Blackburn Labs

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am on the board of directors of the Partnership to Reduce Cancer in Rhode Island. We're a statewide advocacy organization that helps cancer patients by providing a list of resources on our website and how to connect with them. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Blackburn Labs?

We needed a software company to develop a dental oncology knowledge center. We didn't have much money to invest, but we hoped to get the project off the ground to attract more funding.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blackburn Labs set up, configured, and programmed a chat box that will be integrated into our website. The goal was for site users to use it to find the proper resources for their questions. Blackburn Labs has just completed the initial process. They also provided suggestions on how to organize the resources on our site. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with four teammates from Blackburn Labs, including Robert (CEO), Julie (Chief Data Scientist), a developer, and a student. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our contract initially set the cost at $24,000, but we've only incurred $8,000 in charges with Blackburn Labs. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Blackburn Labs began in March 2021 and is estimated to end in June 2022. 

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

The beta testing phase should begin in June 2022, and through Blackburn Labs' efforts, we've attracted an additional $15,000 in private foundation funding. We're well on the way to getting this project out to the public. 

Many other companies in our field have complicated websites to navigate, but ours is really easy to use, and the oral health information is easily accessible. Robert and Julie have really helped guide us through our organization's expansion and mentored our staff — they've also provided us with a short demo video outlining the chat box's capabilities. 

How did Blackburn Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Blackburn Labs began the project before we even signed their first paycheck. Typically, we use Zoom calls and emails to communicate — we have regular calls to regroup and discuss the project. They've kept us well informed throughout the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We love the flexibility of Blackburn Labs' knowledge base. They've done other health care projects across the country, so they understood our objective right away when we contacted them. Money has never been the focus of our partnership; Blackburn Labs is interested in executing our project for its merit. Their team focuses on delivering solutions, not ensuring clients fit into their work framework. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything for Blackburn Labs to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd advise customers to do preliminary research into their subject matter, so when they have their first conversation with Blackburn Labs, the main focus can be on defining the scope of work. The more customers can articulate their needs, the better the solutions Blackburn Labs can create. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a health tech startup. We monitor a patient’s vital signs through our portal and a blood pressure cuff scale that patients take home.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blackburn Labs?

We needed help in software development. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blackburn Labs is handling the entire development process of our web-based platform, from UI/UX design to programming. They also help with the thought process, planning, execution, and rollout. 

Their team took over from another vendor that built the basic app, and they’ve been adding features to the platform. They create mockups and wireframes before proceeding with the development. 

The app is integrated with APIs from medical devices, and it can gather information from various companies. It also tracks data activity from patients. In addition, the app can send SMS alerts and generate reports such as billing statements. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with their CEO, a project manager, two developers, a data scientist, and a DevOps resource. 

How did you come to work with Blackburn Labs?

I read that Blackburn Labs did a project for a hospital system similar to my solution, so I reached out to them. Initially, I hired them to work on a module. They did such a great job that I ended up turning over the entire project to their team. I chose them due to their capabilities and processes. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000–$125,000 so far.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve started working together in August 2021, and our relationship is ongoing. 

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

The features Blackburn Labs has rolled out have been excellent and functions as intended. The app has received positive feedback from both patients and hospital personnel. Since they’ve taken over, our app hasn’t experienced any significant crashes. They’re good at addressing bugs whenever we encounter them. 

How did Blackburn Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Blackburn Labs has delivered the project on time and within budget. Their process is transparent — I always know what to expect and what our timeline will look like. I can see on a ClickUp dashboard what they’re working on. 

We communicate through emails, phone calls, and weekly meetings. They’re very responsive to the needs of our company. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of Blackburn Labs’ oversight is impressive. They review and test the solution multiple times before releasing it. They’re deliberate in rolling things out, and their processes are very smooth and professional. 

In addition, Blackburn Labs’ team is creative and understands what I need — they help me find the best ways to develop our solution. They don’t just follow my instructions; they spend a lot of time knowing our company’s needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. I’m pleased with our partnership. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be engaged and communicative with their team — let them know about your needs. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an early-stage telemedicine platform company. I’m the co-founder of the company, and I worked in R&D.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blackburn Labs?

We brought on Blackburn Labs to build our app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We came to Blackburn Labs with a very specific plan of what we wanted. They then did the full coding and development for the app itself. We collaborated with them on the design and layout of it, but they essentially did the actual coding, set up the servers, and structured the timing for all of the phases. 

It’s a cloud hardware platform for B2B companies. We had a three-phase approach for the project, which included concept development, the initial product, and then the refinement phase. We're actually still working with them. We got our MVP, but we're still doing further refinement and development of it. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with five teammates throughout the project. 

How did you come to work with Blackburn Labs?

I found them to Clutch and reached out to them based on some of the feedback I saw. We also talked to about four other developers across the country, but we felt that Blackburn Labs understood what we were trying to do and respected that we were coming in with a solid understanding of our market.

The other companies wanted to propose long, investigative market research, which isn’t what we were looking for. It’s not that Blackburn Labs wouldn’t do that if we asked them to, it’s just that we had a clear idea of what we wanted so we didn't need it.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $100,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since April 2020.

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

Blackburn Labs takes pride in the work they’re doing. We can tell that extra effort goes into the way that they’ve designed the product and the process with which they move it forward.

How did Blackburn Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Blackburn Labs holds regular meetings, and they invite us to join if we have time to hear where the development is at. They also use Trello, which allows us to follow along and helps prioritize certain aspects of the development. It’s been an interactive process.

The team has been very transparent and accommodating to the way we develop it as well. They were open to doing a fixed fee or time and materials, and we ended up doing a hybrid of that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understood and were accommodating to what we were trying to accomplish, which is why we chose them. Blackburn Labs respected the experience that we had in our specific space, which was important. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been great. We’ll probably continue working with them throughout this project. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate often with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Proven Behavior Solutions. We’re an outpatient health care practice that provides behavioral and speech therapy for individuals with autism, mostly children.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blackburn Labs?

Our industry is a unique hybrid between healthcare and education. I’ve found that off-the-shelf software solutions don’t work for our needs. We had finally reached a point where we were too big to manage everything efficiently on Excel. I wanted a custom software solution that would be more user-friendly, so I reached out to Blackburn Labs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We already had a utilization management system for all of our services. They were able to take everything we built in Excel and built an app that would automate everything that we were already doing.

They were able to enhance it so that the data would be kept and would be easily accessible from a records management standpoint for perpetuity. They recommended what has worked well in the past to make it even better than we had asked for in the initial scope.

The end product was within the scope and included the functionality that we needed, but they were able to make it more user-friendly and dynamic. They delivered a solution that is compatible with iOS and G Suite.

What is the team composition?

Rob was our main point of contact and there were a few other team members on our project.

How did you come to work with Blackburn Labs?

I contacted a few different agencies in the area and asked for estimates. I found that Blackburn Labs worked with a local hospital, which was a huge indicator that they understood healthcare and the challenges we faced. So they were clearly a better fit than some of the larger software companies in the city.

I was also very budget-conscious, and they came in on the low end of the bids we got back.

How much have you invested with them?

Our contract is $16,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2020 and it’s ongoing.

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

We’ve already launched the first version of the app, and we’re moving forward to the second version. Even though their quote was lower in price than the other companies I spoke to, Blackburn Labs still delivered high-quality work. Since seeing their work, it turned out to be a way better deal than I thought.

They go above and beyond to understand the nuances behind our needs and have been able to bring that into the system. Despite the random tweaks we’ve requested, they’ve been able to meet our needs.

How did Blackburn Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

It was very agile and we used Trello to manage all the workflow. So I could see what the other team members were doing.  There is a rep on the team who has a background in big data, so we were able to see the analytic side.

From a customer service standpoint, we have a lot of personal contact with the team and the team lead.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deserve to be highlighted for having expertise in the healthcare space., I was really impressed with their attempt to understand what we needed, even in unfamiliar areas. They never bushed over things or generalized, they continued to hone their expertise in the healthcare industry.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not at this point.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just like with any project, make sure expectations are clear upfront. Additionally, the more complex the project is, and the more people involved, the more critical it is to understand how communication flows.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of platform development at Wealth Council, a company that builds software for attorneys. I manage the platform’s development, QA, network, and design.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blackburn Labs?

We’re currently in the process of building and releasing a new product and needed additional development resources. We were looking for someone with senior-level experience to jump right into product development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Rob (Founder, Blackburn Labs) has been helping to develop our online application. He’s assisting with the logic for many of the product’s significant features. He’s been primarily working in Vue.js and has utilized HTML, CSS, and XQuery on the backend.

What is the team composition?

While we initially had 3 teammates, we’re just working with Rob right now. We scale our resources depending on how the project scope evolves.

How did you come to work with Blackburn Labs?

We had a job posting for a senior developer, and upon receiving Rob’s application, we extended an offer to him. While that didn’t materialize, Rob offered to be a consulting resource to us. We’ve had a support relationship ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work began in October 2019 and is ongoing.

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

Rob has the phenomenal ability to understand very sophisticated requirements and create logical pieces of development work to execute them. Our product is significantly complex, and without his help, we would not be able to complete the product or be where we’re at today. He’s just had a tremendous impact on our product, which we can attribute to his extensive experience and ability to implement.

How did Blackburn Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

While I handle the project management for this product, Rob has been great from a management perspective. He provides estimates and details, accepts responsibility, and is overall willing to take on tasks. His follow-through is fantastic. We use our internal JIRA to communicate, and he also partakes in our scrum calls and meetings. He’s deeply integrated into our team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It can be a challenge to find a developer that can jump in feet-first and quickly understand the requirements. Rob’s thoroughness in understanding, revising, and developing is practically unmatched.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m very happy with Blackburn Labs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give Blackburn Labs the time to really understand the scope of work. Give them an overview or documentation—whatever’s necessary. Rob is extremely thorough and will come back to you with questions.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of a 10 year old web property that has global reach.

For what projects/services did your company hire Blackburn Labs?

Our website had been created 10 years ago and was showing it's age. There was no associated app with the website, which was desperately needed as most of our users were using a mobile device.

What were your goals for this project?

A functional, modern app and website.

How did you select this vendor?

I had met Rob at an event. I spoke to him about my project and he had a few unique and interesting ideas, so when we were ready to move forward I reached out to Blackburn Labs.

Describe the project in detail.

Blackburn Labs created a new web app and mobile app for the web properties.

What was the team composition?

Mostly we dealt with Rob.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The app was developed quickly and efficiently. The app was approved in a timely fashion.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Rob and his team were extremely effective communicators. They have a system that was easy to use and enhanced our ability to keep the project moving forward with transparency.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We have dealt with other developers over the past 10 years. Every one of the interactions was fraught with over promises, under deliveries and poor communication. We didn't have a single one of those problems with Blackburn Labs. Their work ethic is extraordinary and they deliver what they promise, when they promise. I cannot say enough good things about them and we will never use another developer. In addition, Blackburn proposed unique, innovative solutions to problems that had plagued us for 10 years.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't believe I am saying this about a development team, but not a single thing. Blackburn Labs is exceptional.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the current director of CV Innovation Group, which is an extension of Cardiovascular Medicine—one of the largest cardiology divisions at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

For what projects/services did your company hire Blackburn Labs?

We hired Blackburn Labs to help build a web-based healthcare app for the newly formed CV Innovation Group. 

What were your goals for this project? 

Our main objective was to create a home-grown, EMR-agnostic (electronic medical record) app that could capture healthcare data in accordance with HIPAA. This involved creating a frontend user interface and a backend database.

How did you select this vendor?

An enterprise-level IT service provider referred us to them. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail. 

Blackburn Labs designed and developed a desktop and web app to help us to better capture medical data. This involved coordinating with our internal team (e.g., project manager, medical staff, senior leadership, stakeholders) to drive department goals and objectives. By gathering input from subject matter experts, they were able to create proprietary healthcare algorithms that allowed us to calculate specific disease states. Finally, they developed training documents and videos to walk us through the app’s functions. 

What was the team composition? 

We mostly communicated with Rob (Owner, Blackburn Labs), who was a one-man army. There was also a team working in the background, but I didn’t interact with them.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

By switching from a completely paper-based process to the new app, we’ve been able to scale our services to better care for our patients. The app features a user-friendly frontend, and we can collect data through the backend. There’s also an algorithm calculator for specific disease states. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it? 

Rob worked side-by-side with our internal team and was super flexible. He wore many hats depending on the task at hand, serving as an independent contractor, a manager, and a trusted confidante who could shed light on large, strategic build concepts. 

What did you find most impressive about this company? 

Blackburn Labs introduced us to several industry best practices, including agile/Scrum methodologies, test-driven development (TDD), behavior-driven development (BDD), and continuous integration (CI). They were very professional and often went above and beyond the scope of work.  

Are there any areas for improvement? 

No, there’s nothing that I could suggest.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Talerics Consulting, a biomedical informatics company. We provide consulting services for academic medical centers and other biotechnical organizations.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blackburn Labs?

We’re currently partnering with an Ivy League medical school, and needed an outside partner to provide technical consulting.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blackburn Labs supported our project with the medical school, which involves single-cell analysis to serve the school’s cell-sequencing technology.

Essentially, Blackburn Labs’ function was to provide consulting services on infrastructures that are already available to execute this type of project. Rob (CTO, Blackburn Labs), conducted a great deal of market research, reviewing a range of stack technologies. 

What is the team composition?

We worked exclusively with Rob. 

How did you come to work with Blackburn Labs?

I’d engaged with Rob in a previous project, and I really admired his work. I was impressed by his skills, presentation style, and ability to listen to users and gather requirements for software development. Based on that experience, I thought he would be a great fit for this project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $5,000-$10,000 on the engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place between November–December 2019.

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

Rob delivered the highest level of results, going beyond our expectations. He’s greatly impacted our ability to plan the project, and though we haven’t started the implementation process yet, we’re extremely pleased with the work he’s done. He’s had a significant impact on the project.

How did Blackburn Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager is an expert in what he does. We had weekly meetings with Rob, where he presented his work through PowerPoint, and we, in turn, provided feedback and asked additional questions. These meetings helped us build an overview of available technologies, as well as construct plans involving timelines and cost for the next phase of our project. It was very effective.

He provided a transparent tracking system so that we could track his work every step of the way. They provide transparent and effective project management that exceeds expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The aspect of Rob’s work we appreciated the most was his willingness to teach us about his process. He always explained why he recommended a certain technology over another in a clear, concise way that was very helpful to us. It’s one of the reasons why I’d like to continue working with Rob in future engagements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide as much information as possible. Rob can work independently, but the more he knows the better to ensure you’re both aligned. His work is very thorough, and it would cause a fair amount of inefficiency if he went in a different direction than you wanted.