AJProTech

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder and CEO of the company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company uses technology and media to provide gun owners a way to monitor their weapons in order to prevent child shootings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To help define the detailed product requirements, technology, components, and user scenario.

SOLUTION

How did you find AJProTech?

CES Conference 2023

Why did you select AJProTech over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• GREAT Communication

How many teammates from AJProTech were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

AJ PROTech helped us by working on and providing the following documents/deliverables: 

• Requirements Document 
• Use Case Scenarios (in depth) 
• Possible Architectures for the product 
• Consistent Mechanical Updates 
• Components Selections and Costs

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At the beginning of the project we had a proof of concept. Through working with AJProTech we were able to have great outcomes through the following documents: 

• Product requirements 
• Costs for parts 
• Technical Proposal Report 
• UseCases 
• Electrical Architecture

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

The project management was amazing. AJProtech delivered on time and met all deadlines. In addition to this they were extremely responsive.

What was your primary form of communication with AJProTech?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I would say the diligence of the team was super impressive. They put so much thought and energy into truly understanding the vision we had for our product.

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

As of right now, no! Our team has truly enjoyed working on projects with AJProTech -- their communication, thoroughness, and work ethic were greatly appreciated.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and Creative Visionary Officer at a mixed reality company that creates collaborative virtual spaces and hardware that gives artists access to resources within the metaverse.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire AJProTech, and what were your goals?

I contacted AJ ProTech about building my prototype instrument to VR interface called a SceneKey. I needed the unit to be small, have remote connectivity within 3rd party software, be built within our budgetary limits, and have several professional audio capabilities that would sync with a virtual platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

After meeting with several other vendors AJ ProTech was the first team that took a logical approach towards understanding the scope and purpose of the project whereas other groups seemly formed opinions before they understood the project. AJ ProTech clearly communicated their questions, concerns, and shared their opinion on the best overall approach.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

They built a pro audio instrument interface that syncs remotely to Oculus 2 VR headsets. Within the software of the unit users have a streamlined sync feature along with a series of a boot scripts that aesthetically showcase how our prototype looks and feels within virtual reality. In order to stay within our budget they built the units using off the shelf components and a several 3rd party software suites.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with 3 to 4 people through the beginning phase on the best way to approach the project, and then during the buildout it would vary from 2 to 3 engineers, until the final leg the project was predominately between me and 1 other fantastic engineer on the team which maximized efficiency as we fine tuned a few things.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Within approximately a week of our prototype being finished we were able to connect with incubators and investors who had been following our progress and they were thrilled with the outcome. A lot of reactions were that of disbelief and excitement about how it was done and just how well it worked.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We had weekly zoom calls discussing progress, a regularly updated slack feed where we communicated over details and functionality, along with emails and texts as needed. Timelines were always clearly broken down and never exaggerated. AJ ProTech was refreshingly clear on if they thought certain timelines were possible or not, and worked with us extensively to help us navigate the fluctuating complexities of building new tech.

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

Their efficiency, competence, and communication were very impressive. Also their ability to recognize the dynamics between functionality of technology and how people respond to it.

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

Nothing comes to mind

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a gaming startup. We’re working on a new organic concept that’s a mix of digital and physical gaming concepts, and it’s connected to Unity and other gaming software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AJProTech?

Since our idea was new, we needed help in building a prototype.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AJProTech developed a hardware device prototype. We needed the device to be connected to a framework and software through IoT. We gave them an overall idea of the concept, and we provided them with some initial sketches. The team worked to improve our sketches, and we kept iterating back and forth until AJProTech came up with what we wanted. They tested our prototype, too.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 5 people, including a mechanical engineer and a firmware engineer.

How did you come to work with AJProTech?

There were very few who were in the specific field that we needed. We found AJProTech online and contacted them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent close to $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration ran from March–July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did everything; the prototype went unexpectedly great, and our design team likes the proof of concept (POC). With their support, we were able to move forward and do more upgrades and revisions.

How did AJProTech perform from a project management standpoint?

AJProTech managed the project well. They were professional, and they kept us updated on a weekly basis. We didn't need to meet regularly because we always had video conferences to see their presentations live or to discuss some things.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were committed to figuring things out. In fact, they kept iterating until we received what we wanted. Overall, we were impressed that they were able to overcome certain design challenges during our partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We followed an iterative design process in this project and it proved to be a challenge since we worked remotely. If there was a way to overcome those concerns at the beginning of the engagement, that would be great. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have an idea of what you want. You can also prepare sketches to save a lot of time during the engagement. We got lucky with AJProTech, but with another group of people, maybe our project would've gone differently.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a federal government engineering contractor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AJProTech?

We needed their expertise in blockchain and quantum computing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AJProTech initially conducted quantum research for us — they identified commercially available aspects that we could utilize in implementing our product. Upon examining their findings, they provided a layout based on an existing quantum backbone network in China.

The technology they discovered wasn’t readily available in the US, but AJProTech built a plan based on accessible commercial items and codes. We understood the complexity of the product, and we wanted their team to develop the technical approach needed to build our prototype. 

We hired another team to work on the product’s construction, and we plan to sell it to a provider with a more advanced technology stack and extensive funding.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with Alex (CEO) and Kevin (Business Development Manager).

How did you come to work with AJProTech?

I found Alex’s Upwork profile and thought that his skill set matched our cryptography needs. We worked together and eventually engaged his team to focus on our project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $14,400.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from August–September 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
AjProTech fulfilled our standards in terms of technical approach and pricing — they gave us a straightforward yet thorough scope and came up with a robust list of commercial offerings for us to consider. 

They also had exemplary quantum computing capabilities that exceeded our team’s expectations. Overall, we were satisfied with their work because they met our main success metrics.

How did AJProTech perform from a project management standpoint?

Their timeline-oriented approach was an integral part of our project’s success. I gave them definite timetables, and they complied every time. Additionally, we were able to expand the original scope because of their reliable skill set. AJProTech was always responsive and willing to deliver our needs when we needed them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What stood out the most about them was their capacity to level their technical expertise with their project management skills. They made things work for us despite our time zone differences — I almost wondered if they ever slept because they were always there to accommodate our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve implemented a more transparent and streamlined approach to track the propriety information we needed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The project will flow smoothly if you set specific goals and communicate each of those to their team. You’ll then have an idea if they’re working towards meeting those. Additionally, make sure that you have backup plans to proceed with — these will be helpful if you encounter any drawbacks or tech stack constraints.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own Kinetic Ceramics. We’re a research development company that does high-tech pumps using piezoelectric technologies. The products we manufacture require specialized electronics that don’t exist yet.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AJProTech?

We were modernizing our electronics from an old system to a modern, classic electronic system with a high voltage AC and control logic equipment.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we started working with AJProTech, we were looking to develop our systems’ control logic and move into developing high-voltage electronics to run some of our higher-value pumps. Our old system was large and cumbersome. We needed to miniaturize it and advance it significantly while integrating a control logic using sensors inside the pumps.

For example, we had a pump with pressure and temperature sensors. AJProTech’s task was to develop the control logic that could take the sensors’ inputs and adjust voltage frequency to manage that pump automatically. The next step was to work with AJProTech to develop the actual driver electronics in miniaturized form.

They created a 15,000-volt power supply with an adjustable amplifier to give us the voltage signal to run our pumps. Then, they wirelessly tied that into the control logic.

What is the team composition?

Initially, we worked with Alex (CEO). He was an electrical engineer and mainly did design and some firmware and control logic. We also dealt with Sergey (Former Head of Engineering), and he was the high voltage electronics specialist. As the project got bigger, two other team members were involved in the software and control program.

How did you come to work with AJProTech?

I went through Upwork for our first project together. Then, as we went into different projects, we split off and went specifically with their third services for more advanced stuff.

We had other options, but we chose AJProTech because we needed a combined knowledge base of high-voltage electronics — especially IoT control logic — and the ability to prototype and work with us to develop unique electronics on an aggressive timeline. Just a limited number of people could do that, and they had a team with experience doing similar work for a fair price.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the years, we spent over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This particular project started in November 2017. It took a while, but we received the last generation of the product in December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measured the work by analyzing whether or not it met the specifications that we initially sent as part of the RFP. Also, we kept track of the timelines for delivery on a base level and whether they’d integrated improvements both on their own and with us.

On the other hand, the quality of their work was excellent. We worked with AJProTech for almost four years, and their performance was good overall. It went up and down occasionally due to worldwide events and other limitations, but they were great about feedback, and they walked us through all the problems we had.

In the last two years, their timelines and dates for delivery were much more accurate, and they improved at sending us updates and feedback. Overall, it was a great experience. They grew and improved a lot over the last four years.

How did AJProTech perform from a project management standpoint?

When we initially started, the team was smaller, so we regularly communicated with Alex. In the second year, communication got kind of tricky as he brought in more people.

Recently, project management was good again. It was clear who was running the project, who was in charge of updates, and so on. We had a regular back and forth over email and other communication systems. They’d send us the product, and we’d test it and put it through our paces. Then, we’d send our feedback, and they’d innovate on the next generation. We regularly used Dropbox to put all the software, schematics, and more to share there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The capability level they had was impressive. What we do is extremely difficult, and there are only a few people who can actually deliver. We’ve worked with many groups over time, but AJProTech’s ability to deliver the product and continue improving the quality of their work was certainly their strongest aspect.

They did some complicated work, and they did a great job with it. We essentially had to invent new systems together, and they delivered on that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In general, they should continue to work on communication. There were bursts of activity and periods with a lot of back and forth and regular updates, and then there were periods where communication slowed down, and it took longer to get a response.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re great at what they do, but you have to make sure that you’re clear about what you want and when it needs to be delivered. You should push for regular updates because they can get down in the weeds and just get stuff done, so you should communicate regularly to help with development as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager and the founder of a company that does R&D for consumer electronics companies. We started off designing our own product, but now we help other companies do R&D. Manufacturing was particularly difficult for our first project, so we saw the opportunity to help other companies in the same way. There’s been a shift in our company’s role. 

Everything to do with the company that isn't finance related is my wheelhouse.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AJPro Tech? 

We were doing research for an RF product but it was very difficult. After fruitlessly trying to hire contractors for six months on UpWork and doing the research ourselves, I ran into Alex (CEO). Within two months, he and his partner were able to perform all the research and design a functional proof of concept. There was a lot of RF work, and no set standards exist in that world, so it required a lot of experimentation. Alex spearheaded the electronic device design and Sergey (Lead Electrical Engineer) handled the firmware.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The product was a USB device that had to work in two different protocols: one is a protocol set by a specific driver in a computer that works for a set group of software, and the other is the base Windows HID API. The device included modules such as an RF transmitter/reciever and a high-definition LCD controller.

AJPro Tech built a configuration app on Windows to test the connectivity between the app and the device, and they ensured the USB human interface device (HID) worked on all the required operating systems: Mac, Windows, and Android. The solution was available for phones, tablets, and computers. To program the firmware, they used NXP’s microcontrollers, as well as their MCUXpresso platform as the IDE. AJPro also used Adobe Air to make the interfacing software on Windows. 

They also handled testing from the beginning to the end. Beginning testing before the project involved determining what was possible and what wasn’t, including selecting frequencies that provided enough voltage for the device. AJPro answered these questions in the two-month period before the project officially began. After delivering the proof of concept, they answered questions like why we were experiencing so much noise, how we could reduce it, and were there certain algorithms that would work or not work for us? 

We were really impressed with the proof of concept and decided to continue working with them. We moved on to manufacturing after that. But as with most manufactured projects go, it took some additional iterations before the project was finalized.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Alex and Sergey (Lead Electrical Engineer). 

How did you come to work with AJPro Tech? 

I found them on UpWork. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August 2016, when they delivered the proof of concept, until June 2018. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The biggest metric would be that six months prior to the project, most electronic engineers said that they didn’t want to tackle an RF product, and those that would tackle it didn’t produce any results. Alex and Sergey were able to design a functional proof of concept in two months. 

How did AJPro Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

I was in charge of project management, and I learned a lot from them. They set a very good example for our future projects. AJPro was very capable of managing parallel tasks even though they were just two people. In a normal project management environment, we set milestones, and each milestone contains dependencies. With AJPro Tech, there were technical milestones that had to be met in tandem with one another. Everything went very quickly. We communicated over Skype. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Alex and Sergey are the types of people that will take any challenge thrown at them and inspire confidence that they’ll complete it. They’re a bit more costly than other options, but under certain circumstances, they’re very much worthwhile. For example, if you have a very difficult task that you’re not sure can even be completed by your technical staff, then working with AJPro Tech would be very valuable. It’s safe to say that Alex and his partner are very capable engineers. 

They’re also a very young team that’s positive and open to new ideas. Certain engineers in the industry have their way of working and take issue with the possibility of operating in another manner. AJPro Tech is open to your ideas, as well as willing to deliver a proof of concept before labeling any ideas as feasible or not feasible. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their manufacturing experience was fairly limited at the time. This wasn’t necessarily bad, as it wasn’t their role, but if you manufacture something based on their work, you’ll need to onboard a manufacturing expert. AJPro didn’t design the product from day one with a manufacturing mindset so we had to redesign a lot of the parts, and we only realized that after delivery. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

First, evaluate how difficult your project is. Do you require a really competent team or are you looking for an offshore team just to save time? AJPro Tech is a fairly costly team, but they’re very competent. Make sure you’re using the right tool for the job. 

Additionally, if you’re going to manufacture your product, you’ll want to take on someone with manufacturing experience that’s local to where the manufacturing will take place. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own Viral Vault, a subscription-based toolkit for e-commerce business owners. We help our customers optimize their businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AJProTech?

We needed help with building our software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AJProTech was a full-service development team. I shared my vision of what I wanted, along with some examples. Using that information, they built the software from the ground up. They first built out the interface and then the backend. They also integrated a payment system for us. The software they delivered is a video library for people looking to start an e-commerce business. In terms of the design, I created it in Photoshop because I have experience with that. I then gave them the design, which AJProTech improved to be more modern and professional. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Alex (CEO), 4–5 developers, and one designer.  

How did you come to work with AJProTech?

They were referred to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere between $50,000–$100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team turned my vision into a reality. The software has been relatively successful. It was challenging to get traction in the first year, but now we’re growing steadily. People eventually got interested in the product, and they really enjoyed using it. There are the occasional bugs here and there, but that happens with any app. Overall, the team did a great job. 

How did AJProTech perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very good at project management. Alex was the star of the operation — he stepped up and handled the entire project for me. I didn’t have any experience with development, but he was accommodating throughout. He made sure to take my basic explanations of what I wanted and explained them to the developers in a way that made sense for all of us. Having him as a middleman really made the process much easier. If it were just me trying to lead a team of developers myself, it would have taken twice as long. We primarily used Skype and Trello to communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had good attention to detail.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve given me some suggestions on how to make things better. It was very much me giving them the ideas, and maybe they could’ve given some advice on how to make it better. However, I had a pretty clear vision, so it’s not a big deal. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear idea of what you want to do. I think it helps when you work with developers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of a technology startup. We’re a VR social media platform for musicians.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AJProTech?

We were starting from scratch, and we needed to have our prototype developed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, AJProTech set up expectations with us and gave us a proposal. They told us what they were going to do to get our prototype done and provided us with an image of what it would look like. They started getting to work on it and gave us weekly status updates.

AJProTech had several hurdles that they had to overcome. One of them was that one of the companies that we were working with was overseas. I tried calling that company once, and their messaging system said that they had 300 calls a day and that they didn’t answer phone calls. AJProTech was able to reach out to them, and they had a dialog going on.

This prototype required hardware and software, and they had to work on the development and figure out things to make it work. Every week, they gave us different options on what could be used and why it would be used, and they explained everything to us in a way that I, not being a technological person, understood.

Some of the parts of the prototype were off-the-shelf because they were more cost-effective. We just gave AJProTech the idea of what we wanted, and they did research and discovery to make it a reality.

When they finished the first round of getting the prototype done, they provided us with all the information and told us that it was all we needed if we wanted to work with someone else to continue with the project. It was a funny situation because I asked them if they were breaking up with us — we only wanted to work with them. We’ve continued working together, and the prototype is ready to go now.

What is the team composition?

We work with Alex (CEO & Founder) and a team of 4–5 people. Some of them work on the software side and others work on the hardware side. There was also a person involved that came up with several different designs for the prototype, including the shape and size.

How did you come to work with AJProTech?

Our founder found AJProTech, but I don’t know how that happened. When we spoke with Alex, he was either about to go on vacation or he called us from his vacation. He asked very specific questions that we hadn’t thought of before, and he went from the big to the small picture.

Alex was also amazing at taking notes — he’s always engaged in listening, taking notes, and visualizing at the same time. We wanted to work with him since the first call — he was phenomenal.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $28,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed the NDA in December 2020, and AJProTech started working with us in January 2021. The engagement is ongoing — I want them to work for us forever.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

What AJProTech came up with was absolutely beautiful — it exceeded our expectations more than I could have known. The greatest impact of our engagement is that we’re getting the first round of investment money of a few million dollars because investors know what can be achieved thanks to this information.

We still have to get the working prototype going, but just because of the scope and the work that AJProTech has done, we’ve been able to reach the next step of the project. We want them to be with us every step of the way and beyond — we need Alex to continue. They have our best interests and want us to succeed.

How did AJProTech perform from a project management standpoint?

We have another team working for us that needs more guidance, but we know we can leave all that to Alex. He understands exactly what we want and where we are headed. He’s in lockstep with us and excited about working on this project.

There’s nothing better than having a partner invested in our idea. We even had one of their team members so excited about our idea, that they wanted to quit their job and work directly with us instead.

Alex understood from the beginning the breadth and scope of what we were trying to accomplish and got his team engaged. We’re excited every time we hang up the phone with them after every status update call.

For every problem we’ve expressed on our phone calls, Alex has a solution — it’s amazing. We have Zoom calls at least once a week and communicate via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I could go on and on about AJProTech’s qualities, but their most impressive quality is that they’re problem solvers. They’ve come up with solutions and options. Every time we get off the phone with them, we’re more and more excited. They’ve been making this prototype from scratch. Other companies told us that they couldn’t, but Alex and his team have been able to do it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

From my perspective, there’s no room for improvement for AJProTech — They’re wonderful and easy to work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with AJProTech and tell them all the things that you’re expecting upfront. Then, sit back and enjoy the ride — they'll exceed your expectations.