Igniva Digital

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re developing a wellness app set to launch in the UAE. It’s a platform where spas can advertise different packages and promotions to local residents.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Igniva Digital?

The challenge for me was that I had no idea how to build an app or a backend website, and needed help doing it. I knew what the gap was and what was needed in order to fill it, but I didn’t know how to execute it. I went to Igniva Digital for the actual building of the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I did a few calls with various members of his investment team, and I was ultimately asked to transfer £23,000 to Igniva Digital, which is owned by Raj (CEO). In return, they would build the app and the backend website, and they would do my branding as well. They’d give me a branding pack with a logo, designs, and fonts and colors.

I transferred the funds over on the 26th of July 2017, and I have nothing so far. I don’t have an app, a website, or anything else.

They gave me an expensive learning curve. There was no communication from day one. They assigned a project monitor, and I told him that I wanted a critical path, and I wanted to know what the nature of the milestones was going to be, and what timeline we were working toward. Raj told me that the whole thing would take 3–4 months for his team to build. It would’ve been fine for me if it would’ve been 5–6 months, but I asked them time and time again to get a critical path and milestones and work toward a deadline, and I never got it.

The last time I heard from Raj was at the beginning of December when he said he’d need another six months in order to complete it. I told him it had been three years, and the features we were building weren’t as modern as they were three years ago. A competitor launched on the market at the beginning of 2018. I’m still working in this industry, and I actually had a meeting with that competitor. They had no idea of what it was I was working on. It’s an untouched goal of mine, and it breaks my heart.

We could’ve built something fantastic together, but the very people I needed and trusted to build this are the very ones who’ve been like an anchor for the last few years.

What is the team composition?

Over the last three years, the team working on my project has changed every four months. Only one person has been on the project for the last three years, on and off. Everyone else would come for four months and then leave. Doing some more research on Igniva, I’ve seen a lot of employees talking about not being paid their salaries. The team I spoke to was originally fully based out of the UK. Gradually, they introduced people based out of India, after which it was constantly new people. I was never told that there would be an overall change of people; I just got emails from people I didn’t know, saying that they’d be taking over the project. I’d have to have a call with them and make sure they were briefed on what was happening with the project, whereas that should’ve been the job of a project manager, in my opinion. There were at least five project managers on the project over the course of three years.

How did you come to work with Igniva Digital?

I was contacted by Raj (CEO). I did my research on him, and he was very well-publicized at the time. He was selecting companies to invest in, and I was told that he actually contacted me after reading my concept and business plan. He said that it was something he wanted to help get off the ground, that he saw great opportunities.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent £23,000 (approximately $24,500).

What is the status of this engagement?

I transferred the funds over in July, 2017, and the relationship ended around December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

Initially, it was kind of a dream come true. There’s an element of risk involved when going for something like that. The competitor in my field is a company originally from the US. They didn’t have a lot of the features that my app had. When they launched onto the market, I looked at the features they had and what kinds of salons and spas they were going after. Initially, they were going after a different market, including nail salons. My target market were the five-star hotel spas, because I know those and I’m well-connected in the space. I already had a list of potential partners, and how I wanted those partnerships to work.

The competitor’s business model was almost a copy and paste of mine, in terms of revenue generation and partnerships. Over the last two years, I’ve seen their accelerated growth and the feedback they’re getting from spas that are looking for the features my app had. It’s very difficult to see that the opportunity was definitely there, had it been executed on time and delivered as promised. It wouldn’t have been an instant hit, but it’s been a huge missed opportunity. I will eventually launch it with someone who can actually deliver it, but we’re launching in a space dominated by a company with a lot more capital at its disposal, rather than to a captive market, had we launched at the end of 2017.

How was project management handled?

Raj promised that someone would get in touch with me within 10 days. I replied and told him no one had been in touch with me, and I’ve not heard back from anyone since then.

We communicated through email and Skype. I had an initial Skype meeting with the first project manager, and further communication was over email. They were never really communicating with me; it was always I who was asking for updates. It was my understanding that the manager was working on several projects at one time. Whenever I asked him for an update, it would take him 10–14 days to actually give me one. It felt like they didn’t actually do anything until I got in touch with him and asked for updates.

They would go blank. They set up a Basecamp, where they could upload information, and I could give my feedback on it. It was clear and open. I got an alert every time there was an update. What happened was that it would go dead every few months. There would be nothing. I’d ask them if there was anyone there and if I could get an update. It was very unnerving to just have people disappear, having given that much money over.

Weeks and weeks would go by, and I’d have nothing, then Raj would eventually reply. He’d always have a different version of the same excuse. There was always some unplanned event that happened, either on the business end or in his personal life, that required him to leave my project in the hands of another team member, whom he trusted, and it was that team member’s fault that it wasn’t happening. He said he would change the team and it would be done in 3–4 months, and the exact thing happened again.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

They should do their research, contact previous companies they’ve worked with, and get a clear critical path in writing before handing over a single penny. There should also be a clause stating that any delays will bring penalties to the provider.

At the time, they had a good portfolio of half a dozen clients. I’ve found out that none of those companies are still running, and Igniva hasn’t actually delivered anything in the last three years.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was looking to build a travel app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Igniva Digital?

To build a web and mobile app.

What were your goals for this project?

To build a travel app to enhance the way people travel.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I contacted Raj Dhonota, Igniva's CEO through Founder2be.com. I was supposedly chosen among 100 companies that month by Igniva. I met Raj (Igniva’s CEO) in France and paid him $7,000 USD!

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project was promised to be completed between 4 to 6 months, which ended up taking 18 months and half completed full of bugs.

When I found freelance developers to help me finish the project, whenever they looked over the code, they were scared because not only was the framework old by the time they sent me the code, but equally due to their high turnover rate, the code was touched by many people, a complete mess...

In brief, I had to pay and build a new platform from scratch. Igniva promised me they will help with me with the lawyer to draft the Terms and Conditions as well as the Privacy Policy of the platform, which they didn’t.

I lost all my savings because I trusted them, and now I cannot afford building a platform. Raj ignored my emails for the past months.

Beware of Igniva, it is a complete scam. Please save your money and go to a company which cares about you and your project as much as you do.

What was the team composition?

Project manager, designer and developer who were taking care of many projects at once.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They messed up my project and I lost all my money.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was horrible. The company was open sometimes and closed for weeks or months without giving any notice to their clients.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Nothing impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Igniva is scamming its clients. They must shut down.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Discovered Streaming, a music streaming company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Igniva Digital?

I hired Igniva Digital to build a native app for iOS and Android. They said they were a one-stop-shop and would also do hosting and marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Igniva Digital was supposed to do UI/UX design, logo design, wireframes, prototyping, backend development, and the actual build. I provided them with ideas as to what I wanted.

Igniva Digital completed the logo and branding design, such as color schemes and text. They got through some of the wireframes and design screens before they stopped working.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a dozen team members. My main point of contact was a project manager, but I dealt with three different people in this position.  

How did you come to work with Igniva Digital?

Igniva Digital’s CEO and founder also ran an investment group, and he reached out to me through the CoFoundersLab website. He promised me a $100,000 investment. At the time, I wasn’t aware that he was also the CEO of Igniva Digital.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent £52,000 (approximately $63,900 USD). Original cost estimates were £130,000 (approximately $160,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together spanned February–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Igniva Digital’s work was terrible. I ended up redesigning most of what they gave me. They were already a year behind schedule when they stopped working altogether. Now, I’m getting my app redone for $36,000, which is less than what I spent on just designs from Igniva Digital.

How did Igniva Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was atrocious. They had a very high turnover rate, and there was no process or control over anything. During the first three months, they would do one app design and send it to me. I sent feedback to them right away, and then I’d have to send them multiple emails asking where the redesign was. After a week or two, they would send me a redevelopment.

It took them three months to get through the logo and some of the wireframes, and then they stopped working. I repeatedly reached out to them, and, after a month, they said they wouldn’t be able to resume work for 3–4 weeks. Over the next four months, I followed up several times. They finally resumed work, but only for about a week.

I continued to reach out to the CEO. When he responded after a month, I told him I needed proof of his investment and a dedicated timeline that they were going to keep to. He provided me with a timeline and an invoice from the company; when I told him that wasn’t proof of investment, he told me to sue him and his company to get my money back. Once again, they worked for about a week and then stopped. I understand they’ve changed their company name.

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

No, there weren’t.

Are there any specific areas they could improve?

They needed to improve everything from process management to communication to the quality of the work. They didn’t finish the product I paid £52,000 for; in fact, they didn’t do more than two week’s worth of work.

Any advice for potential customers?

I wouldn’t recommend hiring them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and the CEO of an online startup in the film distribution and production space. We provide a new movie-watching experience, allowing people to be more social while watching movies and shop using the movies as catalogs. We provide a marketplace where brands can sell their products and this service equates to an additional revenue stream for the film.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Igniva Digital?

We were in need of a company that could provide us with prototype development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with just an idea and went through a business analysis process. We drew up wireframes and they made professional versions of those. They provided us with ideas and solutions for how to bring those ideas onto the prototype platform.

We had initial calls with their business analyst to break down the structure of the platform and to design it into a stage where we could actually use it, using the InVision app. We then proceeded to the development stage.

The platform is supposed to be a web and mobile application; at the moment, it’s just web, but we are going to proceed into the mobile side as well. It’s a broad project with many features, including video streaming and AI.

What is the team composition?

All my communication has been with their CTO, business analyst, designer, and project manager. In terms of the overall team that worked on the platform, we've employed around 20 people.

How did you come to work with Igniva Digital?

We had an investor come onboard who suggested Igniva for product development services. We compared them to other providers and their reviews were quite positive, so we agreed to do it.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost has been roughly £50,000 (approximately $64,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2016. They’re providing ongoing development work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is live and we're testing it, but it’s not launched yet. We plan to do so by the end of August 2018. My co-founders and I have positive impressions so far. There were some bugs, but once we identified them, Igniva fixed them immediately. Every sprint has gone through us, so we wouldn’t have proceeded with the work if it wasn’t good.

How did Igniva Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Skype and Basecamp as communication channels, and their response rate was 100%. We're planning to visit them in September or October of this year, but we haven’t met in person yet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered quality across the sprints, they came up with impressive solutions—especially in terms of AI—and their communication was good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some team members changed over time, which sometimes caused issues. At times, communication is done more easily in person and there can be a cultural barrier between us. Some points weren’t properly understood, which led to delays.

Their business is run from India and they have a lot of clients across Europe. This makes a difference when there is a need for an in-person approach. Skype communication can make things more difficult. I recommend that they invest in a more personal approach, in terms of communication.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Because of the Skype communication and lack of in-person contact, it’s important for clients to be clear and to double- or even triple-check the information. Other than this, they’re a good team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Coach Cycle, a sports coaching website that connects coaches to sports participants in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Igniva?

I contracted with Igniva to build a website and Android and iOS platforms for my company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided them with wireframes, and we collaborated on the creation of the user journey and the site design. The website is built using Ruby on Rails and PHP. It’s integrated with an instant messaging service and PayPal, and users can upload videos and create profiles to join the social network. I determined the color scheme and worked with them to create a logo. Users can use the website or the apps to book a coach and connect with other users.

What is the team composition?

There are about 30 contacts from their team on Basecamp, but I mostly communicate with a project manager, and he delegates to the other individuals.

How did you come to work with Igniva?

I met the CEO at a networking event in London and discussed my idea and how I wanted to implement it. I received estimates from other agencies, but I was already familiar with Igniva’s team, and they were quite local to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000 and $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project lasted from October 2015 until June 2018. The website is live, and the first versions of the mobile apps have launched.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are in the process of building partnerships to recruit coaches to use the platform, so we have not had any bookings yet. However, what Igniva promised is what I have received. I knew it would be an extensive development project because it’s a large social network and complex booking system, but I’m happy with all elements of the project. Everything they promised has come to fruition.

How did Igniva perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Basecamp and Skype to communicate, and I was always made aware of their progress. They reviewed all problems in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are creative enough to build out your ideas with you. They can find feasible ways to accomplish your goals or make them better. They are adaptable and good communicators.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Skype sometimes had connectivity troubles, which isn’t necessarily their problem, but a different video communication platform could be useful in the future.

Any advice for potential customers?

Having a familiarity with Basecamp would be preferable prior to starting a project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of AuctionShelter, a bidding platform that allows buyers to find real estate for sale across the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Igniva Solutions?

I needed to find a developer to build out a robust bidding platform that could provide marketing services to help us promote it once it launched.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Igniva mapped out the system requirements and scope of work, designed and built the system from scratch (using AngularJS and MongoDB), tested it, and launched the final product. The platform caters to three types of users: property owners who can showcase their properties online, system administrators who manage the content, and potential buyers who can place bids through the site.

Once the platform launched, they also cross promoted it through social media, as well as through inbound and outbound marketing, posting content and writing blogs as needed.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager, the CTO, and a couple developers and testers, as well as about four people from their marketing team.

How did you come to work with Igniva Solutions?

I met Raj (Founder and CEO, Igniva Digital) at a networking event.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $5,000–$6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from around January 2016 to March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Igniva built a very robust system that completely met our needs. It was very reliable; we never had any issues or down time thanks to their thoroughness in testing. Their additional marketing services helped generate interest from the types of clients and influencers we were hoping to attract.

How did Igniva Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very professional, agile, and easy to work with across the board. We shared requirements through BaseCamp, had monthly in-person meetings, and they also used Trello and Skype as I requested.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very accommodating of our needs and I felt I had full control over what was being built throughout the process. We had a great support system, and Raj was very involved to make sure everything went smoothly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It was great meeting with them once a month, but it would help to meet a little more often and receive more regular updates.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be patient and involved in the oversight of projects to ensure everything is being prioritized and deadlines are being met according to your needs.