Oak-Tree Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work as the technical lead at Kleverly, a company using AI and machine learning to help marketing companies and other businesses find influencers to do marketing campaigns with.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oak-Tree Technologies?

We had a database of social media influencers, and we wanted to build a product around it so that people could have a website to find influencers using machine-learning tools. We already had these tools, but we needed help with building the actual website and all its features.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Oak-Tree has helped us develop our website from scratch, integrating different features such as account creation, payment processing, and a search engine. Additionally, they’ve done the backend and frontend development necessary based on the technology that I’ve built. As for the technology stack, they’ve used Python and Django for the backend, as well as React for the frontend.

Initially, we established reaching the MVP as the goal for the project. We wanted Oak-Tree to only develop the search engine around our database without integrating the machine-learning technology to test our idea first. For this, we set up the project milestones and a fixed budget, and we provided them with wireframes and a requirements document that outlined each section of the website. Then, they executed and completed the project through Upwork.

Given that Oak-Tree did a great job, we decided to keep working with them on an hourly basis. For this, we went outside Upwork and signed a contract directly with them. Since then, they’ve been helping us with further development work.

Currently, our website’s core feature is the ability to search for influencers from a large database and filter the results using advanced filtration options. To achieve this, Oak-Tree has written a custom sorting function following our requirements. We’ve given different weights to the keywords in the influencers’ biographies and accounts, so the search engine sorts the results according to those weights.

For the machine-learning portion of the project, I designed a tool in Python where users upload an image. The tool helps compare its deep features to the deep features of the images in our database, and it then displays the results sorted by which images are the most similar to the one uploaded by the user.

The third core feature of our product is similar to the latter. It allows users to upload an image, and it then recommends hashtags based on the properties of that image using machine learning. Other features include limiting our users’ monthly searches based on their subscription plan and the ability to change their information, password, subscription plan, and credit card information.

What is the team composition?

We work with two people from Oak-Tree: Michael (CEO) and Dmytro (Junior Full Stack Developer). Michael has acted as the project manager, and we’ve negotiated the project cost and deliverables with him.

How did you come to work with Oak-Tree Technologies?

We found them on Upwork. When we were looking for a service provider, we interviewed a lot of companies and liked Oak-Tree the best, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

The project will cost over $50,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2022 and decided to sign a direct contract in June 2022. Our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website developed by Oak-Tree works great. Everything is smooth and fast, so it seems to be well-optimized overall. We’re very impressed with their work; they’ve done a great job thus far.

How did Oak-Tree Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve been very happy with Oak-Tree’s project management; they’ve been fast and efficient, and they don’t waste time. When we worked through Upwork, we had set a somewhat flexible timeline. Still, their team was quick to finish everything. Now that we’re not working on a fixed-project basis, we simply send them a list of tasks every week, and they usually complete them.

Throughout the project, we’ve had to sort out some bugs, but they’ve been really minor. Every week, we meet with Oak-Tree to assess their development work and test it to find bugs. If we find bugs, we make a list and send it to them, and they get them fixed by the next week.

Additionally, Oak-Tree’s communication has been great. We communicate via Discord, and although we have a time difference, they answer immediately via Discord during our time overlaps. Still, we don’t expect them to answer immediately. We’ve also used GitHub for project management, and we’ve done Google Meet video calls, but we haven’t done them in a while.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Oak-Tree’s technical skills are top-notch. They’re very talented and smart, and they know a lot about a variety of things. Their detailed knowledge is excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything Oak-Tree could improve on. They’re great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with them! You’ll be pleased.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of Eko Investments Inc. A B2C FinTech company based in the US

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Oak-Tree Technologies, and what were your goals?

Backend development, in particular solving speed issues related to the setup of the backend (written in Python)

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I found them on UpWork.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had speed related issues as the Python code was using a .csv file for input. This was being solved very fast by the team that implemented a Django framework with a Admin dashboard. Speed issues were resolved.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

1 senior developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The site because x3/4 times faster. Management was increasingly easier, due to the use of an admin dashboard. So no longer non-technical people had to touch the tech, now they could just easily use the admin dashboard

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Very self-steering. I explained the issue and my designated developer just started working on it. They got everything fixed without needing much help from my team.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Extremely talented people, very rare finds. I had been working with freelancers a lot more, but their team had a good quality.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Communication could be slightly better. I would love to have the same experience with a daily update - e.g. today done: ...

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m a project manager at a startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Oak-Tree Technologies?

I was working on a project developing educational content for a third-party company and they requested an AR and web platform. As a result, we contacted Oak-Tree Technologies to develop the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Oak-Tree Technologies created a platform where our third-party stakeholders could display information, create education events, and manage their users. They also integrated gaming platforms, classes, and various solutions using Python, React, and Node js.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with a project manager.

How did you come to work with Oak-Tree Technologies?

I used to work with another developer but when this project came up it was bigger than what he could handle so he referred Oak-Tree Technologies. After that, I reached out to Oak-Tree Technologies and started working with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent $30,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership ran from March–December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was very satisfied with Oak-Tree Technologies’ work. Their communications skills were great, and they ensured everything was well-organized.

How did Oak-Tree Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated mainly via Slack and that worked well. They also provided their own project management tools so I could check their progress, and that was very helpful. In addition, they sent me weekly reports. They were also very precise with deadlines and schedules. Overall, the team was very professional.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were a solid team; Oak-Tree Technologies was able to provide us with strong and secure platform. Additionally, they were knowledgeable in many things so our needs were covered in a single roof. Above all, we were impressed that they could provide solutions for everything.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. I had a very good experience with their team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you know your needs well enough and can provide a precise description of what you want from your developers, that will be great. However, if you’re not completely sure, you can also count on Oak-Tree Technologies to help you in that process.