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We Create Transformative Software Products.

4.6
13 reviews

You’re looking for a product innovation company. One that partners with you and connects the dots between emerging technologies to deliver delightful connected experiences. We measure our success by your success. This is our only success metric.

 

We help top startups and companies build remarkable web, mobile and tablet products. The products we build help early stage startups raise millions and established companies crush their sales targets. We’re among a handful of companies who can turn simple sketches into fully featured products that work on any device. Focus is what creates value, so we utilize our proven process to take your first version product across the finish line. We work with diverse founders and product owners in industries that range from agriculture to travel, so you can be assured that our team has the expertise required to help you build the right product for your target users.

 

What we do

 

We design, architect and develop elegant software products. The products we design offer compelling user experiences and beautiful visual designs. We use modern technologies like iOS, Android, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Golang (Go), Scala, Node.js and AngularJS to build robust mobile and responsive web products.

 

How we do it

 

We utilize design driven development principles, agile development methodologies and cloud communication tools to help you build custom software that’s crafted to solve your unique business problems. By breaking your complex requirements into smaller pieces, we accelerate application delivery. Together, we develop better products and drive product innovation.

 

Let’s build a great product together.

 

 

 

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$25,000+
 
$25 - $49 / hr
 
50 - 249
 Founded
2012
Show all +
Fremont, CA
headquarters
  • 5433 Ontario Common
    Fremont, CA 94555
    United States
    415-234-3611
other locations
  • #2 4th Cross KSRTC Layout Chikkalsandra
    Bangalore 560061
    India
    +91.80.41620784
  • 30 Cecil street #19-08 Prudential Tower
    Singapore 049712
    Singapore
    +65.69581001

Portfolio

Key clients: 

Walmart, Verizon Media, UBS, Volkswagen, Mahindra Electric, Yahoo, Sony, and others.

Walmart Image

Walmart

Walmart selected us to build a web-based catalog management tool to enable their 200+ eCommerce catalog data entry workers to complete tasks more efficiently.

Volkswagen Image

Volkswagen

We designed and developed iOS and Android connected car apps for Volkswagen car owners. The smart car apps connect to Bluetooth LE enabled Volkswagen cars and provide statistics and information to owners.

Yahoo - Oath: Ad Platforms Image

Yahoo - Oath: Ad Platforms

We built Yahoo's first version app for managing ads published to Oath's Ad Platforms. This app allows users to preview ads on mobile devices and manage advertising campaigns.

SonyLiv Image

SonyLiv

SonyLiv is an over the top (OTP) streaming platform for the Asian market. We designed and developed their first version web and mobile apps.

Luxury Travel App Image

Luxury Travel App

This lifestyle app provides virtual travel agents to wealthy people who want to book luxury tours and trips. We worked with the founder to define, design, and develop the MVP product. 

Google Certified Agency for Android Development Image

Google Certified Agency for Android Development

We're among the first 13 Android Development Agencies to ever be certified by Google. You can learn more here.

FinTech Web App Image

FinTech Web App

This FinTech app allows investors in the finance industry to explore trends and dig into public data to find insights that give them an advantage. The web app we designed and built has dozens of different views and data visualizations.

Goomo Image

Goomo

We designed and developed Goomo's first version web and mobile apps which provide online travel agency (OTA) services to customers in India.

3D AR/VR Building Configuration Tool Image

3D AR/VR Building Configuration Tool

We built an entire website and 3D tool, which enables customers of American Steel to configure, price, and preview a custom outbuilding before they purchase it.

Verizon Media Image

Verizon Media

We helped Verizon Media develop a new product that helps small business owners with little technical knowledge create an ad campaign in a few clicks.

Responsive eCommerce Web App for a Retailer Image

Responsive eCommerce Web App for a Retailer

The Collective is a retail chain that sells fashion brands to consumers across India. We helped The Collective build their first version eCommerce web application while utilizing responsive design frameworks. Learn more about this responsive eCommerce web application.

Continuous Learning for Doctors - 200K+ Installs Image

Continuous Learning for Doctors - 200K+ Installs

Daily Rounds is a new type of medical journal that helps doctors and medical students review clinical cases. The testing platform enables doctors to test their knowledge of peer reviewed medical cases. Learn more about this app for doctors here.

Yatra: Book Flights & Hotels - 1M+ Installs Image

Yatra: Book Flights & Hotels - 1M+ Installs

Yatra.com is the Expedia of India and we helped them make mobile strategy decisions, which have led to over 1M downloads on the Google Play store. Our design team went through many iteration cycles to create an experience that positions Yatra as an innovative leader in the travel industry. The apps support international and domestic flights, hotels, saved credit cards (PCI compliance) and much more.

…
Learn more about this mobile travel app.
Read more...
VuClip Image

VuClip

VuClip asked us to help them design and develop their next version Android app for viewing and consuming premium video content. Learn more about this video app we built for a startup.

The Melt Image

The Melt

The Melt is a restaurant chain that needed help developing a food-ordering app to enable customers to order food for pickup. The app uses geo-fencing technology to ensure that customers are close to a location before they place an order, so their food doesn't get cold. Learn more about this

…
app we built for a restaurant chain.
Read more...

Reviews

4.6
13 reviews
Sort by

Mobile & Web Development Staff Augmentation for Tech Company

“They are skilled people.”

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4.0

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
3.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Confidential
 
May 2019 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

CognitiveClouds provides development staff augmentation services to a tech company. They’ve built web and mobile apps based on product roadmaps. They work in Node.js, MongoDB, Angular, and cloud technologies.

The Reviewer
 
1001-10,000 Employees
 
Menlo Park, California
Senior Director of Software Development, Tech Company
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

CognitiveClouds delivers quality code on time, ultimately satisfying the requirements and facilitating a positive customer experience. The technology-oriented team is easy to manage and offers competitive pricing. They maintain experience in a wide range of technologies.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of software development for a tech company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CognitiveClouds?

We needed staff augmentation to help with development. We wanted someone who had done work in the cloud space and had experience with specific technologies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CognitiveClouds has been providing software development services on our premises. We give the entire product roadmap to them. They provide Node.js, MongoDB, Angular, and Cloud development services.

When we started working with them, they worked on a web application. Then, we augmented them to do a mobile application.

What is the team composition?

We have had up to 17 people.

How did you come to work with CognitiveClouds?

We shortlisted companies who worked in the specific technologies we were using. Along with CognitiveClouds, we looked at around six companies and chose them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very satisfied with them. We have hired many of their people to our organization.

How did CognitiveClouds perform from a project management standpoint?

We handle the project management. We have a meeting with the team members daily. They’re easy to manage, and they complete work on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are skilled people.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were looking for somebody at the level of an architect, and we weren’t able to get that from them. We had to augment with a different source. Other than that, they’ve been able to provide the right kind of skills that we need.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a pretty technology-oriented organization. They’ve done some very interesting products. My advice is that you have to work very closely with their team.

4.0
Overall Score Overall, our experience has been pretty good. I’d definitely do business with them again.
  • 3.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They meet the timelines we set. We follow an agile methodology and we course correct.
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    Their pricing is competitive.
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    The code quality is pretty good.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I’d refer them to any of my known friends.

iOS & Backend Dev for Mobile App

“They're very flexible and understanding of the needs of a small startup.”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
Sept. 2018 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

CognitiveClouds designed and built a multi-platform application from the ground up, utilizing multiple programming languages to enable cross-platform business card sharing and tracking capabilities.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Australia
Founder, Digital App Startup
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Though the app hasn’t launched yet, the internal team is satisfied with the work, so far. CognitiveClouds is extremely transparent, providing progress reports and real-time updates via goal spreadsheets. The team was flexible enough to adapt to their partner’s needs and keep the project on track.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of a digital business card mobile application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CognitiveClouds?

We hired CognitiveClouds for engineering an application from scratch that would allow our users to share and track the usage of their digital business cards.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The developers at CognitiveClouds built an iOS, Android, and backend web app from scratch using Swift, Kotlin, and Firebase. This included frontend design and an admin integration panel for the web version.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 5–6  individuals over the course of the project. There were two iOS developers, two Android developers,1–2 backend web developers, and one part-time QA.

How did you come to work with CognitiveClouds?

We searched online and ended up using Clutch reviews to narrow our options down to a few of the best companies. We met with and got quotes from each of those teams, and then made a value-based decision that led us to CognitiveClouds.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we’ve spent around $50,000 AUD (approximately $34,900 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged with CognitiveClouds in July 2018 and started work on the frontend of the application in September, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We get regular updates through product demos that we have been extremely happy with so far. We don’t have a lot of data since the product has not been rolled out yet, but we have been pleased with all of the work done so far.

How did CognitiveClouds perform from a project management standpoint?

CognitiveClouds has managed the project very well. They put together a progress spreadsheet where we could see the action points as they accomplish them and stay up to date that way as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very flexible and understanding of the needs of a small startup.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t anything that I would have changed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would just suggest to either come to them with a prototype already designed or to do the project end to end with them so you can avoid any errors in translation or hand-off periods.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They always did what they said they would do, and if they ever couldn’t make a meeting, they would let me know and reschedule ahead of time.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They are very cost effective.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They did everything we asked of them and went above and beyond.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I would highly recommend them.

App Development for Healthcare Startup

“The feedback on their work has been positive.”

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4.0

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Jan. 2017 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

CognitiveClouds works on application development, providing resources to augment the team of developers. They build the key functionalities, enabling the in-house team to focus on other aspects of the project.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
India
CTO, Healthcare Startup
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Their resources are well-trained and able to meet the demands of their role, working effectively to build good products that receive positive feedback. The team is dedicated, fully integrated into the in-house staff, and able to work in a way that demonstrates their initiative.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a healthcare startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CognitiveClouds?

We needed resource augmentation for Angular, Ionic, and Python development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us develop our consumer-facing apps, as well as an internal one used by our operations staff. The platform was built as a mobile product using Node.js, Angular, Ionic, and Python.

They didn’t create the whole app, but they worked on key functionalities and continue to work alongside my team, taking some of our load, and helping us with the process. Some of the work they’ve done was from scratch, always working along with our team.

What is the team composition?

CognitiveClouds assigned five developers. They’re working onsite with us, so the project management is quite light, but we were in touch with their head of engineering for contractual matters.

How did you come to work with CognitiveClouds?

I got a referral from a former colleague. Though I contacted others, I was comfortable with CognitiveClouds, so I decided to stick with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around 10 lakh rupees (approximately $14,000 USD) per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2017 and the project is ongoing. We’ve finished one part and are moving on to other phases, while also using them for support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I measure their performance in the same way that I do my own team—completion time and similar factors—and find the collaboration to by typical.

The feedback on their work has been positive, and the few unsatisfactory resources were either retrained or replaced.

How did CognitiveClouds perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t use them for project management as they’re integrated into our team. We set very high standards.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their people is impressive; they do a very good job of training them. Though most of their team work from our office, they go back to CognitiveClouds almost every other week. They’re doing a good job on their end to keep people happy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a couple of people who could’ve performed better, but that was to be expected. Overall, I’m happy with them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Trust them and don’t try to micromanage the collaboration. As long as the requirements are clear, they’ll do what’s expected.

4.0
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    The pressure we’ve put them under has been unfair. We couldn’t really expect any more.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    Within the limitations of the market, I don’t think I’ll find a better partner.

iOS Mobile App Dev for Online Advertising Platform

“We’re able to bring in many more features and make our processes more efficient.”

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4.0

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Dec. 2017 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

CognitiveClouds provided iOS mobile application services and is now working on Android development. They developed the mobile app and its UI alongside the in-house team, focusing on data presentation.

The Reviewer
 
10,000+ Employees
 
Sunnyvale, California
Director of Engineering, Online Media Company
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The iOS app has launched and proved to be an excellent addition to the company, improving both internal and external sales processes. CognitiveClouds operate smoothly, collaboratively, and taking on feedback well.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering development for a large web services provider and online advertising company. I’m part of the team creating solutions for advertisers to show ads on our websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CognitiveClouds?

We needed to build a companion mobile app for our main website, where our advertisers could render campaigns. We had internal resourcing challenges, so we started looking for someone who had expertise in mobile development outside.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted iOS developers to help us build the product. We gave them a specification of what needed to be done, and their team worked with ours to develop the app and its UI.

Advertising is data-driven, and the app offers different representations of it, including data tables, charts, and graphs. They came up with nice renderings of charts, which were crucial for us. Advertising also involves images, so they created an intuitive UI for uploading and resizing them, making sure they fit the format we’re looking for.

Due to the success of the iOS app, we started an Android project, which is still ongoing. We’ve also started building a web portal that will be a lighter version of the one we already have. That’s still a work in progress.

What is the team composition?

When we started, we had two developers and a QA, though now we’ve expanded the team to almost five developers. We’re involved in the selection process as we have certain criteria, especially when it comes to the quality of the deliverables.

How did you come to work with CognitiveClouds?

We looked online for offshore mobile development firms and came across CognitiveClouds, as well as a few others. Their quote was the most competitive.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched the mobile app to the iOS App Store, which is a clear metric of success. It’s impacted both our internal and external customers as we’re able to bring in many more features and make our processes more efficient.

Our internal sales team meets advertisers everywhere, so a mobile app allows them to quickly show how ads look and how campaigns are performing. The mobile-first approach is a lot more efficient, and it helps drive business.

How did CognitiveClouds perform from a project management standpoint?

We work collaboratively with them, meeting almost daily. We give them weekly milestones of what we want to achieve, which gives the developers a clear focus. They give us daily code drops so we can build the software. validate it, and make sure the quality and functionality are there. It helps us keep a close eye on the progress they’re making.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to listen, take feedback, and try to do what’s best is impressive. Complex development is never a straight line, and they’re always willing to take the time to make sure that any challenge is looked into and addressed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We continue to coach them on how their processes fit in with ours, in terms of coding guidelines and automated testing. This is to reduce the time we spend reviewing their code.

4.0
Overall Score They’re a good partner that allowed us to achieve project goals.
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    We’re ultimately able to deliver what we want, but we’ve faced challenges that led to delays.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    This is one of the reasons for choosing them.
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    We have strict internal quality standards, so we have a continuous effort of coaching them.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I've referred them internally, for other projects.

Responsive Web App for Steel Manufacturing Firm

"CognitiveClouds has fulfilled all feature requirements within our scope and budget. Overall, we’re quite pleased." 

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Jan. 2018 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

CognitiveClouds is building a website with AR and 3D capabilities. Users can design different types of custom buildings (agricultural, carport, workshop, etc.) and overlay the image on its planned location.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
Employees, American Steel Inc.
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Internal stakeholders have reviewed the site well and are looking forward to the final product’s launch. CognitiveClouds is available via multiple channels and collaborates engagingly. They keep track of and fulfill even the smallest customer requests and are quick to incorporate all feedback. 

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Respondent 1: I’m the marketing manager for American Steel Inc. We make metal buildings for customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CognitiveClouds?

R1: We needed someone to create a brand-new website from scratch. We also needed a calculator so our customers could create buildings and price them on our website. Another company had created a 3D tool for us, but it was much simpler than we wanted, so we had to update it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

R1: They developed a portal where our dealers can log in and request information from us, place orders on behalf of the customer, and request quotes and information regarding our products. It’s a responsive web application.

Respondent 2: They also implemented a 3D visualization tool so customers can see what they were ordering and have an idea of what they're going to purchase. We’re working on the final stages of the project now, making little adjustments.  

R1: Using the tool, customers can build their building on our website and request information about it. It supports different building types including agricultural structures, carports, garages, workshops, and lean-tos. They can add walls, windows, garage doors, and change the roofing style. There’s also an application where customers can overlay the building they created on their land using AR.

What is the team composition?

Both: We worked with a project manager and different developers and designers depending on our needs. For example, we had a developer who specialized in forms, one for design and color, and one for 3D features.

How did you come to work with CognitiveClouds?

R1: I found them online. I saw good reviews and samples of their work on their website.

How much have you invested with them? 

R1: We’ve spent $60,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

R1: We’ve been working together since January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

R1: We’re almost done, and we’re extremely excited to see the final results. We’ve gotten good feedback from our employees too. CognitiveClouds has fulfilled all feature requirements within our scope and budget. Overall, we’re quite pleased.

How did CognitiveClouds perform from a project management standpoint?

R1: They’ve been excellent. We email back and forth, and video chat while sharing screens.

R2: We also have conference calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

R1: They pay detailed attention to technical specifications, which is important for a company dealing with customer requests.

Are there any areas they could improve?

R1: If we find something we don’t like, they’re able to make changes. We haven’t had any issues with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

R1: Prepare your scope of work and be specific about what you want, to cut down on the time-consuming back and forth.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Multiple Web Dev Projects for Workflow Optimization Company

"They’re eager to make sure that what they’re building is exactly what we need."

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5.0

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
Oct. 2015 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

CognitiveClouds provides design and development resources for several web-based workflow management platforms. The team customizes features on-demand including budget tracking and document measurements.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Chicago, Illinois
Stephanie Zaide
EVP, Utilitworx
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

All apps demonstrate excellent UI/UX and have received good feedback. The team assigned a development lead who communicated well through weekly check-ins. CognitiveCloud is open to feedback and suggestions, making any changes quickly.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive Vice President of Utilitworx, which is a leading provider of web and mobile applications. I run our operations team at our Chicago office.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CognitiveClouds?

We needed help designing and engineering a web-based, cloud platform for a client. We were looking for a development company to build the solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CognitiveClouds is a full-service engineering firm that has built several workflow management applications for us.  They did a very simple project management application and also a customized project management workflow for utility companies. They were involved in mapping out the requirements for the application and checking in with us to make sure they were on the right path in terms of the features and design we wanted.

The app tracks financial information, budget information, how much money has been billed and collected, and what part of the process the construction is under. CognitiveClouds also implemented very specific features that the client needed to have. Users are able to document measurements, details, and financial information, geared towards construction site inspections. There are certain survey forms that need to be filled out to make sure the work was up to code and the company’s specifications. At the end of the project, they gave us testing capabilities with user IDs to log in and play with the solution, allowing us to make sure the function and design were what was needed.

What is the team dynamic? 

We deal with four people total, including the team development lead and one person from each of the three different teams we work with: design, development, and quality control. The team lead facilitates interactions with those different teams to make sure they get things signed off and get feedback from us. They’re a friendly team.

How did you come to work with CognitiveClouds?

I wasn’t here yet when we started working with them, but I think we found them through a web search. We were looking for a US based company that had overseas staff. Our CEO reached out to them. We were a very new business at the time and were trying to find vendors to work with. One of the highlights for our CEO was that the owner of CognitiveClouds went to college in Illinois which is where we’re based. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $500,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2015, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have anything fully released or used full-time yet; everything is still in demo piloting stages. The feedback we’ve received from clients has been very positive. They were impressed with the app’s overall UI/UX. We’re very impressed with what they built.

How did CognitiveClouds perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a development team lead who is responsible for making sure they’re getting the information they need and communicating information to us. The lead verifies features and requirements with us and arranges times to chat. They are good at keeping us in the loop. Since they’re in India, they schedule conference calls once or twice a week. They go through a demo mode and show us what they’ve accomplished. They've nailed communication. They do a good job of completely understanding what’s required before moving forward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re open to feedback and are very responsive. If we tell them something needs to be changed, they fix it quickly. They’re eager to make sure that what they’re building is exactly what we need. Since they’re not in our office, it’s important that they have their finger on the pulse. If we need to call after hours, they’re willing to adjust their schedule. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. It would be cool if they were not in India because that would make things easier. But considering that constraint, they do a good job of making sure they’re in constant communication with us.

5.0
Overall Score They’ve been great to work with.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    We’ve never been waiting on them to release something. If we give them a deadline, even if its quite tight, they make sure they meet it.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They’re very economical for the services they provide.
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    Sometimes there are specific industry terms for which they don’t know the context, but they do a good job of communicating so they can understand.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Developed Social App MVP for Entrepreneur

"They followed through on their promise to meet some fairly extensive and complex requirements."

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4.0

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
2.5
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
4.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
Feb. - Aug. 2016
Project summary: 

CognitiveClouds built a prototype web application that lets users communicate directly with the platform's community and share multimedia about live events. 

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
San Francisco, California
Founder, Mobile App Startup
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Project highlights include uncompromising responsiveness and a proactive approach to collaboration, while quality assurance was an area that could use improvement. 

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

I am an experienced product leader who has previously overseen multiple teams of product managers, designers, and engineers as part of an innovation lab for a Fortune 100 company.

This engagement was something I did on my own, not on behalf of a larger organization. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

I engaged Cognitive Clouds to build a minimum viable product [MVP] for an app concept that I wanted to experiment with. The app was a photo sharing and chat app focused on live events. The purpose was to get a functional app in front of real users to see what they would do with it. 

SOLUTION

I interviewed four different offshore development firms. I selected Cognitive Clouds because the account rep [Ben Obear] was local and fairly knowledgeable about other startup efforts. He was very professional, responsive, and reasonable. The senior tech lead in India had worked at the same firm as an old colleague of mine, so I had heard good things (indirectly) about him. Also, the engineers were able to use the stack that I wanted (Node.js) and not Ruby, which most firms wanted to use. And finally, the price quote was not the lowest that I received, but I was willing to pay more given the reasons above.

I engaged the firm for engineering work only. They provided two engineers: 1 backend, 1 front-end, and some minimal quality assurance [QA]. I hired a separate designer to work with locally and spelled out all the requirements personally.

The engagement was initially estimated at 3-4 months. The project ran longer, about 5-6 months, but the firm did not charge me for the extra time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The Cognitive Clouds team delivered the product to my satisfaction, though it took longer than originally estimated. They followed through on their promise to meet some fairly extensive and complex requirements. I was able to release the app on the app store and use it reliably at real live events. I obtained useful data on MVP usage that led to refinement of the concept and roadmap.

The main reason I was happy with the engagement was their flexible attitude and willingness to follow through on promises, though it became more complicated than originally estimated. I also thought the quality of the work product was good, and the code I received on Github was well organized.

Areas of improvement include better QA; there were many many bugs that I had to find and document myself. This should have been done by a QA engineer. Perhaps a more structured methodology, i.e. project management, in how work is scheduled would be useful as well. There were no documented sprints, so I wasn't sure what to expect on which dates during the project.

4.0
Overall Score
  • 2.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    Not much in the way of project management.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    The firm met our requirements though it took longer than the original estimate. They adhered to a contractual price cap. They were not the cheapest, but offer a very good value in my opinion.
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    Once completed, the app worked reliably with minimal crashes.
  • 4.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I would recommend them to someone who was experienced with development cycles and could oversee product/project management. Note that I did not explicitly pay for any product manager on their side.

iOS Development for Healthcare Company

"I am very satisfied with CognitiveClouds and feel that it's been a very good project."

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4.0

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
3.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Jan. 2016 - Nov. 2016
Project summary: 

CognitiveClouds is currently launching an iOS application to communicate with medical facilities, as well as with the team on the ground, transferring information.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 employees
 
San Francisco Bay Area
COO, Healthcare Company
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

CognitiveClouds is commended for strong project managers and open communication. CognitiveClouds is recommended although they could make more US staff available.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We work in the health industry. I am the chief operations officer of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CognitiveClouds?

We wanted to create an iOS app which allowed our company to communicate with medical facilities. It would allow us to transfer information to our team on the ground.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CognitiveClouds designed, developed, and launched our iOS app.

How did you come to work with CognitiveClouds?

This was the first time I'd worked on app development. I looked online for different companies, determining which ones had better reviews. CognitiveClouds' name came up along with 2 others. Their sales manager was very good at his job and very responsive, so we chose CognitiveClouds.

How much have you invested with CognitiveClouds?

The total cost of our project will be between $70,000 and $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is almost completed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I am very satisfied with CognitiveClouds and feel that it's been a very good project. We don't have any metrics for the app yet.

How did CognitiveClouds perform from a project management standpoint?

The US office manager of CognitiveClouds has been very good. They made our communication process easy, taking the lead for most of our work.

Are there any areas CognitiveClouds could improve?

CognitiveClouds could make more staff available in the US. Other than this, they've been phenomenal.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with CognitiveClouds?

Clients should make sure that they communicate with CognitiveClouds' lead. I am good at business, but this was my first app project. Having a contact like ours for communicating our needs has been an advantage.

4.0
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 3.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

iOS and Android Development for Political Polling App

"CognitiveClouds impressed me by taking ownership of the project from the beginning and being very committed to all delivery dates."

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4.5

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
3.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
Project summary: 

CognitiveClouds handled the Yoopine app's design to publishing in the App Store and Google Play Store. The app will function as a political survey and feedback tool for the US citizens and its politicians.

The Reviewer
 
2-10 Employees
 
San Francisco Bay Area
Founder, Yoopine Inc.
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The app is simple and user-friendly but complex to develop. The client suggests documenting all conversation and decision since the development is 100 percent remote. CognitiveClouds has strong project management capabilities, technical skills, and commitment.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

The mission of Yoopine Inc. is to connect citizens to the political process in real time, through the convenience of their preferred mobile devices. We aim to empower our members by aggregating individual user votes into powerful data sets that will get the attention of political decision makers. The Yoopine app is available for free download on the App Store for iOS devices and on Play Store for Android devices. By using the Yoopine app, users can voice their opinion on legislative bill proposals, create petitions and initiatives, learn about their elected officials and candidates, and contact their elected officials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with CognitiveClouds?

The Yoopine app's primary purpose is to make it easy for every citizen to participate in the political process. Yoopine presents users with actual data and information and enables users to express their opinion. Elected representatives with the Yoopine app on their devices can see opinions of their constituents in real time. For example, users can see the actual federal legislative bills proposed by the Senate and House of Representatives and express their support or opposition. Users can also learn about their elected representatives voting record, money contributions received, statements and promises made, express their opinion on the performance of their representative, and so on. The app will track users' preferences on legislative proposals and compares with the voting record of their elected officials to show the degree of match with their representatives. Members can use this free app to hold their elected officials accountable to the promises and statements they make.

Our goal is to make Yoopine app an indispensable tool for every United States citizen to participate in the political process. Our goal is also to make Yoopine and indispensable tool for the elected officials to get real-time feedback from their constituents.

I am the founder of Yoopine Inc.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

The Yoopine app was developed during a 12-month period from design to publishing in the App Store and Google Play Store. The total cost in six figures. The app was designed using RoR for back-end, Objective C for iOS, and Java for native Android version. CognitiveClouds provided all the services including project management, design, and software development for both back-end and front end.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How do you feel CognitiveClouds performed on this project?

I am very pleased with the services provided by CognitiveClouds. Although Yoopine app is very simple to use for the users, it is a complex app to develop. The app was developed 100 percent remotely. I never had a single face-to-face meeting with the developers. It was developed entirely with remote communication with the designers as well as the software developers. I interviewed the VP of sales [Srinivas Nayak] and the founder and CEO [Prasanna Gopinath] of CognitiveClouds in face-to-face meetings, but all technical aspects of the app were developed remotely. Developing such a complex app remotely would have been impossible without the strong project management capabilities, technical skills, and commitment of the CognitiveCloulds team. I found the development team to be honest and responsive. When mistakes are made, they owned up to them and fixed them. CognitiveClouds impressed me by taking ownership of the project from the beginning and being very committed to all delivery dates. 

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve or things you might do differently?

As the app was developed 100 percent remotely, communication was at times challenging. I had to spend several late nights clarifying the features, testing the sprints, answering questions, and providing guidance on design choices. One thing I would do differently on future engagements is to document every conversation and decision in writing so that there is no confusion, and so that there is good hand off between different developers. Documentation and hand-off processes between different developers is also an area of improvement for CognitiveClouds. However, overall I am immensely satisfied with the work delivered by CognitiveClouds.

4.5
Overall Score
  • 3.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Design and Development for HR Software Product

"[T]hey're extremely competent, extremely smart and intelligent, and they're just easy to work with."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
Project summary: 

CognitiveCouds designed and developed the application and the UI/UX. They provided programming, backend, and architecture for the initial minimum viable product.

The Reviewer
 
2-10 Employees
 
San Francisco Bay Area
Founder, HR Software Startup
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The MVP product has received positive feedback from the customers upon its implementation. CognitiveClouds was competent, consistent with the deals and responsive throughout the project. They always strive to improve the product and understand how a user would best utilize the system.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We provide a very simple solution for small to mid-size businesses to manage their human resources needs. It's an easy-to-use HR system that helps with onboarding, offboarding, managing time off, and various levels of compliance-type HR activities.

What is your position?

I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with CognitiveClouds?

They helped us come up with the initial prototype, the MVP [minimum viable product] basically, that we took to the market and got funding to expand. Then, we got valuable feedback from customers based on that MVP.

They helped with the design as well as the development. Based on that MVP, we actually made significant progress with customers as well as investors, and now they are continuing to help us build that further. We've now got engineers in-house, but we're still working with CognitiveClouds very closely.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They provided design of the application, UI/UX [user interface/user experience] design, and then the development piece. In total, they provided programming, backend, architecture, and similar work for the initial MVP.

How did you come to work with CognitiveClouds?

I talked to several companies in the United States as well as several offshore companies. I talked to a few firms in Russia, some in Romania. I also talked to six or seven companies from India, but we ended up choosing CognitiveClouds.

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

The initial MVP was under $50,000. As our product is getting more complex, we're also growing, we're investing more into the company. Right now, we're probably in the six-figure range, between $100,000 and $200,000, but what I want to point out is that the costs are this high because it is what we need.

They were very good in terms of their cost estimates and working within the budget. Our feature sets were pretty complex, and some of the things they actually didn't realize that it would take extra work, but they stuck to the number they quoted. They put in extra time and extra effort to deliver a good product without changing that initial number.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration is ongoing, and we plan to use them in the future. Initially, it was only me and my co-founder, and they did most of the MVP work. Now we have a team ourselves, but we're continuing to work with them. We have a very good relationship with CognitiveClouds, and we will continue to work with them for the foreseeable future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I am extremely satisfied with their performance. We've got some very positive feedback. Last week we implemented it with a customer, and we've got a customer quote already based on that experience from a product technology standpoint, and also from a service and support standpoint. Although the service and support was all on my end, the technology and product piece was mostly because we implemented the MVP product that CognitiveClouds has developed.

How did CognitiveClouds perform from a project management standpoint?

The most pleasant part of working with them is that they do what they say. There are no changes, no games, and no gimmicks. There were a few things they couldn't do or they weren't sure of, and they've been very upfront about those. I appreciate that sort of candid relationship.

What distinguishes CognitiveClouds from other providers?

What I liked most about CognitiveClouds was their responsiveness and their grasp of things. They understood very quickly what we were doing. They also asked me about the business side of things, the business goals. I appreciated that because it's hard to develop a widget if you don't know what that widget does. They were actually really interested in who were the end customers, who was going to use it, and this was the initial contact that gave me a lot of confidence. If they are asking me these types of questions, that means they want to come up with a good product. The first contact was very good, and then they were continuously extremely responsive, and followed through brilliantly. They're very good.

CognitiveClouds is a very competent bunch of people and very easy to work with, and those two things don't typically go together. To sum it up, they're extremely competent, extremely smart and intelligent, and they're just easy to work with.

Is there anything CognitiveClouds could have improved or done differently?

Nothing really. I only have good things to say. The project was mostly very smooth. One or two times we had to do extra things, which was really kind of our fault because we needed more features that we didn't really define properly. Even in those cases, they never changed their cost estimates, and they never complained about it. It was very easy to work with them.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    Four and half.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I've referred them already.