ULAM LABS

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of RankSense, which is an SEO software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ulam Labs?

Our previous DevOps vendor began placing junior staff on our account and billed us for their mistakes. They also made a billing configuration error that tripled what we were paying for on our Google Cloud account. The situation became very desperate and frustrating, so we reached out to Ulam to get us back on track.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our immediate and urgent need was to bring down the cost of our Google Cloud services. They audited our account to assess what was driving up costs and figure out a way to lower costs. They then corrected the billing mistake by making changes to our infrastructure within about a month.

From there, Ulam served as our DevOps vendor and continues to do so.

What is the team composition? 

I work with Konrad Rotkiewicz [Lead Full Stack Python Developer and System Engineer, Ulam Labs] who serves as the project manager to our account. I also work with two developers.

How did you come to work with Ulam Labs?

I found them on UpWork and recruited them to do a small project to gauge whether they would be a good partner. They didn’t disappoint, so I decided to bring them on full-time.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $50,000 to $60,000 in our partnership with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in September 2017 and continue to partner with them for DevOps needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re very responsive to our clients. Because of their diligence, I’m actually able to connect clients directly to them to resolve issues. For example, we recently had a client that was failing their PCI compliance scans. In order to fix the problem, we needed to disable outdated SSL ciphers, but Google Cloud didn’t have the capability to disable them. Konrad work diligently with Google Cloud support to allow us access to an alpha version of the Google Cloud infrastructure that would enable us to disable to the SSL ciphers. They work diligently for weeks and ultimately resolved the issue for the client.

How did Ulam Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done very well. I was previously managing their developers myself, but Konrad is hiring more people and directly managing them so I don’t have to. The project management system they’re developing among themselves is effective — we’re able to see their progress. They know how to prioritize, so we don’t have to wait a long time for things to be completed. 

To communicate with them, we use Jira, eHub, and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s very difficult to find vendors who are willing or able to give you impactful suggestions to better your project. Most developers I’ve worked with don’t challenge your plans; they just do what they’re told. Ulam provides their expertise and makes helpful suggestions backed up with data to better a project’s outcome. I truly appreciate their input — it’s one of the reasons I continue to have them on my team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

More structure and planning in place would be appreciated. For instance, keeping clients updated on when Ulam will have someone from their team available for assistance would be great. Right now, the process is a bit informal.

Another thing they could improve would be to offer a 24/7 support service. We are able to contact them in case of an emergency, but more availability would be convenient.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder/CPO of Center Stage Technologies

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Personalized, AI-powered digital entertainment. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ULAM LABS to accomplish?

• Build our Flagship App Platform
• Build QA tools for story and content development

SOLUTION

How did you find ULAM LABS?

Referral

Why did you select ULAM LABS over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from ULAM LABS were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Build front and back end mobile app platform to deliver user-generated, personalized storytelling content for youth audience, utilizing ai microservices. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Flexible development for new digital product with no true precident, Clear communication, highly organized work flow, excellent creative on UX and technical problem solving.  

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

Ongoing, and due to nature of project there was a lot of moving of objectives and priorities from our (client) side. Ulam Labs was great at adapting quickly and finding solutions that met our evolving needs.

What was your primary form of communication with ULAM LABS?

Virtual Meeting

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

Great culture, smart and creative team from the top down, easy to communicate with, responsive and proactive despite 8 hour time zone difference. They bring a lot to the table in terms of elevating our app's functionality, UX, and aesthetic design. 

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

Not really! We were learning as a new tech company, and Ulam has made for a great partner, with solid guidance along the way. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO, Board Member of Montes Auri Europe

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Lending, borrowing and swaps for digital assets

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ULAM LABS to accomplish?

• Creat custody infrastructure
• UI/UX desigh
• Product development

SOLUTION

How did you find ULAM LABS?

Referral

Why did you select ULAM LABS over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from ULAM LABS were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

• Product discovery: workflows, prototypes and estimations 
• Infrastructure: CI/CD and Google Cloud management; microservices 
• Custody solution: integrate and deploy MPC-wallet solution from Fireblocks 
• Liquidity integration: API integration and swap functionality from Tier1 liquidity provider 
• Price feed: integrate different sources of price discovery 
• Lending and Borrowing features: design and deploy a full cycle of financial services for digital assets UI/UX: ideation and delivery design and front end, including resposive

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Uptime and opportunity cost

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

They deliver according to the plan and sprints. They are flexible in terms of shift according to our priorities

What was your primary form of communication with ULAM LABS?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Very good understanding of the domain, no rush, good planning. They have great corporate culture and teamwork.

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

None.