ClearSummit

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Respondent 1: We’re both co-founders of an app that allows students to connect with other students to facilitate peer learning. Students sign up on the app and tell us which school they’re apart of. Once we have that piece of information, we know which courses are being offered. Then we index that school by those courses. So when a student needs help, they can search by course. Then students and tutors an participate in a chat conversation through our application. If they feel like they have a good working relationship, they can enter a video chat where learning can take place. At the end, the tutor gets paid and the student will get charged.

What challenge were you trying to address with ClearSummit?

R1: The challenge was creating a scalable application that we could use to onboard hundreds of schools across the US. When we came to Clear Summit, we had an application on the App Store, but it wasn’t written professionally and it wasn’t scalable. We wanted to have the best shot at success by having the best app possible. We had a bare-bones structure and asked them to revamp it to fit our needs.

R2: ClearSUmmit redid the entire app. Originally, we coded the app in Swift with a PHP backend, and it wasn’t very stable. ClearSummit attacked the original problem we were facing and theorized for us how we’d go about iterating and solving it. They totally redesigned the app, rebuilt it, and reactivated it with a Django Python backend, with a more scalable infrastructure so we could support users on iOS and Android. They took our product from 0 to 100.

What was the scope of their involvement?

R2: All of the functionality that we have in this application is a result of the work that ClearSummit did. So having a programmable chat interface, a video chat interface, processing payment between users, every design work that we did. They redefined our internal search. We had a natural language processing algorithm to determine which courses were similar to one another across different colleges. They restructured how we rant that and made it faster. They left their footprint on every facet of the application, and left it in a much better state than what we first presented them.

R1: They revamped the front- and backend for the entire site. I don’t think there isn’t a single page they didn’t change.

What is the team composition?

R1: We worked around five people.

R2: I think we worked with a few more than that. We worked with about five engineers, the founders of ClearSumit, their designers, and project managers.

How did you come to work with ClearSummit?

R1: I think we used Clutch.

What is the status of this engagement?

R1: We started working with them in May 2019 and we still work with them. We anticipate an ongoing collaboration well into the lifespan of our business.

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

R2: They’ve added value in addition to development. As an example of what they’ve taken upon themselves — we were creating a new version of the app and we expressed interest of understanding our user base more and retrieving data. They came back to us and suggested incorporating a panel into the app. Essentially, we met with them for 15–20 minutes, and within a week or two, they implemented it.

They’ve also offered to make changes that are going to help the business. We don’t see them just as a development partner, but also as a business partner. We can trust them to ask about the best user journey, user flow, and what we should change.

R1: They have a multi-faceted team. They help us figure out not just what we want, but what else we should be asking. They’ve done a great job at getting us to where we are now.

How did ClearSummit perform from a project management standpoint?

R1: One of their main strengths is how responsive and organized they are. It feels like they’re moving as a team rather than as individuals. Everyone’s in sync and on the same page. We’ve looked at how their team functions when it comes to communication, and we want to incorporate some of those principles into our business as well.

R2: They perform at a high level. We use Slack, Zoom, and Notion to have clear communication with them so everyone is on the same page. We have meeting notes that are done every time we discuss new things. Everything has always been clear. They’re so responsive, so we feel like we have a constant back and forth over our Slack channel.

R1: We use a myriad of tools depending on what type of information we’re transferring. We often use Notion, but we also use Slack for cost communication and Jira for bug ticketing. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

R1: One thing that sets them apart is the friendliness of their code. We’re both technical and have never coded in React Native before but once they transferred the entire application, it was organized in such a neat way, it was written clearly, and was so optimized from database and rendering perspective, it was very easy for us to follow what they produced. We could take off from there and actually were able to engage with them in the development process.

Beyond that, communication is a huge advantage for them. They’re clear in where they are in the development process, so it’s very easy for us to track their progress and ask pointed questions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

R1: I don’t think anything comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

R2: Open communication goes a really long way it helps with a) understanding the features and bugs they’re working with, but also b) it helps set and align goals and expectations for the coming week. So communication is key.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of an early-stage company called Two Sparx, a social app designed specifically for grandparents and grandchildren to stay in touch.

What challenge were you trying to address with ClearSummit?

I hired them to build the app. As a first-time founder who has never launched an app before, it was important for me to find a firm with whom I could develop a strong, longterm relationship.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided them with very low-fidelity wireframes just to give them a sense of what I was looking to do. ClearSummit then used React to design and develop the app.

I knew that my audience primarily used iOS but I also wanted the infrastructure to allow for the flexibility to be used for Android as well. The UX designers also provided suggestions on the color palette.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a total of five teammates but I interacted most frequently with the UX designer in the first phase, the lead engineer in the second phase, and the project manager during QA. 

How did you come to work with ClearSummit?

I interviewed over 12 firms including ClearSummit to educate myself on the different services that they could offer. What stood out to me was Shane’s (Founder & CEO) technical expertise. He came back with incredibly thoughtful questions about my needs and opportunities. He was also very candid about time and costs.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project kicked off in October 2019 but they only started working on the app in November of that year. We wrapped up the first delivery of the build in February 2020. I still have a support and maintenance package with them.

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

Although Shane took more of a behind-the-scenes role after the initial engagement, if there were ever any issues, I was able to call him. He cares about client satisfaction and holds himself accountable for the quality of his team. 

There were a couple of times where we could’ve had major hiccups or bumps, but Shane was very hands-on and forthcoming in terms of finding a solution. 

How did ClearSummit perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is one of ClearSummit’s strengths. I also have a strong relationship with the project manager which is key since I don’t have a technical background and this is the first app that I’m building. 

We communicated through Slack and the bulk of the project management was done through Notion. I also had access to Figma where I was able to see the designs and the backend.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ClearSummit is not cookie-cutter — they tailored their approach according to my project while keeping in line with initial expectations around budget, scope, and deadline. Additionally, they do what they say they’re going to do, and their UX designers are incredible. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. No project is perfect and nothing ever goes to plan. That said, I’m a very forthcoming person and they met me with equal transparency, so we were able to quickly find a solution to anything that came up.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You get out of something what you put in. Have a clear vision of what you want and don’t want to do because scope creep can happen quickly and easily. Going into it as a partnership. Everyone’s taking a risk and both parties need to trust each other because that will affect the quality of the end-product.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a startup company focused on the insurance industry, with some financial services overlap. We primarily cater to high-net-worth investors. 

I’m the director of client services, and I help with the ongoing administration of insurance policy portfolios that clients acquire with us.

What challenge were you trying to address with ClearSummit?

Prior to the launch of our company, it was really important to us that we have a very crisp, visual presentation of our website. However, most crucial was the development of a portal that would allow our clients to easily access their portfolios. We needed support building both of those technologies.

What was the scope of their involvement?

ClearSummit helped us develop blueprints for and ultimately build both our website and our client portal with Django.

In the beginning stages of the project, ClearSummit took the lead, as we didn’t provide any technical contribution. Now, since the bulk of the work has been done, they’re starting to train us around additional features we could implement in the future. The team is collaborating with us to introduce new ways to navigate ongoing maintenance and administration of the portal on our own.

On the website, the team helped us customize our own version of traditional pages. Also, the portal itself, which is part of the website, is invitation only. Because it’s not freely accessible, ClearSummit supported us in developing the communication flow for new clients— such as what triggers invitations and what that invitation should look like. 

We also worked on some imaging, charts, and graphs that would capture a lot of the information found in the documents we house on the portal.

Currently, though the website has launched, ClearSummit assists with some minor adjustments and tweaking. 

What is the team composition?

At any given moment, there were four to eight people involved, though there were more people toward the end of the project.

How did you come to work with ClearSummit?

We found out about ClearSummit through one of our contacts. 

We had a thorough interviewing process with them, calling up references and conducting comparative analyses between their team and others. We ultimately decided to pair with ClearSummit because of their extensive expertise and their familiarity with our industry.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $500,000 at this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ClearSummit in April 2019. We officially launched in January 2020, though the work is ongoing as the team supports the revision process.

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

The website is officially up and running, and it represents us, our business, and our core values well. We saw a lot of activity at launch, and we’ve received very positive feedback from users on both the design and functionality. As we haven’t been live long, we’re continuing to work with ClearSummit to implement modifications based on user feedback. 

We’re really pleased with a lot of the functionalities ClearSummit applied, especially the visual representation aspect of the portal. We wanted something different from the typical dashboard layout of investment portfolios, and ClearSummit helped us achieve that. Formatting and presentation are extremely important to us, and ClearSummit has taught us what platforms we could use to keep things succinct.

How did ClearSummit perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed really well. I have my own project management style, but I’ve learned a lot from them in terms of valuable tools to use. Since our engagement, everyone in my firm is an expert in Jira and in agile project management. 

The entire process was very collaborative, and ClearSummit was always willing to dedicate time and effort to understanding both our product and any disconnects that occurred between our two teams. 

A lot of discussion and knowledge-trading took place between our organization and theirs, as we’re both experienced in our respective fields. At times, we both had to be willing to understand why we were moving in a specific direction, and to compromise in order to navigate the project successfully. 

ClearSummit was very amenable throughout that process, remaining receptive to feedback and available to speak with at all times. We never had a problem connecting with someone, from our day-to-day developers to some of the company’s top members. I had the opportunity to work closely with one of the founders, who made himself available to me whenever I needed.

It was a nice touch to have someone at a high level come down and actually work over the shoulder with the programmers, to get the project off the ground and be sensitive to our timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ClearSummit’s entire team has great chemistry, and they all give total, 100% effort. We never witnessed anyone slacking, and it wouldn’t be unusual for me to receive an email late at night or early in the morning. That quality really makes them stand out.

They also bring a degree of maturity and sophistication to the project. While they didn’t have highly specific knowledge of our industry, they were able to speak to best practices and provide sound advice to our team. We really appreciated ClearSummit’s foresight and willingness to push back against our ideas when necessary.

Are there any areas they could improve?

ClearSummit could benefit from tightening up the QA process. They definitely provided QA and never gave us anything that didn’t get a pass or a look-over, but the nuance associated with our specific industry requires a different level. However, the team did adjust to our needs and develop that skill internally.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

When deciding who to work with for a tech project, develop a scenario to give them a small, bite-sized piece of the project as a test-run, to be confident in their capabilities.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations officer for an online travel website. I make decisions related to software development, integration, and implementation.

What challenge were you trying to address with ClearSummit?

We wanted to integrate an API to our online booking website that we were building from scratch. The API interacted with our backend and an interface that we designed.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They acted as our outsourced development team. ClearSummit created an interface that was modern and user-friendly on mobile devices. There were many filtering, sorting, and imaging features that were optimized for mobile. The program was written in Python.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of five: Cole (Project Manager, ClearSummit), Shane (Founder, ClearSummit), Corey (Full Stack Developer, ClearSummit), Austin (Head of Design ClearSummit) and Max (Strategy, ClearSummit).

How did you come to work with ClearSummit?

I found them on Clutch. The kickoff conversation was with Shane and Max.

How much have you invested with them?

Our team invested $230,000 in the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started conversations in October and November. Development started in December 2018 and ended in December 2019.

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

We’ve just begun marketing through online advertising and social media. There have been several bookings on the website each day, so that’s been successful. We’re expecting an exponential increase as we start accumulating more return clients and as the website begins to circulate online.

How did ClearSummit perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily organize through Slack. There were also weekly meetings where we worked out the tasks we had going on. Those were held via Zoom video sharing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very hands-on and invested in the project. We feel as if they are partners because of their level of involvement when it comes to creativity and innovation. Because of this, they are also consultants when it comes to the business model of the website, not just developers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only issue was that or API provider, not attached to ClearSummit, dropped the ball and failed to get the API running on time. That wasn’t on them; they were very patient despite all the errors we were running into.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise customers to give creative freedom and independence to them. You should take the recommendations and advice that is coming from their side because that ultimately adds value to the business, rather than being narrow-minded.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of product design for a company that makes a consumer IoT device that’s installed in homes. The device protects from leaks and encourages water conservation. I’m responsible for overseeing the UX & UI design, frontend app development, web design, and creation of brand and marketing materials.

For what projects/services did your company hire ClearSummit?

Our company has a hardware solution that requires a companion application (iOS and Android) for our customers to communicate with the system. Users would be able to set up the device, monitor activity, and control water flow in the installed location. We hired ClearSummit to build this application.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted an app that would be highly-ranked to accompany our hardware, allowing users to understand the activity in their plumbing systems and communicate with our leak-prevention device. The app also needed to be created in time for our scheduled product launch.

How did you select this vendor?

I worked with ClearSummit on a previous project and was impressed with their app development skills. I compared several other vendors and was unable to find one that I felt confident could complete the job in our timeframe. ClearSummit quickly grasped the scope of the project, understanding the complexity of the problems that needed solving.

Describe the project in detail.

The criteria for this project included a React Native framework, iOS and Android versions, and hardware integration. The apps also needed to integrate with our company’s site and be built following the design spec created by our internal design team.

ClearSummit was heavily involved in the initial design discovery phases, assisting in the authoring of requirements and spec documentation. Once that phase was complete, their team worked with our product design, cloud, machine learning and other teams to incorporate each domain’s requirements into the development of the application. Shane (Founder & CEO, ClearSummit) created most of the application architecture and primary code base.

What was the team composition?

ClearSummit provided one to three developers based on our weekly needs. The developers worked in tandem with a project manager, product design lead, UX designer, UI designer, FW engineer, Cloud engineer, QA lead, and machine learning lead.

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

The product launched on time, having a 4+ rating in both Android and iOS app stores. We’ve continued using ClearSummit’s services for ongoing development as our product matures.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was pretty effective. It was an overall flat team structure that utilized Agile development techniques.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciate their depth of experience. ClearSummit creates elegant solutions to challenges we threw at them with a minimal learning curve. They have an incredible work ethic, delivering top-notch services, even on weekends and holidays. ClearSummit has a rare talent of understanding what they’re building and what user context it needs to function with. This fosters a collaborative environment where both designers and developers can push boundaries, completing their best work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an associate producer at Intellectual Property Corporation. I oversee and run the Project Foodie app, which teaches people how to cook from start to finish. We offer dozens of episodes, ranging from five minutes to an hour, in which chefs provide real-time instruction.

What challenge were you trying to address with ClearSummit?

My team had a clear vision, but we lacked the development skills necessary to build an app with the high-level features and functionalities that we wanted. We hired ClearSummit to oversee the Project Foodie app build, from start to finish.  

What was the scope of their involvement?

ClearSummit used my company’s creative design input and wireframes to build an iOS app, compatible with all iPhones and iPads. The team created various features, including integrated shopping lists, timers, tags, and search functions. They also made the recipes scalable so that users could adjust them according to their serving size requirements.  

What is the team composition?

Initially, we engaged with an intermediary between ClearSummit and us. We eventually worked directly with ClearSummit, mainly engaging with Kara (Co-Founder & Advisor, ClearSummit) and Shane (Founder & CEO, ClearSummit).

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $325,000–$350,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

My company began working with ClearSummit in 2015, and the product launched in November 2017. We discontinued maintenance support in January 2019; however, when we need future updates or maintenance, we will reengage ClearSummit.

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

Without ClearSummit, we couldn’t have built this app. The team implemented all of the designs that an ad agency created, and they completed any updates that we wanted.

How did ClearSummit perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was very good. If we had any issues, they dropped everything for us. They shared relevant marketing opportunities with us and were incredibly helpful overall. Our teams communicated via Slack, email, and phone. We had in-person meetings as well.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were the app’s biggest contributors. ClearSummit created an app that is incredibly functional and reliable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they did a great job. We only have positive things to say.

Any advice for potential customers?

Just communicate what you want, and they’ll make it happen.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and founder of RealKey, a mortgage technology company.

What challenge were you trying to address with ClearSummit?

We needed help developing a web platform for our new product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

ClearSummit developed a web-based platform, using Python, Angular, and Node.js. They referred a design firm for us to use for the frontend, but developed the backend from scratch. One of the features they built allows us to send emails to users to collect documents in one place while keeping them private from other parties involved in the process. PDFs are then sorted digitally, a loan officer can review them in real time, and more information is available to the consumers from there.

What is the team composition? 

I worked directly with Shane (Founder and CEO, ClearSummit), who acted as the main developer, and Kara (Co-founder and COO, ClearSummit), who managed the project.

How did you come to work with ClearSummit?

Our CTO recommended them. In addition to their strong portfolio of work, we liked that they were based in California so we could visit them in person on occasion. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested somewhere around $65,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from around March–August 2018.

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

ClearSummit developed an effective platform that continues to attract and satisfy the needs of users. We hope to work with them again to add new features shortly. 

How did ClearSummit perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great to work with. They held daily stand-ups, provided weekly updates, and were very responsive on Slack, Jira, and Trello. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like the fact that the owners were so involved in the project. They had a thorough understanding of our needs and were able to provide top-notch solutions and service. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It'd always be nice to have more of Shane's time, but I know he's quite busy and has other functions within the company. Overall, the engagement went very smoothly. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide clear designs and a defined scope of work to make it easier for them to hit the ground running. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a strategy, design and development agency. It is a small 10-person company and I have been there for about four years. I’ve gone through a gamut of different responsibilities. I started out at as a general quality assurance/account manager and my final role has been more of a product manager.

What challenge were you trying to address with ClearSummit?

We needed iOS development. We were trying to do some augmented reality work. We had a museum as a client and we were working on the development of an iOS app. It had imagery and 3D renderings of objects and places based off locations on a satellite map that was printed on the museum’s exhibit floor.

What was the scope of their involvement?

ClearSummit has worked on a few different projects with us. They effectively built three applications from scratch and did a handful of other things that involved the maintenance or creation of new features.

After we worked on the museum application, they helped with a few other applications that were somewhat similar. One regarded a historic plantation that was converted and owned by a southern state. It gave a tour of the historical elements of what happened with slavery and the trials and tribulations of different people, to share with the public in terms of remembrance.

We also dealt with a health and medicine app. It helped with non-emergency medical transportation for non-emergency medical issues. It was for people needing to go to the hospital or who were being discharged, especially for Medicaid patients. It was essentially an Uber app for non-emergency medical transportation. Shane [President, ClearSummit] and Kara [COO, ClearSummit] and the team helped us with all facets of the mobile development on that one. They guided us through the API needs for the web application, to the app and vice versa, as well as consulted us on distribution strategy and general work.

Now, we have a couple of updates we need help with and we’re chatting with them. We just got some estimates for some very small work in historical value, mainly small maintenance things. We're going to check with the client for approval on budgets first. Once that is approved, we’ll make sure ClearSummit is an approved vendor for them as well.

How did you come to work with ClearSummit?

We were looking for one person to hire. Shane jumped in at a really good time and helped not only with the development of solving problems with code but also general product guidance. Shane and Kara helped with a lot of the different details and facets that you often deal with in the product land. They would go ahead and communicate directly with our developers, our product managers, and our QA people, and really became a big part of the team. A lot of other development companies or contractors I deal with often need to be managed through a single point person and need more hand-holding. ClearSummit is just more adaptive, can jump around, and solve problems. They understand who the stakeholders are in each project and get the work done by coordinating everything.

How much have you invested with them?

I prefer to keep it confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2014 until 2017, but are looking to continue the partnership.

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

For code quality, there was general testing to ensure issues weren’t going to come up. They always provided something that was top quality and we never ran into crazy issues. If an issue did come up, we talked about it on the phone and resolved it very quickly. This alleviated stress. We had a team we could rely on as much as with an internal strategic partner, but with an outside benefit of being tied to the project and not a giant cost to us. We got all the benefits.

How did ClearSummit perform from a project management standpoint?

Kara took a lead with project management. They were definitely good at coordinating all the tasks. In terms of overall communication, we eventually requested a weekly check-in with them. They were on top with communication, weekly check-ins, and communication over Slack. They were part of our product team, rather than just an outsourced, delivery engagement.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their response time was always impressive. They can facilitate getting anything done in terms of app development, and they are always pretty quick to reach and access. One of the main things I loved about working with Shane and ClearSummit, is that when we ran into a request or issue we didn’t fully understand, but knew that there was some type of app development required, we could jump on the phone with them and they could help us brainstorm the solution or what the process needed to be.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, they were pretty good. I know they use other developers in-house, so communicating the overall team structure at the start of a project could be a good idea to do. There was one instance where there was a secondary developer working on small or side objects, and we just weren’t aware of them. We talked about this and came to an understanding.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a founder of WeeAct, a decision-making social network. 

What challenge were you trying to address with ClearSummit?

We needed our app to be built. If a user is facing a decision like where they should take their girlfriend for dinner, they can post 2 pictures of restaurants for everyone to vote on. After they get feedback from everybody, the user can take a picture or video and send it to everyone who voted. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a fully functional iOS app for us. If anything wasn’t functional, they took care of it. They did a project-based rate, which we appreciated because mistakes can add a lot of billable time. We wanted to make a native app, so we used Swift3. The code base is clean. They worked directly with our CTO, and the process went smoothly.

Shane [Co-Founder and Lead Engineer, ClearSummit] always gave us options—Mixpanel, Django, or something else. We went with Django and Mixpanel. We have a backend, a login, an add-picture function, and 2 feeds that run simultaneously. One is the voting feed, and the other is a feed with results from the decisions that were made. We have a part where users agree to the terms of service through TestFlight.

The app has been uploaded to the App Store. We also use a product called Buddybuild for testing. We used Xcode on GitHub for version control, which was extremely helpful. Everything worked seamlessly.

How did you come to work with ClearSummit?

I’ve built apps before using overseas developers and had some issues with that process. I wanted to hire someone local that I could talk to. Making a decision took a while. We conducted an online search to find the right fit, specifically people who had an actual office. I reviewed all the proposals and talked to different firms in person. The proposals were hard to judge because I was new to this area. I ended up picking somebody with a project scope that was too ambitious. They got it done, but the work took a year longer than they said it would.

Then, we had a meeting with Shane. He’s close to our age, which we liked. He had a relationship with social networks similar to ours and could see our vision better than some other people we’d talked to. He also had a knowledge base that was larger than most of the other developers we talked to. Kara [Co-Founder and Project Manager, ClearSummit] was also helpful from both a legal and a technological standpoint.

We met with them twice, and Shane took on another project while we were still looking. We were upset about that at first, but then it took us longer to get things together on our end. When we had everything ready, we hired ClearSummit as soon as they finished the other project. Working with Shane was a great experience because we knew he was our guy after long conversations with him. He did a good job with the proposal process and seemed genuine, especially compared to some other people who spoke with us. 

With overseas companies, I often encounter a disconnect culturally. For example, I had built a children’s app for autism with a provider overseas. Once, I asked for a supermarket, and they sent me a supermarket from their home town, which is in Europe in a low socioeconomic area. Communication issues often pop up too. That provider had someone in California, but he suddenly disappeared, and I wound up working with people overseas, which meant I had to wait a week or more to get a response to my messages.

What is the status of this engagement?

I’m not sure when we started working with them. The collaboration is ongoing. 

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

We’ve gotten really positive feedback from users. ClearSummit is quick to make fixes. We’ve had meetings with them directly. They’re understanding and give us sophisticated estimates. We trust them.

How did ClearSummit perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack and email to communicate. Shane also used Buddybuild for design, which is fantastic. We were able to explain what we wanted, and if he had deeper questions, he could call us directly or we could meet with him.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have an impressive level of direct engagement. I think it’s a generation thing because we’re a younger company. It was nice to partner with someone young who wasn’t a know-it-all. This industry is constantly changing, so I don’t want someone to tell me how it is. I want someone to talk to me in the right way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they did a great job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers who may work with them in the future?

Try to meet with them in person. 

Please describe your organization.

The company name is Village Labs. The product that we built is called Village for Parents. It's basically a knowledge-sharing app for new moms and dads.

What is your position?

I'm the founder and president.

What business challenge were you trying to address with ClearSummit?

When we approached ClearSummit, we already had an MVP [minimum viable product] published in the App Store, but that was an anemic version, like many MVPs are. It didn't have very many features and was bare bones. We needed somebody who could handle both front-end and back-end development and was willing to work with us to bring our vision to life. In interviewing a bunch of people, Shane gave us the most confidence that ClearSummit was the best fit for the project.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

The designs were all done in-house, although Shane [Zilinskas, CEO of ClearSummit] certainly provided feedback in terms of technical feasibility for the designs. However, Shane was mainly in charge of all the front-end and back-end codes. One thing that really impressed me was, the back-end of our MVP had been built with Ruby on Rails, and ClearSummit had done most of their projects in Python. However, they were able to learn that language completely, and use it to build our app without any problems.

How did you come to work with ClearSummit?

I put an ad out on weworkremotely.com and, of the 80 or so responses I got, ClearSummit was just head and shoulders above everybody else based on their portfolio of work. The clear understanding that he had of what we had already built, making some early suggestions that were right on point. From a technical standpoint, it was very obvious he's competent there. Also, he was just extremely pleasant, and an easy guy to work with. When he tells you he's going to get something done, he gets it done.

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

It was in the $50,000 to $100,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with ClearSummit from May 2014 to April 2016. In that time, we typically worked in three-week sprint cycles.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I recently shut the app down because we weren't able to scale it as quickly as we needed to. However, that is not at all related to Shane. I had total confidence in the technology built by ClearSummit. We actually were a Webby award honoree this past year.

What distinguishes ClearSummit from other providers?

I think Shane is what sets them apart. He's an incredibly versatile person. That's the one thing that I would say, he's capable of handling many different tasks at a very high level. He's also dedicated when it comes to meeting deadlines and exceeding expectations. He takes that seriously and takes a lot of pride in his work. It really shows.

Is there anything ClearSummit could have improved or done differently?

I can't think of anything. Essentially, all of the problems we faced in this company were outside of Shane's control.