EYSS

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of an accountability and transparency business. What we do is we track transparency and accountability and we do it through images and we place them onto the blockchain. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EYSS?

We started engaging with EYSS to help us with our Android and iOS app development. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I already designed the format and process of how the project should work. They handled the creation of our app which is available on Android and iOS. We wanted it to be user-friendly, for both our business and stakeholders.

After they completed that, we decided to continue our partnership so that they can make changes to our platform. We still have other key deliverables where we will use more complex technologies for the platform.

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with Eduardo (Co-Founder) and we also collaborate with many people from their team. 

How did you come to work with EYSS?

Before collaborating with them we looked for several iOS developers, Android developers, and anyone in the space of blockchain. At that time, we wanted someone who could really use sophisticated exponential technologies; there was no room for a company that didn’t have the nuance to execute our tasks. I searched companies from India, South America, and Eastern Europe. 

Since I’m a blockchain developer myself, I was aware that not a lot of companies do blockchain well. I also disliked the fact that a lot of the platform developers out there use third-parties, which I didn’t want.

When you have a startup or create your own company, in the beginning, you are very cautious about who you work with because your idea is still germinating. I didn’t want to be in a position where people could actually steal my work – you’ll see it a lot in Silicon Valley, where we're based. 

Finally, EYSS was recommended to me by a friend and he gave great reviews of them. My friend was incredibly diligent and when he mentioned them, I followed his advice. At first, I was just tentative but when we did our due diligence, EYSS checked out perfectly.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, I've already invested $15,000–$20,000 in the project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our partnership in February 2020 and our work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to create an app that can do what I originally envisioned. They executed that very nicely. They were able to take the ideas I’ve spent over a year in the field with and they were able to put it in a format that is user-friendly for my business and for my particular stakeholders. Overall, I consider them my partner. 

How did EYSS perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very accommodating to me in the sense that they are able to take my ideas and vision and even expand on them. When I first approached EYSS, we already set milestones and objectives and how they're supposed to be met.

Currently, we do reviews every week and do a milestone review every quarter. So far, they have been fulfilling our objectives within the deadline we agreed upon.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing is our personal relationship with them. They’re very honest and forthright. We like that we don’t have to second guess anything they say to us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

With their work, we have no issues. The only pain point in our relationship is how we can pay them. It is a little bit difficult for us because they don’t take checks or anything similar to that. We just find other modes of payment with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You have to be clear on your deliverables and timelines. I think sometimes many people have so many ideas and not enough understanding of what their project entails. The vendor’s team can deal with a lot of complex technologies, they’re able to understand and work with that. Most of all, future customers need to understand what their business is all about.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a group of companies called the LOVE TO Group, and we are doing innovative work around valuing people’s work in ecosystems, ecologies, and community development. I am a founding director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EYSS?

There are accounting standards available for the work we are doing, but they are extremely user-unfriendly. Our organization engaged EYSS to help us produce some platform systems with application frontends that allowed us to get participation from the public.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team helped us to create a cloud-based accounting system that measured the ecosystems among companies and people rather than just profits and other typical measurements. We started with an extensive documentation process, and they didn’t send us any quotes until we finished the documentation, which we appreciated.

We worked in stages, with their team delivering one element of the project per week. That included a desktop base for us to receive and manage the data on our end as well as an Android app that farmers and organizations in the field could use to actually do the evaluation process of the ecological benefits of the work people were doing.

The app works even when the phone is not online, which was important to us because we needed it to be usable in very remote locations. Its interface is extremely cost effective and user-friendly and has enabled the data collection capabilities that we were targeting perfectly.

What was the team composition?

There were six members of their team involved in the work.

How did you come to work with EYSS?

I met Eduardo (Owner) through some of the executives involved in our organization and had heard a lot of good things about him. He then came to our area in Australia to meet with us and discuss the details of the project, and we agreed to proceed from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $8,000 with them in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

They were able to develop the entire project between April–May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their pricing was very reasonable, and they delivered everything in its full form two days before the original completion date they had given us. That included coordinating with teams in different countries to translate the app so that it could be used in all of the places we were targeting. They also tested the app in low cell signal conditions to ensure it would be usable wherever it needed to go.

The final product that they delivered is working exactly as it was specified to, and we haven’t run into any problems with clients not being able to navigate it or anything. Since the launch, we’ve come up with a couple ideas for iterations and improvements that we can make over time, and we’re currently engaging them on an even bigger project with our organization.

How did EYSS perform from a project management standpoint?

We spoke to Eduardo and his team every week, including a standup call every Monday and regular communication more regularly around smaller elements of the work. Most of our communication ran directly through the two principals, who helped us to think through legal and data ownership implications, and things that were even beyond the scope of their work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their whole team is very genuine and honest with you, so you always know exactly where you stand. They say what they’re going to do and then deliver exactly what they promised, so there are never any surprises. Especially for someone like me who doesn’t understand that level of technical detail, their service made the whole process painless to navigate.

On top of that, the value that they offer for those services is absolutely excellent. We had development companies in Australia charge us 4–5 times what Eduardo quoted us to deliver just as much value. Their documentation is excellent, they’re extremely reliable, and they make themselves very accessible to answer questions and provide help as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I really don’t have anything negative to say about their work. They delivered on time and on budget, so I’m not sure what more I could ask for.     

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As long as you know what you want done and understand what steps you need to take to get there, you don’t have to know the exact technical specifications to work with EYSS. They are a fantastic team that you can trust to do whatever you need without ripping anyone off.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CTO and co-founder of Redgrid. We are creating an IoT software for energy devices and industry that enables value transfer (transactive energy services) for minigrids, microgrids, and communities using a fully peer to peer distributed architecture.

Our project is part open source, with our business providing commercial services in and around the open source protocol we are creating.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EYSS?

EYSS is helping our dev team to deliver for both our Open source and proprietary RedGrid products and applications. They are helping us deliver and internal pilot project which includes a peer to peer back end protocol and a web app front end. our goal is to have a productized version of this by end of July and EYSS are helping us to achieve that outcome.

What were your goals for this project?

productized solution and full release of our protocol by end of July this year.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our project needs very niche skills and partnerships and EYSS have the network, connections and in house skills to do precisely what we need. They also provide the general skills we need to support out of the same office. Finally, EYSS, as a business, shares our values and principles, so they were the appropriate fit for us.

Describe the project in detail.

React web app front end, holochain backend, some javascript middleware, hypercore, hyperswarm, rust and secure scuttlebut are language skills we need.

Skills in distributed peer to peer architectures are also required. projects: xcd (by end july), monash net zero (un award winning project by dec).

eyss resources: 2 developers as extension to our local delivery teams.

What was the team composition?

i am lead dev and project manager. initially we started with one resource who was primarily Holochain and RUST and recently extended to include another React developer to assist with writing the webapp.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

within 2 months we have delivered our objectives of our pilot and monash project.

• milestone 1: 10 devices running on peer to peer protocol
• milestone 2: web app developed and tested internally with working backend integration.
• milestone 3: successful demonstration of prototype to OEM partners.

We have hit all our objectives so far.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

very happy with the team and results. Our EYSS resources have become a fully integrated part of our delivery team and have adopted and are using all our teams as if they where local.

also has the added benefit with timezones that our delivery continues beyond standard hours here in Australia (i.e. I can have my team delivering here in business hours then when they clock off the EYSS team take over. We have almost 24 hour delivery cadence which is great.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I really was impressed by Eduardo upfront. You can tell that he has a very principled and values-driven way of running the EYSS business. this is important to us as we run our business the same way and demand the same of others.

additionally I've been impressed by the flexibility. we decided very late that we required another resource (like I gave a day notice).. right away Eduardo hustled to make that happen which was amazing and in the end made the difference between me being able to hit my milestone or not.

last the team resources have integrated with us really well. they are team members.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don't have any really. main issues faced at present are on me managing tasks for the resources EYSS provide but this is no reflection of EYSS and only of me.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Kathryn Alexander: I’m the owner and a director of Health Commons.

Stephen Alexander: I’m also a director. We are targeting five million members globally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EYSS?

SA: We needed someone to design and develop a platform that was knowledgeable in blockchain technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SA: They do full-stack development, and work collaboratively with our team. They converted our vision into a web-based app. They did frontend UX design and are working on the backend, which must integrate with the government’s department of health systems in this country, for a complete development environment. It will consist of data warehousing for granted research, as well. They used React and Blockchain.

KA: The app takes the user through a simple series of survey questions. They input information about their condition, what they use for the condition, and give it a score. They can see others like them around the globe, and see a chart that values what others have done for the same condition.

What is the team composition?

SA: There are about eight full-time people, including UX designers, front- and backend developers, database, and logic. We’ve also got data scientists for predictions and a Blockchain specialist.

How did you come to work with EYSS?

SA: Eduardo (CEO) was recommended to me by some leading Blockchain organizations.

How much have you invested with them?

SA: The initial stage will be just under €200,000 (approximately $217,000 USD). This will ramp up dramatically when we scale, and we expect it to be somewhere around €447,000 – €476,000 (approximately $483,000 – $515,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

KA: We began talking with them in November 2019, but the project actually started February 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

KA: The quality of work is excellent, and the platform is looking really good. A lot of work has gone into the UX, so we’ve got all the aesthetics. Now they’ve started programming the backend so we can login. They are working vigilantly, and we’re very happy.

SA: They also interacted with our partners, on the government side, who must be satisfied in their security and architecture competency. They’re a tremendous team to work with.

How did EYSS perform from a project management standpoint?

KA: It’s been absolutely fantastic. They’re transparent, allowing us to follow all the workflows. We have two meetings each week with various members of the team. They listen to everything we want and implement research brilliantly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

SA: Their project methodology with development and design provides the environment for magic to happen. I’ve worked on several development projects, and that’s something you look for with any development team. The individuals on their team and ours can offer creativity across different disciplines, firing off each other, to come up with solutions we hadn’t thought of. They’ve exceeded our very high expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

SA: They could charge much more than they do, which would allow them to expand. I’ve relayed this to Eduardo more than once.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

KA: Be clear about what you’re bringing to the table, willing to collaborate with the team, and work hard to ensure everyone is on the same page. Don’t think they automatically know what you’re envisioning, just because they’re developers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an investor at Akowe, a booking solutions company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EYSS?

A friend of my boss, who is involved in this kind of technology, recommended that I combine my idea with a booking software that I could sell. I wanted to make the software available on tablets and apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I shared my idea with EYSS to develop the software. They’ve developed the web page, did some mockups of the system, and connected the calendar APIs. They used Node.js and React. The development continues. 

They recommended that we create an entire software system and then convert it to Android and iOS. That will be the second step. I have also turned to a company in Taiwan to develop the hardware. However, that is on hold due to COVID-19.

What is the team composition?

There are two developers, a designer, a UI/UX person, a project manager, and a software lead.

How did you come to work with EYSS?

My boss is good friends with Eduardo (CEO & Co-Founder). Eduardo recommended the steps to take to get to the final product. I felt confident in him because my boss recommended them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the engagement in June 2019, and we’re still working together on development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is ready, and I’m very satisfied with it.

How did EYSS perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything is looking good to me. Eduardo and his team are very concerned about the COVID situation. They give me daily or weekly project updates, and I’m very satisfied with that. We communicate via WhatsApp, email, and Rocket.Chat.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really like the work of the designer; he’s fantastic. Their work looks nice, perfect, and beautiful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They only thing I don’t like is that the team is in Venezuela and I’m in London. In some scenarios, it’s difficult to communicate because of the time difference.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Maybe in the future, we can develop more products with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of StephenAlexander, a consulting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EYSS?

I needed EYSS to assist me with app development. They needed to be able to rapidly understand the business requirements that I cared about, in addition to being technologically proficient in conventional app building.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re building an app that’s a value-ready questionnaire and inbuilt learning course. We’re trialing it out with business students around the world. Students will get the distilled essence of the course I teach at Holt Business School as well as some additional features.

The app will teach students how to predict the value of a new capability and what the value is in both monetary and human terms. It measures human value, like trusted relationships, as an equation that gives an approximation of whether their idea would work before they invest in development.

In version two, we will add the ability to verify their value to each actor in the app. The user can go and look for gigs and jobs with more than just their credentials. Instead, they can validate themselves in numerical terms both monetary, like ROI, or human, like a numerical assessment on whether their capability made someone feel safer.

Building the app has been straightforward full-stack development in W3.CSS. Version two will also employ blockchain and Holochain to allow the individual to claim ownership of their intellectual property that they’ve generated through the use of the app, and then trade upon that to gain additional revenue.

Smart contracts will also be integrated into version two to validate the certificate of ownership of the value they generated. This will allow them to create a portfolio of digital assets.

How did you come to work with EYSS?

I searched for someone with a deep understanding of distributed technologies like blockchain and the emerging Holochain. They needed to know how they can leverage the value of those distributed technologies into things like smart contracts.

What is the team composition?

They have a really good team; there are about six people working behind their scenes. I worked mainly with one point of contact, who was the interface behind the rest of the team. I’m able to watch everything as it happened because they invited me to be a part of their internal development chat.

We interacted with a UX specialist in addition to their full suite of talent. We were very impressed with the way that they collaborated and their interest in getting the work done right.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $15,000 so far and will invest an additional $8,000 for version two.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from December 2019–January 2020. We’ll start production of version two in March 2020, and I expect us to finish in April or May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Prior to development, we set benchmarks on whether the app would be a success:

• Can the student better comprehend the client’s problems and their implications?
• Can the app measure the pain-points the client is experiencing?
• Can the app numerically measure the value of a good idea?

It wasn’t easy, but because of their teamwork we met these marks and the app has come out exemplary.

How did EYSS perform from a project management standpoint?

Compliance and responsiveness were very good. They were also on time and on budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had an effective mechanism for alterations without scope creep. Typically, the developer makes significant derivations when they think they can’t do something. EYSS actually complied with what we wanted. However, if they discovered a better way to do something, they were quick to tell us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I want to give a criticism so I sound balanced, but I can’t think of anything. My only thought is that they undercharge—they have great ability and need to realize how amazing they are.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the principal at a professional design institute in Caracas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with EYSS?

We needed help with various web development tasks.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I hired them for two projects. First, to develop a study control program and second, to redesign our website. We wanted to be able to register students online, verify grades, and provide other academic services. I am very pleased with their work so far.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with the graphic designer, a programmer, and the project manager. 

How did you come to work with EYSS?

I was referred to two different companies. We requested budgets and proposals, then I ended up choosing EYSS.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2019 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is already operational but isn’t finished yet. The results so far are quite satisfactory. 

How did EYSS perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very professional, well-versed on the technology side, and punctual. We’ve asked them to visit our institute personally as we’re not knowledgeable about that. They’ve met all the deadlines so far, so I’m satisfied.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m pretty happy at the moment, but the project isn’t finished yet. I’ll be able to give a final opinion once it’s completed. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for a shipping and transportation company that works both nationally and internationally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EYSS?

We hired EYSS to develop our website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted our website to function as a professional representation of our company, almost like a business card.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found EYSS through a personal reference. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

EYSS handled the entire design and implementation of our website.

What was the team composition?

The team from EYSS included three employees.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got very good results from working with EYSS. They exceeded our expectations.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

EYSS managed our project in a timely and effective manner.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was most impressed by how quickly they produced such good work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, everything was excellent.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a startup that provides online project management services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EYSS?

I needed a partner to build the platform we use to manage users and their projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided EYSS with my business requirements, and we work together to design the platform. They use HTML, JavaScript, and PHP to build the platform. They also work on the software’s UX/UI.

What is the team composition? 

Our main point of contact is the business lead, and they also provide a full stack developer, UX designer, and project manager. 

How did you come to work with EYSS?

We spent a few months looking for a company we could outsource the project to. They came up quite a bit, and we had a good first interaction. They offered a flexible payment schedule and had the skills we needed, so we hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in January 2019, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They do high-quality dev and UX/UI work that captures our business requirements.

How did EYSS perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re responsive and pace themselves well, holding regular meetings to make sure we’re all on the same page. I’m pleased with their planning and performance, and they always let me know what they’ve done and what they plan on doing next. We use a Google Drive directory to track the schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re incredibly quick, putting something in front of us within the first two weeks of our partnership. They show the progress they’ve made every week and were willing to work with a startup that had a limited budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they have an efficient routine and engage well with their customers. I have nothing but admiration for them.
 
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Get to know your project manager and developer(s). Clearly communicate your business requirements because, once you’ve set them up with the right information, they’ll be able to accomplish what you want. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of Animis Philanthropic Venture Inc. We provide social purpose consulting services to organizations of every size to amplify their social impact in their community.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EYSS?

We desired to build a platform using Holochain technology to compete in a pitch competition. We engaged EYSS as our development partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first asked EYSS to make our logo as a trial run collaboration. After they received our requirements and brief, they delivered a logo within 48 hours. Based on their quick turnaround and high quality of work, we escalated our partnership into developing a prototype of our platform.

The goal of the platform is to reduce administrative burdens on Colombia’s justice system and give citizens alternate dispute resolution options. EYSS delivered a wireframe that outlined the user experience, the potential stakeholders, and the benefits for each stakeholder to interact on the platform.

What is the team composition?

We started with a single designer for the logo. To create the prototype, we worked with two developers and Eduardo (CEO & Co-Founder, EYSS) who served as a liaison. If the project moves forward, the team will comprise five developers, a UI/UX designer, a visual designer, and Eduardo.

How did you come to work with EYSS?

We reached out to Holochain and asked for recommendations for developers that operate in South America. EYSS was the only firm that was getting started on the technology, so Holochain introduced us. We were deeply impressed with Eduardo’s leadership, his talented team, and the company’s sense of social conscience and moral responsibility.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018, and the project remains an ongoing possibility.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We presented our prototype at the competition in October. It received enough positive feedback that we’re now in conversation with leaders in Colombia to assess further relevance. In the meantime, our team and EYSS have formed a strategic alliance for other, future projects. We’re highly satisfied and confident that the team will continue to deliver excellent work once any form of development starts.

How did EYSS perform from a project management standpoint?

EYSS is still a new company, so hiccups were expected. However, the team is extremely responsive to feedback and eager to improve. When their quick turnaround of a high-quality logo translated into a more complex follow-up flyer, they addressed our concerns about missing details immediately and ultimately delivered. We appreciated the honesty about mistakes and the timeliness with which challenges were remedied.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team works like a family and demonstrates a social conscience, which we greatly value. They give job opportunities to people with disabilities and treat their employees and clients with respect.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As a new company, they could systematize more of their processes. Sometimes, due to language barriers and long-distance communication, requests fell through the cracks. It may have taken extra effort on behalf of both parties to complete, but once clear communication was exchanged on both sides, tasks were completed in a timely manner.

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you know your organization, goals, and needs well so that you can make them as clear as possible to EYSS. They also will help you make your vision and scope even clearer.