Bravelab.io

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of revenue for a software house; we provide digital solutions to clients. I’m responsible for new business and client service activities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bravelab.io?

Our projects vary depending on our client’s needs, so sometimes we don’t have the necessary skill sets or technical expertise on hand. We engaged Bravelab.io to provide us with a development resource. We needed an experienced, independent developer who could deliver good-quality code and communicate effectively.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bravelab.io has provided us with staff augmentation services. They’ve identified a developer with JavaScript expertise to support a project for one of our clients. The developer is helping us with front- and backend maintenance initiatives while we build new aspects of the client’s application.

What is the team composition?

We work with Mariusz (Co-Founder) and a developer. 

How did you come to work with Bravelab.io?

We found them through a local software organization. We got to know Bravelab.io during a networking event, and our CEO felt they could provide us with a qualified developer. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around 700,000 złoty (approximately $160,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2020, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bravelab.io has provided us with a qualified developer with the necessary skill sets. The developer is doing a great job and has received high satisfaction ratings from our end customer. Moreover, the lifetime value of this project is higher than our portfolio average. 

How did Bravelab.io perform from a project management standpoint?

The developer from Bravelab.io works directly with our end customer, and we’ve received no complaints regarding communication. We communicate via email and Slack; they’re very communicative and responsive to our needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re particularly impressed with Bravelab.io’s high communication standards. Furthermore, they’ve provided us with a developer who has a good attitude and strong development skills. The developer always gives 100% to the project. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing they could improve on; they should keep doing what they’re doing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open and precise about your needs. Bravelab.io has talented, experienced developers, so be transparent about what you’re looking for, so they can help you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Wundr, a startup that provides services for financial institutions and large organizations. We help them embed shopping features on their platform. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bravelab.io?

We needed a team to create the proof of concept (POC) and prototype of our product. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did two projects with Bravelab. The first one was creating our POC using Saleor. The team worked on the front- and backend of our product. This project was short — the deliverable was an online shop that would allow us to get to the next funding round and show our first client an interactive demo. 

The second project was creating a full MVP, which was much bigger in scope. The product was a multilingual commerce app based on Saleor and Vue.js. It would be fully integrated with the client’s app. The frontend was built on Node.js; they then created a headless backend plugged into a Vue.js frontend. Our team provided the product’s design, and the Bravelab team implemented it. 

What is the team composition?

During the POC project, we worked with 3–4 developers. Then, the team expanded to 10 developers. We also had QA engineers, front- and backend developers, and other resources. 

How did you come to work with Bravelab.io?

We found Bravelab online. I was responsible for deciding the technology to use, and we engaged companies using Saleor. We set up a meeting with Bravelab, and they seemed keen to work with us. Moreover, we liked their work ethics. They seemed passionate about what they were doing, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $400,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from August-September 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product is still in the evaluation phase as our client is evaluating it. Nonetheless, we were happy with Bravelab’s work. 

How did Bravelab.io perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great at managing the project. We set up daily stand-ups where I monitored the progress of the entire project. We had sprint planning meetings, everything was managed smoothly from their end. Our teams used Jira for management and Slack for instant communication; we were all on the same channels. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Bravelab’s communication was clear. They told us whenever we were slipping by a deadline. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have better estimates of the length of tasks or how long they would take to complete. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Project Broker at Divante. The company is providing top-notch eCommerce solutions and products for both B2B and B2C segments. As a digital pioneer and strategic partner, our core competencies are focused on the enterprise open-source software ecosystem and customized software solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bravelab.io?

We’ve been working on an e-commerce project for one of our international clients. Last year, we needed to assemble a team of high-level experts in Vue.js technology quickly. So we started looking for companies specializing in JavaScript and working on Vue.js to help us set up the required team. We qualified Bravelab as a reliable staff augmentation partner.

SOLUTION

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

I do not remember exactly how we met but at some point, we had a meeting and discuss our needs in scaling up the team. They immediately had good candidates for a reasonable price and since then have been able to support us with every request.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We are building a complex enterprise eCommerce platform and since we have decided to scale up the team Bravelab is supporting us with external JavaScript developers.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

We first send them a description of our needs and in response, we are receiving profiles of matching candidates with detailed information about their availability and rates. We are then verifying the candidates by pre-evaluation video tests and inviting the right candidates for the interviews. After the successful interview, we are quickly setting up the paperwork with Bravelab and onboard the developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With their support, we've been able to release 2 portals for 2 different markets and the next one is being prepared.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was truly an example of good communication. Always honest, transparent and success oriented. We've been able to discuss the hardest topics and find a satisfying outcome for both companies.

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

Bravelab is a very good partner. They had skillful software engineers and reasonable people in the management team with whom I could always find common ground.

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

If there are such areas they're doing a good job hiding them since for almost 2 years I couldn't complain about one thing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Wundr is an eCommerce technology and services company, I am the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bravelab.io, and what were your goals?

We hired Bravely to support the development of our eCommerce platform requiring cloud native, multi-tenancy architecture.

SOLUTION

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

We searched for partners across UK and Europe that has the best experience in headless commerce and were impressed by Bravelabs track record, detailed industry knowledge and their proactivity.

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

We set Bravelabs a tough challenge to build from scratch a headless ecommerce solution that could be used to enable a retail proposition for regulated institutions globally. The project required constant engagement, daily and weekly stand ups and constant releases as we built out the MVP.

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

We worked directly with the CEO Mariusz and his team of talented developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The MVP was delivered on time for tech evaluation with our initial customer.

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

We had daily and weekly stand ups and were very impressed by the proactive approach of Bravelabs to resolve the many issues that arose and problems that had to be solved during the project.

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

100% customer focus at all times, the whole team at Bravelabs.io held our hands at every stage, and their knowledge of the latest industry trends was really valuable.

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

I think more detailed status reports would help, we could have created the templates to support that as a process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a Managing Partner at a music production label called Closer Music. I am responsible for delivering a new SaaS platform where content creators can purchase licenses for music productions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bravelab.io?

Our goal was to build a music platform enabling us to charge our customers in a subscription model and as one-off payments. The platform needed to hold an extensive collection of music tracks and be easily browsable, labeled and searched. Hence we needed a company with a good track record of delivering big web platforms and maintaining them in the long run. We hired Bravelab because after we had gathered several proposals, they offered a most flexible and modern solution.

SOLUTION

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

We had a good history working together in the past. They delivered previous projects without problems and on time. This time though, the biggest deciding factors were proposed architecture and appropriate team composition.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Before we started, our scope was overwhelming. We had a dozen or so modules to do. Together with Brave, we divided the project into smaller and deliverable parts. The project included components such as Python Backend, API provided by Hasura GraphQL, Frontend Vue.js App and Flutter Mobile App. We involved two Python developers, three frontend developers, UI/UX designer and a QA tester. The planning phase was consulted with Bravelab as an additional consulting IT project. Our main goal was to implement subscription business logic, music file importers (thousands of tracks), a search engine, and an account page. Performance and scalability were essential as well.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

At the height of the project, we had eight people. In the beginning, two backend developers and three frontend developers were engaged. Later we had one Flutter Developer who was responsible for mobile app development. This was running alongside the main web platform effort. They also provided a UX consultant and QA tester, DevOps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bravelab’s developers were super engaged. Thanks to their effort, we prepared MVP and started working on the marketing. The first biggest technology milestone was achieved during five months. The second milestone will be to maintain and develop new modules, and we will be continuing cooperation with Bravelab.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We used Kanban as a working methodology. Brave helped us to prepare a backlog, organize the workflow and make some habits around product development. They proposed bi-weekly demos, and we had daily meetings as the primary communication channel. Some of the tools we used daily were Notion for product documentation, Jira for backlog management, Slack for communication, and Loom for demos recording. Bravelab.io's communication was exceptional, as we never experienced any problems.

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

Their solutions worked very well. They have also sped up the development by taking advantage of Low Code tools like Hasura.io, balancing it with more established ones like AWS, Python, Django, Vue.js.

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

At the moment, it’s hard to say as we are just launching the platform for the first beta users. Bravelab is mostly focused on Python development. They can outsource other skills - what they did for us with UI/UX and QA. However, I know their approach, “Less is more”, helps them focus on their area of expertise, Python backend development. Apart from that, we are delighted with their ability to find and assign the best talents to the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CSHARK is a software and product development company. We help enterprises with digital transformation and start-ups with translating ideas into products. With over 8 years of experience in the market, we have over 300 people onboard. We develop web and mobile applications from scratch, and we also advise companies with extensive domain knowledge to find the right technology solutions for their challenges.

We have grown up on FinTech projects, but now we are increasingly delivering projects for various industries related to biotech, music, energy, and IoT sectors. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, we were ranked among the fastest-growing companies in Europe by the Financial Times.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bravelab.io, and what were your goals?

Bravelab helped us boost the software development with staff augmentation for a project done with a UK based client.

SOLUTION

How did you select Bravelab.io and what were the deciding factors?

We chose Bravelab as they're reliable, trustworthy and know what they're doing. We consulted Bravelab regarding Python development on many occasions and when the right one came we decided to deliver services together.

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

Agile and Scrum Project Management Python/Django Software Development

How many people from the Bravelab.io team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Senior Python/Django Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome was the development of a digital ID solution for one of our customers.

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

Agile/Scrum Jira Slack

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

The quality of the code provided and their general understanding of processes were impressive. Also, their communication skills of both developers and management, reliability and a common sense when it comes to prices - which are not low but are reasonable.

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

Honestly, I don't see any. Keep on doing what you're doing!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of Panther Solutions

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bravelab.io, and what were your goals?

We have developed a cloud software System generating automated price recommendations for retailers applying AI technology. The objective is to improve the overall revenues and profitability by making better pricing decisions, for both bricks-and-mortar retailers (shops) and online activities.

Now, the problem we faced when we looked for an external development partner was threefold:

1. We needed to improve our overall system performance and enable for continuous scalability,
2. We were looking for external technology expertise in some specific development areas,
3. We needed to act quickly and were lacking the required additional development resources internally.

SOLUTION

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

We undertook a quite intense pitch contest looking at five pre-identified potential external development teams and finally Bravelab was the one that convinced us the most. We were looking not just for executing resources but for a team that contributes with additional technology expertise and that had the experience to quickly convert their technological know-how into suitable proposals.Their proactive approach in questioning our proposed development plan finally led to a much better result than we have initially even imagined.

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

Bravelab proposed to migrate from the old technology (flask) to the new FastAPI and refactor the current functionality. The goal was to optimize and reduce the technical debt of the application. We also adapted to the new front and accelerated the application.The solution is based on the latest front-end technologies. The Bravelab team used Python, PostgreSQL, FastAPI, SQLAlchemy and Vue.js (in frontend)

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

The team consitedt of 3 experienced and highly motivated developers, we had frontend and backend developers, and we were working closely with UI/UX designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Bravelab’s work we were able to split frontend of the project with the backend, also we improved by far the responsiveness of the application due to new technology used.The last important outcome is the new look of the app thanks to new UI design.

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

We work very closely with the Bravelab’s team and our own. We really appreciated good communication and an agile attitude.

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

Their elastic approach to new technologies is worth mentioning. Also we are really happy about fast implementation of the proposed solutions. We were also satisfied with the really fast project onboarding and communication.

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

There were no critical issues to address.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Agraffia - advertising, marketing, printing, custom signage, custom app development. Owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bravelab.io, and what were your goals?

Bravelab was hire to develop custom application used to purchase event tickets. Main goals included: ticket shop set-up, simplicity of getting orders, attendance verification, QR code implementation and Stripe connection.

SOLUTION

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

Bravelab was recommended by my close friend who was working with the team. Bravelab was chosen based on their experience and reliability and also, 15 years of experience in this field.

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

An Application for managing ticket sales for the pilgrimage (events in USA). Volunteers can verify that the purchase process was carried out correctly by scanning the ticket with a QR code. Moreover Stripe application was involved. Saleor 2.10, Saleor Dashboard, and Saleor Storefront were used to build the application. This efficient, flexible platform allowed us to create a dynamic e-commerce application.

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

There were 5 people including a project manager. The team included 2 senior backend developers and 1senior frontend developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The main goal was achieved. The application is working and running smoothly. Client sold almost 600 tickets through this application, which was 1/3 of all orders/attendance. There were some issues with Stripe due to server provider location but team overcome the issue and resolved it in 100%.

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

Due to type of the project and client location (USA), we (client/vendor/developers) used all kinds of communication networks including social networks like Whats app, or Skype etc. For internal communication they were using Slack software. The project was developed on time but due to a type of the project is still in the development/improvement stage.

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

A bright, young group of people who is always eager to go further with their idea. Great communication through the whole project development. I would highly recommend this company.

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

At this point I don't see any area of their work which requires changes or improvements. I would use their services for future projects.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am marketing specialist in company which produce and provide gutter systems in Poland and abroad.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bravelab.io, and what were your goals?

We hired Bravelab to develop a simple but useful mobile app in which our contractors can find detailed instructions during assembly works. The main aim of the project was that the app will be easy to use and work well with any mobile device.

SOLUTION

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

We choose the company from our UX/UI designer. The deciding factor was to have someone who is reliable and has experience with mobile app development.

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

Galeco specializes in the design, production and distribution of roof gutters, gutter systems, rainwater drainage systems from flat roofs, as well as PVC roof soffit. The aim of the project was to develop a mobile application. The application is intended to help installers during assembly work. Application is very simple. It has the possibility of authorization, receiving notifications and replaying or reading assembly instructions. The application was made with the use of Expo (React native), on the backend the Django framework was also used.

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

Bravelab designated the team of 3 people: Frontend Developer, Backend Developer and also a Business Developer to assist us with any inquiries that we had.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are not able to share much information, but we have many voices that are really positive about the app and it is something innovative and easy to use.

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

We worked with 3 people inside of Bravelab, who were available for us all the time. We shared our feedback constantly so we could work simultaneously on a few things at the time. We would like to also put a point on the time delivery and constant email and slack communication.

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

Their communication was flawless, and we always felt secured.

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

I can't think of anything that I would change.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a chairman of the board of Mag-moto that is working on the e-commerce industry. Our shop delivers for our clients motorcycle clothing at best prices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bravelab.io, and what were your goals?

The main challenge of the project was updating the old versions of the shop due to accidents on the servers to a new technology based on Saleor architecture.

SOLUTION

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

We got to know Bravelab.io through our cooperation with the last version of the shop.

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

Bravelab’s team used a platform called Saleor (GraphQL code -first e-commerce platform delivering ultra-fast, dynamic and personalized shopping experiences) to decrease technological debt and make it useful. They configured the shop to our needs and implemented payments through the api.

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

Bravelab’s team was involved in developing the whole solution. During the development process, we have cooperated with two frontend and backend developers from their company, also we had a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bravelab’s team delivered their part of the project on time. They did a great job implementing the scope that we needed. We are now on a straight path to start our work again. Within a few days after launch we had a 20% increase in sales on our platform.

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

We had so called weekly meetings where we were discussing the project status, also we communicated with the project manager every day on the phone. They have used slack and jira to maintain communication.

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

Apart from the highly motivated and skillful developers, we were impressed by how fast they fix bugs and deliver results. We had our working shop in not longer as 2 weeks, and that's impressive.

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

I can't think of anything that I would change.