Sidekick Interactive

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the head of digital marketing and products at a private network of education institutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sidekick Interactive?

We wanted to build an app to help staff and students with stress levels and any problems they may encounter due to the switch to remote education and work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sidekick Interactive helped us through the ideation and early design phases of building our app. We did three ideation sessions with a broad group of stakeholders within the business. Based on those sessions, we established what we thought would be the best path to an MVP. Then, I had a number of meetings with the Sidekick team to look at mockup creation and review.
  
Sidekick built an initial feature roadmap and a series of mid–high-fidelity design prototypes. The team came up with a plan on cost and deadlines to actually code the app and make it happen.

I just left the company, but we were almost at the point of presenting to executives how much the development would cost and what the roadmap would be. The plan was to build the app for iOS first and then Android.

My understanding is that my former company will continue working with Sidekick. I don’t know what the future of the project will look like. 

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Greg (Co-Founder & President). 

How did you come to work with Sidekick Interactive?

An acquaintance of our CEO had worked with Sidekick in the past and referred them. I put them through the RFP process with a couple of other companies.

There were a few reasons why we contacted them, one of which was that they had experience building apps related to stress management and help requests. They had done work with another higher education institution, so they had relevant experience. They were also a bit more of a smaller, boutique company. Finally, I had a good personal contact with Greg. We got along well early on, and I liked his approach and how pragmatic he was about things.

How much have you invested with them?

The total mandate was $30,000. I believe about $20,000¬–$25,000 was built.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in June or July 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I really enjoyed how straightforward and unassuming the process was. I have done a lot of these design-thinking workshops, and Sidekick Interactive was very good at stimulating discussion and getting ideas from people without making them feel like they didn’t know anything. A lot of people in education aren’t very tech-savvy.

The process was very collaborative and pragmatic in all of the right ways; it focused on what needed to be done. They made it very easy for people to interact and participate, even though we were remote. 

How did Sidekick Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

Sidekick delivered everything on time. They were very diligent and respected their deadlines well. The deliverables were also very high-quality. When I got user-testing reports, the feedback was concise, precise, and well-documented. All in all, I was satisfied with them.

We mostly communicated through email, which was my preferred method. We also used a virtual whiteboard tool, and that was well-suited to what we were doing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I liked their simple, pragmatic approach. Sidekick interacted well with our teams, even when we didn’t make their lives easy. Also, the deliverables — from the prototypes to the interview summaries — were very high-quality and good for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I knew that they were a small agency. Resourcing was not an issue for us, since we were just in the ideation phase, but it may have become an issue when we got to development. My understanding is that their developers are very busy. Overall, though, I was very satisfied.

Any advice for potential customers?

If you want to work with a hands-on agency and be able to build a relationship with one of their founders, go for it. If you’re looking to work with a big company, keep in mind that Sidekick is smaller, which has its advantages and disadvantages. 

Because they’re smaller, they require a higher degree of client involvement. I didn’t mind being involved. If you want a partner with whom you can collaborate very closely and have a relationship of equals, then I’d highly recommend Sidekick.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Allevio Clinic, a healthcare clinic that deals with chronic pain management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sidekick Interactive?

We needed someone to develop our mobile app and the middleware that helps to run it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re developing our iOS mobile app, which will facilitate interaction with our patients. The first iteration of the app is focused on appointment management, a very hands-on function that currently requires a lot of our organization’s time and resources. The app will allow patients to more easily manage their appointments.

The first phase of the project is wrapped up; we just need to do testing and bug fixes before it goes live. We have additional phases of the project planned. 

What is the team composition?

We work with 5–6 people directly. Our main points of contact are Liam and Greg (Co-Founders). Liam is more involved with design and part of the development team. Greg does project management and manages the whole development team.

How did you come to work with Sidekick Interactive?

I wasn’t involved in the initial contact with them. Our CEO was introduced to them about a year ago.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent $115,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There were five distinct sprints to complete phase one of the project, and they were all completed on time. The deliverables came through as promised.

How did Sidekick Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very clear as to what they were going to do, and they stuck with it. We meet almost weekly as a whole a team to get feedback via Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered what they said they would on time. There was no slippage in the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It wasn’t an ongoing issue, but at the beginning, we didn’t have an understanding of some of the key barriers that might delay components of the project. That was quickly ironed out, and the communication gap was fixed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communication is always the key. Give them as much information as you can to make the process clearer.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a research team affiliated to a university and a public health network. We investigate how early adversity and victimization increase risks for mental health and behavioural problems and how to best support youth facing these experiences by using new technologies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sidekick Interactive?

We wanted to freshen up an already existing application developed to support teenagers who are victims of bullying through strategies and information provided within the application.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve the engagement, user experience and overall professional appearance of the application for the intended user group, i.e. teenagers ranging between 12 to 16 years of age. Existing features were streamlined and complementary ones were envisioned, such as the introduction of a gamification component to the app. New designs were included.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

As per public regulations, we have issued a call for tenders. Sidekick Interactive was selected for their competitive rates and sheer interest in our project.

Describe the project in detail.

The contract included the renewal of three existing apps by Sidekick Interactive, including +Fort. All three apps were intended to provide information and support in the face of adversities, as well as to promote well-being.

The project implied the assessment of the existing apps in their original forms, reconstruction of their architecture/UI, improvement of general UX and the addition and removal of a number of features, including elements of gamification. Quality control was carried out both internally and by members of our team.

What was the team composition?

Florian (Project Manager) was our main point of contact. Front and backend developers were associated with the project, along with a very gifted and generous graphic designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The application was published in the midst of unforeseen circumstances (COVID-19). More information regarding engagement will have to wait for the return to school and most likely a new academic year, as well as the formal unveilings of the app.

Colleagues from all around the world are however unanimous about the attractiveness and fluidity of the application, and more importantly, its great potential to help bullying victims.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

A bridge had to be crossed between the tech industry and the academic world. Throughout this process, the team, with Florian at its head, proved to be open-minded and willing to adapt to our realities and pace. Our team was dedicated to testing every iteration, which was facilitated by the use of an agile-inspired framework.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their dedication and creativity. The whole team took our project to their own hearts, and went well above and beyond to satisfy our requests. They provided us with an attractive and efficient app we are happy to offer to our users. We’ve enjoyed working with the PM, Florian, and the developers, who at all times have proven to be friendly, courteous and professional team players.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Communication is key to every collaborative project, and throughout our partnership, we found some efficient tools to avoid loopholes and misunderstandings. Suggestions were already made on both parts to improve those tools for future collaborations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company specializes in Product Lifecycle Management. We operate in 12 different industries, such as transport mobility and aerospace. I am the product manager in our Montreal office.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sidekick Interactive?

We were deploying tools for a project in Montreal, where they were building a new kind of railway going 66 kilometers across Canada to help combat congestion. Our company was providing the tools to perform 3D-modeling and document management but needed a solution to allow those products to be used in the field without being connected to a specific network.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sidekick Interactive developed code that created the ability for users to fill out forms that would later sync onto the platform once they were in range of a network. They tailored the solution to be used on mobile devices and to use a smaller amount of data in order to operate in areas without a significant amount of bandwidth.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Florian (Project Manager, Sidekick Interactive) and with 2–3 of the company’s founders in terms of setting up and starting the project. Two other people were more on the technical side of things and helped us translate business requirements into technical ones for their developers.

How did you come to work with Sidekick Interactive?

We got to know them through another company that we worked with who vouched for their abilities.

How much have you invested with them?

The contracted was established with our client who has acted as an intermediary between us and Sidekick. Even though the scope of the project increased over time, the total budget has remained at CAN $295,000 (approximately $222,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Sidekick Interactive in September 2018 and have mostly wrapped up our engagement but still have some ongoing involvement from time to time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very satisfied with the work that was performed, and­—even though it was developed for a specific purpose—we believe we’ve found a way in which it could be used for other purposes. Their solution has proved to be versatile in both hardcoded forms or through templates in our own tools. Their application has the potential for reuse with other projects, which is why we’ve kept interacting with Sidekick Interactive.

How did Sidekick Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very willing to work closely with us to get things done, coming to our office once a week for half- or full-day workshops, which allowed us to tighten the loop between testing and bug fixing. Our developers were able to work hand in hand with them to really expedite the development.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Though the schedule was extremely tight and the specific project requirements kept changing, Sidekick Interactive was responsive in delivering an intermediate solution that satisfied our client and helped us get closer to a final product.

It was really refreshing to see how fast a company can respond to changing requirements. Their agility and willingness to work with just a rough outline of where we wanted to go was extremely beneficial to the project and helped us to make sure we were always progressing, even as we had to adapt our approach.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Most of the problems were from our side of the project, so there’s not much I can say in terms of concrete things they could have done differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Anyone who wants to work with them should look at the projects they’ve worked on and talk to them personally to see if they’d be a good match because if they are a good fit, things are going to go very well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of a full stack software development company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a full-stack software development company, and needed help with a native mobile app build for a client.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sidekick Interactive to accomplish?

• Needed native iOS app developers to help with a client project

SOLUTION

How did you find Sidekick Interactive?

Referral

Why did you select Sidekick Interactive over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Sidekick Interactive were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Needed help with native app development, integrating custom IoT functionality. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Successfully integrated the IoT features we needed for a client. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They we're great to work with and we will be collaborating more in the future. 

What was your primary form of communication with Sidekick Interactive?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Sidekick Interactive was super easy to work with and had expertise in areas in which we did not.

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

Nothing I can think of. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Principal and Founder of North River Company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a FinTech SaaS company that provides real-time payment processing and financial analytics tools for small and mid-sized businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sidekick Interactive to accomplish?

• Evaluate our existing backend and web application architecture for scalability issues
• Redesign key components to support higher transaction volumes
• Improve the performance and responsiveness of our customer-facing dashboard

SOLUTION

How did you find Sidekick Interactive?

Referral

Why did you select Sidekick Interactive over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Sidekick Interactive were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Our platform had grown quickly over the years, and we started noticing performance bottlenecks as transaction volumes increased. While the system was functional, it wasn’t optimized for scale, and making changes was becoming more complex for our internal team. Sidekick Interactive was engaged to assess our system and implement targeted improvements. They reviewed our backend services, database structure, and web application performance. 
Based on their findings, they restructured parts of our API layer, optimized database queries, and improved how data was handled on the frontend to reduce load times. They also delivered a set of technical recommendations and documentation that our internal team could continue building on after the engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

After the improvements, we saw faster load times across our dashboard and better system stability during peak usage periods. Transaction processing became more consistent, and our engineering team found it easier to work with the updated structure. Internally, we now have a clearer path for scaling the platform as our customer base grows.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The engagement was well-managed and straightforward. They worked within the agreed timeline and kept communication clear throughout the process. We received regular updates on progress, and they were responsive whenever we had questions or needed clarification on technical decisions.

What was your primary form of communication with Sidekick Interactive?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their ability to quickly understand a complex FinTech system and identify practical improvements stood out. They didn’t overcomplicate things — their recommendations were realistic, actionable, and aligned with our business goals.

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

For this type of engagement, everything met our expectations. If anything, a slightly more detailed breakdown of long-term scaling scenarios could have added extra value, but overall the experience was very positive.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder and CEO of Increase

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Increase is a modern banking core purpose-built for technology companies to store, move, and reconcile money. Our full-stack platform offers best-in-class APIs with direct connections to the Federal Reserve, The Clearing House, and Visa—powering ACH, wires, checks, real-time payments, and card issuing. Fast-growing companies like Stripe, Ramp and Gusto use Increase to build and scale financial products with full control and visibility. Built on our own core infrastructure, rather than legacy systems, Increase supports use cases like payroll, bill pay, lending, embedded finance and card issuing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sidekick Interactive to accomplish?

• Conduct a thorough audit of our legacy .NET/ASP.NET codebase and surface the architectural debt we had accumulated over ten years.
• Deliver a prioritized modernization roadmap, with scope estimates, that our internal engineering team could act on independently or with Sidekick's support.

SOLUTION

How did you find Sidekick Interactive?

Referral

Why did you select Sidekick Interactive over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Sidekick Interactive were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Our platform had been built and extended over ten years without a meaningful architectural review. We had accumulated significant technical debt: no API layer, no DevOps pipeline, tightly coupled components that made iterations slow and risky. We knew we needed to modernize but lacked the external perspective and specialized expertise to know where to start and in what order.

We engaged Sidekick Interactive for a focused three-week architecture audit. They reviewed our full .NET/ASP.NET codebase, assessed our infrastructure and deployment practices, and interviewed our team. The primary deliverable was a structured modernization roadmap, organized by priority, each item accompanied by scope estimates our team could use for planning and resourcing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

 We came out of the engagement with a shared understanding across our engineering team of where the real risks and bottlenecks were. The roadmap gave us a sequenced plan we could execute against with confidence, rather than debating priorities internally. We also had clearer external estimates to bring to leadership when making the case for modernization investment.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

 For a three-week engagement, clear structure was not necessary. Sidekick came in with a clear plan for how they would run the audit, communicated findings progressively so there were no surprises at the end, and delivered the final roadmap on schedule. They asked sharp questions early on, which told us they had done this before. 

What was your primary form of communication with Sidekick Interactive?

Virtual Meeting

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

 Their ability to get up to speed on a complex, decade-old codebase in a very short window and produce recommendations that were both technically rigorous and business-aware.

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

 Not for this engagement. The scope was well-defined and they delivered against it cleanly. We're looking at next steps with them and expect a longer relationship from here.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at RoadRunner

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

RoadRunner provides tech-enhanced, fully managed waste services for businesses, including collection, equipment, vendor management, reporting, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sidekick Interactive to accomplish?

• Build a mobile app that can commission our device over Bluetooth and provision it onto Wi-Fi.
• Create a reliable device control experience once the device is online.
• Add product thinking around what the app should be long term, including monetization options.

SOLUTION

How did you find Sidekick Interactive?

Online Search

Why did you select Sidekick Interactive over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Sidekick Interactive were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

This was our first connected product. Sidekick built the companion iOS and Android apps to handle end-to-end setup: Bluetooth commissioning, Wi-Fi provisioning, account setup, device registration, and basic device interaction once connected. They designed the onboarding flow to reduce drop-off, then implemented the core BLE and networking layers, error handling, and a clean device dashboard. Deliverables included UX flows and Figma designs, native app codebases, integration with our cloud APIs, analytics and crash reporting, CI/CD pipelines, QA test plans, and release builds for TestFlight and internal Play testing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We shipped the app in time for our hardware rollout. Early testing shows stable provisioning and reliable reconnect behavior across our main phone models. Support tickets during onboarding were lower than expected for a first connected product. We also left the project with clear next steps for expanding features and tracking adoption.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management was disciplined. Weekly milestones, frequent demos, and a clear backlog. They flagged risks early, especially around Bluetooth edge cases, and proposed practical solutions. Communication was fast and direct.

What was your primary form of communication with Sidekick Interactive?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They didn’t just execute our plan. They brought strong product input and real-world connected device experience. In particular, they helped us think through monetization paths for the app and device ecosystem, which improved our roadmap and how we talk about value to customers.

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

none 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of Zerynth

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Zerynth supports manufacturing companies in streamlining production by increasing the value of interconnected industrial assets. Through the Zerynth Industrial IoT & AI Platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sidekick Interactive to accomplish?

• We engaged Sidekick Interactive to build a custom software solution that connects our manufacturing sensors to a centralized mobile and web-based dashboard. The objective was to provide operational visibility into machine performance and reduce manual reporting processes.

SOLUTION

How did you find Sidekick Interactive?

Referral

Why did you select Sidekick Interactive over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Sidekick Interactive were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The project included system architecture planning, UX/UI design, backend development, and dashboard creation. Sidekick Interactive developed secure APIs to connect our IoT devices with cloud storage and built an intuitive interface for viewing performance metrics, equipment health, and alert notifications. They implemented role-based access controls and ensured the platform could scale as we add more devices across facilities. QA testing was conducted thoroughly before deployment to ensure reliability and performance stability.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

After launch in 2025, we saw improved visibility across our production lines and faster issue detection. Reporting time was reduced significantly, and internal teams adopted the system quickly. The platform has remained stable with minimal downtime and has become an essential tool in managing our connected devices.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management was efficient and well-structured. Communication was consistent, and we always had visibility into timelines and progress. They met agreed deadlines and were responsive when we needed clarification or scope refinements.

What was your primary form of communication with Sidekick Interactive?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their ability to understand manufacturing workflows and translate them into practical software solutions was impressive. They balanced technical excellence with real-world usability.

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

At times, more executive-level summary reports would have been helpful, but overall the engagement met our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner/Operator of Herbal Magic Canada

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Weight loss and wellness, supplements, ecommerce and health coaching

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sidekick Interactive to accomplish?

• Ship companion mobile apps that extend our SaaS with the right touch points on phone.
• Deliver a stable release on iOS and Android with clean rollback paths.
• Identify which web features belong on mobile and which do not.

SOLUTION

How did you find Sidekick Interactive?

Online Search

Why did you select Sidekick Interactive over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Sidekick Interactive were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We asked for native apps that add value, not parity. Sidekick ran joint scoping with our PMs and architects. They mapped user journeys, picked mobile-first jobs, and cut the rest. Deliverables included UX flows, Figma files, and a prioritized backlog with acceptance criteria. They built native iOS and Android apps with secure auth, push notifications, quick actions, and offline reads where needed. They added analytics, crash reporting, CI/CD, and store-ready builds for TestFlight and internal Play. Handoff included source code, release notes, QA results, and a clear runbook.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The apps released on schedule. Early stability is strong with over 99 percent crash-free sessions. Onboarding completes fast with no support spikes. Mobile touch points now cover the top tasks our users perform away from a desk. We will track feature adoption and retention as usage grows.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

On time. Low noise. Weekly checkpoints. Sprint demos with working software. Risks raised early with options and trade-offs. Great communication.

What was your primary form of communication with Sidekick Interactive?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They reduce cognitive load. They cut features that do not belong on phones and defend that decision. The quality stays high while moving fast. They understood interface contracts and stayed inside guardrails.

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

Cost landed on the high side compared to other bids. Output quality and speed matched the price.