Dowell

Please describe your organization.

We are a startup providing event-based experiences to our users within their cities or travel locations. We locate the best events available in order for our users to have access to relevant content online in a better way than simply using Facebook. Some events are simply not discoverable without a platform, such as ours.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Dowell?

We are not programmers ourselves, so we needed help in creating our platform.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Dowell developed our platform in its entirety, from the back-end server work to the mobile application development. They're also providing marketing services for our company. Their help was essential for us, given that we didn't have much experience in app development. We couldn't have done much without Dowell.

How did you come to work with Dowell?

A friend referred them to us after we'd already put a design and concept in place. They had a startup feel, similar to the classic story of Apple starting out in a garage. I found the experience to be great. They are friendly to be around, and it was easy to get new ideas from their team. They try to help us constantly and gave us constructive criticisms for our ideas. The collaboration was efficient overall. 

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

The total development cost was $150,000, not including marketing expenses.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2013. The first production version of the application was launched a year ago [March 2015]. We had some difficulties along the way as a startup. It can be difficult to gain new experience and continue growing. Dowell continues to help us even now, advising us along the way.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The feedback can be divided into the collaboration process and the outcome itself. Our collaboration with Dowell was excellent, fun, and comfortable. Because of my lack of experience, the product that I initially requested did not function properly. This was not due to Dowell's work. The app itself works great now, after some revisions. We haven't had major bugs or functionality issues.

What distinguishes Dowell from other providers?

The most noteworthy aspect about Dowell is their price. We initially worked with another company that, although based in Odessa, was registered in the United States. This came with very high pricing, such as $50 per hour for a junior programmer. We tried them for a few months, receiving the same grade of quality as with Dowell, but with a less-rewarding work process.

Please describe your organization.

brandradionetworks.com is a music service for businesses, similar to US companies like Muzak, that provide background music for supermarkets and other establishments. We're based in the Ukraine, and were started three years ago. We have an English language version of our website, as we initially intended to launch it for markets other than the Ukraine as well.

What is your position?

I am the owner of the business.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Dowell?

I had visited the US, and had gotten an idea of how music is played in department stores there. Satellite feeds are used to get the content, which implies large investments. I figured that the internet could be an alternative to this, for providing indoor radio. A lot of businesses could benefit from such a service, since at the time, there was nothing similar in the Ukraine. I approached Dowell with the idea, as I didn't know how difficult it could be. It was something new to them as well.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Dowell worked on the two versions of the company website we've had so far. The first one was in use for one and a half years, until we decided to make a change. We opted for a more intricate design that would be better suited for our clients. This included multiple languages and currency conversion.

Most clients stream our music. Some clients though, because of internet limitations, opt for our offline PC software. This program connects a few times a day to our servers, downloads a playlist, updates files and commercials, and plays them. The best part of this is that our offline and online playlists are basically synchronized, both starting at midnight. Dowell developed this system.

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

The total cost was below $20,000. They probably have higher pricing for the American market than they do locally.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together for three years. We still collaborate on programming work. 

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We've seen dramatic growth from Dowell's work. They did a good job. I don't know if I would be in this business if not for them. I come from a traditional radio background, and was completely new to this market.

How did Dowell perform from a project management standpoint?

I've had a good experience working with them. The owner always returns a call when promised, and never misses a deadline. If there's ever a problem or delay, he will warn you. I appreciate this because I myself am completely different and less organized. He is my personal organizer.

What distinguishes Dowell from other providers?

We've become friends with them through our work on this project.

Is there anything Dowell could have improved or done differently?

I can't think of anything.