Ignited S.A.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m co-founder and CEO of Antologic  — a technology company of about 60 people.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ignited S.A.?

We wanted to develop a product that required a high degree of competence in VR, AI, and algorithms. Those were a few of Ignited's specialties, we decided to cooperate with them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We developed the system for about two years and Ignited helped us finish it. The product focused on analytics. We initially connected with them and shared our ideas and goals. Their team created the concept, which included what technology should be used.

Their team then developed the Python proof of concept for the aspect of the product that involved forecasting. AI was a crucial part of it. Using their skills, they identified algorithms for the solution. Their team then cooperated with us in sprints to build a proof of concept that worked. They proposed a concept, proved the concept, showed us how it worked, and then transferred the knowledge to our technicians.

We then integrated the solution into our system and tested it. Their team supported us throughout the production mode and addressed any issues.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 people from Ignited. The team changed according to different tasks. We had a project manager on our side and Ignited provided us with a project manager who oversaw their team members working on this project.

How did you come to work with Ignited S.A.?

We conducted market research because we didn’t have the competencies needed for the project. We initially tried a different company but weren’t satisfied with their work. We searched for other companies and contacted Ignited because we heard positive reviews about them. Ignited demonstrated their competencies, processes, and deliverables. Our team was impressed, and we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent €100,000 (approximately $121,000 USD) on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2020, and we finished the project in February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Ignited was responsible for developing the proof of concept, directing the production, and delivering the solution in the end. The solution worked. We’re satisfied that their team not only delivered the solution but also provided us with a lot of ideas for how to do it better.

We integrated the solution Ignited developed into our system. They delivered functional components that work as a black box. We tested the solution with real data and saw the results, which proved their solution was high quality.

How did Ignited S.A. perform from a project management standpoint?

We collaboratively created the scope of work and exchanged it via screens. We then worked in two-week sprints. Each project manager followed an Agile methodology, which was optimal for the development. We connected with them through Slack and used common tools such as Jira to organize the project. Their team was focused.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed by their knowledge about this type of product. We didn’t know that it could be developed following such a sophisticated and deep methodology. Ignited transferred their knowledge to us about how to develop the product. It was great for our developers to have sophisticated discussions around how it worked. In the beginning, it wasn't even certain that they could achieve the results. Along with their support and work, I was impressed by their engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We hope to re-engage them to support our next project because we were satisfied with the cooperation. I hope for more.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They specialize in algorithm, big data, and AI development. Their team can support simple development, requirement development, and concept development. If someone needs help in those areas, I advise talking to Ignited. They were perfect.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations manager for a group of companies—primarily, East London Textiles and World of Books—which deals with used goods. We either sell used goods in bulk, or individually, online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ignited S.A?

We wanted the ability to sell books outline, through multiple platforms, with a perfected price strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After analyzing our data, Ignited S.A is currently developing an AI-driven software tool for us. It gathers information from online markets, and its key functionality is its ability to ascertain if a book has value for online sale. It ensures that the book’s end value is competitive and profitable. The program also analyzes postage costs and sales performance.

What is the team composition?

Our primary point of contact is Marcin (Lead Consultant, Ignoted S.A) and we worked with a team of 6 people.

How did you come to work with Ignited S.A?

We were seeking a company that could cover both market analysis and software development. After researching several firms, they seemed to be the best fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent somewhere around $65,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them a year ago, around October 2018. They’re currently mid-development, and the relationship is ongoing. We’re increasing the scope of work, and we’re now starting to develop a new project with them for another part of our business.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been excellent. While we describe our problems in a non-technical language, they’re able to describe back to us the technical requirements that could solve them.

Their expertise transcends the software realm, because they’re able to come up with solutions to make us more profitable in general. Their comprehensive expertise—beyond IT—has been incredible. They’ve fully customized our solution for us, which we really appreciate.

We’ve already seen an increase in profitability, despite only having seen the rollout for Phase 1. We’re impressed that we’re seeing an increase in benefits before even completing the full scope of the work.

How did Ignited S.A perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been adaptive, flexible, and have showcased their ability to interpret all requests exceptionally well. They used custom software for internal management purposes, like tracking tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility and their ability to forgo technical jargon to get to the core of our business needs are both phenomenal. They’re able to interpret our business needs before transferring them back to hard code and data.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We haven’t found anything yet; we’re extremely impressed with the work they’ve done for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you’re prepared to communicate well, because the better they understand your requirements the better they’ll perform.