StartupCraft

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an IoT platform for agriculture. We create integration devices and communication networks to collect data from remote agricultural operations. We design and manufacture all our devices, and we make web applications that help users interact with those tools. I'm the software team lead.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with StartupCraft Inc?

Our area doesn't have a very large pool of technical talent for web development. My existing team couldn't handle the volume of work, so we reached out to StartupCraft.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped build some additional features to help us meet our deadlines. They worked in tandem with us in Ruby on Rails, GraphQL, and React. The tools we added allow users to set up and receive notifications and alerts for device help. They also helped streamline the user interface and application settings.

What is the team composition?

They built a team of three people, with some additional advisors and analysts. We interacted directly with the developers, and we formulated requirements with a project manager.

How did you come to work with StartupCraft Inc?

Initially, I had a very small Ruby application I wanted help with. I found them on LinkedIn and asked them to take that project on. They did an awesome job, and we still use that application. If I ever need Ruby contractors, I turn to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent roughly $45,000-$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

For this particular project, we started working together in May 2019 and completed work in September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All the features they developed are outstanding, and all our existing customers use them. Everyone is very happy with the work they did.

How did StartupCraft Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They're excellent project managers. Most of our communication was through Slack, and we used Asana as a tracking tool. We had daily standups and project management meetings as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very communicative and organized. They mobilized resources very quickly, and all their developers are highly proficient. They use test-driven development, which is uncommon for a contracting company of their size. They were a great fit for our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything they should improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come to the table with a clear, well-documented picture of your resources and what you hope to accomplish. If you provide that information, they will deliver incredible results within short timelines.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a mobile app company. Dub diversified LLC is a Mobile Health tech company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire StartupCraft Inc?

Startup craft developed our mobile app for both iOS and google play including design, development, and submission to app stores.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to create an app based on my idea for a mobile waiting room for labor and delivery.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was referred to Startup craft by a friend. I interviewed at least 6 other mobile developers and Startup craft was, hands down, the most genuine, supportive, honest, easiest to communicate with day or night...even before we started working together on the project. I immediately felt their interest and support as if they were on my own team.

Describe the project in detail.

We developed a mobile app from start to finish. We initially did a lot of discovery and task planning to determine the most logical features and functions for the app. We tied that to design which was also very easy to finalize thanKs to very open lines of communication. They involved me at every level and every stage of the process. Once we finalized requirements and design, we began development which was completed on scheduled

What was the team composition?

We had a project manager, designer, front end and back end developers, quality control, and support from the CEO as well!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I went into this project with very little knowledge of the progress of making an app. I was able to communicate my needs/wants for requirements and the Startup Craft team was able to translate that into a product that far exceeded my expectations. In just 5 months, we have an amazing version 1 and continue to work on improvements to accommodate our users.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

There was a 7 hour time zone difference between me and the startup craft team, yet I would have never known. I was able to reach out to anyone on the team at anytime. As a startup, I was afraid I would need to hire additional tech support locally, but the startup craft team was so extremely supportive and inclusive to me that I did not have to. I felt very much a part of the team and communication was/is open and easy!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The simplicity in communication and support. They were extremely professional, friendly, and fun to work with. They went over an above all of my expectations for communication and requirements development.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The experience was top notch. Knowing what I know now, having no previous experience, the only “thing” I wish I would have done sooner was ran my requirements that I thought were necessary past the back end developer that ultimately had simpler solutions in some cases. I feel this earlier involvement could have saved a little of their time for them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder of a proprietary mobile application that connects disc jockeys, venues, and music lovers. It is the easiest way for individuals and businesses to find, assess, and book professional DJs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire StartupCraft Inc?

We hired StartupCraft Inc for iOS app improvements and migration.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to have an improved build ready to push to Apple within two months.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found them on Upwork. They have highly competitive pricing.

Describe the project in detail.

We hired StartupCraft Inc to edit and clean up our iOS code, improve our UI design, migrate our database and server, and implement improvements to the backend database.

What was the team composition?

We work directly with the owner of StartupCraft Inc, who oversees everything. The team includes two designers, a backend engineer, and the project manager—who also happens to be the frontend engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are in the middle of the project now, but we are quite happy with the work they’ve done so far. We plan to retain StartupCraft Inc as our development team.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have had effective communication via Slack, Miro, and Skype. They all have a solid command of the English language. It has generally been quite easy and fun working with them.  

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Not only do they get work done fast, but they also provide solid design concepts. Their project manager is entirely hands-on as well.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As we begin to scale with StartupCraft Inc, I am sure we will need to retain more designers and engineers, so that will be an area that we would need to improve continually.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of CN Software Ltd. We are a software consultancy that works primarily with other start-ups on technology strategy and product development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with StartupCraft Inc?

We needed extra development resources to complete a project for a client. The client was an education start-up that worked with primary and secondary school children. They provided immersive learning experiences via video, web content, and VR. StartupCraft Inc needed to redevelop the client’s platform and recreate a set of learning materials by expanding the functionalities to include lesson planning and tracking of student activity and performance.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

StartupCaft Inc’s work focused on Ruby on Rails development. They assembled the data structure and the API to facilitate data migration in and out of the database, as well as to execute the new tracking functionalities. The team then built a new feature that enabled teachers to create lesson plans and search for and access the platform’s content.

Next, StartupCraft Inc onboarded an external UX designer to assist with the design for a new React-based application. Our team collaborated with the UX designer on this application, particularly its trilingual functionality for English, Finnish, and Swedish content; the scope specifies additional languages as the product develops.

After a few challenges with development, the team onboarded a new external Unity developer to work on the application. The developer then created functionalities to build and edit 360-degree experiences for the student interface. In addition, the student interface presented lesson plans and tracked usage within the classroom.

What is the team composition?

We work with Vladimir (Founder, StartuoCraft Inc), Sergey (CIO, StartupCraft Inc), and the Unity developer and UX designer they onboarded.

How did you come to work with StartupCraft Inc?

I found them on Upwork after we struggled to engage an affordable local company.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around €42,000 Euro ($47,506 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2016 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have just started to roll out this project. We had two beta tests in Finnish schools and the results have been incredibly positive. Both teachers and students have expressed their delight. They said the solution was user-friendly and far better than the product it replaced.

The team’s work is always excellent. The senior developers mentor the junior developers to maximize the code’s quality. The team is highly professional; they deliver within the timeframe they specify and I am delighted to work with them. As a developer myself, our conversations are seamless. They understand the scope and work through those requirements to deliver on time or early.

How did StartupCraft Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve had a good experience. The team complies with our timeframes has never missed a deadline and always delivers on time. Vladimir ensures the project is on track and provides additional support or changes as needed. Our Unity developer can’t do enough for us. He is always available and consistently produces high-quality work. Unity is not my specialist subject, but he always takes the time to help me understand the issues. The Unity developer is incredibly responsive and works crazy hours when needed. Sergey excels at React on Rails because he’s taken the time to understand our needs from the API side. He’s put in extra effort to ensure the platform is incredibly robust. We use Slack and Hubstaff to track progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication skills and high-quality output have stood out. The understood our needs immediately and confidently hit the ground running. We are now paying down our technical debt as we complete more work. That is rare for an outsourced partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They did an excellent job, but could communicate more consistently as the workflow fluctuates.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Dolnbound. We’re a process and project management platform designed to help marketing agencies capture their workflows.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with StartupCraft Inc?

We needed a development partner that could help take our product to the next level.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

StarupCraft Inc is integral to our day-to-day processes. They do everything from designing new features to tackling problems like how to make the platform faster, more scalable, and how to better optimize resources. Functioning as part of our team, they consistently come up with efficient and actionable solutions to complex problems. They focus on product design, product performance, and feature development. Their valued expertise helped us develop a platform that keeps clients happy and our customers moving forward.

What is the team composition?

We regularly communicate with their CEO.

How did you come to work with StartupCraft Inc?

We found them while looking for an auxiliary developer. We were working with another development agency at the time, but StartupCraft Inc was significantly more qualified than everyone else we considered. They ended up taking over and leading the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $200,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2015 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

StartupCraft Inc built the 2.0 version of our product. We wouldn’t still have product if they never joined the project. They helped us get the new software up and running, while also tripling the number of features on the platform. This effort kept the processing speed high even as the product’s complexity increased. They truly improved every aspect of the product.

How did StartupCraft Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve performed well and are expert-level communicators. They’re experienced in bridging the gap between an owner’s vision for a product and a developer’s need for detail to make it happen. This means they translate the technical challenges that an owner doesn’t necessarily understand and helps prioritize things based on customer feedback. They make sure to address bugs and feature requests in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

StartupCraft Inc treats our project like it’s their own. They’ve really come in and integrated themselves with our team. That’s been the biggest differentiator between them and other people we’ve worked with in the past. They feel like family and put in the work to create a great product. It’s been a great experience. Their technical abilities are outstanding, but their interpersonal communication skills are their biggest strength. I’m a happy customer.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Operations at Bitfinance. Our mission is to provide retail investors around the world access to top-performing institutional-grade alternative investment options, which historically have only be available to accredited investors. Our approach is to leverage a blockchain powered online investment platform, tokenomics, and conscious corporate governance to provide low-fee investment services, with our beachhead market being cryptocurrency investing. I personally have experience working with vendors, wholesalers, distributors, and customers and value deep work, clarity, and consistency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire StartupCraft Inc?

At the time, we did not have a CTO and were in need of a development team that not only employed terrific developers but also understood blockchain development and could execute the project at a reasonable price. Our timeline was extremely fast-paced due to rapid fundraising and the nature of the blockchain space.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop a front-end facing website with responsive design for future users, investors and alpha fund investors. We also wanted to build our back and front end investment platform, which would include a dashboard, wallets, exchange and support pages. The impact we anticipated for this project was to boost our fundraising efforts and to improve our overall tech roadmap and the clarity of our tech stack.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We used the internet and our own network to look at a multitude of different vendors that had experience in the blockchain space. Someone we have worked with recommended StartupCraft.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They developed our front end facing website and built our investment platform, all in accordance with our goals. We collaborated with the them on design assets, user flow and wireframes.

They helped us develop our tech stack and software roadmap by employing a hybrid of decentralized and centralized architecture of ERC20 smart contracts. User investments in funds are recorded on a blockchain by utilizing smart contracts that manage master fund membership and asset composition. These serve as the primary source of transparency for assets that BitFinance manages. All smart contracts have been built using Truffle with 100% test coverage of code. The BitFinance.com, Ruby on Rails developed web application is hosted on Amazon web services and architected according to modern MVC web application best practices, including: deployments with Docker and Kubernetes for rapid scaling; isomorphic javascript for rapid development of React user interfaces (without sacrificing developer experience or search engine optimization opportunities); a PostgresSQL database; a message queue for asynchronous and operations jobs; and integrations with top of the line SaaS providers like Twilio and Sendgrid for auxiliary services.

On the pre-fundeed dashboard, users can use a slider to customize their allocation across that continuum to build a custom portfolio allocation. As they update the allocation, the results are visualized via a cube-of-cubes showing the composition of the portfolio as well as detailed allocation data provided alongside a legend identifying the four cryptocurrency master funds. On the funded dashboard, users can see the historical performance of their portfolio, their current allocations, changes over time, and customizable content modules which default to showing their wallet balances and recent notifications.

What was the team composition?

We loved the lead developer so much that we decided to bring him on as our CTO. He managed all of the StartupCraft developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The developments helped us close our pre-seed fundraising round and impress future users and potential investors. We also have one of the cleanest and most responsive investment platforms on the market. The lead developer made our idea come to life in a better way than we ever could have without him. StartupCraft exceeded far beyond our expectations.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Estimated deadlines were always met, sometimes early. The communication was consistently smooth and precise. We used a combination of Slack, Asana, email, video chat and in-person meetings. Even though they are an offshore company, we never had any language barriers.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

StartupCraft under-promises and over-delivers. They are smart, confident and better than most development companies. They use top of the line tech stacks and do so at a better price point than most companies while still executing at a higher level.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They are amazing at what they do and it would be hard for them to improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a software company that provides an HTML platform for scheduling and communications management of employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with StartupCraft?

We had a conceptual idea of the business plan and the application (web and mobile) we wanted to build, but we needed help bringing it to life.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

StartupCraft built a desktop and mobile application hosted on AWS, using Ruby on Rails and React Native. Their team helped create a scheduling module for enterprise-level companies, allowing companies to search through their employees using a tagging system to highlight details about each individual (i.e., availability, title, etc.). They also built out a recruitment feature, allowing candidates to apply for jobs within the non-professional sector or for shift work.

What is the team composition?

I work with Vladimir (CEO, StartupCraft) as well as a product manager, three designers, and some backend and frontend developers. We consistently work with about five people, but may work with up to 10 during busier months.

How did you come to work with StartupCraft?

I posted a proposal for our project online and StartupCraft responded very well. We went through a rigorous interview process of a few vendors, but ultimately felt they were the right team for the job.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested around $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2017 and although the app has gone live, we continue to work with them on further development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

StartupCraft built a platform that streamlines the hiring and scheduling process for our customers. It also helps companies effectively find the right people for each job without having to search manually through all of their employees. Everyone is very happy with the app, including higher ups, who are actually expressing an interest in white-labeling the product.

How did StartupCraft perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is never an issue with their team; they manage projects exceptionally well and are on top of their tasks. They're both prompt and accessible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They produce very high-end, quality work. It isn't cheap, but it's worth the investment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you're looking to build an MVP, StartupCraft might not be the right vendor for you because they provide top-notch software development services. They use more rigorous methods, which will cost more than other vendors, but you're going to get a much better product in the end as a result.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Guided. We offer a software as a service (SaaS) coaching platform that measurably improves employee happiness, engagement, retention, and productivity.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with StartupCraft Inc?

We needed help building our minimum viable product (MVP).

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

StartupCraft assisted the development of our MVP for a dynamic content editor. The content editor is used by coaches and clients to share goals, track progress, achievements, insights, and resources. They also created a live document that functions between both parties in real time to enable input of a variety of different content types. This provides an easy way for users to toggle information and pull resources that the coach already saved. They built the platform using React and tailored everything toward what would be useful for both coaches and clients.

What is the team composition?

There’s one project manager, but their owner was active and accessible to us as well. The rest of the team consisted of two designers, two core developers, one business analyst, and a QA tester.

How did you come to work with StartupCraft Inc?

I searched for development firms online and sent a bunch of options to a former CTO of mine from a previous business. After looking over all the candidates, he chose StartupCraft based on what he’d seen online. I spoke to them and they seemed like the only choice.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial MVP was around $25,000. Our yearly budget is now about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The initial development took place from September–December 2017. We’ve continued to work with them on updating certain aspects and building things out further.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve gotten positive feedback. Users are amazed at how simple the platform is and how well it operates. Our investors were also impressed by the budget and the speed at which we were able to bring the product to market.

How did StartupCraft Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

StartupCraft is easy to collaborate with and can reliably determine good solutions. They’ve reduced operational costs and can provide additional resources when needed. They’ve performed above and beyond other firms or in-house teams that I’ve worked with in the past. They effectively scoped the project and came close to delivering on time and within budget. Anytime there was something that wasn’t developed quite right; they’d look at it and take accountability if the was issue was on their end. Their owner served more as a CTO and helped on a variety of tasks as we needed him. He was very flexible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The level of talent across their team is incredibly high. They’re as strong as any 30-person team I’ve worked with in my career. I thought it’d be difficult to overcome a language barrier, but it was quite easy. The founder of the company is a fantastic person to work with. He came out to Miami at one point and spent a lot of time with us. Overall, I felt that they were part of our team. They were consciously aware and interested in being more than just hired resources.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They were open to change as the development scenarios evolved. They had some strong processes, but there were times where they needed to adapt to some of our own. There might have been a little resistance at the beginning, but they ultimately adjusted.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder and CEO of Emajin Golf

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Emajin Golf is a golf based business networking group, connecting business professionals over the game of golf 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire StartupCraft Inc to accomplish?

The new Emajin Golf Members App

SOLUTION

How did you find StartupCraft Inc?

Referral

Why did you select StartupCraft Inc over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from StartupCraft Inc were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Mobile app development from start to finish

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Fast communication allowed for change and updates to be made efficiently.
• After challenges with app store approvals, the knowledge of the team ensured it would meet the requirements in a timely manner.
• Strong technical knowledge.
• Methodical milestone approach meant that current and future roll-outs of functionality are mapped and executed as planned.

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

• Clear roadmap of the current and future developments meant tasks were completed on time.
• Any challenges faced were quickly targeted and resolved.

What was your primary form of communication with StartupCraft Inc?

Virtual Meeting

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

The team were always working in our best interest, and went above and beyond to achieve our goals

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

We are beyond happy with the team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of a media company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We build a next-gen media platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire StartupCraft Inc to accomplish?

• Design our app
• Develop our app
• Launch our app

SOLUTION

How did you find StartupCraft Inc?

Referral

Why did you select StartupCraft Inc over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from StartupCraft Inc were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Design, development and launch of our app in the appstores as well as continued development afterwards to fix bugs and expand the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Development of the app that works as per our requirements.

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

They use their own tool, Worklair, which is very expansive and useful but requires an initial learning curve.

What was your primary form of communication with StartupCraft Inc?

Virtual Meeting

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

I was impressed with their high-quality code and willingness to go the extra mile to accommodate us.

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

None.