Valere

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a basketball simulation app that’s been maintained over the last 20 years in the Windows environment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Valere Labs?

A lot of depth and statistical analysis were involved behind this app, and we wanted to turn it into something that could interact with the public. Ideally, we wanted people to log in with any device — be it an iPad, computer, or phone — and use the basketball simulation software. The goal was to make it very easy to use that someone who hadn't used it before could easily jump right in and play without reading any manual or watching a how-to video. 

My expertise was in backend development, so I didn't have any UI/UX experience. As a result, I looked for either a developer or a small organization that could make this Windows app more intuitive. I hired Valere Labs to do that. The app was written in the 90s, so it didn’t translate well into a web application that people were used to seeing. That was where I relied on their expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Valere Labs not only developed the app’s front end; they also worked with APIs that potentially had bugs. Moreover, I didn’t specify a frontend technology they should use other than what was generally accepted among developers. The technology shouldn’t require any browser plugins because I wanted to make the application device agnostic. 

For this project, I developed a bunch of milestones to make the application functional as early as possible while developing key features along the way. The idea was to add better functionality for each milestone. 

What is the team composition?

We always work with three people at a time, consisting of a project manager and two developers. Guy (Advisor) was directly involved in the project early on when we were doing wireframes and screen design. 

How did you come to work with Valere Labs?

I found them on Upwork. I received around 25 different proposals, but I wanted someone who had done a sports app before. Valere has actually done a basketball mobile application, so that was a huge plus for them, and that put them in the final selection. I eventually narrowed my choices down to two, which were Valere and another company. 

I sent both of them the first milestone of the project to see which one I liked better. Valere turned out to be less expensive than the other one, and their output was much better. As a result, I decided to give them the rest of the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on the project in April 2020. The engagement is technically ongoing, but I’m doing backend debugging and beta testing to find issues, inaccuracies, and things like that. As a result, our work with Valere is on hold. I hope to finish debugging within a month or two.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I work with 3–4 basketball fans who have looked at the app, and they like it. They like the UI design and the fact that it works on multiple devices; it also doesn’t matter whether they’re using Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. Overall, the app works well and the feedback has all been positive. The application runs on any browser and device, and it’s designed to work with APIs. Valere Labs has met all of my requirements. 

How did Valere Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve had twice-a-week scrum meetings so that we can review their progress for the day. We set up a Trello board to track issues, deliverables, tasks I need to do, and tasks they need to do. We also set up a Slack channel so we can communicate timelines, links, and screenshots. Valere Labs has recommended using Angular, which I had heard about but never really used before. 

It’s their suggestion that we use Trello, which is a lot better for tracking individual tasks than Slack. We’ve also created a private GitHub repository, which I wish we’d started earlier. We use it for code checking. Prior to using GitHub, we were just filling things out on our codebase. That was okay, but it was also a little bit clumsy. With GitHub, we can track and pull requests easily. Using GitHub is also Valere’s idea, and I’ve not used it before this project. 

Overall, the Valere team has always been able to turn bugs or issues around any time we find them. When I report such problems on Slack or Trello, they turn it around within 24 hours. Even though they’re an offshore team, everything works out well. I can submit a bug request to them, and I’ll have something I can test the next morning. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

What has really made them stand out right away was the fact that they’ve done sports apps before. I thought it might be hard to find such a team because all the applications out there come from big shops, such as EA Sports. As a result, I didn’t expect to find anybody that had ever done any sports applications before, let alone one with basketball. In other words, Valere’s experience has given them a leg up right off the bat. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish we used some of the tools they recommended earlier on in the project for efficiency. Things may have gone more efficiently if we’d used GitHub and Trello earlier on. However, not using the tools didn’t really hamper our progress. On top of that, this isn’t my full-time job, so I’m only supporting it in my spare time. As a result, I’m sometimes the cause of the bottlenecks and not the Valere team. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The clearer deliverables you have upfront, the better. I initially wanted to give them free rein on the project. However, this is a complicated application, and I’ve realized that I wanted to work on it in a specific way. We had to adapt that as we went. 

Having all of the project milestones in advance has also been helpful. On top of that, rather than doing the demo with different developers over and over again, I recorded a private video of how to use my Windows application. Then, they shared the video with the rest of the team so that they can go back and view it again. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the creator of a free-to-play fantasy sports app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Valere Labs?

I needed help with app development to speed up the release date.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first had a discovery phase to discuss the project in detail. Valere Lab’s CEO had built apps before and was an entrepreneur himself, so he knew a lot about the process. They had a few suggestions based on market research and where the general trend of apps was going, which they later implemented.

Afterward, they began to develop the iOS app. I already had the design ready to go, so Valere Labs just worked on the front- and backend development. Months after they delivered the app, I also had them apply some updates.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager and a team of around 13 developers.

How did you come to work with Valere Labs?

I posted a listing on Upwork, where I found their profile. I chose them after seeing some of their prior work.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July 2020–March 2021. The bulk of development wrapped up in December 2020, so we had a finished product based on our initial contract by then. In March 2021, I hired them again to add some expansions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I haven't released the app, so I don't have metrics yet. However, Valere Labs did a good job. I wanted a professional company to work on the app, but I also had a background in development. I reviewed some of their work, and it was excellent. 

How did Valere Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They did very well on project management. We had weekly meetings and a communication channel where we interfaced regularly. Everyone was very open about communication through the channel. We both tried to be as communicative as possible and work through things together, which was very helpful. 

During our initial meetings, it was hard to follow because I wasn't familiar with their internal processes. However, once I saw some of their work, our meetings went a lot smoother. We were able to talk about specific features that they had completed and anything that needed touch-ups. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about them was how cost-efficient they were. The cost was very cheap for the quality of work Valere Labs delivered. Their CEO’s prior experience with building apps and startups was super helpful, as well. He gave me a lot of valuable advice on topics that were outside the scope of the project. Overall, the team was very competent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve dedicated more time to understand the scope beforehand. The project was conceptually challenging to build out, and Valere Labs did get it done in the end; however, had they understood the project before starting, they would’ve finished it much faster. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would say definitely be as involved as you can be — you have to be part of the development process. Be proactive in looking through their work, so you can finalize some features and move on to new ones without having to go back and keep iterating through the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our organization is a software company. We focus on providing solutions in the employment space: recruiting, talent acquisition, hiring solutions, and the like. I’m the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Valere Labs?

We need to collect data from around the web and plug it into an AI tool that would make sense of the content using natural language processing (NLP). We also needed to create sentiment scores for employers.

For example, we can take employer reviews from the internet, put those into the AI tool, and create sentiment scores about how workers feel about a certain company at a certain time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I tend to crawl before I walk and walk before I run, so the initial project was simple. We wanted to have a user put in a search query for a company and confirm that we provide the correct company in return. Then, we established functional connections to RSS feeds for the particular company and plugged the content into the AI tool, creating the sentiment score. Finally, we developed a charting system. Every day, Monday through Friday, we can now show scores based on the data we pull from the internet.

The whole tool was built using open-source PHP and My SQL.

We just finished a second phase, which involved e-commerce capabilities. People can subscribe to follow companies and receive more data. This required us to pull more data and develop more robust graphs (10-days vs. 90-days). Valere Labs has been invaluable in all these tasks.

What is the team composition?

Historically, when I’ve worked with sites like Upwork, I connect directly with the developer, which results in communication and time zone issues. I picked Valere Labs because their main contact was US-based and in my time zone. I’m not a technical person by trade, so having a liaison with the developers, who are primarily in India, was very helpful.

Once I built up a relationship with the developer, the US contact faded into the background a bit. He remained available if I ever needed help, however, as he focused on timelines and milestone delivery.

How did you come to work with Valere Labs?

I found them on Upwork, and I liked that they had a US-based contact.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent roughly $35,000 to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in June 2020, and version one of the software launched in September of that year. Once we gathered enough users, we began the next phase, which ran from November 2020–March 2021.

When we reach the next funding and user target, we’ll look ahead to the next set of enhancements, which we’ll build with Valere Labs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Ultimately, we’ve been successful on a human level. From the initial conversation to the work of the past 6–8 months, we’ve established a common culture, vibe, and language. This similarity has been missing in my past relationships.

How did Valere Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We still communicate over Upwork, including for milestones and payment. If I ever need to add a job, we handle it over Upwork as well.

The access I have to Valere Labs is vital. They respond to me as long as they’re not asleep. They’re accessible, and we have Trello set up for everything. Everyone is on the same page about priorities and what has to be done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their cooperation stands out. They want a long-term relationship, rather than to simply get the job done. We’ve maintained the same developers throughout the project, which speaks to the value of coordination with Valere Labs. I haven’t seen that with other vendors.

They’ve taken a bit of ownership with the project, and they want to see the business do well. Rather than seeing themselves as a simple delivery partner, they understand that I want them to develop for me for years to come. It’s not beyond them to throw in extra service free of charge — whether it’s extra edits or something that wasn’t caught earlier. That’s been rare in my experience in the development world.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always a tug-of-war over the business owner wanting the task done yesterday, but the reality being it will take a little longer than we hoped. That’s been the only issue. Rather than having something done in January, it will be done by mid-February. Coordination could improve perhaps.

It’s like we’re committed to following the North Star, and we hope we arrive as soon as possible, but sometimes storms arise or the wind dies. Ultimately, we’ve been able to get to the North Star, which is the ultimate test for me. This is why I’m endorsing them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be communicative and ask questions about potential options. Valere Labs has thick skin, and they never talk down to you. Rather, they’re open and collaborative. If you don’t ask questions, however, they won’t offer them. They’re open to fixing projects that have gone in sub-optimal directions, which is helped by having a US-based contact.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Quickslip Ent LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are Quickslip, a daily fantasy sports app that allows users to make wagers on players' performances in professional sports.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Valere to accomplish?

• To get our app working with a 3rd party API provider.
• Allow users to download the app for trial and testing purposes.
• Have the app display realtime data and feedback to users.

SOLUTION

How did you find Valere?

Upwork

Why did you select Valere over others?

Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Valere were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Valere took on our mobile app project from a previous company we had hired. The previous development company couldn't deliver what our company wanted. We contacted Valere to see if they could finish our mobile app and make it a functioning product. We needed our app to be able to work with an API service to bring in data that needed to be displayed on our app. Valere fulfilled that task and brought our app to life. We now have a functioning app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Valere was capable of delivering a functioning app that does all that asked for. Valere sent daily updates and logs of all work that was executed and set to be done the next day. They stayed on track with the timeline that was given to complete our project.

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

The management was great and responsive. I was updated everyday on all tasks that were done and which task were to be completed the following days.

What was your primary form of communication with Valere?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Valere's ability to execute the project I was asking for was impressive. They were able to get my app functioning within a couple weeks. Their professionalism and attentiveness are what really impressed me. The development team I was given did an outstanding job.

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

I think if I was given a schedule of when the team was working and when they were available would of been a good thing to have. At times I wasn't sure when was good time to contact the team. The dev team is based in India and we're in California so I understand the time difference is bit extreme, but nonetheless the team would always get back to me within the hour.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the fCTO of Omnia, a healthcare care management platform that streamlines managed care delivery between risk payers and providers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Valere?

We needed to set up an AI-enabled platform to streamline communication and organize disparate healthcare entity activities financially at risk for the same cohort of patients. Disjointed data streams and heterogeneous communication methods between organizations made patient cost management challenging and inefficient. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Valere developed a distributed web app capable of ingesting payer flat file data and provider EHR data. The goal was to create an ecosystem where patients, providers, and admins could engage to improve cost containment strategies. Key features included secure bi-directional messaging, AI-enabled patient insights and clinical summaries, video visits, and event notifications from payers.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five teammates from Valere, including senior full stack engineers and front end developers. 

How did you come to work with Valere?

We found Valere through a referral from a friend. We chose them over other options because of their great communication and expectations setting.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is in the delivery phase, and we started working together in October 2024.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The measurable outcomes from our project with Valere were the MVP delivery timeline and AI output accuracy. The MVP was delivered in five months, and the AI output accuracy was 92%.

How did Valere perform from a project management standpoint?

Valere's project management was excellent. They underpromised and overdelivered. We communicated via Slack, email, and web calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Valere's speed, AI prowess, and delivery timeliness were impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren't any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CEO of a fleet management company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Fleet services 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Valere to accomplish?

• Create a digital platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Valere?

Online Search

Why did you select Valere over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from Valere were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

They helped me to create a digital Fleet management company where users can upload their fleet and request job such as glass repair, key replacement, etc

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Continuous communication was a great measurement with daily updates in which  shows the continuous progress 

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

Their service was great, and I truly enjoyed working with them. I specifically like the fact that are open to feedback and at the same time provide feedback 

What was your primary form of communication with Valere?

Virtual Meeting

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

Pushkar and Bruno are great people to work with. I will say the people are best to work with 

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

Be a little more pushy.. If they are not getting the reviews requested from me, ask again. Unfortunately my time is minimal and I tent to forget things 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder/CEO of Relative Motion

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide dance studios and competitive dance events with cutting edge technique training. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Valere to accomplish?

• Create Software for dance comps

SOLUTION

How did you find Valere?

Upwork

Why did you select Valere over others?

• High ratings
• Felt most confident they could deliver what we needed

How many teammates from Valere were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Developed Software App for our company to connect competitive dance events into technique training. Built CRUD funtionality for super admin + updated client experience to host videos and present them in a seamless way. Created an app to be able to run the system without wifi. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Client Satisfaction - Constant feedback that there is an ease of use to our software and the value it delivers.

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

They were incredibly communicative- like from 1-10 they were an 11. Always delivered in the timeline promised, if not sooner. always delivered quality work and if there were ever questions or concerns they were addresssed instantly. 

What was your primary form of communication with Valere?

Email or Messaging App

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

Impressive- High quality of work, constantly overdelivering and incredible communication

They truly cared to do the job at the highest level and truly cared if I was happy!

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO Founder of Paydesk AI

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Paydesk AI automates accounts payable processes, providing real-time insights, reducing errors, and offering banks new payment tools while improving cash flow governance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Valere to accomplish?

• Build MVP
• Onboard Customers
• Product Support

SOLUTION

How did you find Valere?

Online Search

Why did you select Valere over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from Valere were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Strategic Planning: Conducted market research, defined key problems, and built the business model.
AI & Automation: Developed AI-driven features to automate invoice management and enhance real-time insights.
Payment Tools Integration: Enabled support for digital payment tools beyond traditional methods like ACH and wire.
System Integration & Security: Connected the platform with existing financial systems and ensured robust data security.
Testing & Deployment: Conducted beta testing, launched the MVP, and scaled the platform for larger customer adoption.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

MVP product in use in production. 

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

Excellent project management and execution! 

What was your primary form of communication with Valere?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Broad expertise and talent. 

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

NA

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Fable AI

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Fable's essence lies in the seamless fusion of AI and storytelling, transforming the tabletop RPG experience into an immersive and dynamic adventure. It's about empowering users to craft unique narratives, fostering boundless creativity and exploration.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Valere to accomplish?

• Market Research
• Company Branding
• Product Development

SOLUTION

How did you find Valere?

Online Search

Why did you select Valere over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Valere were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Valere helped in creating a generative AI for my platform alongside doing market research and company branding.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is still ongoing, but the outcomes so far have exceeded my expectations. I'm excited to see the finished product once we're ready for launch.

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

The PM team at Valere is thorough, communicative, and able to use their experience to helpg uide the project to fit my needs in the best possible way.

What was your primary form of communication with Valere?

Virtual Meeting

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

The transparency and willingness to work with the customer to create an ideal solution.

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

None