Cobuild Lab Inc

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a marketing platform for businesses such as bars and restaurants. We provide deals and promotions available on our platform to customers on behalf of our partner businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cobuild Lab Inc?

We were looking to build an iOS and Android app and a website that would allow us to fully function with our partners using technological solutions. Through the app and website, we could also interact directly with customers. To do these, we hired Cobuild. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We collaborated with Cobuild on the scope of the project; our team determined what we wanted to build based on our vision, and they brought in their technical expertise to it. The team helped us understand what was attainable based on our requirements.  

Cobuild also broke down all associated costs and baseline expenses that we’d incur for any additional features we wanted to add. They also provided technical support for the deliverables that we tested, ensuring that our objectives were properly met. 

Moreover, the team spent time looking into the best solutions to implement the functionality we wanted. We provided wireframes, and they provided us with options on what the features would look like one way or another. 

At present, the main deliverables have been completed, but we’re still engaged with them in a partnership. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with approximately five people, including Angel (Founder & CEO). Meanwhile, we communicate with Maria (Marketing Coordinator) whenever we need to relay feedback to the team. She also talks to us when deliverables are completed or if changes need to be made on any action items. We’ve also worked with backend developers and designers. Our team’s also in touch with another person who makes sure that payments are properly sent. 

How did you come to work with Cobuild Lab Inc?

I connected with Angel a couple of years ago when I had an idea for a different project. I pitched that project to him, and he reached out to me. We exchanged emails and phone calls, and then we met in person to sit down and hash out everything.

With that in mind, I chose him and Cobuild for this project because he believed it would be beneficial for his company. It wasn’t just another money grab. He gave me feedback and ideas, and I didn’t just dictate things to him. That was how we started working together. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $15,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in February 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t received any feedback on Colbuild’s work; we’re still working on it. 

How did Cobuild Lab Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is good. We primarily use Trello as a way to document our action items. It helps us know any outstanding, completed, and modified work. To communicate, we use instant messaging, phone calls, and emails. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

What distinguishes Cobuild is their ability to be interactive and personable with the people involved in the project. We work with them hand in hand as if they were part of our internal team. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some deliverables have taken a lot longer than we initially expected. The communication could have been better in this aspect. To be fair, this might have been because the project’s dynamics have shifted as we move along. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate everything. Tell Cobuild your requirements upfront, and build rapport with whoever is assigned to your project.  Create a communication channel with them that’s suited for both sides and makes it easier to talk. It can be instant messaging or a more formal channel. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of an Accelerator program for scalable, early-stage startups. I am the lead advisor and I help our member startups execute on the growth action plans that we define together with them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cobuild Lab Inc, and what were your goals?

We have worked with Cobuild on several MVP projects for our member startups. The goals were to get a product defined and out to market as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible so they could begin to establish their product market fit and reach traction milestones.

SOLUTION

How did you select Cobuild Lab Inc and what were the deciding factors?

We've worked with many dev shops but the team at Cobuild is the most responsive and effective. We needed a team which facilitated regular communication and weekly releases so we can follow the development progress along each step of the project.

In addition, we needed a team that understands business and could help define what features were really necessary at certain points in the project.

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

Web app development for consumer and B2B products.

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

We worked with Angel and Alan in their capacities as founders and project managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Each project was launched on time and to spec.

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

We enjoyed regular communication either in-person, via email, or through WhatsApp.

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

Their commitment to their word, and their strategic advice, when approached with a project, is impressive.

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

Nope- everything has been great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of an all-in-one artist management platform for emerging visual artists to organize, track, and sell artwork. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cobuild Lab Inc?

They were helping me in my prototype stage, so I wanted to work with them moving into the MVP build as well.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided a working prototype, and they translated that into code. That allowed us to upload graphics and test processes, taking the project from an internal dashboard to a public-facing profile page that I could use to seel artwork. 

The final solution is a web app that was created using Javascript and 8base. At this point, we’re still tweaking some elements of the app, but I plan on doing a soft launch in December 2020.   

What is the team composition?

I worked with Angel (Chief of Product Development) and Jacqueline (Product Manager).

How did you come to work with Cobuild Lab Inc?

I met Angel at an event for startup networking. There, we met and exchanged business cards. From there, I kept in touch with him and grew our relationship until I needed his assistance in my work. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $8,000–$10,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since August 2020.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My hope for the platform was to be very minimal in order to let the vibrant artwork grab attention. They designed the platform to ensure that the work stands out. They’re fulfilling my aims by taking a minimal design approach.  

How did Cobuild Lab Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

There was a slight language barrier, and I wish there was a bit more of a clear project management process through a platform. That would’ve kept us from communicating exclusively through email.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Angel has been direct and open with me about their progress on my project. They’re knowledgeable and give advice that benefits my project rather than their bottom line. It’s been refreshing and smooth to engage with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There could be more streamlined communication, but I’ve enjoyed the relationship. I’m looking forward to getting the app up and running.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do research on how you want your app to look and feel. That will help them do their best work.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Kadem Education, an education management startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cobuild Lab Inc?

We were creating an application to capture formative assessments for teachers and educators. We needed someone to help us convert our research in the area of culture improvements for school into a technology solution that would allow teachers to provide ongoing feedback to their leadership teams. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Cobuild team provided technology services as well as design services. We talked through the functional requirements of the application and converted those requirements into a user experience. They also provided some architectural guidance on how and where to implement the solution. 

When we started the engagement, we had some very crude wireframes with thoughts of what we wanted. Cobuild was able to turn those into high fidelity designs. 

The web app is JavaScript-based and on the Firebase Google cloud hosting platform with a Spark database backend. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with a few support people, and they had a team of anywhere between one and four people working throughout the development lifecycle.

How did you come to work with Cobuild Lab Inc?

I found them through an online search. I had a few conversations with their team, and they seemed to be a good fit. They were in our cost range, had the right flexibility, were a good fit geographically, and had some offshore development capabilities. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $40,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place from May–October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a startup, we don’t have many metrics to compare the results to. Anecdotally however, we’re very pleased. Cobuild was able to get us to an MVP that we could offer to potential clients as quickly as I’ve ever done it. 

We haven’t sought much feedback from clients, because the application isn’t very mature yet. Internally, we find that it’s fairly intuitive and very simply to use due to the minimalist UI approach the team took. The app is working just as expected for where it is in its lifecycle.

How did Cobuild Lab Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re self-directed, which was really important to me. Cobuild managed the entire development effort internally with very little need for me beyond the occasional design call or feedback request. They’re self-sustained. 

They used project management tools like GitHub and other internal ones, but I didn’t interact with them at all. In terms of communication, we stayed in touch through email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with their versatility. They have design skills that we leveraged in the frontend — they’re not just a development team. We appreciated the thought they put into the design flow and user experience as well as the technology. 

Also, since they have an offshore development team, they can be a little more cost-effective in some respects.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that really stands out that they need to improve as a team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Challenge them for their design thinking and ability to convert functionality into design. Cobuild is a talented young team. Don’t be afraid to ask them to provide their thought leadership.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a development platform that enables software developers and development houses to build products and services faster.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cobuild Lab?

We were trying to build an alliance management system for a large client and needed to bring on extra help.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After assisting us in understanding our client’s goals and needs, Cobuild Labs helped us with a data model and with setting up our development environment. They worked closely with our team to leverage our platform, all the way through to finalizing the project, testing, and production.

What is the team composition?

I’d say that I worked with 6 people in total. There were a project manager and 3–5 developers, depending on where we were in the project.

How did you come to work with Cobuild Lab?

They caught our attention because they were holding meetups here in Miami. They were engaging the development community down here in South Florida. We heard about them through the media and by way of word of mouth. After meeting with them in person, we realized that they have a very deep and detailed technical acumen.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged them in February 2019 and wrapped up the initial project in August of that year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve supplemented our team well and our clients have been happy with the work they’ve helped us produce. They’re reasonably priced and they deliver excellent results. It’s been a great experience working with them.

How did Cobuild Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re exceptional communicators who run a very good development process within GitHub. We communicate daily on Slack and more formally through project check-ins. We don’t go more than a few days without talking in-person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’d highlight their exceptional dependability. They take things very seriously and become deeply engaged in your projects. I have an incredible level of trust in them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything big. I’d say that they’re like to experience a growth curve where they’ll need to stretch to cover increasing development needs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking to build software, you need to make sure that you have the necessary budget and commitment to see it through to the end. And if you engage Cobuild Lab for it, you’ll have a great experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and CFO of Storyrocket.com, a platform connecting writers and producers of film, TV, and theatre.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cobuild Lab Inc?

The platform was bootstrapped by myself and my partner, so we didn’t really have the funds to go after a large team. Cobuild Lab Inc provided a team that was the right size for us. We’d been hiring our own programmers before and although they were good and experienced across different platforms, they couldn’t do things fast enough in certain areas.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cobuild Lab Inc is providing developers with expertise in different areas, as we need them. They’ve redesigned virtually every one of our pages, making us more agile in making changes. Before, we’d make a change and not know which parts of the website it might affect, whereas everything is pretty modular now.

Making a change in one place won’t cause errors somewhere else. Because we were always patching and fixing prior to this, we could never move on to new sections, but we’re getting there now.

While we kept most website parts working, we were replacing them one by one with more modular sections. The site is written in Python.

What is the team composition?

We interact with two people from Cobuild Lab Inc, primarily a project manager, and the main developer but there are more members involved. We also work with Angel (Chief of Product Development) who makes final code reviews. They also bring in UI designers and QA testers from time to time.

How did you come to work with Cobuild Lab Inc?

We had an existing team of two programmers and one designer, but it was taking them too long to do certain frontend work. We were looking for a different solution and reviewed several companies. We were introduced to Angel at a Cambridge Innovation Center meeting.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Cobuild Lab Inc in August 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m very much involved in making sure that the user experience is as good as it can be, and my main objective is to build a viable product for going to market. I was always pushing back on that because there were a number of things we needed to do beforehand. Angel has a straightforward, no-nonsense way of getting us to fix what we have in order to start making money quickly.

Everyone else we contacted would tell us what they could do and for what amount; that wasn’t necessarily concerned with getting us profitable or even able to pay the bills. Whether we needed it or not, they were just looking at delivering what we were asking for. Even though Angel wasn’t an owner or partner, his approach was in that vein.

In the first part, our success was in terms of being able to fix things that had needed consistent patching because changes were being made. We had far fewer customer service inquiries as a result. Now, if we make an adjustment, it’ll be a permanent adjustment. This has allowed us to focus on marketing and promotional efforts for the site, and Cobuild Lab Inc has also been helpful with things like marketing automation.

How did Cobuild Lab Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They have very quick turnaround times. We settled on meeting twice a week for one hour to hit the high points on the items we’ve been working on or want to work on. The rest of it is managing through reviewing assignments on GitHub and seeing where they are in the funnel.

If we have an immediate need, we’ll message each other directly. They take care of issues as soon as they can — which can be a matter of minutes or an hour or two, depending on the complexity. They’re very attentive in that regard.

We don’t have one main way of communicating. We have conference calls, use email, and the immediate communication channel is WhatsApp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I haven’t had a lot of experience with other providers, but we chose Cobuild Lab Inc because their owner’s attitude was not just to provide a service for a fee. It was just as important for him as for us to be profitable in a short period of time. He had a different mindset.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have experience with other companies, but I don’t have anything negative to say about Cobuild Lab Inc. Everyone makes mistakes, but those have been few and far between.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

There’s always an expectation of how much it’ll take to get something done. However, once we get into it we’ll inevitably find that there’s something we hadn’t thought about or that there’s an issue that’s popped up. It’s good to have some flexibility and their ability to pivot and help with what we needed has been helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder & CEO of Mama. We’re a technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cobuild Lab Inc?

We wanted to build an app for making introductions in one place. We had started with a different company, but the project scope grew too wide.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first phase was UX/UI design. Collaboratively, we came up with the design for the MVP, designing the screens for each part of the app. After that, they began building the app. They developed the backend and helped us choose which services were important to be integrated, such as sign-in authentication. The app is for iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

There are five people on the team; two project managers and three developers.

How did you come to work with Cobuild Lab Inc?

We found them on Google. We went to their office to meet with Angel (Chief of Product Development), and we were really sold on working with them by his cool, calm demeanor. He provided affordable and creative insight.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although the app hasn’t launched yet, everyone has been amazed at the ease and flexibility of the app. They’ve clearly met all of our expectations so far.

How did Cobuild Lab Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re doing an excellent job. They’ve provided continual updates and we communicate via text and email. We have team meetings to create the flow of the app. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re proactive, offering suggestions to help make our app better. They’re very agile and capable of coming up with solutions to help us stick to building a product that stays true to our focus.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear plan of what you want, expectations, and timeline. Be flexible in your thinking, willing to modify the project a little to achieve the optimum results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president of VEM Royal Consulting in the San Francisco Bay area. We are technology professionals who primarily service industries that have between 5–50 employees, as well as high net worth individuals such as venture capitalists and real estate professionals who meet our criteria of needing bespoke technology needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cobuild Lab Inc?

We were looking for a software application that allows us to invoice our customers faster than we had been, as well as a CRM component and a communication channel to connect with our customers about billing-related issues.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our team had tried several out-of-the-box solutions and didn’t particularly like any of them, so we approached Cobuild Lab to build a custom application that would take all of the features incorporated into our process and pair those with the features we needed rather than forcing us to change the process to fit into something done by others. They used their own Python programmers as well as a GitHub instance to deliver those functionalities

We started by mapping out what we needed and didn’t need, and they came back to us with a roadmap for completing all of those features in a working application and website that would ho hand-in-hand together. They laid out the different deliverables, the people in charge of each of the scrums, and the timelines for all of those.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Angel (Chief of Product Development), who helped to coordinate with us through the entire process.

How did you come to work with Cobuild Lab Inc?

I found Angel through a previous software instance that we were using where I got the chance to work with them on a totally different platform. They were doing Python development and did a very good job there, so we approached them about this project for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the process around March 2019 and are continuing to work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work directly resulted in a significant net productivity gain among our field workers, which has allowed us to handle our workload much more efficiently and accomplish more in total as well.

We didn’t meet every deadline or planned budget, but overall, they did a very good job of managing those expectations and making sure that we were always on the same page and anticipating what was coming.

How did Cobuild Lab Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

Our experience working with them has been great. We view them as partners with us and really appreciate the work that they have put into overcoming all of the challenges we’ve faced throughout the project.

What we appreciated most was that they were alongside us in meeting every hurdle of the project head on. They were always upfront about what they didn’t understand and what they would have changed if they had more knowledge going into the process. There was certainly some trial and error involved in the process, but that was just because of the nature of software development.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is extremely accommodating when it comes to feature changes for things that we want to add or subtract from the components that we are working on. Their flexibility has made the process a lot easier for us to manage. They return all of our phone calls and do a good job of managing the communication space in general, so the collaboration has largely been smooth.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If I were to give them one suggestion, it would be about their graphical user interfaces. The way they display the work is generally very utilitarian, and it would be nice to see things in a little more customer-friendly way so that we know it will be sellable to our customers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technology director at JobCore.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cobuild Lab Inc?

We needed to create our mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cobuild Lab Inc’s developed our mobile application for both Android and iPhone marketplaces. Their team developed the app based on the designs that I created with another team. The platform functions as a marketplace for people in the catering industry. Individuals looking for jobs in the service industry such as bartending can apply to jobs via the app. As well, they can clock in or out, and connect their bank accounts to get paid. We released the platform but Cobuild Lab Inc’s working on new versions.

What is the team composition?

We work with five people from Cobuild Lab Inc. The team includes a project manager, developers, and QA teammates.

How did you come to work with Cobuild Lab Inc?

When I was at another company, I worked with Cobuild Lab Inc on a project. I transitioned into a new role. When we decided to build an app, I hired them again.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $35,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on this project in the first quarter of 2019 and the engagement’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

What’s most valuable to me is that I can trust them to not just code an application. Cobuild Lab Inc comes up with good ideas. Their team doesn’t just do what you tell them to do. Rather, they correct any issues such as when a feature wasn’t designed properly.

How did Cobuild Lab Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team manages the project well. I’m in the scrum meetings and they give updates frequently, which I’m able to see. While they don’t always deliver on schedule, it’s more important to me that they maintain high standards.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re not as expensive as other firms.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If they delivered on the same day promised, that would be better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get involved. Don’t just delegate.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Wegacha LLC. We’re a digital marketing agency that works mainly with small businesses. We provide a variety of services like design, development, and advertising.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cobuild Lab Inc?

We needed an experienced software developer to help us build an internal management tool. Ultimately, we wanted to improve our processes and save our company both time and money.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided Cobuild Lab Inc with some templates created by our internal graphic designers. They helped us improve the idea with suggested changes and recommendations for the UX/UI design. Once those details were finalized, the team built out the custom application using JavaScript and HTML.

The platform acts as a dashboard for our internal discussions about social media content, facilitating team-wide communication. We upload a photo or a post that we plan to share on social media, and other team members and senior staff can comment, edit, approve, or disapprove the content. It’s a pretty straightforward application, but that’s what we were looking for in an internal tool.

What is the team composition?

We started with a team of two; then a third resource joined the project to help develop some of the additional features we’d requested.

How did you come to work with Cobuild Lab Inc?

I searched for vendors through Google and sent out code request emails to multiple agencies. Cobuild Labs Inc responded very quickly and offered an affordable price, in comparison to my other prospects. Based on that, I decided to give them a go.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $10,000–$11,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m happy with all aspects of the project—the final delivery, their customer service, and their communication. Everything was spot on. It’s clear that they’re really committed to their clients, paying attention to the smallest of details.

How did Cobuild Lab Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. We mainly communicated via Slack, phone calls, and email, with in-person meetings as necessary.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understood our goals from day one, offering alternative approaches that ultimately improved our vision.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m very happy with their service.

Any advice for potential customers?

I think Cobuild Lab Inc should invest in improving their SEO performance. I didn’t come across their website until I reached the eighth results page on Google. Clients looking for them should be aware of their search rankings.