Fueled

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the product manager at Wirecutter, a product recommendations website.

What challenge were you trying to address with Fueled?

We hired Fueled to support us with web development as we undertook a reengagement mission to get more customers to come back to our site.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over the span of about nine weeks of intense work, Fueled helped us build a new website that included a new type of content and about 60 articles. The new site's architecture enabled us to send out automated deal alerts to visitors, depending on the products they saved. The backend was built in Python within a Django CMS and the frontend was built with Vue.js. In addition to development, they also provided quality assurance and project management services. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked with 6–7 people, including an account manager, a product manager, two engineers, a QA lead, and a junior product manager. 

How did you come to work with Fueled?

They were recommended by one of our partners.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August–December 2018. After they built the alpha version of the platform, we extended the contract so they could help us take it into a beta phase. 

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

The platform they built made it very easy to modularize, fitting very well within our existing ecosystem. Many of the features Fueled implemented have since been built into our core offering. They delivered the alpha version of the platform on time, on budget, and slightly over scope. As the deadline got close, they did everything necessary to ensure they delivered on time, taking a lot of accountability and responsibility in the project. 

They also delivered a platform that was more robust than we anticipated, allowing us to use it as a beta version and introduce it to over 250,000 people within a few months. Engagement within that time was very high and allowed us to generate a profit, even though that wasn't the purpose. 

How did Fueled perform from a project management standpoint?

They were absolutely fantastic, and the whole engagement was relatively seamless. Similar to our approach, they worked in a very agile way and held daily check-ins. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their engineering group takes ownership in their work and brings a lot of passion to the table. The product they delivered allowed us to generate revenue before launching, which was extremely impressive. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It took a couple of weeks for us to work out the best process, so the initial transparency in progress reporting could've been better. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure someone on the team is owning the relationship and making themselves available to Fueled's team to ensure they have everything they need on a daily basis.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a relatively new startup in the event planning space. We're trying to develop a mobile app that is a combination of location tracker and event calendar. I'm the founder.

What challenge were you trying to address with Fueled?

We hired them to build the MVP.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed the app from scratch and did all of the design and development with our input. The iOS version was built natively using Swift, and the Android version will be built with Flutter. They created wireframes and oversaw all the UI/UX. They included an onboarding process, developed the event planning portion, and set up functionality that lets users announce their projected ETAs to events. We’re about to submit the iOS version to the App Store.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager for the development team and another direct point of contact. We also had two designers based in the UK and two developers based in India.

How did you come to work with Fueled?

We spoke with five companies and had a short list of three. We interviewed them thoroughly and felt that they were the strongest technically. Their costs were a little higher than their competitors, but they brought the price down from the original estimate.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost between $250,000–$500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from November 2018–March 2019.

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

The app has yet to launch, but they cleaned up a lot of the bugs within the MVP. There are a few things we might have done differently, but we're set to get started with what they've provided.

How did Fueled perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was excellent. They were on top of things, and our main point of contact coordinated all the pieces.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their organization was excellent. They finished everything on time and set good expectations. They pushed back on our weaker ideas, and we usually moved forward after some discussion. They kept us on track and under control, and everything was straightforward.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could have used more feedback between collaborative periods. We had two-week sprints, and I like to be more involved than some of their other clients. Though I was further outside the process than I would have liked, they finished everything within their stated time frames.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product manager at Kiss Products, a beauty products company. We sell our products in large national chain stores.

What challenge were you trying to address with Fueled?

We hired Fueled to build a mobile application that would let users try our product virtually.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our mobile app using 3D modeling assets. Consumers can virtually try our cosmetic products: lipstick, eyeliner, and blush. They can also try our eyelash and hair color products.

What is the team composition?

The team included an account manager, two product managers, and three mobile developers and designers.

How did you come to work with Fueled?

I reached out to several mobile agencies in South Korea and the US. I chose Fueled based on their portfolio, price, and past projects.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $350,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2018 and the partnership ended in January 2019.

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

We haven’t launched the app because we’re currently planning the marketing campaign. Most of our six test users were satisfied with the solution. We plan to release the app in April or June 2019.

How did Fueled perform from a project management standpoint?

The partnership was seamless. Fueled completed the project on time in an organized and professional manner. The team leveraged their expertise to implement great strategy, functionality, and deliverables. We communicated via Slack and held weekly one-hour meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was very satisfied with the engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their 3D modeling assets.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The team understood our business and suggested several scenarios that ultimately led to a good solution.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Jobbhopp, a mobile app that connects skilled workers with everyday tasks in their area.

What challenge were you trying to address with Fueled?

I needed to find an app developer who could help me transform my innovative app concept into a tangible product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fueled was tasked with developing a blueprint of our app. They broke the project down into three phases; the first was spent identifying the problem, analyzing our competitors, and creating a solid business plan based on our research. During the second phase, they built a few wireframes that revealed how the app would look and operate. We discussed additional features that we wanted them to implement, and they sent the specifications to their UK-based designers who created the final models.

What is the team composition?

The project manager oversaw the entire project, while the team leader handled scheduling and email correspondence. They also assigned two junior developers and two designers to help us with the blueprint.

How did you come to work with Fueled?

While searching for local app developers online, I discovered Fueled and all of the amazing apps that they developed in the past. Their reputation as one of the best development companies in the world influenced us to reach out to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $40,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement ended after the blueprint was created. We originally planned for Fueled to develop the app, but their quote was outside of our budget.

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

The model that they developed was instrumental to our app’s creation, and we’re pleased with the product that we were able to build from their work. Our current app developer even admitted that Fueled’s blueprint was the best that they’ve ever seen.

How did Fueled perform from a project management standpoint?

Our teams met once a week, but they were always available to take our calls and respond to our emails. They even accommodated our schedule by setting up video conferences so that we didn’t have to make the long commute to their office.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Several factors contributed to our app’s success. Fueled had a hands-on approach throughout the entire project, and they didn’t hesitate to use their extensive knowledge to prevent us from making terrible decisions. Breaking the project down into three stages allowed our team to give feedback along the way; they seamlessly fused their unique style with our requirements to create a stunning and sophisticated model.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We wanted to develop the app with Fueled, but their prices were too high for our modest budget. The price that they charged us to create the blueprint is close to the amount we’re currently paying another developer to build a functioning app with lifetime security, updates, and data storage.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of an online dating platform for individuals seeking part-time relationships.

What challenge were you trying to address with Fueled?

After two failed attempts at building a dating website, I was eager to find a competent web developer who could transform my vision into a functional site.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I gave them a detailed mock-up of what I wanted to include on the website, and they explained their development process during our first meeting. Fueled conducted extensive research to develop new design concepts that improved my original vision. Research was also used to answer questions thoroughly, so I never got an immediate response to my inquiries. They recognized that this was a new business and went beyond their scope to offer guidance on my startup. After several weekly meetings, they finished building the MVP site.

Visitors can sign up for an account and create a dating profile. Fueled developed an algorithm that matches members based on their responses to compatibility questions. Members receive email alerts about matches and have the option to send anonymous messages. We plan to build a second version with more features soon. I recently started working with their marketing team; we’re scheduled to execute their promotional strategies next week.

What is the team composition?

The web development team included the account manager, two product managers, a backend developer, a frontend developer, and a senior and junior designer. The marketing team consisted of the marketing director and two analysts. I also interacted with one of the founders on occasion.  

How did you come to work with Fueled?

I had made almost 300 phone calls before discovering Fueled through a consultant. I was impressed by them on multiple levels. Their team is highly intelligent, but they are also approachable. Most importantly, they were the only company that truly understood what I wanted and offered brilliant suggestions to bring my vision to life. Their willingness to sign my NDA was a great bonus.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working on the website in February 2018, and we plan to develop a second version of the site soon.

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

I was always confident in my unique dating website idea, but I was pleasantly surprised by the number of members that joined. Things started off slow due to the ineffective Facebook campaign my prior marketing group developed before I started working with Fueled, but membership eventually increased.

Their designs are spectacular and unlike anything I’ve seen before. They accomplished my goal of building a functional website. My willingness to work with them on future projects is a testament to their success.

How did Fueled perform from a project management standpoint?

They worked at a rapid pace and treated essential and trivial tasks with the same urgency. I never had to micromanage them, because they always delivered work on schedule. They were available to answer my questions and troubleshoot issues seven days a week via Slack, text, phone, and email. We used Jira to track their progress and prioritize items when necessary. I typically correspond with the account manager, but I have the option to email the entire team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Many of the developers I contacted to build the website perceived me as a walking dollar sign, but Fueled treats me like a human being. Working with them was like having an in-house development team because they looked out for my best interests. They followed through on all the promises they made during the sales pitch, which is rare. Their team is intelligent and intuitive, and they have a quick and agile approach to work. I recommend their services to anyone looking to enhance their online platforms.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m delighted with their results, so there’s nothing that I would change about their approach to business. They were patient and accommodated my technical illiteracy. With their guidance, I was able to contribute to the project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Finding a team that you are compatible with will produce the best results. Also, phone correspondence is more productive and intimate than sending emails back and forth.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of PopShop. We’re an online platform for short-term retail leasing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Fueled?

We needed a team to develop our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We shared with them the concepts that we wanted to create. They challenged us on some of our ideas and direction, then helped us define our brand a bit more and what we wanted to achieve.

They started with designing the website aesthetically and functionally then developed the backend. Our initial MVP has just been delivered to us and they’re continuing to provide maintenance for us, tweaking things.

The backend was developed in Python and Django, while the frontend used Java. They did the integration of Stripe payments. There’s the ability to split up the spaces and have multiple tenants in each space. 

What is the team composition?

We had around eight people at various times. Molly (Account Strategist, Fueled) was our account executive who oversaw everything and Nathan (Product Manager, Fueled) was the liaison between the developers and us. We had two coding developers and a couple of design people as well.

How did you come to work with Fueled?

We found them online when searching for the top development firms in the New York area. We saw their track record and thought it was well worth using them.

How much have you invested with them?

$200,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2018 and the site was finished in April.

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

We haven’t rolled the site out to the public yet. They delivered a product that we’re very proud of and we’re looking forward to growing. We did go slightly over budget and timing; we didn’t get to complete all the things that we did want in the initial product. I don’t want to fault them for that though. What they delivered was sufficient for what we were expecting.

How did Fueled perform from a project management standpoint?

We were very impressed with their project management. They were really hands-on, using Jira so we could track all of the development. We got detailed weekly summaries from them. They were very open and nothing was hidden—they laid everything out in front of us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve never used any other providers. We were definitely impressed with them overall. Their level of professionalism, their level of scrutiny, and their attention to detail was very impressive. They were solid and delivered.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We felt rushed to finish at the end. We didn’t feel the end product had enough attention paid to the little details that we felt should have been, after paying $250,000. There was still a couple of glitches that we felt shouldn’t have been there. These things are always going to come up during any project, but it was the one area they could improve on.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of NUMOVI, which stands for nutrition, motion, and vitality. We give you the ability to browse the coolest wellness establishments in New York City under those categories and organize them into playlists that you can share with your friends.

What challenge were you trying to address with Fueled?

We needed to develop the wireframes for our platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They understood the direction that we were aiming for since their UX/UI branding is very funky and different. We're trying to do something completely different in this space. They not only allowed us to explore our creativity, but they helped us focus in on the direction we wanted to go.

We were able to create a solid MVP to move forward with the platform. We sat with them for a series of six weeks for sprints. We worked with a full team that not only helped us with the frontend, but also helped us better understand the backend. They helped with the design, branding, and overall look and feel of our platform.

What is the team composition?

We had one point of contact, but we could reach two to three others on the team at any time.

How did you come to work with Fueled?

We previously worked with them on a different project and had loved the way that the team kept an efficient workflow to provide deliverables. They did everything they said they were going to and met all the due dates. They had a unique way of executing user flow and frontend work, and our experience working with them led us to work with them again.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $36,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together May 2017, and we finished our collaboration in June 2017.

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

The quality of their work was incredible. We enjoyed the work process, and we currently are in our funding rounds. They allowed us to utilize our clickable prototype to reach out to investors and bring our idea and vision to life. They also provided us a more varied branding deck that allowed us to go out and raise funds.

We hit the budget exactly, and they met all of our deadlines. When we wanted to add in extra components at the last minute, they worked into the weekend to still meet our deadlines.

How did Fueled perform from a project management standpoint?

They were an amazing team to work with. We were impressed at how they could make adjustments for us after a quick call. They were reachable, and they utilized various platforms to keep in contact with us, which was helpful and kept things organized. They use more people than an average design team to provide excellent design, user flow, and expertise. We mainly communicated over the phone, through video conference, and through Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They immediately treat you like family. When you walk into their office, everybody is welcoming, and everything is very well organized. Even the look and feel of their establishment resemble what they do with their design work. It’s clear that they have an experienced background because they’ve worked with many tech companies. They were able to share advice with us and help us overcome difficulties. Overall, working with them was really an incredible experience, and we're still great friends today.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they handled everything really professionally and well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your research, and make sure that you're knowledgeable about the project. They know exactly what to do when you specify what you want. Leave room for change and different options because the team that you’ll work with will have enough experience to guide you in the correct direction. Be open to their feedback, but definitely have an idea of the general scope of your project. This will save you time, as well as them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of Grabbit, a social commerce retail platform for all mid-sized retailers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Fueled?

We had initial ideas for the platform, but needed outside help to develop it and our branding further. We needed storylines to define the application better and pitch decks for retailers and investors.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we articulated our vision to them. They then created definitions based on those concepts, identifying the deliverables that we needed. Their developers and UI specialists created the Pitch Deck; the team also brainstormed demos, screenshots, and wireframes. The team did deliver the Pitch Deck but not a minimal viable product (MVP) or an actual mobile app.

For branding, they did market research and options for logos and names. Our company had a different name before we settled on Grabbit.

The wrap-up meeting occurred January 2018. Will, my co-founder, is currently talking to them about future projects unrelated to this one. We plan to use their expertise for future work, so I expect the relationship to continue.

How did you come to work with Fueled?

I met them through Will, my co-founder. He worked with them previously on successful projects. As a result, our collaboration was a natural fit. They turn down many projects, so we were honored to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started December 2017 and ended January 2018.

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

The team was great. Their professionalism and timeliness impressed me. They directed us by asking a lot of questions geared to figuring out our priorities. They also guided the thought process, which kept the project targeted and didn’t waste time.

How did Fueled perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was always well-prepared. We used email, Google Hangouts, and Google Docs. However, Will had much more interaction with them than I did.

What did you find most impressive about them?

While I haven’t worked with many agencies that provide similar services, I found them timely, focused, and easy to work with. Overall, they’re sharp people.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not in a position to provide that feedback because of my minimal interaction with them. From my perspective, we had a positive experience. There were a few mistakes, but those are inevitable in any project. We viewed the engagement as paying for their expertise and timeliness, as well as the time needed to make corrections.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Hagerty Insurance Agency is a classic car insurance company that provides valuation information on classic cars. I'm a project manager who handles development of new apps and valuation products.

What challenge were you trying to address with Fueled?

We wanted to build a mobile app to give our clients access to our valuation tools. We also wanted to create some new tools, such as a live feed of auction results. We needed a company with expertise in app development to do those things for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did all the coding and designed a user app, helping us develop APIs for feeding the app (we did the APIs development in-house with their guidance). They also helped us publish the app on the app store and get approvals from Apple. Our app is a competitive product available on the AppStore and on our website – we have some valuation tools online at hagerty.com. So far, we've only developed an iOS version for budget reasons, but we might build an Android version later.

The app is fairly basic at this point. They incorporated our ideas, making sure the app was finished on time and within our budget. There is a list of additional features they helped us brainstorm that we haven't built yet. We worked with them for about six months and we're launching the app this week.

What is the team composition?

I worked with four or five people, usually through our project manager, but there are probably a lot more people behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with them?

That happened prior to my involvement. One of our IT executives heard of them and discussed a few other projects with them (we didn't do those projects in the end). We were impressed with their design skills and knew we wanted to work with them before the project started.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2017 and the project is ongoing.

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

We've done a lot of user testing and demonstrated beta versions of the application to our clients at auction events to get feedback. Since the release is within the next couple of days, we started doing email blasts to our clients.

They've met all of our deadlines (even though the budget did creep up a little). They were fairly realistic about what we could do in the timeframe we had, which meant cutting some of the features we originally wanted to include.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

From a client's perspective, they were easy to work with – they isolated me from all the internal project management details they had to deal with. When I needed to get in touch with them, I emailed or called/texted them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Even though they don't come from the classic car world, they quickly understood our needs. They made their design match our brand standards, so everything looks very nice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They're a little pricey and charge to make changes.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It was helpful for us to see some of the applications they built in the past, most of which we really liked.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of a mobile app that allows users to book nightlife reservations, view different venues/upcoming events, and compare pricing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Fueled?

When we approached Fueled, our product had significantly less functionality, especially with regards to booking reservations. We wanted to add several new features, and to redesign the app to create a more exclusive user experience. We had limited technical experience going into the project and wanted a group that could manage the entire development process.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fueled built up a new iOS application for us from scratch. After an initial planning stage, we went through wireframes and initial mockups to give them an idea of our goals for the app’s design. They made several suggestions on potential additions to functionality and started building the app from there.

Features added largely focused on building out a bidding-style system for reservations, which included a database of venues with adjustable price ranges, an option to submit offers, and sending notifications upon the venue’s response to the offer.

What is the team dynamic?

We had one front-end developer, one back-end developer, and one designer. We also had a project manager and account manager who were not full time. About five people total were working on the project.

How did you come to work with Fueled?

They were originally recommended to us by a colleague, but we did receive a few quotes from other companies based in the U.S. After reviewing all of our options, it seemed that Fueled was our best option due to the price and their willingness to assist in determining extraneous vs. core features.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $100,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2016, and the project concluded in December.

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

I don't have quantitative results, but they certainly provided us with a solid starting point. They established a solid design for the app and created something that feels like much more of a well thought out, well-designed premium experience than what we had before.

In terms of reliability, they tested beta versions of the app vigorously to catch any outstanding errors or bugs. Once the final deliverable was made available, we had no problems at all.

How did Fueled perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via Slack for daily updates and Google Hangouts for sharing larger design files and mockups. I interacted with the project manager, and he would communicate with the development team. I did not get a chance to interact with the development team members individually, but our project manager was always very quick to update us and gave us the option to set check-in intervals.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re incredibly efficient in the work that they do, and know what they're doing in both design and coding/executing their ideas. They have a great understanding of what's current and get things done very quickly compared to others. Also, a few months after completing the project, one of our APIs changed and caused a few issues with the app. Fueled fixed the issues for us at no extra charge, which was great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would have liked to be able to interact with the entire team directly, but I'm not sure if that was a result of me not asking to, or a result of just how they work.

Advice for potential customers?

We had a stigma about outsourcing to development companies outside of the U.S., and I wish we had been a bit more open to the idea going into the project. While Fueled was instrumental in planning out the app and determining what functionality would be most useful, the cost difference in regard to the actual development process would have been significant.