MVP Factory

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Voya, a business travel agency operating out of Germany. We provide business travel services for small and medium enterprise companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MVP Factory?

We wanted to increase our development team to develop our iOS and Android apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us develop our iOS and Android apps. Using our documentation and feedback, their team took over the project and advanced our features. Their developers supported us through multiple iterations. They also helped our marketing efforts by contributing to our content and design.

What is the team composition?

They provided a project manager and 6–8 mobile developers. We were very happy to have them on board. My main points of contact were their head of technology and co-founder.

How did you come to work with MVP Factory?

They were referred to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in Summer 2006 and finished in October 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped us build an app for one of the biggest commercial jet companies in Europe, which was downloaded over a million times. Their technical foundation and expertise were critical for this achievement. Even though we are a big company with over 50 employees, their advice was still useful.

How did MVP Factory perform from a project management standpoint?

They really knew what they were doing. We used Skype, Google Hangouts, email, and phone to communicate. They also visited the office when necessary.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They conducted in-person meetings and visited our office often; It was wonderful having a strong and tangible relationship. It helped us understand each other well and yielded fantastic results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the beginning, it wasn't clear who was going to be part of our team. They should present the team as part of their pitch.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of Redi. As a click-and-collect marketplace, we enable people in central London to pre-order meals at about 200 restaurants. Our product lets users select a restaurant for any meal, schedule pickup times for later or right away, and provides a real-time estimate of when it’s ready to collect. When the customer picks up their takeaway, they don't have to stand in line. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MVP Factory?

At the time, we didn’t have in-house staff with s real technical or development background. We teamed up with MVP Factory for development to create an MVP and launch it to the market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with MVP Factory on two native mobile apps on the Android and iOS platforms. Both versions are connected to a tablet and the backend we built in-house. Users can also collect loyalty points through our in-app program. The restaurant indicates a time for pickup, or the backend accepts orders scheduled for a specific time.

We provided materials to show them how we wanted the design to look and crafted wireframes together. During this collaborative process, they came into our UK-based office once a month for 2-3 days. We found this especially helpful in the beginning. After that, everything was done remotely. The project scope focused entirely on launching the product. We handled the marketing internally. 

What is the team composition? 

My main point of contact was Victor (cofounder, MVP Factory). I spoke to him directly the majority of the time. Over time, they've scaled up in size and are now a big company. When we started working together, the team was much smaller so I could speak to the CEO as needed. Our product manager had a technical background as well as design experience.  

How did you come to work with MVP Factory?

A friend referred us to MVP Factory. We chose them because on their proximate location in Berlin. When we launched our company, we were based in the U.K.

They also offered the best value and pricing structure compared to other solutions. Based on their quick responses to my emails and phone calls, they seemed capable of rapid execution.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we've spent about $20,000 on their services. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with MVP Factory in July 2016 and launched the app within 90 days. It was both a fast and effective process. We wrapped up development at the beginning of October 2016. 

We're still in contact with them, although not to the same degree. If I need additional resources here and there, they're available to support us. We're now working with a different service provider they referred us to for ongoing maintenance. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our iOS app, which is the first version we built and launched, is now available on the iTunes store. It has a 4.7-star rating and over 500 user reviews, which is comparable to our most significant competitor apps. Our customer satisfaction rate is roughly 95%, which is also great.

Currently, we have over 20,000 people using our product. Half have actively used the app in the past, and there are about 4,000 monthly active users. Thanks to their work, our project is progressing flawlessly. MVP Factory was definitely an excellent source of help as we launched our business. 

How did MVP Factory perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager worked hands-on with us to complete each task. He managed his own developers and also worked closely together with our in-house team. Their mode of communication has been rapid, professional, and effective.

We've never had to wait more than two hours to hear back from them with a viable solution. Their methodology is highly professional, and they've been a reliable source of support. I really had nothing to complain about them because the entire process was very smooth. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unlike comparable vendors, MVP has proven to me that they truly understood how to prioritize our work as an early-stage business. They offer us a pricing structure based on how quickly they delivered the product, which was exactly what we needed.

Time to market was crucial for our business model, and they were the right choice from the competitors we'd considered. Being able to agree on a flexible payment schedule based on timely project completion showed our interests were truly aligned. From my perspective as a business owner, that was the most important part. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The project was very successful. Maybe in hindsight, I would have probably liked to get a bit more work done. MVP seemed very busy afterward, but I understand that had to complete other work. In light of our overall success, this is a minor point. We’re still in contact, so I know the team has several substantial ongoing projects at the moment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It's important to be aware of your project goals and always enter into an agreement that aligns your goals with those of your outside service provider like MVP Factory. The rest of the work will follow when that’s in place. When you work with a diligent team like MVP Factory, nothing should stand in your way.