Deventure

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and founder of a 3D printing company called Impact Gumshields. We do 3D printed sports products and dental products.

What challenge were you trying to address with Deventure?

We had been using an amalgamation of Google Sheets and Airtable for the past couple of years to use out of a CRM. We also used a production platform for managing our customers and managing our 3D printed products. 

We looked at buying alternatives off the shelf, but we felt that with the company growing and moving into different territories, it was best to build our own platform where we could manage our customer database and oversee the production of our products in the one location. That was what I brought Deventure on board to do.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I was looking to take the best of Google Sheets and Airtable in terms of functionality and in terms of their visual identity and ability to track things. I told Deventure what I was looking to develop and asked if they could do it, and if so, what they would suggest. 

They came back to us with a truly aligned solution. After the initial consultations and a couple of phone calls to narrow down the brief, they came back with a UX journey of how they saw the platform developing for what we needed and how we would develop it for the future. 

Their web development team and backend and frontend developers brought the project to life. They did initial UI design, as well as frontend and backend development with the integration of the app into our own system. 

One of the other big things was to add a migration of our existing customer base from Google Sheets into our new platform which they also did. We would have customers come into our stores, but we would also go to locations to do scanning events. 

We would go to schools, clubs, and universities, and we would have a lot of customers booking appointments or logging in to get a product, and then that would come to a database system.

Once that product is in the system, we have to have a full database system there for that customer. We then have, within that database, a separate production area that follows the path of the product lifecycle to fruition.

We would have a booking inquiry, then it would be made, a scan is taken and then it goes into our sort or toolchain. We developed our own software platform for this that allows us to convert a 3D scan into a 3D printable product. It goes through the scan, platform, and then the processing platform, and then it starts 3D printing. 

We then have post-prints, and the platform allows me to have an overview of everything that goes on so I can go to certain sections of the overall order-level area to see everything that is happening in every order. Then we have a production section where our freelance developers actually process the files and 3D printable files.

There is also an event area where I can create booking event pages so that we can send it directly to individuals for them to sign up for our events. We also have an integrated payment system, so once an event has taken place, we can send Stripe payments directly to the individuals that manage our payment system as well. 

Finally, it also has email triggers. When we hit certain parts of our process, we send an email trigger to a customer saying the scan is in process and we’re ready to print their gumshield or mouth guard or whatever the product may be, and when it will be ready. 

Once the print is done, another email trigger is sent out, and once we send it out to the post, another email trigger is sent out. It really is an all in one system. It’s not only a CRM; it’s a production platform for my 3D printing team’s perspective as well.

What is the team composition?

We worked with six teammates in total. There was a project manager, and I think there were three web developers, one designer, and a QA specialist.

How did you come to work with Deventure?

We heard about them through a mutual friend who had done work with them previously. A friend of mine had worked for a tech corporation that was looking to outsource the development of some of their software platform. 

They came across Deventure and had used them several times for projects. When I told him that we were looking at buying existing platforms and trying to amend those, he told us he had worked with Deventure before. 

We had several phone calls, and my CTO grilled them on questions I couldn’t ask in terms of platforms, their skillsets, and their QA and design capabilities. It was through the recommendation and several phone calls that we felt confident enough that they could deliver what we required.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent just under €60,000 (approximately $71,300 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started around mid-July 2020, and we just finished up the platform in the past two weeks.

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

Up until three weeks ago, I was still using a combination of Google Sheets and Airtable, and then another platform for processing orders and looking up customer queries. Once we got the final launch, I felt comfortable and confident enough to stop inputting on three separate platforms and went fully to this software platform. 

For the past three weeks, I have been inputting on our new software platform and it has been great. We are not only in Ireland; we are also in the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, so this is our central production platform. 

My distributors are based in the UK, so we needed a central platform that was easy to navigate and made it easy to track our customers, the events that were happening, and the production process. 

I introduced the UK and New Zealand teams to this and told them to go at it and come back to me if there was any feedback. The great thing was that they picked it up straight away and said it was very intuitive and that they knew exactly how to use it. I gave them very little direction on how to use it.

I wanted them to actually stress test and see where the failings were. The feedback has been incredibly positive and they’ve taken to it like a duck to water because they are now using the platform and I am getting fewer queries regarding current customer orders, upcoming events, or who had and hadn’t paid.

They now have this central database that they can just log into themselves and find out the information they need. From my perspective, it has made my life a lot easier. 

As you can imagine when you are a smaller company, you have several hats on and even though you are the CEO, you are a bit of everything sometimes. This has relieved a lot of stress and time. It has freed up a lot of time for my own day-to-day role.

How did Deventure perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. I’ve developed platforms before with Irish- and UK-based software developers. First of all, the cost was crazy, but they weren’t as responsive or as willing to talk as Deventure. 

This team was incredibly easy to get a hold of and incredibly responsive. We used Skype as our main platform and we had an open group. It never took longer than 2–3 hours before they came back with a response, which is unheard of with Irish and UK companies. In that sense, their project management was great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They gave us more bang for our buck. If I did this through an Irish or UK-based team, it probably would’ve been double that amount and it would’ve taken double the time, and the fact that they were incredibly responsive to the questions and queries that we had and that nothing was too much trouble was impressive. 

They really wanted to make a product that not only they were very proud of but that I was also extremely happy with, which is exactly what happened. Their input and suggestions on how to streamline the platform were invaluable and gave us a better product than I expected based on our budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind right away. It was an incredibly enjoyable experience compared to previous experiences I have had before. I can’t really fault them, to be honest. They really were excellent.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The quality of the outcome is dependant on the quality of the brief and how much time and effort you put into it. Before you fully engage with Deventure or any software company, know exactly what you are trying to achieve and have a clear brief. The quality of the brief will determine the outcome of the project. 

Make sure you have all of your ducks in a row, know exactly what the outcome is, have the brief prepared, and have the necessary assets and tools that they need to give you the best possible outcome.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Cofounder and CEO for RUMBL, LLC. Our company facilitates personalized trip recommendations for you and your social network with our easy to use mobile travel application available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

For what projects/services did your company hire Deventure?

Our company's mobile app was created last year and was only available on the Apple App Store. However, it was in desperate need of a new update in regards to look, feel, and design. That is why we hired Deventure! They completely redesigned out mobile app and website in a timely manner.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals for this project was to design a new mobile iOS and Android app as well as improve our current website to reflect our brand and app in a timely manner.

How did you select Deventure?

My team researched Xamarin mobile app developers and found Deventure online. After looking through all the reviews about the company, it was a no brainer to hire them!

Describe the project in detail.

Once we hired them, we had a kickoff meeting/call to discuss the process of what we wanted. Within a week, we had mockup designs of what the new app would look like. After we agreed on the design, they went to work on coding it. We would have daily meetings with the GM and weekly meetings with the entire development team to ensure we were on track to meet our goals.

What was the team composition?

This team included 4 mobile developers, 3 web developers, 1 design person, and 1 QA person. Overall, I worked and communicated directly with the GM, who then relayed the messages to his team.

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

Within a couple weeks of launching we were getting several users to sign up. People were rating our app 5 stars on the app stores and we received a lot of feedback on our app, which allowed us to take it to the next level and improve features, etc.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The GM was easy to communicate with and was always available even on the weekends. This allowed us to solve problems quickly and efficiently. Overall, both our teams worked very well together!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their work ethic. They work around the clock to make sure their client is satisfied with the product. I was very impressed that they would stop what they are doing to assist our team when we had something to discuss!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything can always be completed faster, but overall it was still completed in a timely manner given the tough challenges and deadlines. I'm happy with our product and glad we focused on quality over speed!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the general secretary of the Romanian Rugby Players Association, we are an organization that represents the interests of Romanian rugby players.

For what projects/services did your company hire Deventure, and what were your goals?

We hired Deventure to create a representative site for our business, the goal being to have as much visibility as possible and an easy-to-use work tool.

How did you select Deventure and what were the deciding factors?

We chose Deventure from a larger range of selected companies, the arguments that convinced us to choose Deventure were: -easy communication, innovative solutions, fast feedback, a team of professionals, high rating on all projects

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

We had a kick-off meeting with the adventure in which we presented our goals and objectives. From there, the team delivered mockups and wireframes for our site. After a few iterations, their team designed and developed informational Umbraco sites. They update the content to reflect our profile and created a landing page with a contact form.

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

• 1 Project manager
• 2 developers
• 1 market
• 1 web designer

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

After the launch of the site, the increased visibility of the Rugby Players Association increased by 70%, the number of memberships in the association doubled and our notoriety on social media increased by 65%.

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

I constantly communicated with the development team, I received quick feedback on any request and in addition, their suggestions and the proposed technical solutions were at a high professional level. The timeline was followed exactly.

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

They gave us a professional site that's easy to update. My team had never worked with Umbraco before, but we were impressed by the easy way we can update the information on the site.

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

We didn't have things to improve, minor issues corrected quickly after launch.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an orthopedic surgeon and run a practice that basically functions as a small company. I also work at two different hospitals. The practice is small, but the overall reach is bigger.

What challenge were you trying to address with Deventure?

I wanted to redesign our six-year-old website. It needed to be upgraded.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Deventure created an entirely new website, managing backend and design work. They redesigned the entire website and migrated some content. Their team demonstrated how to use the site management tool, which enables us to create new content. The site management platform was Umbraco.

What is the team composition?

I had direct contact with two people from Deventure but more people worked on the project in the background.

How did you come to work with Deventure?

A colleague with a similar practice recommended them after their team completed a similar project for him. He had a favorable experience with them as did another colleague who first came into contact with Deventure. I had an initial call with Flavius (CEO) when we discussed what I wanted to do, what he could deliver, and pricing options. Based on that conversation and my colleagues’ feedback, I was happy to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent in the region of €10,000 (approximately $11,200 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

My availability to actually work on the website entirely dictated the timeline. The project started in February 2020 and concluded in May. They could’ve turned it around quicker if I had been more available.

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

Deventure provided quality work. They delivered a site that was a huge improvement from the one I had. People who looked at my website complimented it. They commented that the platform was user-friendly. I’m happy with their work.

How did Deventure perform from a project management standpoint?

We usually communicated via e-mail and Skype calls. They requested that I download an app that allowed me to grab screenshots and annotate what I wanted them to change. Their team made the project easy.

We started the project and then the pandemic happened. As a medical practice, it was important to keep patients informed about our availability. It was easy to have Deventure create a pop up on the website. They adapted to changes, so anything I needed happened straight away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their availability was impressive. Flavius made himself personally available even outside of hours. If we had an issue or needed an urgent fix, he was responsive even on the weekend. That’s impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They had a reasonable appreciation of the fact that I’m not a technical expert. I sometimes had to tell them to slow down during calls to make sure that I could follow. They always slowed. It’s just a matter of reminding people in their field to translate their thoughts to someone who isn’t.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s good to have ideas of your own. If you know what you want to achieve, they’ll help you get there. If you have your images and content ready to go, the project will go quicker.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of product for Talent Clouds, a pre-employment screening and workforce management solution. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Deventure?

We needed web and mobile development as well as some design, UX work, and infrastructure administration.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Deventure developed for us using a lot of Microsoft tools, particularly ASP.NET, Visual Studio, C#, and Xamarin for mobile.

What is the team composition?

It’s varied over the last couple of years based on our budgets and so on, but on average, we work with five people from Deventure. At its peak, the project has had nine full-time employees. We have 2–3 people now. The core team is generally a project manager and four web developers; there are also some mobile people and designers as required

How did you come to work with Deventure?

When we were looking for developers, I found that local development houses’ costs were beyond our means. A colleague recommended that I speak with Flavius (General Manager). He gave a more reasonable price and project plan than what we could find in our area. He also gave us a good feeling and good insights into what we wanted to know. Overall, Deventure seemed like a team we could work well with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in August 2015 and is ongoing.

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

Deventure is not a part of our business; they’re a third-party supplier that forms a crucial part of our business. It’s been the same core team of people who’s worked on our project since the beginning. That means they possess a lot of valuable product knowledge and experience. In terms of quality, I can’t fault their production. We came into the business without technical experience in building software products. Deventure’s expertise helped us improve the quality of dev processes

How did Deventure perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is good. We have a dedicated project manager, and our processes have evolved over the last couple of years. We started on spreadsheets before moving to Microsoft Azure and Visual Studio for sprint planning and task management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their availability stands out to me: we can call Deventure and rely on them 24/7. If there’s a tight deadline, they’ll work after hours to make it happen. They take ownership of the product as if it’s their own.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They would benefit from being stricter about gathering requirements. They’ll often accept requirements that we haven’t perfected on our side, and they’ll start something that we’ll need to change mid-sprint.

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you know what you want. Be prepared to be challenged by Deventure on your processes and desired output. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work in the Product Development team of a company that develops fraud monitoring software for retail environments.

For what projects/services did your company hire Deventure?

We wanted to develop a mobile app to provide dynamic, on demand reports, and system performance highlights for our customers.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to design a working demo app in a very short period of time. The demo app had to work in both the Android and iOS platforms and be connected to a mock-up database, so it could be shown to our different customers, which was achieved on time.

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended by a senior manager of the company who had previously worked with them on a separate project. He was very satisfied with their prior performance and results, and on how this project turned out, as well.

Describe the project in detail.

Deventure built a demo mobile app for Android and iOS following our specifications. We sent them the concept and draft design and they did the programming and coding, as well as, improving the design to ensure good UI/UX. They also connected the app with the mock-up database we had provided them. We had a few calls during the first week to introduce the project and its goals and, during the first two weeks, Deventure had regular contact with us to refine the app mock-ups and designs to make sure there was a good understanding. As they were building the app, we would receive each new version daily and weekly to approve and give feedback. Deventure really took time to understand our business and made great suggestions for improvements to the design based on their experience quickly.

What was the team composition?

Our first point of contact was Flavius, the C.E.O, and then we were also in touch with 3 more people from his team.

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

In a few weeks, we had the first versions that we could show to our senior managers and we got very good feedback from them. Once the app was finished we also got good feedback from the customers who tested it. Another outcome that I would like to highlight is that the project was finished on time and included not only the high priority features, but also some of the low priority ones that we didn’t expect to be completed.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication was very fluid. We had 1 or 2 calls per week, and we were also in constant contact by email. They were very quick to answer any questions or new requests we had. As they were building the app, we would receive each new versions to approve and give feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their adaptability and willingness to adapt to changes and new requests stood out. They also understood our needs very well despite not having a lot of knowledge about our industry. Commitment – early delivery and good communication.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we are happy with the results. We have the impression that they worked hard and wanted to make sure we were happy with the progress during all the stages.

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company provides medical services for patients with infertility. Consultations, advice, surgery, ART. I am the Specialist delivering these services.

For what projects/services did your company hire Deventure?

Design of a new website, easy to navigate for patients that seek such services. A window of my expertise and what is on offer.

What were your goals for this project?

To enhance the patient experience by presenting the information in an objective, clear way and also offering a platform for patients to make contact with me. Also, a site that I can access and update without much effort.

How did you select this vendor?

The portfolio and expertise demonstrated in the search process. Also, the clear understanding of the deliverables and the competitive costs associated.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Deventure designed, programmed, tested and delivered a new website for me.

What was the team composition?

4 people. One was in constant contact with me. The project manager was efficient and communicated regularly to understand my needs, explain the progress and follow-up on all changes implemented. A very efficient process with excellent and fast communication throughout.

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

I received very positive verbal feedback from patients that have seen me after the launch.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Excellent constant contact via Skype, WhatsApp and email. Towards the end of the project, on a daily basis.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team seems to gel beautifully, like an orchestra. There was a smooth progress from concept to draft to first testing, fine-tuning and launch. Involvement of team lead in the whole process.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I would immediately recommend. Sometimes, the inexperienced customer might be overwhelmed by the technical wealth of knowledge!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re the co-founders of SuXeed, a healthcare app. It guides patients through pre- and post-op journeys.

What challenge were you trying to address with Deventure?

We worked with an app developer here in Ireland to produce our MVP. After finishing the first phase, we decided that their work wasn’t up to par. We engaged Deventure to become our new development partner.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a new mobile app for us using the wireframes from the initial app. We gave them specific requirements, and the constructed the app’s infrastructure. The team built out the entire backend which includes the database that stores patient information. They integrated a new feature where patients can take questionnaires to provide feedback regarding their surgery and outcome.

In addition to the iOS and Android apps, Deventure also developed the website that’s associated with the platform.

What is the team composition?

I was in contact with 3 or 4 different people at different phases of the project. Flavius (General Manager, Deventure) was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Deventure?

A colleague of mine got in contact with the owner of Deventure to see if they could help us. We told them what we were looking for, and they gave us a quote. We ultimately decided to go with their team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2018 to March 2019.

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

We’ve been delighted with the app they created, which is now operating in our own surgical practice. While it’s still in testing — used only internally — but we’ve been very happy with the results. The feedback we’ve received from user testing has also been very positive. Admittedly, there are still some things that have to be tweaked before its market launch.

How did Deventure perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. While there were delays on our own side, Flavius kept us on our toes by frequently following up with us. Since they’re based in Romania, we only met in-person a few times, but we generally communicated through email and Skype. They used InVision to show us app updates in real-time, which worked excellently. They’re very efficient.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is full of wonderful people who are extremely polite and easy to work with. They take customer service very seriously. The design team is full of experts that have unique suggestions and ideas. They took the initiative to implement design changes, which ended up being phenomenal.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Initially, I believe that Flavius was a little too tech-oriented in structuring the app; we had to remind him that the app needed to be intuitive from a patient’s point of view. This was a learning curve, but everything has worked out great since then.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a good structure in place. In addition, I’d say that communication and clarity are very important.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am General Director of a company that is delivering for more than 24 years custom IT solution for central and local government, utilities, public safety, city hall and defense market in Romania and Republic of Moldavia.

For what projects/services did your company hire Deventure?

We needed specialized people to develop a custom mobile application on iOS.

What were your goals for this project?

Since the end-user would be the citizen, we had looked for a easy to use mobile application that leverage the location based workflows in searching on a central database.

How did you select this vendor?

Based on market recommendations and solutions they delivered we identified them. Still the key element was their declared attitude in the work, that was proved during implementation we have done together - they stood together with us in defining the best solution for the end-user and not just developing after some technical specification.

Describe the project in detail.

The project goal was to offer to the citizens access to a database and search based on current location of the user. The mobile application had to be native on iOS and Deventure contribute with strategy, design and development in implementation.

Based on scope we had to accomplish both teams (Deventure and our team) developed the wire-frames and commonly agreed upon the final design and development requirements. They proved to be a partner that understand the need of our end-customer.

What was the team composition?

One project manager, 2 developers and one front end developer. During implementation time the team was adjusted accordingly.

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

In the first day the mobile app has been downloaded by +1000 users.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They worked like one team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The willing to see beyond the a simple request to develop a mobile application.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Most likely, I will involve them from the beginning of the project since some decisions we took have been proved to be wrong and based on Deventure's recommendations we succeeded to deliver in time.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a former software consultant for a medical technology company that offers a full range of integrated solutions for quality assurance in the domain of radiation therapy and medical imaging. They produce devices and software that are used both in radiation therapy and medical imaging application. The goal is to minimize the imaging radiation given to the patients while improving image quality.

What challenge were you trying to address with Deventure?

We needed to implement an extension to a platform to review important data measurement capabilities. There was data produced by third-party companies, and we wanted to import the data in our product. The intention was to implement a set of plugins to do this job. At that time, our coders were working to implement a lot of new features in the application. We wanted to hire another company to do the import plugin.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our import plugin using .NET and C#. For each data format, we implemented a set of plugins, which were loaded automatically using the Microsoft Extension framework.

One of our goals was to be able to implement a mechanism to be able to develop new plugins without changing the code in my QA platform. For that, we implemented a data import manager. It handles the plugins dynamically and offers the possibility to implement new plugins without changing the code in the main application. Deventure was responsible for implementing the plugins, and I was responsible for integrating them with our colleagues from Germany.

What is the team composition?

There were two developers.

How did you come to work with Deventure?

I found them through a meetup organizer for the C# group. I called them, we met, and we discussed the project. They told me they could help me.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €30,000 ($33,100 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January 2016 until April 2016. It was three months of development and one month of testing.

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

They did a very good job. They were very proactive and able to learn very fast. It was important for them to learn our coding guidelines so that the code they wrote looked like the code we’d already written. They learned the testing guidelines as well and provided documentation. Everything worked well.

The import component was very well received by our customers. Before, they were only able to use data from our company, but with the implementation of the plugins, they were able to use data from other providers and data in my QA platform.

How did Deventure perform from a project management standpoint?

I was responsible for project management, and then I discussed with them. We did the planning together. We created short iterations and decided on the milestones and deliveries together.

The communication was very good. We had regular meetings and code reviews, and Deventure reacted quickly to suggestions and comments from our coders in Germany. They were willing to adapt to new things very fast. The collaboration with them was very good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They adapted to new things and followed the coding and testing guidelines. The documentation was written in the way we wanted, and they managed to do it very quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The collaboration was fine.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with them because I had a positive experience. They’ll be able to adapt to the requirements of the customer very quickly.