26bitz

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the AI Mental Health Chatbot of Next Step Foundation

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We transform lives by leveraging the power of technology to upskill Persons with Disabilities, women and youth from marginalized and underserved communities to be empowered to participate in the digital economy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire 26bitz to accomplish?

• Empathetic chatbot tuned for mental health contexts
• Swahili language based LLM
• 24/7 support, compatibility with low-bandwidth environments

SOLUTION

How did you find 26bitz?

Referral

Why did you select 26bitz over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

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

Build a custom LLM on top of Jacaranda Health's open-source Uzila Llama model to provide mental health support for Youth with Disabilities in Kenya. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Fully deployed and integrated chatbot in 4 weeks

Chatbot is integrated into an existing applicaiton built on Bubble

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

The team communicated the project plan, key milestones, and progress updates. They worked well with our team, providing clear instructions and guidance on our deliverables and offered options when technical issues arose. Their communication was always timely and concise. They were always able to explain technical issues in non-technical terms to allow us to make informed decisions. 

What was your primary form of communication with 26bitz?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The team was passionate about this project, going above and beyond when technical issues arose with hosting our model on AWS. They troubleshot the issue - without getting us unnecessarily involved - and found an innovative work-around. They cared about our project and offered suggestions and recommendations for improvement outside the scope of our engagement. They were very responsive and open in communicating. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something 26bitz could have done differently?

No, the project was completed as envisioned. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President and Board of Directors Chair. of Soulace Project

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Soulace Project is a nonprofit that partners with innovative companies to provide food, shelter, therapy access, and mental-health programs for individuals and families in need.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire 26bitz to accomplish?

• Develop a CalmWAI Prototype for proof of conecept.

SOLUTION

How did you find 26bitz?

Referral

Why did you select 26bitz over others?

Company values aligned

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

Scope of Work and Key Deliverables: The scope of work involves transforming the CalmWAI Wellness App concept into a fully functional prototype that demonstrates and validates the app’s core logic, conversational flow, and user interaction model. The CalmWAI system is designed as a text-based wellness companion that engages users in supportive dialogue to identify emotional stressors, assess anxiety levels, and guide them through evidence-based self-regulation techniques. Key deliverables include: Functional Prototype: A working text-based CalmWAI chatbot capable of conducting structured conversations, detecting emotional cues, and delivering personalized relaxation or grounding exercises.Logic Framework: Implementation of the app’s defined behavioral logic, including user prompts, response branches, and task-based guidance sequences aligned with CalmWAI’s therapeutic design.Task Testing Suite: A series of simulated user interactions that validate the prototype’s ability to identify stress levels, provide calming interventions, and track user responses for future optimization.Technical Documentation: Comprehensive records of dialogue flow, logic structure, and system functionality to support continued development into later phases of the full CalmWAI wellness module.This prototype serves as a proof of concept for the CalmWAI platform—demonstrating its potential to deliver personalized, compassionate, and adaptive mental wellness support through accessible AI technology.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Measurable Outcomes:
The CalmWAI prototype achieved several measurable outcomes that demonstrated clear progress and success toward validating the app’s concept and logic framework:

Functional Prototype Completion: Delivered a fully operational text-based CalmWAI prototype capable of guiding users through structured conversations that identify stress indicators and deliver appropriate coping techniques.
Task Logic Validation: Successfully implemented and tested all defined conversation flows, branching logic, and emotional regulation tasks, achieving over 90% functional accuracy during internal QA testing.
User Engagement Metrics: Pilot interactions showed that users completed an average of 3–5 calming exercises per session, with reported reductions in self-rated stress scores of 25–40% following guided interventions.
Technical Performance: Prototype operated within targeted performance metrics—average response time under 2 seconds, and no critical logic errors across 100+ simulated user sessions.
Documentation & Handoff: Delivered complete technical documentation of logic trees, task scripts, and system flow to support Phase 2 development and integration into the broader Soulace Suite wellness ecosystem.
Together, these results validated the CalmWAI framework as a practical, scalable, and evidence-informed foundation for future development of AI-guided wellness tools.

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

Project Management and Communication:
Project management throughout the CalmWAI prototype development was highly organized and effective. Our team worked directly with Andrey, the founder of 26bitz, who provided weekly updates and progress reports to ensure full alignment with the project timeline and deliverables.

Communication was consistently clear, structured, and well-documented. All key details and technical notes were provided in written format to prevent misunderstandings and maintain a reliable record of decisions. Verbal discussions were both productive and collaborative, fostering a positive working relationship and efficient problem-solving.

All deliverables were completed on time, with Andrey demonstrating strong initiative, adaptability, and a commitment to meeting project goals while maintaining open communication throughout each development phase.

What was your primary form of communication with 26bitz?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Most Impressive or Unique Aspect:
What stood out most about 26bitz was the rare combination of technical innovation and genuine compassion that drives their work. Finding a technology partner who not only excels in software development but also demonstrates a deep commitment to social impact and mental health advocacy is truly uncommon.

Andrey’s leadership reflects both vision and empathy—he approaches projects with integrity, creativity, and a sincere desire to make technology serve human well-being. His values aligned seamlessly with our own mission, making the collaboration both inspiring and meaningful.

Are there any areas for improvement or something 26bitz could have done differently?

There were no areas of improvement needed. The collaboration with 26bitz was seamless from start to finish. Communication, delivery, and professionalism consistently exceeded expectations, and all project goals were achieved on time and with exceptional quality.

Andrey demonstrated strong leadership, clarity, and care throughout the process, making this an outstanding partnership experience.