AWH

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of HCRpath, a SaaS startup.

What challenge were you trying to address with AWH?

Our SaaS platform is based on a patent I’d filed in 2015. It was approved in 2018, but I didn’t know how to tie the infrastructure to the market need, so I brought AWH on board to help with that.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first step with AWH was an investigatory discussion with me as a potential client to make sure they could accomplish what I wanted. Since I didn’t know how to articulate it, we spent a lot of time articulating their capabilities, experience, and understanding of the SaaS world in general. We did a lot of strategic thinking together at the time in regards to what we should be shooting for.

From there, the team helped me turn it into a functional software from an MVP. We went through a UAT, and AWH even sent one of their designers to work with the end user to really help pull that data out. Then, we went back and took all of those UAT inputs to complete a more robust SaaS, to the point where we’re getting ready to pilot. 

In addition to the administrative function, AWH has also helped with the marketing side as well. 

What is the team composition?

We work with the whole team of about six or seven people. 

How did you come to work with AWH?

I had already decided to go with a firm in Chicago, when I met Ryan (Principal) at AWH. We chatted for a while, and once I understood his global experience and ability to truly pull in large market scalability with an intimate approach, I decided to partner with AWH. 

How much have you invested with them?

The whole project will cost around $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in January 2019.

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

We haven’t launched yet, so we can’t totally measure the impact of AWH’s work. However, one of the more intangible benefits is the networking opportunities. The team is far more connected in the startup world than I understood, and they’ve brought additional people into my view, which has really helped develop the company. I even brought one of their partners on as CTO. There’s so much trust and between us that it made sense to make it more of a partnership.

How did AWH perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly stand ups with the whole team, which is great. In terms of tools, we use a lot of systems like Atlassian, Jira, and Monday. AWH is constantly evolving themselves, so as new and improved project management tools become available, they utilize them. The transition between the systems is always seamless; I never notice.

Andy (Project Manager) has been involved in the project from day one, which I appreciate, and he really facilitates the onboarding of new talent. 

Their project management is one of the best things about working with AWH. It’s very robust.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The personal attention they devote to my project has made me completely satisfied with my decision to partner with them. It’s a level of service I wouldn’t get with a larger agency. The small team, big results mentality at AWH is really effective.

I would highly recommend them for any type of startup that’s trying to think through their model, but also needs productivity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes I get worried they’re growing too fast. They have a breadth of knowledge and experience that would be difficult to duplicate. It would be difficult to find talent at that level and scale.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a vision, but feel comfortable in dialogue and asking open-ended questions to solicit as much feedback as possible from this group. That way, you get not just their productivity, but their experience.

Their agile project management works for any stage founder or SaaS experience. If you know exactly what you want to do, they’ll fall in line and pick it right up. However,  if you’re like me and completely novice, they also have a system in place that makes you feel well-attended.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of include health, and we provide a digital musculoskeletal platform. We pair up a compliant cloud software with connected equipment and sensors to help digitize physical therapy, rehabilitation, and wellness services.

What challenge were you trying to address with AWH?

When we were just starting out in the software space, we had a firm in a pretty remote location that we tried to build our platform with and ended up running into some challenges there. AWH took over from them to really build out our platform and then continue to support our operations in a holistic way on the technical side of things.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The original work was focused on platform architecture and then software development, so they planned everything on the backend out, incorporated it into our designs for the frontend, and then built both the front- and backend pretty much from scratch.
Our software is now operating in hospital systems, and they continue to be our partner in helping to maintain and operate that software as well as expand it when the opportunities arise.

What was the team composition?

We have a whole team of developers from their side fully integrated into our office and working side by side with us. When we started out, it was project-by-project and they handled the management of the work, but now that responsibility has migrated to our side of the engagement.

How did you come to work with AWH?

An investor introduced us to them at a conference, and we could tell they were a good fit pretty much from the start.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the years we’ve spent well over $1,000,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

I originally connected with them in August of 2014 and we have been working together ever since.

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

When you frame it from a deliverable perspective, we have been able to sell, shift, and support all of the products that they worked on, which is the main key metric that we use with them since they are so integrated into our larger team.

We also do research work with the government through the Air Force, and they’ve been a key part of being able to expand our platform to meet the specific needs of the Department of Defense.

How did AWH perform from a project management standpoint?

They have never had any trouble hitting our timelines, which is really helpful for the success of our overall projects. Even when they had PMs directly involved, we were working alongside them to make sure there was really open and frequent communication and that everyone knew where we were on deliverables and was able to get what they needed to done on time no matter what it was.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve only worked with one other development group in the past, but what I’ve really appreciated about AWH is that they really try to listen and figure out why you’re doing what you’re doing.

The effort they put in helps them to understand where you’re going and how they can be a guiding resource for your future plans as well as whatever you’re working on at the time. That attitude has helped them to feel like they are stakeholders in the project alongside us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are always challenges with projects that have such large, overarching scopes that you have to narrow down into specific, digestible deliverables, but that’s more across the board than with regard to them specifically.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

At the end of the day, everything runs on relationships, so I think the most important thing is to connect with them personally and let them get to know you as people. If you just frame it as a job shop, you’re not going to get nearly as much out of it as if you frame it as a partnership.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of SureImpact, a SaaS platform that works with government nonprofit social enterprises to help them better measure and communicate their impact.

What challenge were you trying to address with AWH?

Our organization was born out of a service-based consulting business when our clients were asking us if they could automate the processes or if there was a technology that could facilitate their work. We hired AWH to bring our vision to life.

What was the scope of their involvement?

AWH has been working with us since conception. We knew the customer journey, our customer’s problems, and what we wanted the product to do. The team then helped us to build the technology itself and the interface, and they did product design and backend engineering.

What is the team composition?

We’ve always worked with a team of 3–4 individuals, including a project manager, a developer, and engineers.

How did you come to work with AWH?

I had been talking to different development companies because we didn’t have that expertise internally. What attracted us to AWH was that they were the complete package, which is what we were looking for. They also knew about our market. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started with product wireframing in November 2018, and the project is ongoing.

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

They helped us go from a concept to a tangible product, and we’re now a venture-backed company. We had the confidence, support, and quality resources to let us get to the market quickly. We now have 12 customers on the platform. AWH always delivers what they promise, and they do so on time. 

How did AWH perform from a project management standpoints?

I appreciate the way they manage the project. The team communicates clearly when there are hiccups or when something might be a challenge. They work in sprints, so I always know how much money is being spent and what work is in progress.

The fact that we’ve stuck with them for this long speaks to the quality of their project management. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

AWH is made up of a team of innovative problem-solvers. Their quality of work is high and their design is good. On top of all that, they care, which makes it feel like they’re a part of our team. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve worked out any kinks we had. Scope and budget creep were problems earlier on, but we’ve worked with AWH to come up with a process that works for both of us. I’ve been impressed with the fact that we’ve been able to improve that. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be really clear with your use case before you start working with AWH. If you’re clear about the problem you’re trying to solve, the process will be solved much quicker.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I manage The Giving Store for The Columbus Foundation. We're a community foundation that focuses on local philanthropy. We build the capacity of nonprofits and help donors with their charitable giving to build a stronger community.

What challenge were you trying to address with AWH?

We were looking for a company to develop a mobile responsive website that could integrate with our database portals—combining search and navigation for users and offering staff more control. We wanted to present fresh content and customized calls to action—whether a donor is supporting a cause they care about, a nonprofit is applying for a grant, or a student is searching for a scholarship.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We met with AWH and discussed our goals and pain points. They delivered a digital user experience to help the Foundation drive operational efficiencies, provide market agility, and boost community impact.

AWH also transitioned the Foundation from local to cloud hosting, improving security and scalability. They implemented a powerful, easy-to-use Umbraco content management system; built in a single-cart checkout and Text2Connect giving options; improved discoverability with seamless navigation, behavior-based suggestions, and global search with Apache Solr (instead of seven unique search options); and incorporated data-driven promotional and transactional email communications using MailChimp and Mandrill.

The marketplace includes fund and credit card management tools for donors to manage their giving; an activity log and impersonation tools for staff; an interface for nonprofits to access transaction details and submit grant applications; and a scholarship search for students.

What is the team composition?

At one point the lead developer/site architect, six developers, and a project manager were onsite. Today, in the maintenance phase, we have one developer onsite daily and a tester visits weekly.

How did you come to work with AWH?

They were recommended to us by a design firm we had been working with for almost two decades. We first created a new marketing site and then began conversations about unifying the portals—we talked with AWH for nine months before signing a contract, which showed their commitment. This and the fact that AWH is local and gives back to the community made them stand out.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent nearly $1 million with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started development in November 2015 and launched in July 2017. AWH continues to provide ongoing development and maintenance for us.

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

After our website launched, we held a record-breaking 26-hour giving day, leveraging $18 million for over 900 nonprofits. AWH was onsite for the duration of the event to support staff and work through any technical hiccups. 

AWH also helped us implement a crowdfunding platform for local nonprofits and we've been able to run about 25 projects through this platform, raising $200,000 for pressing community needs.

Additionally, The Giving Store received a Biztech Award from Columbus Business First for outstanding nonprofit service, an honor AWH nominated us for. We’re more than just a client to them. They’re truly invested in our success.

How did AWH perform from a project management standpoint?

We don't have a technology department in-house, so they guided us through the process and helped us at all stages—from requirements to testing. We had daily stand-ups with developers and weekly progress meetings with multiple vendors and staff. They were great at keeping the project on track and letting us know if our modifications would push back the timeline or increase costs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In addition to the breadth and depth of their experience, AWH is committed to Columbus—working with young adults to hone their coding skills and supporting entrepreneurs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If you're putting together a work plan, be clear about roles and have a realistic conversation about your timeline and your expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet face-to-face if it's possible. Also, ask open-ended questions to identify further areas for improvement—take advantage of their expertise.