The app was absolutely essential to us to conduct the beta tests of our model, which we did successfully last year. They were with us as we made tweaks and changes to the beta tests based on responses. We finally got it to a stage where it’s ready to roll out. We’re in the process of fundraising. When it gets launched, we’ll take a look at starting the Android version.

Everybody says the app is cool. It’s an essential tool for us to line up higher educational institutions to deploy our app to their staff and students and as a means for us to demonstrate to venture capitalists and angel investors that we have a viable product and can scale quickly. That supports our need for additional capital.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

RM: They were great. We had two phone calls per week. One call was for future planning and the other was based on feedback on the work that was completed. We used Trello and Slack. It was a seamless relationship.

BB: They were extremely responsive. We were impressed if we asked a question, we didn’t have to wait a day to get an answer. They interacted with our developer constantly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

RM: They were exceptionally easy to deal with. They were adamant about maintaining the Apple human interface guidelines; our app is perfect in that regard, which makes it easier to use. By adhering to those guidelines and doing it the correct way, we ended up with a better app. They have good attitudes and a good sense of humor, and their English is excellent. We had a great experience with Exyte.

Are there any areas they could improve?

BB: No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

BB: It’s the client’s responsibility to make sure they provide specific details, instructions, and use cases. Clearly outline the objectives and the goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO of TIME Quest Lab. We provide business solutions and are currently working in the entertainment field with VR technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

We wrote the scenario for our game but lacked the skills to develop the software. We needed a team with extensive VR experience to help us create the product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve done all the software work for us. The Exyte team is developing the game as a separate, turnkey product that will be sold as a business solution. They’re also creating the content for the game based on our ideas, scenarios, and descriptions we give them. They use Unity to develop the platform and are integrating all of our equipment into the system. For the headset, we’re using HTC Vive Pro, and backpacks from MSI. 

Their developers are finishing up the game, so we’re nearing the official release. From there, they will continue to improve the final product with us.

What is the team composition?

They supply between 3–4 software engineers, 1–2 freelance modelers, and an IT director.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

We were introduced to the Exyte team through a shared connection, and they met our standards with price, quality, and deadlines. We trusted them and knew they’d be the right partner for the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2018 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because of Exyte’s help, we presented our first demonstration at an industry conference and earned presales on the product. We were able to make sales on the work after three months, whereas it could take others up to two years. Our clients are pleased with the demonstrations of the game, and we’re satisfied with how everything functions.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Trello, and the Exyte team integrates Jira and Slack. They meet all the deadlines and the project management applications have been helpful tools. They give us very detailed information, and we’re pleased with their approach.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Exyte team inspires us—we believe in the product we’re making because of them. We’re lucky to have found them, and we think working with them will bring us success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although this could increase our expenses, we’d find it helpful if they had more software engineers to improve the speed of the work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of microCAR Ltd. in New Zealand. We’re a startup company that’s looking to build more single person, electric microcars.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

We are building a platform to operate the microcars and needed someone that was skilled and experienced in implementing blockchain-based smart contracts. Since those skills are limited in New Zealand, we knew we would have to outsource the work and wanted to work with an organization that could help our team develop those skills.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It’s a multi-step project. The first step is developing the smart contract and the second is developing the platform. It has been a slow process because as a startup we can only do small amounts of work each week, but the blockchain-based smart contract has been developed. We are currently unit testing it, and building our skill and knowledge internally so that we can make modifications in the future. The last step will be to put the smart contract in the production environment.

What is the team composition?

We primarily work directly with Yuriy (Software Engineer, Exyte) because his focus is on smart contracts.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

It was hard to find reputable companies with smart contract knowledge and experience. I posted the project opportunity and specifications on Upwork. About a dozen companies responded and we interviewed a few, including Exyte. They provided us with good examples of their work, which I verified, and it was based on their success that we decided to go with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in March 2018 and are currently in the unit testing phase of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We verify the success of the smart contract through unit testing, and to date, it has performed very well. As part of the contract, we also wanted our local engineer to build his skills in order to modify the smart contract in the future, and he’s progressing nicely. I’m very happy with how it’s worked out.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m currently acting as the project manager, and have found them to be very flexible and accommodating to our schedule. Yuriy, our local system engineer, and I have a weekly update to check in on project progress, development, and testing results.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Yuriy is very personable, with broad experience that he is happy to share. Even though there is a six-hour time difference between our office in New Zealand and Exyte’s office in Russia, it’s been very easy to contact him. He usually responds via email or Skype within a day of reaching out to him.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any complaints. I think Yuriy is skilled enough to have completed the project within three or four weeks instead of months. However, we’ve had to draw out the project because we are a small business and don’t have the resources to focus solely on one project at a time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Nothing comes to mind. We’ve had exactly the type of engagement I was hoping for. They are flexible, professional, and knowledgeable.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the director of a blockchain development company based in Panama. We do concepts, smart contracts, and decentralized app (dApp) development for several companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Exyte?

We needed help with a gaming and gambling platform on the Ethereum blockchain.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop secure smart contracts, write documentation, and coordinate dApp development.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We hired one of their team members because of his appealing profile. It’s hard to find good developers in the blockchain arena.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They’ve helped us on more than one project, but the main one consists of a game series on the Ethereum blockchain. They’ve assisted with smart contract work and team coordination.

What was the team composition?

I assembled an eight-person team for this project, though not all of them work on it full-time. One of them is from Exyte, however, a second Exyte member has helped on other projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Their help with the coordination of this specific project resulted in me having more time to manage and acquire other projects.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Although we’re in very different time zones, we managed to work well together. There was no language barrier and we used Slack as the main form of communication. They always replied quickly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have good communication and blockchain skills.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They can improve their time estimates.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am in charge of all architecture and technology. I founded the company with an investor partner who is in charge of all business elements. I would normally call myself the CTO of the company, but we are not that large.

Scade.io has been working for four years on developing a cross-platform framework for mobile web development. We are currently in the beta phase, and we plan to release it in 2018.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

We’re working on two parts of the project: a framework for developing mobile apps and an integrated development environment (IDE) that would allow inexperienced developers to create mobile apps. The main idea of the IDE is to allow designers to import designs without any changes and allow developers to use those designs. We’ve concentrated on business apps, but we’ve also focused on creating great-looking apps that can be created without requiring a lot of knowledge from developers. Designs can be created using Adobe Illustrator or Sketch and imported by developers directly into the IDE. Our idea was to eliminate the need for developers to contact designers for adjustments. The designs being uploaded should work on all devices, allowing developers to focus on the logic of the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Exyte started by working on our IDE. Since then, they developed mobile apps using the IDE and our framework. They’ve consulted and given us feedback on mobile app development. The framework allows for the creation of apps for both Android and iOS devices. We also use Swift, which was a challenge to bring onto the Android platform.

Exyte was responsible for design as well. We don’t have an in-house designer so they’ve found subcontractors for us on a few occasions and managed those resources.

QA testing is also done on Exyte’s side. They have a person that performs testing, and who also provides support to beta users on our Slack channel. If a user has an issue with the IDE, Exyte provides support.

What is the team composition?

We initially worked with Igor (CEO, Exyte) and their CTO. We currently have four developers working solely on our projects. We also have QA resources. I’m in contact with 4–5 people from their side.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

I found an article four years ago written by Igor which described their work on the Eclipse IDE. We wanted to use that platform to create our own IDE. I made a note of that article because it was an uncommon topic, and I contacted Igor asking for help.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been between $50,000–$199,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with their team in 2014 before Exyte was founded. I would like to continue the collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are happy with the quality of work. If the deliverables work, they are almost always bug-free. Exyte has expertise in developing mobile applications. Therefore, they give us feedback and suggestions on how to develop the IDE. Exyte brings a lot of recommendations for simplifying users’ interaction with the IDE. They developed using the Xcode and Android Studio environments, and they can tell us what a developer working with those tools would want.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

We have four-week sprints and try to release a beta at the end of each phase. We are currently preparing a release. I discuss new features, sprints, and releases with Igor. I explain what we need for the next step, and they do it. We have our own Slack channel.

Igor, my partner, and I have a planning meeting every four weeks to discuss what features we want to include. We also include the developers from our internal team who work on the backend of the framework. We count what was achieved or not and analyze the reasons why a feature didn’t work or wasn’t implemented.

I’ve been satisfied with their work, and the management is great. I haven’t had to explain to everyone what needs to be done. Igor is my main contact and he clarifies details with the other members. The management and workflows are great.

Exyte will be the first group I contact should we need native mobile development in other languages to see whether they can find a subcontractor or whether they can do it themselves.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very fast, and the communication is also great. I am in Europe while they are in Russia so we have a common window of five hours in the winter, but this has not been a problem. We have very good communication, they are always online, and the time that they plan for features is always exact. Time estimates are almost exactly what they say in the beginning. Also, Exyte finds and manages designers that deliver great results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could enlarge their support team. Having more QA specialists could be great for us, but we are satisfied with everything we’ve done together.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I advise clients to listen to Exyte’s recommendations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the lead mobile developer for a company that makes corporate wellness campaigns.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

We were looking for talented mobile developers to work on our Android and iOS apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a full graphic design team, so we provided mockups of the apps and asked Exyte to follow those. They developed Android and iOS platforms that feature an API backend. They integrated social features, including a real-time chat function and a profile wall, and there is a log for user data, such as a step counter. The apps allow users to track physical activity and health behaviors over a period of time.

What is the team composition?

I have worked with two full-time developers from Exyte.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

With any technical position, we give vendors a skills test, and their CEO, who is also a developer, performed well, so we hired him. He then brought on other members of their team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in September 2016 and have ongoing projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All the work they have completed has met our standards. They have made it possible for us to put out mobile products beside our web product. I am the only mobile developer we have in-house, and without their help, this wouldn’t be possible. They’ve made this a viable business model for us.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication and responsiveness is excellent considering we’re 11 or 12 hours apart. I speak with each developer daily through instant messages or emails. They communicate well, and they’ve never had trouble working within scheduling guidelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have the ability to take my directions when I want to be detailed and specific about something. They give me exactly what I want, but at the same time, if I’m busy with something, I can rely on them to determine the best solution.

Any advice for potential customers?

It’s important for their customers to be responsive as well. That will allow Exyte to better meet your needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the CTO of Gallivant, a social platform that allows hotels to curate activities and the guests to interact. It was a startup that never really got off the ground; it was more of a proof-of-concept project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

We needed someone to help with our iOS app while I handled the backend.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Exyte helped with our iOS app development. The app allowed users to see a list of activities in their vicinity, and filter based on distance, types of activities, and type of people that tend to go to them.

We gave them a general idea of what we wanted, as well as mockups, and they handled quite a bit of the app’s design. They had full creative freedom, and everything turned out really nice. Additionally, they provided support services, as we had a couple things we needed assistance with. They were always very quick to get back to us and help out.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with Igor (CEO, Exyte).

How did you come to work with Exyte?

I believe our CEO met with them, so I’m not really sure how the relationship started.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2015 until 2016. It was a 10-month to nearly a year collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app worked to our expectations and we were very pleased with it. Whenever there were issues—which were very few—they addressed them almost immediately.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

Igor was always very easy to get a hold of, and he did a great job. The work was always scoped out very nicely and we’d meet every day to talk over Skype or email. I was new in the tech field at the time, but they had a welcoming environment and were very easy to work with.

I’d give them tasks and they’d get back to us quickly with an estimated timeline. There were never any surprises. Additionally, they set up a testing environment so that they could upload code directly and have us test it on our phones right away, which was really nice.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication was fantastic and they had great tech. If they knew we wanted something a certain way, they’d do it exactly like that. They were also always very timely and proficient.

Are there any areas they could improve?

None that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re thinking about working with them, talk with them first. Igor is really easy to get along with, and even though I never met him in person, I got to know him fairly well. I imagine you’ll be sold pretty quickly.