Your partner in tech to empower product success
We are a company of digital product creators who drive our partners from product strategy and ideation to scaling. Our expertise includes full-cycle product development, tech consultancy, re-engineering, and Cloud&DevOps services.
With more than 13-year expertise in Fintech, Proptech, Travel, Edtech, and Transportation industries across the UK, US, and Swiss markets, we have a solid background in both helping startups transform into enterprises and transforming large businesses.
Our clients:
- The UK’s first digital mortgage lender with £266M+ raised in funding
- World’s #1 booking platform for scuba divers with 200k+ users
- #1 mortgage broker in the Swiss market, acquired 2 competitors
- Pioneer of Australian eCommerce and #1 marketplace in the region
- TOP 10+ and Saudi Arabia best-performing bank for 2021
Whether you need to build a product from scratch, go through digital transformation and re-engineering, or get consultancy services, we are here to drive you through the whole process.
Focus
Recommended Providers
Portfolio
MoneyPark, PADI Travel, MOLO Finance, Scoperty, Boa Lingua, The Saudi Investment Bank, Kogan.com, BillionToOne, Clear Minds, Surfacide, Veda Holding, Sanostro AG, Azyan Group, Repositax, Space11, Nycomm, Multi Media, Arena Entertainment, Smile IT, Numerade

MONEYPARK
With 80k+ customers, MoneyPark is the Swiss largest mortgage broker that helps its clients find the most suitable options for mortgage and insurance.
From an MVP in early 2012 to an enterprise with a B2B sub-platform, we’ve helped MoneyPark create a complex product that processes a lot of information and calculations. We’ve built an advanced CRM, property valuation tools, interfaces for real estate agencies, helped MoneyPark automate and optimize processes.
As a result of our partnership, MoneyPark became an uncompromised leader on the Swiss market and was acquired by Helvetia Group for CHF 107M.

PADI TRAVEL
PADI Travel is the world’s #1 booking platform for scuba divers that offers 900+ destinations in 80+ countries.
Starting our partnership in 2012, we’ve created a solid product with a high-load booking engine and advanced filtering, custom shopping, and B2B functionalities for local businesses. We’ve been there for PADI Travel when it started, and we’re still here to fuel its uncompromised leadership.
With us, PADI Travel became the world’s largest platform for scuba diving that unites 200k+ divers and 10k+ operators.

MOLO FINANCE
Molo is the first fully digital mortgage lender in the UK, that allows users to avoid paperwork, large banks, and speeds up the process.
Starting from scratch in 2017, we’ve created MVP in 8 months, transformed it into a fully-fledged product, and integrated Molo with Experian, Onfido, Rightmove, Peppermoney, and other services.
Our partnership resulted in over £266M Molo raised in seed funding and the status of the UK’s largest digital mortgage lender.

SCOPERTY
Scoperty platform helps users search for, get evaluations, and purchase real estate all over Germany.
Starting with MVP, we’ve transformed it into a solid product with a map that displays property prices all over the country, a property valuation system, advanced search and filtering, and integration with the Sprengnetter service. Scoperty allows checking prices of properties that are not for sale thanks to a combo of properties database and own technology.
Our partnership with Scoperty resulted in a demanded product that shortens the distance between property buyers and sellers.

BOA LINGUA
Boa Lingua platform helps students, professionals, and tourists boost language skills by offering courses in prestigious schools all over the world.
We started with a comprehensive discovery phase and drove Boa Lingua through the digital transformation to bring flexibility, simplicity, and unification to company processes. We created CRM, CMS, PIM, integrated digital asset management tools, and built an easy system for Boa Lingua partners to list their services.
After digital transformation, Boa Lingua receives amazing reviews for its services — over 97% of customers would book with Boa Lingua again.

SAIB
The Saudi Investment Bank joined forces with our team to become the first financial institution to enter a Saudi online mortgage market.
We’ve helped SAIB create the full UX/UI design and complete solution structure ready for development and complying with legal requirements of SAIB mortgage department
As a result of our partnership, we’ve set our clients up for building a well-shaped online mortgage solution ready to operate within the Saudi market and meet the SAIB structure requirements.

KOGAN
Being one of Australia largest e-commerce platforms, Kogan provides customers with thousands of items — from computers to home & garden appliances. Kogan.com includes retail and insurance, and expands its portfolio with money lending services.
We’ve helped Kogan to create and launch a Kogan Influencer Program, and empowered its engineering team with our expertise in web and mobile development.
With our partnership, Kogan.com got its development processes accelerated to keep cementing the leadership on Australian e-commerce market.

BillionToOne
BillionToOne platform provides genetic testing that detects and measures disease at the molecular level.
Together, we’ve conducted a deep discovery phase and created MVP, helped ensure a smooth interaction between clinicians and Billion To One professionals, and reduced human error and manual work.
Our partnership resulted in improved cooperation between multiple roles, enhanced workflow, and set Billion To One up for easy changes implementation and rapid scaling.

CLEAR MINDS
Swiss investment platform Clear Minds combines online and offline advisory to help long-term investors.
We’ve created risk profile calculators, savings goal analyzer, investments management system, portfolio proposal generator, and integrated the platform with Swissquote to help Clear Minds provide its clients with comprehensive advisory and streamlined investment processes.
Our partnership resulted in a well-shaped product that makes investments easier for people who’d like to stay on top of their portfolio anywhere and anytime.

SURFACIDE
The Surfacide system eliminates and prevents the spread of deadly pathogens from hospitals, apartments, offices, restaurants with automated UV-C technology columns. Surfacide sells both “columns” and a subscription to the reporting tool.
We’ve re-engineered the existing Portal functionality, improved the system design, maintainability, and user interface, and database performance. We’ve also implemented new Portal backward compatibility with the Android application.
As a result of our partnership, Surfacide enjoys reduced infrastructure costs and enhanced app performance.

WECRE8
Having several offline shops in Riyadh, Wecre8 joined forces with our team to expand the retail business online.
We’ve created a custom digital shop from scratch, introduced integrations with local payment and delivery providers, ERP, and stock synchronization between an online store and a warehouse.
Our partnership resulted in creating and launching Wecre8, a tailored digital store where Saudi fashion designers can list and sell the clothes they designed.

SANOSTRO
Swiss SaaS platform Sanostro helps major businesses with low-diversified portfolios to secure and grow investments.
During our partnership, we’ve helped Sanostro simulation systems for investment portfolios, a signal system with sensitivity tuning to predict market directions, and an advanced indicator system to identify optimal market positions. Sanostro processes data obtained from hedge funds, institutional investors, and crypto exchanges.
In a word, we helped Sanostro reinvent investment with unique collective intelligence.

AZYAN
Azyan connects restaurants with food delivery service providers in Jordan and focuses on delivering items ins 20 mins or less.
To cover the needs of restaurants, drivers, and users, we’ve integrated a live map that shows the destinations and delivery zones, created web and mobile apps with a UX/UI in Arabic and English, introduced easy filtering and a rapid registration process.
As a result, Azyan Delivery unites dozens of restaurants with thousands of users in Amman.

REPOSITAX
Repositax automates filling the financial documents, introduces error-tracking, and makes it easier to deal with taxation for businesses in the United States.
Creating a product, we’ve focused on accelerated workflow and enhanced security. We’ve introduced integration with OCR service and Stripe payment system, provided advisors with the ability to manage multiple client accounts, and created features for easier tax and financial planning.
Our partnership resulted in a solid SaaS platform that unites businesses, investors, and advisors under one secure system with rich functionality.

QWEEQWEE
Qweeqwee app allows for residential and commercial property rentals and purchases in Qatar in a fast and secure manner.
Building the Qweeqwee app from scratch, we focused on ensuring a good experience for both companies, agents, and customers. We’ve integrated a map and payment processor, developed UX/UI in Arabic and English, introduced easy listings management, and complied with Qatar-specific regulations in the real estate industry.
As a result of our partnership, Qweeqwee provides users with a decent rental and purchase experience.

NYCOMM
Nycomm is the largest independent communications supply specialist in the UK focused on B2B exclusively.
Modernizing an existing Nycomm system, we’ve developed an API that accelerates sending orders and identifying the surplus at the warehouses for Nycomm partners. We’ve also introduced enhanced service security, load limitations, and a handy system for managing partners’ accesses.
Our partnership with Nycomm resulted in accelerated cooperation with B2B partners and modernized workflow.

MULTI MEDIA
Multimedia is a large platform providing video streaming services. Multimedia’s Live video platform allows users to engage and interact with the audience using high-quality video content in real-time.
Working on a product, we’ve re-built the core of the engine for applications used by broadcasters and created from scratch an online IDE for creating such applications, re-built the ASP engine for event calculations, and introduced automated testing.
Our partnership resulted in a better experience for Multimedia users and expanded capabilities for broadcasters app creators.

NETFANZ
A premium social media platform, Netfanz allows influencers to sell access to exclusive content and monetize it with paywalls, tips, and subscriptions.
Building the platform from scratch, we’ve implemented DDD and Clean Architecture approaches, separated business, and framework layers, and focused on building a truly long-standing platform ready for expansion. With seamless media uploading, a secure payment system, and shaped communication features, we’ve helped Netfanz stand out.
As a result, we’ve created a Netfanz platform that allows for rapid scaling, easy support, and painless changes implementation.

SMILE IT
Smile IT focuses on providing an up-to-date picture of business health and accountability based on agreed risk profiles, process maturity scales, KPIs, and controls.
We’ve entered the project on the prototype stage, and helped Smile IT complete the MVP ahead of time. Taking over the full-cycle development, we focused on creating the product to help managers effectively keep track of parameters and introduced a configurable compliance/audit/governance system.
As a result of our cooperation, Smile IT is ready to transform MVP into a solid product ready for ISO certifying.

NUMERADE
A high-growth education technology startup Numerade brings video and interactive content to make quality education more accessible and affordable. With AI features and more than 1M videos uploaded, Numerade brings an exceptional education experience.
We’ve helped Numerade integrate its system with YouTube and take advantage of the marketing capabilities such integration brings.
Our partnership resulted in better experiences for Numerade users, and we are only going to bring more value.

KWIKEE
Software • USA
Overview
Kwikee is an end-to-end solution for brand assets and content, offering tools for content creation, management and distribution. It covers the widest range of channels and offers a faster and easier drive of conversion rates than ever before.
Services: Software development (backend/frontend)
Review: https://clutch.co/profile/django-stars#review-30742
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/kwikee/
Website: https://www.kwikee.com/

HAYSTACK INTELLIGENCE
Healthcare • USA
Overview
Haystack Intelligence is an application created to optimize the work of hospitals based on BIG DATA statistics of patient and doctor activity. It allows hospital owners and managers to analyze their expenditures, compare their branches, and check the patients-doctors-productivity ratio.
Services Software development (backend/frontend), UI/UX design, QA, DevOps, maintenance.
Project duration: Jan. 2017 – May 2018
Review https://clutch.co/profile/django-stars#review-458313
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/haystack-intelligence/
Website: https://haystackinformatics.com/

SINDEO
Fintech • Online Mortgage • • USA
Overview
Sindeo is a modern mortgage marketplace that provides tools, information, and guidance to help people find the right mortgage and lender. It works with the clients from the very beginning of their home search or refinancing to help them research and plan for their mortgage
Services: Software development (backend/frontend), QA, DevOps, maintenance.
Project duration: Oct. 2013 – Jun. 2017
Review: https://clutch.co/profile/django-stars#review-22295
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/sindeo/
Website: http://lendage.com/

ESOFT PLANNER (PPC COMMUNICATIONS)
Sports/CRM Systems • USA
Overview
eSoft Planner is a web-based management and scheduling system that was initially created for sports businesses and academies, but is popular among different sports and educational facilities across the USA. It allows users to manage scheduling and information from any web browser, make appointments, input schedules, and rent space simultaneously.
Services: Software development (backend/frontend), UI/UX design, QA, DevOps, maintenance.
Project duration May 2017 – ongoing
Review: https://clutch.co/profile/django-stars#review-309555
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/esoft-planner/
Website: https://www.esoftplanner.com/

SOFT ACTIVITY
Software • Canada
Overview
Soft Activity is a platform that monitors the activity of employees during the working day. Using a wide range of built-in tools and services, it keeps employers aware of everything that happens on their office computers.
Services: Software development (backend/frontend), QA, UI/UX design.
Project duration: Apr. 2016 - ongoing
Review: https://clutch.co/profile/django-stars#review-458313
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/soft-activity/
Website: https://www.softactivity.com/

DARPEDIA
Proptech • Jordan
Overview
Darpedia is the largest Arabian networking platform for house design and renovation that connects homeowners and home experts. It includes both European and Arabic layouts and connects clients with experts in architecture, interior design, decorating, landscape design, and home renovation in the MENA region.
Services: Software development (backend/frontend), UI/UX design, QA, DevOps, maintenance.
Project duration: Apr. 2017 – Aug. 2017
Review https://clutch.co/profile/django-stars#review-261012
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/darpedia/
Website: https://darpedia.com/

TIMEDOM
Proptech• Ukraine
Overview
An online apartment booking platform that connects property owners with potential tenants and makes the booking process easy for both sides.
Services: Full-cycle software development (backend/frontend/mobile), UI/UX design, QA, DevOps, maintenance.
Project duration: Sep. 2014 – Mar. 2016
Review: https://clutch.co/profile/django-stars#review-22607
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/timedom/
Website: https://timedom.com.ua/

SOLASTIS
CRM Systems • Singapore
Overview
Solastis CRM is a platform that helps engage customers and quickly digitalise business processes. It standardizes workflow, brings clarity to operations, and provides a variety of performance reports.
Services: Software development (frontend/backend), UI/UX design, QA, Project Management.
Review: https://clutch.co/profile/django-stars#review-553967
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/solastis/
Website: https://solastis.com/

HUDSON
Recruitment • USA
Overview
Hudson is an international recruitment company that focuses on both talent management and specialized recruitment. Combining efforts of economists, psychologists, linguists, and technologists, Hudson finds a perfect fit for candidates and clients.
Services: Software development (backend/frontend), UI/UX Design, QA, BA, maintenance.
Project duration: Feb. 2016 – Mar. 2017
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/hudson/
Website: https://www.hudson.ua/en-us/

STORYTOLD
Communication • USA
Overview
StoryTold is an innovative application that promotes less arguing and moralizing in parent-child relationships. It is focused on the improvement of parent-child relationships through storytelling.
Services: Full-cycle software development (backend/frontend/mobile), UI/UX design, QA, BA, DevOps, maintenance.
Project duration: Aug. 2017 – ongoing
Review: https://clutch.co/profile/django-stars#review-306531
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/storytold/
Website: http://storytold.io/

EVIDOQ
Software • France
Overview
eVidoq is a research platform that provides automated gathering and analysis of information to help users find key elements faster and more efficiently.
Services: Software development (backend/frontend), UI/UX design, QA.
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/evidoq/
Website: https://evidoq.com/

CRICKET DUEL
Fantasy Sports • USA
Overview
Cricket Duel is a fantasy sport web application where participants build their own fantasy cricket team. They compete against other fantasy owners based on statistics generated by real individual players or professional cricket teams.
Services: Software development (backend/frontend), UI/UX design, QA, DevOps.
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/cricketduel/

TAXOFON
Taxi & Transportation• Ukraine
Overview
Taxofon is a complete web- and mobile-based solution for building and running a taxi service company from scratch. It covers all the features needed for passengers, drivers, and managers using Android and a web application.
Services: Full-cycle software development (backend/ frontend/mobile), UI/UX design, QA, DevOps, maintenance.
Review https://clutch.co/profile/django-stars#review-30979
Case Study: https://djangostars.com/case-studies/taxofon/
Website: https://taxofon.ua/
Reviews
the project
Custom Software Development for Travel Specialist Company
"By working together as a team, we've achieved exceptional results."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the CDO of Boa Lingua, a Swiss language travel provider focused on helping people to find language schools and courses as well as host families or residences right up to leisure activities all around the globe.
For what projects/services did your company hire Django Stars, and what were your goals?
We were looking for a development partner to build a bespoke solution from scratch. The goal was to replace an existing, outdated application landscape. Customers today expect an interactive platform that provides answers to all their questions about language travel. They are looking for inspiration, expert advice and real customer feedback. Our future application should be child's play to use and able to create dynamic shopping carts in real time. The new customized system needed to replicate the functionality of several older systems while leveraging newer technologies and a tailor-made setup to improve the customer experience and increase the efficiency of all processes along the customer journey.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
After months of research, Djangostars was the company that stood out. We assigned them a pre-development project phase to get an idea of how they work.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
Starting with our wireframes and business requirements, Djangostars turned our ideas into code. A powerful PIM and booking engine, our customized shopping experience with personalized offers and the advanced filter system are features we developed and implemented for the MVP. Upon completion, the MVP has been deployed and we continue to fine tune it as well as work on follow-on projects.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
The project team consisted of 7-8 people on the Djangostars side (backend + frontend developers, quality assurance engineers, project manager) and 4 project managers on our side. There was a fixed core team. Individuals, however, came and went depending on the project phase and the respective requirements.
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
Once the web application was completed our customers were able to utilize the benefits immediately. Our new website provides real time prices for thousands of dynamic packaged services. You find over 2.000 customer ratings and the best snapshots from our customers - All you need to make the right choice before venturing out into the world.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
The project management was well organized! The whole team worked very well together.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
From experience, I know the challenges and what makes development projects successful. The goal is to ensure quality, but also to be close to the business. Our own project managers were able to empower Djangostars' software developers to think in terms of products, not projects. This allowed them to give advice on how to use the best technologies and smart solutions. By working together as a team, we've achieved exceptional results.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
So far everything is going smoothly. Provide them with a clear idea of how the software should work. Problems don't stop them. They find a solution to every challenge that arises in the course of developments.
the project
Risk & Compliance Tool MVP Dev for IT Service Provider
“They were the best developers I’d worked with in terms of project management.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the general manager of an IT service provider. We offer IT solutions across a range of industries. Our company also has a software development division where we produce products to support our IT work.
What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?
We were developing a software product intended to support our general IT control reviews and our security reviews for customers. We’d begun developing the product and wanted to get it to the MVP stage quickly, so we hired Django Stars and their development team.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The key deliverable was a government risk and compliance tool. We had planned 20 sprints to complete the MVP. Our team had already completed 10 sprints when our development members left the organization. Django started working on some of our modules at that point. They also managed the tasks and modules of the people they allocated to do the work.
What is the team composition?
We worked with five people from their team, including a backend developer, a frontend developer, a project manager, and a QA resource. It was essentially a full-stack development team. Our main point of contact was Iryna (Project Manager).
How did you come to work with Django Stars?
We found it difficult to find Django developers in Australia, so I went to the internet and searched for such developers. I discovered that there seemed to be a decent supply of developers in Ukraine, and we heard good stories about them. I started searching for Django developers there, and Django Stars came up, along with other vendors.
Django Stars appeared to be a lot more professional than other providers. On top of that, they were a little bigger than other teams; therefore, they were more capable of providing resources to us. Apart from that, other developers didn’t respond to us when we sent our requests. As a result, we hired Django Stars.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent about $85,000 AUD (approximately $62,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
The MVP development work lasted from August–November 2021. For context, we’re currently considering the requirements for the next development phase and introducing the software to the market. It’s quite likely that we’ll use Django Stars again in the future, but things can change.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The MVP worked, and it was completed according to our requirements — this was our simplest measure of success. On top of that, Django Stars completed the product ahead of time; under our original schedule, we were supposed to finish the MVP in December 2021. Moreover, all of our Jira ticket backlogs were completed, and we were happy with the results the team delivered.
How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?
Django Stars were exceptionally professional. They were the best developers I’d worked with in terms of project management. The team was thorough, detailed, and clear in communication. Overall, they were highly responsive.
In terms of tools, we used Atlassian products such as Jira and Confluence. For communications, we used Slack and Zoom for meetings.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The Django Stars team had high standards, which were obvious from the work they did. There was nothing more we could ask for; they were a professional organization that delivered what we asked them to deliver. We had a great experience in that regard.
Are there any areas they could improve?
The only thing that was difficult for us was the time zone differences; we had to begin meetings in the evening because of the difference. However, this wasn’t Django Stars’ fault.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
The success of your development project all comes down to how thoroughly you prepare your requirements and how clearly you communicate them.
For context, we had a clear set of requirements before going to the Django Stars team. We’d already created all Jira tickets and estimated their time requirements. As a result, when Django Stars arrived, they had a clear picture of what we needed, and they were able to improve on our estimates and point out any issues they saw. This made our engagement work well.
the project
Website Development for Marketing & Advertising Company
"Their team is very good at planning out projects and knowing what to do from the start."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the project manager of an entertainment company.
What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?
We hired Django Stars to create a web application.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Django Stars has built a website based on the Django framework and frontend. It’s a premium social media website where our users can create individual posts, content, or videos. Users can also subscribe and pay for a premium account.
What is the team composition?
I’ve worked with around eight people, but my main points of contact have been a project manager, relationship manager, and frontend developer. We also have backend developers, QA people, and a software architect.
How did you come to work with Django Stars?
We were looking for a company that could build a web app using the Django framework because it was very flexible for building new apps or websites. It was a good fit if we could have the whole payment system interacting with our social system. Django Stars came across as the friendliest and most helpful company to speak with.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent around $150,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with Django Stars in August 2020. The project is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
There have been a few mentions that we’ve wanted, and the first is the backend system. We need to ensure that the payment systems Django Stars put in place and the way they hook up our site function to accept payments. This is the most important factor and what distinguishes our website from others. Django Stars has executed the payment side flawlessly.
The second aspect is the functionalities of the social site, such as how quickly comments are posted and how seamlessly photos and videos are uploaded because it needs to be seamless on a social media site. That has been very easy for Django Stars because they have experience doing that. Nobody had any issues with that relative performance at the moment.
Finally, we’re measuring the accuracy and functionality of the frontend design, which we’ve had issues with. This includes how the website looks and reacts to people using it. Unfortunately, in the final presentation a few weeks ago, the deliverables were a bit off and not quite accurate to what the stakeholders envisioned.
How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?
Django Stars has been good at meeting deadlines. They usually manage to hit deadlines 95% of the time. We’ve changed our plans halfway through the project, so it has been on Django Stars to still step up and complete that.
The communication is exceptional. Django Stars always lets me know of any changes when something isn’t correct yet or why something will take longer than they originally envisioned.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Something positive about Django Stars’ is that they manage to pull off changes within the deadline. They’ve adapted to our changes.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I think the QA needs to be slightly better to ensure what needs to be seen in the final product. It’s a shame because there have been some things Django Stars has missed, which tarnished some of what they’ve done.
Any advice for potential customers?
Be honest, transparent, and open to communication around what you’re expecting out of the project from the beginning. It has been a good way for us to go because we've started with a plan with Django Stars. Their team is very good at planning out projects and knowing what to do from the start.
the project
Mobile App Dev for Debt Management Platform
"Their development process was clear and transparent."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I’ve been working as a Chief Product Officer on this project. The Straddle is a debt management mobile application with a focus on poker players. We have plans to go further and add poker game management features in the future.
Straddle debt manager - play easily with your money. Get full control under your private loans and debts. Track history, set deadlines, split debts among several users or into several transactions, and more.
For what projects/services did your company hire Django Stars?
We wanted to develop a mobile app from scratch based on our vision. Django Stars cooperated with us from the early stages and helped make this vision a reality.
What were your goals for this project?
We wanted to develop a cross-platform mobile app for personal finance and debt accounting. The applications enables people lend money and repay debts.
How did you select Django Stars?
I found the Django Stars website while I was searching for the best tech.stack for my financial app. After a short investigation, I got a feeling that we have a common understanding of how business and cooperation should be done.
After we discussed my project I asked them to share more information about the previous experience and references from their clients. I was satisfied with their approach to negotiation, pricing, and timelines, but the final decision was made after I checked video-reviews from their clients.
Describe the project in detail.
Django Stars provided a full turnkey solution for the mobile from start to production release and further support. This includes early ideation and UX/UI Design, Brand identity, development for iOS and Android, App backend, hosting etc.
What was the team composition?
The team of 10 specialists was allocated to this project, which has needed skill set to release a mobile app:
- Two Backend Engineers
- Three Frontend/React Native Engineers
- Two Quality Assurance Engineers
- UX/UI Designer
- Project Manager
- Business Analyst
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
We were looking for a real partner who can provide us not only with strong technical experience but also with domain expertise. The partner, who understands the business goals and is ready to deliver us a product in an accurate manner according to the agreed timeline and budget, right as Django Stars did.
They had started the project from the detailed business and processes investigation. After the usual workflow was defined, they transferred it to the desired flow and created a project architecture taking into account the possibility of future growth and updates implementation. They also had described possible risks and ways of mitigation for the most crucial of them.
The pre-development phase completed in tight cooperation with the Django Stars team proved their problem-solving skills, not just code writing. One of the most valuable points we’ve noticed is the full engagement of each team member in the project development process.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Thanks to the Scrum methodology they used, we always knew the latest results and progress on the project. The planning process took place every two weeks, which gave us an understanding of what will be done in the next milestone. The team provided us with the reports after each sprint, together with the demo and retrospective.
The Jira, Confluence, and Slack were the main tools for planning, document processing, and communication. The overall management process is stable and predictable, which made us feel comfortable with long-term planning.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
As I mentioned before, the Django Stars team was fully engaged in the development process. They have been working together on each feature and constantly were providing us with their ideas regarding the project improvement and priorities on the project, which helped us to get a better version for the first release, i.e., we boosted our business thanks to such an approach from their side.
Their development process was clear and transparent. We got more than a team of developers. We got a real partner who cares about our success.
Are there any areas for improvement?
Their processes are well-established and the delivery procedure leaves behind all our expectations. I don’t think there is something they have to improve.
the project
Web-Based Portal Dev & Design for UV Disinfectant Producer
“They make sure everything is done correctly and that the customer is very happy.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the IT director of a UV disinfection company. Our product is a robotic system consisting of three towers. Through tablets, users can disinfect rooms, primarily for healthcare environments to disinfect hospital rooms. Then, information is stored on that tablet and uploaded to a portal for reporting purposes. Hospitals can track bacteria and viruses in the hospital and if disinfection has been effective.
What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?
We had an old portal that wasn’t working very well. We realized it would be easier and cheaper to build a new platform rather than fix the old one. It was a difficult project because our previous developer didn’t document it that well, so Django Stars really had to start from scratch
What was the scope of their involvement?
Django Stars had to create all the same features but started from scratch. The original platform was written in .NET and C#, but we decided to move to Django and Python because it would make the codebase easier to maintain and more secure.
It’s a web-based portal and the tablet is connected to the portal through a web API. Everything is done on a TLS encrypted connection.
What is the team composition?
I worked with a business liaison to get the project started. The team consisted of a project manager, 2–3 front end developers and user interface designer and back end developer, a senior backend developer, and an Android developer.
How did you come to work with Django Stars?
I went to the Django website and it featured a list of Django developers. I went through the entire list and earmarked the ones that looked suitable. I wanted a decent-size company that could meet our needs. I then researched their websites and contacted 3–4 different developers.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent $200,000–$999,999.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project lasted from April–September 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The project itself is done, but we’re in a transition phase where we need our users to switch from the old to the new portal.
They delivered all the features we asked for. It did take them a little longer to deliver than expected, but that was because of issues we didn’t foresee in our older software.
Their testing was very thorough as well. They outlined how they conducted each test so I can replicate them in-house as well.
How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?
Their project manager did an excellent job. We had sprint reviews on Google Meets every business day. Communication was excellent. Even though English wasn’t their first language, we never had a communication problem. Their English was very proficient.
They gave me access to Jira, so I could monitor their progress. I also used Slack for communication with the team.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They were clearly very knowledgeable. Everything is extremely well-organized. They’re very professional and easy to get along with. They make sure everything is done correctly and that the customer is very happy.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We had a bit of turnover with some probationary developers. It didn’t really affect their work, but that was the only thing that made me slightly uncomfortable.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
You can help them by clearly defining what you want to achieve. That will also help them create a more accurate cost estimate.
the project
Web & Software Dev for Investment Management Platform
"My CTO has been working in software development for over 30 years, and he’s rated them very highly."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CEO and founder of Repositax, Inc. It’s based in San Diego, California.
What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?
I asked them to help with an investment management platform for privately held companies that was initially focused on partnerships.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They helped build an application around an idea that I had. While they had a seedling of code to start with, they ended up building it from scratch in Python.
They’ve done the database design, the backend development and design, and the frontend development and design. The application has launched. Now, we’re doing continuous improvement and new features.
What is the team composition?
My primary contact is one main project manager, we meet daily, and I talk with him 70% of the time. Secondarily I talk with the QA specialist 20% of the time. However, they don’t shield me from talking to backend developers directly.
How did you come to work with Django Stars?
I was looking for a company that wasn’t too big or too small. It needed to match my level of technical expertise to where I had the subject matter expertise. Also, I knew I wanted something developed in Python.
I ended up interviewing over 15 different companies in various countries. I also considered hiring a local company or hiring freelancers. I looked at the companies’ websites and customer references. I also looked on Clutch reviews and made sure it was a reliable source.
Eventually, I narrowed it down to three companies and interviewed them. Django Stars was number two on my final list. I initially chose a local company that had outsourced employees in a different country. That ended up not being a good fit, and I outgrew it quickly.
During that time, I kept in touch with Django Stars. They were very thoughtful and responsive, even though I hadn’t initially chosen them. Since we’d developed a good relationship, I decided to make a change and hire them after a year.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested $250,000 – $500,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
The billable hours for the project started in March, and we’re still working together today.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The application is finished, it works, and it has customers. I engage five vendors as my team, and Django Stars brings 80% of the hours and value out of all of my other vendors combined.
My CTO has been working in software development for over 30 years, and he's rated them very highly after working with them for a year. He’s worked in 16 countries on countless projects. Early in his career, he was a Python programmer.
How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?
Django Stars is the lead vendor that helps coordinate the other vendors. The project manager helps me with priorities, he manages the team, and he’s a great sounding board. Every day, we talk for at least an hour.
The owners of Django Stars have been great too. Every time I raise my hand, they’re ready to respond. I’m certainly not their biggest customer, but they don’t make me feel like a small one. I’ve been to Ukraine five times in the last 18 months.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I see the benefit of choosing a vendor that’s focused on Python. Their focus on Python is very apparent in their efficiency and interactions with me. There are no distractions, and they’re very focused on what I need.
They’ve been in business for over 10 years, so they’re stable. They’ve been steadily growing since I met them. I’ve been to their offices and seen the culture of the company. They have a really good culture; the impression I had from their website and LinkedIn is exactly what their culture is like.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They have a ton of experience in the earlier stages of taking design concepts from a founder’s head and making it a reality. However, after the product has launched, different skillsets would be helpful. They’ve done a great job with me, and they’ve demonstrated great flexibility. However, it’s an area that they could improve on. When my CTO and I gave them some suggestions, they were very responsive, and they’ve adapted.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
This applies to every outsourcing company on the planet. You should spend 30 to 90 days just doing planning, whiteboarding, and wireframing. It’ll save you three times the amount of money later on.
Specific to Django Stars, revaluate the team members you have after you go through the planning process. That will be key to your success once you start coding.
the project
Website Development for Startup Incubator
"They got the project done and that’s good."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the head of fintech intelligence for a small nonprofit organization. We work on helping start-ups within financial technology connect with financial institutions such as banks, pension funds, insurance companies, and investors in order to generate more investment jobs and companies within fintech in Denmark.
What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?
We had four old websites that and we needed to merge. We changed our visual identity and needed two new websites to be built.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The two new websites were built using the Wagtail CMS. The websites were mostly informational and there weren’t many additional features.
What is the team composition?
We worked with a team of 5–10 people.
How did you come to work with Django Stars?
I think they had contacted our CEO for something else. However, at a later stage, we chose them to do this for us. We mainly chose them because of the price as we are a nonprofit and we don’t have a lot of money for development.
How much have you invested in them?
We actually didn’t pay anything outside of marketing their company on social media.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked with them from October 2019 to January 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
People that go to our website now have an understanding of what we do. For us, it is a lot easier to redirect potential customers to specific pages on the website showing our services and what options they have.
How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?
Considering we received the service for free, it was okay. From a project management point of view, they did fine when we started the project. It was as expected.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I haven’t worked with any competitors, but they got the project done and that’s good. It’s difficult to answer the question without having done similar projects before.
Are there any areas they could improve?
One of the issues, in general, is the language barrier. It hurts a little bit when it comes to understanding the communication. It would’ve taken fewer iterations if the language barrier was smaller.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be clear with the communication.
the project
Software Dev for Product Consulting Firm
"They are very flexible and align their methods with how we want to work."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the CTO of Firstblox.
What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?
The founder of Firstblox and I wanted to build financial regulatory compliance software.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Before we started working with them, we did a pilot sprint where we got a good understanding of how Django Stars worked. They gave us a comprehensive document that described their tools, processes, and techniques.
The team then helped us take the project from ideation to conception using Django Python. We provided them with requirements and they fleshed out the ideas from there. They also helped the founder translate some of his ideas into mind and site maps. Once the ideation was completed, the team started getting the prototype ready to present to investors and potential customers.
What is the team composition?
We've worked with about 5–6 people including a business analyst, a UX designer, and a system architect.
How did you come to work with Django Stars?
They have a strong online presence. I saw some of their client video testimonials and attended their conferences and meet-ups. After discovering them, I had a few meetings with Django Stars’ business development manager who provided some clarity on the processes that they use and how they manage projects. We ultimately chose them because of their experience with previous clients and using agile methods to deliver a product successfully.
How much have you invested with them?
After wrapping up the upcoming development phase, we will have invested between $50,000–$60,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in August 2019 and our engagement is still ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The project was taken through an accelerator partially because of Django Stars’ good work. The fact that we were able to demo a product and win an award at a startup competition speaks to how successful the team was. They delivered everything we asked for and we even had follow-up conversations with investors.
How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?
They provide us with reports at the end of each sprint to highlight what is delivered and what isn’t. After reviewing the reports as a team, we are able to understand what improvements could be made. Their delivery is also seamless and their processes align with the best practices of agile methods.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They are subject matter experts in their field and bring a lot of experiences to the table. Before commencing development, they helped us identify the key features of the project, which was valuable. Django Stars advised on how to spend our time and money wisely so we were able to make decisions in the beginning about what to tackle first. They are very flexible and align their methods with how we want to work. Overall, our teams gelled quite well.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, there’s nothing I can think of. Anything we needed to iron out, we did during the pilot sprint. We figured out if we wanted to use our own version control or issue management right from the start, which was helpful.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
I would advise customers to go through a pilot sprint and meet with their business analyst. Test the water to determine if you would have a good working relationship. Given their expertise and our experience with them, the answer would be yes. But go through these test sessions anyway to flesh out the ideas using their knowledge. They also have a complete document that will help you understand their processes upfront.
the project
Web App Development for Real Estate Company
"It feels as though they are a part of our company..."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the CPO at Scoperty. We created a new real estate marketplace here in Germany.
For every property we show, we provide an evaluation of the property based on an AI algorithm. This is our starting point in the selling and buying journey in the German housing market.
What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?
We were looking for someone to help us with web development. In particular, we wanted to use a very experienced backend DevOps resource as a freelancer. When it comes to resources in the IT sector in Munich, it’s really hard to get people on board.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Django Stars has provided us with a very competent backend developer. We started with the frontend and built our team out slowly.
In the end, Django helped us create our whole marketplace, and they’ve been providing us with an engineering team. At the moment, it’s a web-based application that’s fully responsive and also works on mobile devices.
When it comes to features, the product is a map-based marketplace. We have a Google map with all the prices, and the user can enter each property.
The user can get in contact with the owner, register, and share messages. They’ll also get search alert emails.
What is the team composition?
We’ve worked with 12 people from their team.
How did you come to work with Django Stars?
One of our investors was already engaged with them and recommended them to us.
What is the status of this engagement?
Our engagement with them began in October 2018, and we’re still working with them.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We were able to increase story points with each sprint. Everything else is pretty hard to measure, and we don’t have a clear metric in place to measure the quality.
The number of bugs after the release also decreased from sprint to sprint. From the beginning to now, we saw a dramatic increase in the pace of our sprints.
How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?
They have a project manager acting as a Scrum master within their team, so our product owner has a clear face on the other side. We manage them as a scrum team, and we are also in direct contact with every developer.
What did you find most impressive about them?
It feels as though they are a part of our company, and their people are really engaged in delivering a good solution. They feel fully responsible for our product.
They think about the solution, and I think that is really cool for an outside company. They have a stable team. With Django Stars, you’re really able to create a Scrum mindset.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Not at the moment.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Potential customers need to have a little bit of trust in them because they ask for responsibility. If you give them responsibility, they take it seriously and start to perform. You need to really get into the action with them. You should go to Kyiv or invite them over to you and explain what you’re doing.
the project
Django Web Dev for Fin. Research Firm
“They’re the most professional development company I’ve engaged with.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the owner of a Swiss-based financial research company. We serve several large corporate clients by providing financial data to retail customers and investors.
What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?
We were developing a new version of a website based in Django and Python. Since our old developer had left the company before the site’s completion, we were looking to outsource the remaining work to a reliable firm.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The new release features a fresh customer interface and several new features. After Django Stars came on board, they utilized frameworks and coded in JavaScript in addition to Python and Django. After development, they provided quality-assurance by testing the product.
What is the team composition?
I worked with 4–5 people.
How did you come to work with Django Stars?
I believe I found them through a freelancing site. After I reached out to them, I was attracted to the fact that they have clients in Switzerland. I felt close to their working culture and sensed that they were responsive and reliable.
How much have you invested with them?
I’ve probably spent around $30,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
The work on our regional project lasted between February–November of 2019, but we plan to engage them again for the next step in the release.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Django Stars really took off of my plate, because there were no lengthy iterations. They promised to execute something, and they delivered something that was complete and functional in a timely manner.
How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?
They’re the most professional development company I’ve engaged with. They’re transparent about their qualifications and costs and are able to stick to their promises. Apart from one or two normal delays, they delivered almost always on time with more than a dozen deliverables.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their focus on Django is quite impressive. While it’s often considered a secondary tech stack, their focus on and competence in Django was of great use to me. They’re very efficient and know how to solve problems.
Are there any areas they could improve?
While this isn’t a shortcoming on their part, they’re probably better for larger corporations. As a smaller business, I was an exception to the general size of their projects.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be clear about the size and scope of our project so that you’re both on the same page.
Django Stars has completed the client's web app. They were able to utilize the benefits immediately after it had been launched. The vendor makes sure to provide high-quality service while maintaining a close relationship with the client, ending up with exceptional results.