MentorMate

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of POPS! Diabetes Care. We are a digital health company working on a combination device, mobile app, and backend system application that allows people to manage their diabetes better, hopefully reach their goals, and reduce healthcare costs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

We had developed a concept app and system. We wanted to partner with a firm that knew how to develop software in an FDA regulated way. We also wanted them to take our technical view of how the system should be done and put more creativity to it. We wanted an interface that would excite our users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To begin, they worked on a mobile app for iOS. We intend to expand to Android in the future. They created a secure, HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] compliant connection to a cloud database. Together with MentorMate, we decided to use Amazon Web Services for this. They then created an additional web interface to allow healthcare professionals to log in and look at the data in different ways. MentorMate created all the software elements of our system.

We needed the work done in a controlled design process that we could document appropriately for an FDA submission. They did all the right documentation and testing so that we had what we needed.

MentorMate helped us to take our concepts and put them into a user design that really made sense. We had daily stand-up meetings, and there were probably around 10 people on the calls every day.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

We did a thorough search and spoke to other people with similar projects. We became aware of MentorMate through the Mobile Conference (MobCon) that they’ve sponsored in the past. We took quotes from four vendors and visited each of them. We selected MentorMate as our best prospect after doing that search.

How much have you invested with MentorMate?

We’ve invested between $250,000 and $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in October of 2016, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’re not at the point where we have good metrics, but I can comment anecdotally. I was very impressed that we started the project in October and finished it in March. That was on the schedule that they provided at the beginning. They accurately figured out the time they needed, and they lived up to it. We came out within 10% of the original projected cost. They were very good at understanding the project’s requirements, doing an estimate around that, and then executing and getting it done.

Since we started showing the system to people, we’ve gotten very positive feedback about the look and feel of it. We demonstrated the product to people at a glucose manufacturer that develops apps in-house, and they were very complimentary of our design. It’s been a very good outcome in that respect.

How did MentorMate perform from a project management standpoint?

They accurately estimated both time and cost, which was a very good sign to me. On a daily basis, their project manager was one of the best I’ve ever worked with, and I’ve been in the software development industry for 30 years. I was very impressed with her ability to listen and to efficiently manage a mixed team of onshore and offshore developers. She knew when to say, “This is the way we’re going to do it.” I believe that’s the reason the project ran on time. I give her much of that credit.

We primarily used JIRA for communication, and the daily stand-ups were with Google Hangouts. We never had issues with language or time barriers. Even though part of the team had a six or seven-hour time difference, we were still able to get very timely responses to anything we asked. There was no verbal communication issue either. One of our partners is in Taiwan, and we were initially worried about the communication. However, the team in Bulgaria communicated directly with the team in Taiwan without our help.

What did you find most impressive about MentorMate?

It was the best software project management that I’ve ever experienced.

Are there any areas MentorMate could improve?

The jury is still out in terms of how many bugs we find in the software. As we finished up, we probably found a few more bugs than I would have liked, but they were easily worked out. I hesitate to say that because software is never perfect and you can find bugs forever. You have to weigh the cost of testing for bugs forever versus actually using the product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Andamio Games is a startup company which develops educational applications and games for high school kids, teaching them difficult concepts via mobile apps. Our company was founded in 2014 and we have a team of 4 people, including myself.

I am the technology lead of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

We had proposed and won government funding from the National Institutes of Health, in order to develop a mobile-based application called iNeuron for teaching neuroscience. We needed to find a company that could develop software at a commercial level. We are researchers at heart, mainly developing apps at a proof-of-concept level, but we needed a partner with experience in developing mobile applications that are used by thousands of people.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MentorMate developed an iOS application which ended up splitting into 2 apps, based on our proof-of-concept work. They redeveloped our software from the ground up using Swift. MentorMate was brought on board when the transition to Swift was taking place.

iNeuron is an application meant to teach neuroscience to kids. MentorMate also built a teacher dashboard, allowing them to customize content, as well as interact with students and monitor their activity. The app can extract trends and provide helpful information and grading.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

When we were writing the grant, we knew that we needed someone with commercial-level experience. We knew MentorMate's owner, but we also spoke to some of their past clients. We called MentorMate, talked some things through, and decided that they were the company we should go with.

How much have you invested with MentorMate?

The cost of MentorMate's work was between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them 2 years ago. We're continuing our relationship with MentorMate for additional products.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The apps have been downloaded almost 100,000 times and have been used in over 40 classrooms throughout the US, mainly in Minnesota. We've seen extremely positive feedback from teachers and students. The success of this app is what allowed our company to grow and tackle subject matters beyond neural science.

How did MentorMate perform from a project management standpoint?

Rather than being a subcontractor, MentorMate became a part of our team. It was easy to work with them and get on the same page quickly.

What did you find most impressive about MentorMate?

From a development point of view, MentorMate's process and quality of work were extremely high. The team is efficient, which is always desirable when working with limited government funding. We were able to accomplish more than what was initially proposed.

Are there any areas MentorMate could improve?

Because we were working with government funding and needed to adhere to regulations, the development needed to be done in the US, which meant that we paid a bit more than other companies that have hired MentorMate and were able to work with their Bulgarian developers. This was a minor detail which we resolved during bidding. There isn't a lot that I was unhappy with. It's been an extremely positive experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a full-service digital advertising agency.

What is your position?

I'm a producer and project manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

We were working on a very large project that consisted of many different products for our final client. One of the asks was to do both iOS and Android apps. We reached out to MentorMate to help us out with the development of those apps. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

MentorMate delivered applications for both iOS and Android.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

I was not part of the discussion or decision-making process to bring on MentorMate.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The applications combined were a $200,000-plus project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The end client hasn't provided many quantitative metrics to us, but we were extremely happy with the work that MentorMate provided to us.

What distinguishes MentorMate from other providers?

MentorMate's developers were very open and easy to work with. They were all very strong especially their iOS team. We didn't run into problems.

Is there anything MentorMate could have improved or done differently?

No. Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Sensei is a mobile app and software platform company for the healthcare industry.

What is your position?

I’m the Chief Information Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

We have a very expensive product development roadmap, and we partnered with MentorMate for our native iOS, Android, and portal development.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

It’s been going on for two years, and it will continue in the future.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

We developed a very robust vendor scorecard, did extensive interviews with a number of firms onshore and offshore, and we selected MentorMate off of a 26-scaled matrix. They are experts in the full software development life cycle. They cover everything from the initial business analysis, product roadmap and development, initial prototypes, designs, beta, final product, and then production support.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

In total, this project is close to $1 million.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I wouldn’t know how to give you metrics. I know that our client count is increasing. Our user base is increasing. We just went to South by Southwest, and the organizers said it was the best presentation and app that they have ever seen. We must be doing something pretty good.

What distinguishes MentorMate from other providers?

The quality of the MentorMate team stands out, having worked with lots of teams in the U.S. and around the world, I would put MentorMate at the top. Everybody is super qualified for their job. Everyone is an expert at what they do. They’re 100% professional. Everybody comes dialed in and strapped in every day, and they work hard. They have not just skills, but are true professionals.

Is there anything MentorMate could have improved or done differently?

No, nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a whiteboard animation company. Our first application is the building blocks of a vocal visual language so it allows you to draw, tag, and to play different games with drawn images that animate. The second application that we have is actually a video creation software.

What is your position?

I’m the Chief Technology and Implementation Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

Because of our timeline, we knew that an intro development team wouldn’t have been able to wrap up as quickly as we needed to because of the scale we wanted to hit. Therefore, we were looking for an experienced development partner.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Today, MentorMate has provided an iOS and web application for us.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

We interviewed a number of partners and MentorMate fit the bill the best. Their understanding of our vision was huge. They demonstrated a thorough understanding of what we were trying to achieve and how we wanted to achieve it, and they helped us paint a picture of how they would help us achieve it and be part of this life cycle of development. That was one of the biggest deciding factors that lead us to work with MentorMate.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Our partnership spanning both projects with MentorMate has been over $200,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We’re live in the app store and we haven’t missed a deadline, and that’s fantastic. We had a very aggressive timeline for our road to launch and entry into the market, and MentorMate has made sure that we’ve done everything we can and been in a position to achieve every one of those milestones.

What distinguishes MentorMate from other providers?

They’re very open to our thoughts. They’re actively looking for our feedback on everything that we’re doing. In doing so, they’re also very willing to share their thoughts on information and input that we have. If there’s something that makes a ton of sense, they’re going to tell us that. If it’s something that makes a ton of sense but it’s going to take a lot of work, they’ll also tell us that. I really appreciate the open dialogue. It’s never something that is a non-starter to a conversation. It’s always “let’s have a conversation and figure out what this is really going to entail”. I’ve always appreciated that because I have run into partners that always end up saying they can’t execute our big ideas. MentorMate always encourages our ideas, and when they’re not in scope, they’ll propose a meeting to figure out what we need to do to make that a reality, and how it’s going to fit in and impact the whole process. I really love that approach.

Is there anything MentorMate could have improved or done differently?

I think overall MentorMate has been great. There’s always small things along the way that could have been improved. I think our expectations from a design perspective were not met initially. We’ve now gotten to a place where they are being met. What would have been appreciated is an acknowledgement of that earlier on. An acknowledgement did come later and we did appreciate that. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My company is a manufacturer of test and measurement equipment.

What is your position?

I’m a program manager within the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

In conjunction with the products that we offer, we also offer companion software and previously had only offered it as a native desktop option specifically for Windows. We wanted to branch out into consumer devices, specifically iOS and Android. We didn’t have in-house expertise in that area so we looked to partner with a firm that had that capability, and also just in general the experience and background to help us navigate through the app development process.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

MentorMate provided us both an iOS and Android application.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

I was reviewing MentorMate and a competitor of theirs locally. I went through the same process with both. I did some research and reached out, had an initial requirements gathering session, went and did a meet and greet, and ultimately got some proposals back. Both were comparable in terms of what I could view as capabilities, services, and experience, but I chose MentorMate because of a gut feeling and intuition. It felt like our business mattered to them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

This was a larger project for us and we have over $200,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We average 2,500 downloads a month, which for us is decent for the volume of customers that we serve. We feel that we have pretty good market penetration and utilization of the app.

What distinguishes MentorMate from other providers?

From end to end - identifying the requirements, both business and technical, MentorMate did a great job. They helped us understand what’s important and what’s not from a user experience/design perspective; they had those services as well. They became an extension of our team. From a development perspective, they deliver high-quality all the way around. They did a good job with the project management of the team. 

Some of the team members transitioned over throughout the course of the project and we understand that that happens when outsourcing work. It’s wasn’t an egregious amount of turnover but there was some. They were pretty good about it. It wasn’t seamless in terms of changing out team members, but it was reasonable and certainly within expectations. They did a good job serving us. The project management was outstanding - keeping us in the loop, keeping our team on task, as well as theirs. They’re very transparent with the status of the project as well as with the financials of it. It was all very well done.

Is there anything MentorMate could have improved or done differently?

Nothing comes to mind. We had a positive experience with MentorMate and their team. One nice thing is that we had an opportunity to use onshore or offshore resources which was important to us. Sometimes we used onshore and sometimes we used offshore, and both were done with quality and were relatively seamless to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a marketing and development company for brands, retailers, and casinos. We provide marketing materials and branded promotional materials. I work to build loyalty platforms for online sports. We’ve built prediction applications with MentorMate. Currently, we are creating a daily fantasy website with MentorMate, with both free to play and pay to play options.

What is your position?

I am a project manager and work directly with MentorMate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

What we were looking to accomplish with MentorMate had two parts. The first project we did with them was mobile development for iOS and Android. Our most recent project was a web app with a responsive design across tablet, mobile, and web. We wanted a clean design with good user experience. Both the back end and front end needed to be fully functional.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

We're based in Saint Paul, so geographically MentorMate was a fit. In the past, we had a relationship with a West Coast developer. We did have success with them, but we wanted someone more local. We interviewed, vetted, and got quotes from five or six candidates, based in and just outside Minneapolis.

We liked MentorMate’s rate structure and generally enjoyed working with them. We believed in what they could develop for us. The deciding factor was looking at their past projects and successes they had in the industry, and the belief that they were the best partner for us.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Individually, there have been $150,000 to $200,000 projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

This is an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The biggest marker for us with regard to success is having a fully functioning product in the market that we believe is the best out there. One of the biggest things that MentorMate provided was a strong design team along with an equally strong development team. That was important to us. We had previous failures with other companies on the front end.

We felt we were lacking skills on front end design. Our partnership with MentorMate fixed that, and has really driven user experience, especially in our most recent project. Because of that, we had an iOS and Android app that was very successful. We wanted a responsive design that looked, felt, and worked great, regardless of the device. MentorMate did a great job accomplishing that. We have a competitive user interface that functions seamlessly across multiple platforms.

What distinguishes MentorMate from other providers?

Our project manager and developers were excellent. We've had great success working with them. They’re very easy to work with. The relationship that we've built with MentorMate’s developers is extremely strong. Great communication is another thing that has led us to being successful. They're very good at communicating and they're upfront.

Is there anything MentorMate could have improved or done differently?

We have been working with MentorMate for about three years now, and in the first six to 12 months of working with them, we had a lot of constructive criticism. In the past two years, they've made quite a few changes which have been successful. For example, they have rebuilt some of their departments and rebuilt their project management structure. They've done a very good job of adapting to the industry and growing as a business. Our relationship and success with them are much better now than it was in the first six months.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are an international supply chain provider. We're a wholesale distributor of aftermarket parts and components.

What is your position?

I am the Vice President of Technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

We wanted to develop a mobile inventory management solution.

SOLUTION

What platform is the application on?

It's cloud-based cross-platform service available on iOS or Android.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

We wanted a local partner, and they were the leader in the Twin Cities. The size of MentorMate was very appealing. We first engaged them several years ago; mobile development was a relatively new and upcoming industry. Because they have offshore developments, it was more cost effective for us. Mobile development is in high demand, so if you're doing it onshore locally, it's more expensive, which was a driving force for us.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The project expense was between $200,000 and $1 million.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

What MentorMate helped us build has since become an independent and revenue generating business inside of our company.

What distinguishes MentorMate from other providers?

MentorMate was very capable, honest, transparent, and has excellent project management. Those qualities are important to us.

Is there anything MentorMate could have improved or done differently?

I've been developing technology solutions for 25 years and nothing stands out. This has gone as well as anything I've ever done, so it's hard for me to pick out anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're an online financial planning company. We do algorithmic financial planning and investments.

What is your position?

I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

I have zero background in development, and I'm a one-man show at this point. I needed MentorMate to help me build a complex financial platform.

What platform is the application on?

It's web-based at the moment but we're also building both an Android and an iOS application for the platform. The full functionality is on the web, with limited functionality on the iOS and the Android platforms. This limited functionality will change once we have a better idea of how people use it.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

I considered a number of other agencies, a mix of onshore and offshore development. There were a few in San Francisco where they did most of their development in-house. There were a number of offshore companies that I looked at as well. MentorMate was in the middle for pricing, so I decided to go with them. Their hybrid model made me much more comfortable. Due to my own lack of technical experience, I wanted to make sure that communication between my partner and I went smoothly.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The project cost $400,000. The original cost estimates were low because I continued to change and expand the scope of the project. MentorMate came in under budget for everything we’ve done.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What distinguishes MentorMate from other providers?

MentorMate treated us as a partner. From the beginning they seemed to love my project. They really treated the product as if it was their own.

Is there anything MentorMate could have improved or done differently?

If you're focused on start-ups, a development company needs infrastructure to help guide customers. I could have used more strategic advice because there was a lot for me to learn.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

Our mobile app company is a marketplace for parents to sell preloved or secondhand children’s articles, clothing, shoes, and gear. We are similar to Etsy or eBay, but we just sell kids items. Our mobile app has been available to the consumer since December of 2013. We are based in Minneapolis.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with MentorMate?

We engaged with MentorMate to help us specifically with SEO [search engine optimization] and social strategies. We needed them to help with App Store optimization and SEO work for a new Web component to our product offering we’re releasing right now.  

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We are now in the process of rolling out a particular feature we’ve been working on. We’ve engaged them to think about how to architect the Web piece strategically and think about URL structures and other SEO considerations. We’re actively engaged in this project right now. We will continue to use them for short term spikes that we need to handle.

What was your process for selecting MentorMate with which to work?

MentorMate is well known around Minneapolis and we chose them through word of mouth and feedback from others. They have a good reputation. 

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

We’re one of their smaller clients right now, but we’ve never felt like a small client. I do not want to discuss a specific price. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

We can see their results with the Apple Store optimization campaign. Our app is in the Apple App Store and a lot of the same principles apply as they do with SEO work. As a direct result of their work, we have moved up the daily download rankings very significantly after implementing their recommendations. We’re now ranking ahead of pretty much all of our competitors in keyword search terms. Some of our competitors are very well established and much more mature.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I don’t know the exact numbers, but relatively they increased our search rank across keywords. We were anywhere from 100 or lower for important keywords, and now we’re in the top 20. There are many instances where a keyword was in the top 50, and now we’re in the top five after working with MentorMate. It is a free download for anyone to use the app. For every purchase made, we charge a small transaction fee.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out compared to other companies?

Their team is really smart, and they know their craft in their specific discipline areas. They offer good service, even though we’re not a big client.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I don’t even have constructive criticism because I can’t think of anything they did incorrectly.