4soft

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a software company that provides a set of tools for Amazon sellers. Retailers who use that platform can subscribe to our services and use our software tools to scale and automate their business for improved impact within the Amazon space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Look4App?

My company was having scalability problems that are common for software projects, especially when running bootstrapped or less costly options. Since we didn’t have a big development team in-house, we couldn’t keep up with the expanding software industry.

Look4App’s founder and I are both Amazon sellers. We identified an opportunity to create software that to help retailers like us. I hired them to build and launch a proof of concept for a set of software tools and build a scalable platform properly using the right technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We tasked Look4App’s team of project managers and software developers with designing whatever we needed, essentially. They developed a brand-new application using PHP. They chose technology based on how we were set up at the time. There was a crossover with some other technologies we wanted them to use.

They’re currently working on a Google Chrome extension. It’s a front-end-focused tool that uses an algorithm to estimate the monthly revenue for any product a user would be searching for on Amazon. This tool allows sellers to figure what products are selling the best, and how much money they could potentially make. In terms of technology, Look4App works with everything from PHP to .NET and Ruby on Rails. They originally started our project in .NET.

What is the team composition?

We had UI/UX designers, project managers, business analysts, a frontend developer, several backend developers, and several QA testers.

How did you come to work with Look4App?

One of my colleagues who’d worked with Look4App before recommended we use them. I interviewed Bartosz (CEO, Look4App) along with a couple of other companies. He seemed like a thoughtful, hard worker who would try hard to understand my business and goals.

He adjusted his philosophy based on how he structured his team. He empowered his team to do great work, which I appreciated. I understood his methodology and direction. One I decided we had a good connection, we moved forward with setting up the team.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been more than $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Look4App in early 2017. They completed the bulk of development work by January 2018 and continue to support ongoing application and add-on projects. We’ve hired additional internal team members to work on the software they developed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Look4App developed a platform and tools that have transformed our business in terms of scalability and software positioning. These deliverables have brought us additional customers based on the unique value they offer. Our partnership has been a major success from this perspective.

How did Look4App perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve performed extremely well. I was impressed by the project managers’ knowledge and work ethic. Look4App put a marked effort into understanding our business. They’re a team of great communications with incredible English fluency. Notably, they’re open to any type of communication platform including Skype, Slack, Trello, and Bugzilla for bug tracking.

We’ve been working using a sprint method. Each week, we discuss what has been achieved, what tasks are pending and prioritize for the current week’s sprint. They were great at scheduling the work that needed to be done and defining the milestones we needed to hit.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Look4App uses great strategic thinking to find out where our technology project needs to go. They make sure their developers understand the business, too. They think about our goals from an informed perspective and work hard to understand our industry. They employ a solid process for everything from connecting requirements to developing products the right way.

Thanks to these efforts, Look4App delivered a product with solid architecture that we can scale as our business grows. I’ve worked with other vendors who are just “doers,’ which makes products not scalable and potentially turn into a rat’s nest of code. With Look4App, we don’t have to constantly worry about problems like that.

Look4App always has great suggestions for improving our platform or building new functions. Being focused on understanding a client’s business lets them bring in new ideas for scaling and growth. Since they’re an international company, they follow best practice by making sure that all the code is annotated in English. They build things in a way that makes them easily transferable to a different team if that needs to happen.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. The only negative is that I sometimes wanted things to move at a faster pace. If the choice is between moving at faster speed versus taking our time to really document and develop things the right way, I’d choose the latter. Rushing through a project would obviously sacrifice our ability to code and write proper documentation. Look4App tends to lean towards the quality side.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Look4App’s CEO is always connected to the team and the client’s project. If a future client runs into an issue, I recommend keeping a good relationship with the CEO. The team is open to forming direct relationships overall. It’s always a good idea to have a strong relationship with the project manager, but this is also possible to have with the rest of the team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a startup focused on energy conservation. Our application helps users calculate the energy they can receive from roof-top solar panels. We’ve designed a web version and two mobile versions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Look4App?

We needed assistance creating a live version of our web application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our app uses pictures and images from Google Maps to analyze solar panel layouts. Users can upload a photo, adjust the scale for different types of panels, and calculate the installation cost and potential cost savings compared to normal energy providers.

The mobile versions have a similar functionality, but primarily serve to enhance the full capabilities of the web platform.

Look4App developed our web application and executed its backend integrations. They utilized Angular JS, Python, HTML5, CSS3 and used PostgreSQL as a database.

What is the team composition?

In the beginning, my CTO and I worked directly with their CEO. We later worked with their UX designer, two backend Python developers, one frontend developer, and two testers. A project manager arranged all of our meetings and made sure our teams were organized. This was important for us, as we had never developed an app of this scale before.

How did you come to work with Look4App?

One of our interns identified a number of vendors in Eastern Europe. We sent them specifications, considered their designs, and sent each a small task. After narrowing the list to two similarly-priced options, we chose Look4App because they had the full range of capabilities necessary to complete the job.

How much have you invested with them?

Around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2017 and completed the project in January 2018. We decided to handle maintenance ourselves, so Look4App passed the code copyright and project documentation to us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because of our lack of IT experience, we didn’t anticipate the challenges of developing a complex web application. Still, they provided a working product and our investor is very happy with the result.

We currently have over 1,000 users and plan to work with Look4App in the future based on the positive feedback we’ve received.

How did Look4App perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project manager was very experienced and provided regular updates. Weekly tasks were assigned and completed through a shared task list on Jira. This allowed us to monitor progress, which was very important for my CTO.

We visited their office for a few days at the beginning of the project to get to know the team and ensure we were all on the same page. During development, they presented design mockups through UXPin, allowing us to make comments online. We also communicated through email and conducted Skype video calls each week.

We expanded the initial scope, so our delivery date was one month longer than expected. Still, this was partially caused by approval delays on our end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unlike other companies we’ve worked with in the past, Look4App took time to organize workshops with us. They ensured a steady line of communication, so I’ve already referred them to other customers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Look4App could have educated us more on the software development process. Our scope changes were partially caused by the fact that we were unclear what functions were possible in the beginning.

They also swapped out one of our team members early on. The new person had the same level of experience and they notified us of the change, but we would have preferred to have a say in the matter.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Conducting workshops in the early stages was a great idea proposed by Look4App. I recommend visiting their office in Poland to begin your collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a startup based in Botswana. We are trying to make a change and develop something new in the video on demand (VOD) streaming platform market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Look4App?

We hired them to help us create a web application which would be responsive to the newest possible technology to easily scale it.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals were to solve a problem with poor bandwidth in Africa and make the best of today's technology to help with pretty bad reception there. Also, the look of the portal needed to be designed to appeal to African people.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose Look4App because they performed the best on our internal test. We did comparisons between companies from Ukraine and Romania, which were slightly cheaper, but they tried to oversell us because of the specialized technology and additional skillsets needed. Look4App had programmers in almost every technology department, so they approached our test problem differently.

Describe the project in detail.

Our VOD platform helps the artist reach their audience. It's like a better YouTube but dedicated to the African market.

What was the team composition?

Our team only had one product owner. Look4App provided three programmers, one test manager, one project manager and one UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

We actually got what we ordered, but more importantly, Look4App's team was very active while cooperating with us. They not only provided designs and technical ideas, but they also had a good sense of the users and the business.

How effective was the project management?

We had daily scrum meetings. I also had access to the Jira system, which gave me a lot of information about product status. They put a lot of effort in to make it as clean and accurate as they could. It was pretty effective for me.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their headquarters is pretty cool. It has a startup style, with a big Batman poster on one of the walls. While being there, I could feel that the whole team was completely involved in the project.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

My best advice is just to come to Wroclaw and work with these guys on the side for two weeks. It helped simplify communication and helped me understand how the product development process works.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I am a sole entrepreneur developing mobile applications. I'm located in Boston, Massachusetts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Look4App?

I had an idea and knew where I wanted to go, but I didn't know how to reach the target. I wanted to develop the best photo application possible, so I reached out to several software houses to see what my options were.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Look4App provided full-scope development for my Android app, working on everything—the landing page, the backend database and server connections, and the frontend app itself. The application has around 60 filters, so it required a lot of work. I’ve been able to use the filters developed by Look4App on other projects.

Look4App assigned a graphic and UX designer and two Android mobile developers.

How did you come to work with Look4App?

I talked to various software houses from Poland, Ukraine, and Romania. Their prices were on the same level, so I needed to make a choice in terms of quality. I looked at their approaches to solving problems rather than the technology used. Look4App developed an initial screen for the app, and I liked it. I also had one of my partners check Look4App's code.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The cost of Look4App's work was above $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Look4App in July 2015. The development took six months to complete, ending in March 2016. We have maintained contact, and Look4App has helped me with other minor projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I wanted to develop an app which would be better than Instagram; in some respects, I achieved this. The app has been successful, reaching between 300,000 and 400,000 downloads. The paid version is also successful, with around 50,000 downloads.

How did Look4App perform from a project management standpoint?

Look4App used a whole stack of tools during our project, including Slack for communication and JIRA with a time-tracking add-on called Tempo.

What distinguishes Look4App from other providers?

Look4App is a good choice for anyone willing to spend more on development.

Is there anything Look4App could have improved or done differently?

The beginning of the project was kind of hard since we needed to get used to each other's work style. For the first couple of weeks, communication was harder, and it was very helpful to visit Look4App's team on-site.

Do you have any recommendations for others considering working with Look4App?

I recommend visiting Look4App's office and spending a week with the team. It can give clients a chance to learn how the work is done and expand on ideas in a more effective way than using Skype or email. I visited their office twice, and it was a good experience. I was able to give Look4App an understanding of my project and business background, which led to a more successful collaboration. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a startup that is developing an electronic nose. It is a small battery-operated device that will recognize chemicals in the air we breathe.

I’m president of the board and work in IT as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Look4App?

Look4App is helping us develop mobile and web apps. Our device does not work without support from the Internet.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed the first MVP of our platform for B2B markets. They built a web application that is used to communicate with sensors that are placed inside a room. The data from the sensors is sent to the database, then it’s processed by the application. The app then shows the data on the dashboard. We need to test the device and get feedback, and then we’ll use Look4App to add features to the platform. There are still some things to improve because this is the first version.

How did you come to work with Look4App?

I talked with Bartek Robaszewski, the CEO at Look4App, about my project. Then I met with his business developer and we committed to some requirements for the B2B platform.

How much have you invested with Look4App?

The project was about 10,000 euros.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was completed the last week.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

To review their work, I was able to simulate the system with some help from the developers. It ran very well. I showed the solution to potential investors and customers and that was successful because of the simple interface. There were no problems running the solution.

How did Look4App perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicated very well and everything was done on time. We didn’t have any problems.

What did you find most impressive about Look4App?

They were the first company that was able to build the solution without any problem. I think they are a great company to help startups. I get a lot of help from Look4App on business development. It was a great experience for me.

Are there any areas Look4App could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Look4App?

The customer needs to know what they want and should not be afraid to tell Look4App what it is. Look4App is a very experienced firm and they are able to help in many different ways.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide an application similar to Instagram, allowing users to take and post fashion-related pictures which are voted by their peers. The goal is to find out what styles should be bought and worn. The app has a never-ending feed, with enough content as to never become boring. We are a startup company during its seed stage, with one investor already onboard.

I am the chief executive officer and a co-owner of the company. I am in charge of research, marketing, and sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Look4App?

We needed help to develop our web and mobile applications. Our aim is to become the most recognizable brand in the fashion app market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Look4App designed and developed our app. We didn't have any experience in the area, but we knew which direction we wanted to take, so we relied on their consultation in order to design our concepts. Look4App also provided advice on how we should promote the app during the MVP stage. We've tried out a number of functionalities in order to get feedback from users and see which ones should be pursued further. It was better for us not to develop the whole application at once, but to have it built in stages.

How did you come to work with Look4App?

I found Look4App through the web, looking on clutch.co among other places, after making searches for Polish developers. We also looked at companies in Ukraine, but the language barrier was an issue. We received proposals from 3 companies and chose the least expensive option.

How much have you invested with Look4App?

The cost of our web application is going to be around $100,000. The MVP development has had a cost of $50,000. Look4App has a rate of $25 per hour.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Look4App in May 2016. The MVP phase for the mobile app was completed one month ago. We're now developing additional functionalities, as well as the web app itself.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The main promotion campaign will be started in January 2017. For now, we've launched a demo on the web, promoting it to bloggers in Asia. The feedback has been that our application is very good and that it should be published in its complete form.

How did Look4App perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication level and pricing were okay for us, so I am satisfied. We're working with Look4App on a constant basis.

What did you find most impressive about Look4App?

Look4App was able to provide us with every resource we needed, from designers to project managers, analysts, market researchers, and programmers. Look4App stuck to the timeline, actually finishing a bit early.

Are there any areas Look4App could improve?

I provide feedback to Look4App's team constantly, but I can't highlight anything in particular at this time.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Look4App?

Clients should let Look4App design the application and its functionality, instead of providing specific briefs. Look4App's ideas are likely to be better than the client's. After some initial discussions, people can better determine what they actually want, which is what happened in our case.

BACKGROUND

Could you please provide a brief description of your company?

My company is Travelplanet Poland, the largest online travel agency in Poland. We specialize in package tours. We also have 30 offline branches.

What is your role at the company?

I am the E-commerce and marketing director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached Look4App?

We have our own IT development team but sometimes we need extra people when we have more projects. We chose Look4app to help us specifically with two projects. Last Minute Navigator is a web application that helps users find the last minute deals in an alternative way. The current version was last updated by our development team.

The other project was Ofertometr, a web application for sales representatives. It helps to create an offer in PDF format, using drag and drop modules. This is an internal application and there is no external access to it.

What were your company’s business goals for the project?

Our first goal was to increase the volume of sales from last minute deals. This is what we hoped Last Minute Navigator would help us with. Our second goal was to increase the conversion rate from web and offline inquiries to sales. This is what Ofertometr was designed to accomplish.

SOLUTION

Can you tell me about the scope of the project? (What kinds of technologies were implemented, what was Look4App specifically responsible for accomplishing, etc?)

Look4App was responsible for developing the web applications from end-to-end, using .NET (ASP.NET WebAPI), Oraz, and AngularJS.

Their key responsibilities included creating RESTful [Representational State Transfer] web services to serve aggregate data from internal services to client application using the ASP.NET WebAPI. Look4App also ported the designs they were given by our team to various web components using AngularJS. Finally, they designed and implemented complex filtering logic in the web applications.

What was your process for selecting Look4App as a partner?

They were initially recommended to us by a business partner of ours. We selected Look4App after speaking with them and looking at some of their previous work.

Can you give us a sense of the size of the project in dollar terms or personnel work hours?

The total cost of their work was between $10,000 and $20,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project, and are there any metrics you can share?

The projects were finished according to the specifications. It is too early to say whether the sales metrics we were targeting will be reached. I can say that Look4App performed their responsibilities and their share of the work flawlessly. They definitely met the goals we set for them in a timely manner and they did so while remaining on budget.

When working with them, was there anything unique or special compared to other companies that you may have worked with?

I don’t know that I would say there was anything unique about them. They performed very well. We have no complaints about them or their work.

Looking back on the project, is there any area that they could improve or you would do differently?

No, as I said before, there were no problems that came up.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I have started many online businesses in Poland. They are mostly content providers and also social networks. My websites received many technology awards in 2014. I am the one of the most innovative entrepreneurs in Poland according to Brief Magazine.

What is your position?

I am owner of the company.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Look4App?

We’re creating a social platform for Christian people. We are sharing audio and video materials supporting our users' spiritual development. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They’re currently working on our website. They’re also working on an application program interface [API] for the mobile version. They are very good in describing our information. 

How did you come to work with Look4App?

I found them after a previous firm failed to deliver.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It’s in the tens of thousands of dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together for six months and probably we will be working with them for another three to six months. They are very deep in the project, and we are very happy to work with them. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The project is ongoing so no statistics yet.

How did Look4App perform from a project management standpoint?

Look4App is very good at technical processes, so they know how to manage projects. They are very good with communication as well.

What distinguishes Look4App from other providers?

No matter how many problems you have, they will try to find a solution. They’re trying to be the best company in our market. Even if they’re not always perfect, they are always very easy to contact and they deliver the results. 

I can say that they’re always trying to do their best to satisfy me. They are very good to speak to as well. Sometimes you can’t predict what happens in a project but they are very good at managing problems and other things that pop up.

Is there anything Look4App could have improved or done differently?

No, I don’t think so. They have done a good job so far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Digital Tools Department Manager of a financial services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are the leader in the receivables management market in Central Europe. We started 20 years ago as a small company with a dozen or so people. Currently, the Group consists of a number of companies that offer a comprehensive, modern and integrated package of services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire 4soft to accomplish?

• optimization of routes

SOLUTION

How did you find 4soft?

Referral

Why did you select 4soft over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• PoC

How many teammates from 4soft were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

a test model that optimized routes. As output, we received Google Maps coordinates

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

potential scoring

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

iterative way of working, needs were addressed partially 

What was your primary form of communication with 4soft?

Virtual Meeting

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

They had a close way of working with the client.

Are there any areas for improvement or something 4soft could have done differently?

bigger understanding of the client's business could improve results

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of Earthtag

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Earthtag specializes in asset tokenization (commodities & real estate), enabling property ownership via blockchain technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire 4soft to accomplish?

• Develop a platform for real estate tokenization, allowing properties to be divided into fractional tokens.
• Ensure properties can only be purchased using Earthtag's ERC20 token.
• Implement automatic staking of ERC1155 tokens with proportional profit-sharing for token holders.

SOLUTION

How did you find 4soft?

Referral

Why did you select 4soft over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fits our budget
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from 4soft were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The project involved analyzing client needs, designing the platform architecture, implementing smart contracts and user interfaces, testing, deployment, and continuous monitoring and support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Successful deployment of the real estate tokenization platform, integration of the ERC20 and ERC1155 token systems, seamless staking mechanics, and the establishment of profit-sharing structures.

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

4soft displayed exemplary project management skills, delivering milestones on time and responding promptly to our requirements.

What was your primary form of communication with 4soft?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their in-depth knowledge of blockchain, combined with a solution-oriented approach, allowed for the creation of a unique and efficient real estate tokenization platform.

Are there any areas for improvement or something 4soft  could have done differently?

No significant areas for improvement were identified. The 4soft team consistently demonstrated high competence and met our expectations in every regard.