Fulcrum

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a platform where Twitch viewers can bet on the outcome of a game.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fulcrum?

We needed support to develop our software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fulcrum has built our software from scratch. The main feature is creating bets simultaneously while streamers play video games on Twitch. The bets need to be operated, opened, and closed. Those are the core mechanics for the providers. This is new software, and Fulcrum has created a computer vision model that understands and learns video games. Based on that, the software's different parts are operated. 

Fulcrum has been responsible for the entire process, including laying out the MVP's mechanics and the product's first version. The team has also created the UI/UX design. We've provided the software idea, and Fulcrum has executed it and made it work.

What is the team composition?

Fulcrum's team has changed over time. We've worked with up to 12 teammates but currently work with around five. We've worked with a business advisor who coordinates the entire project with the team, a business analyst who works on the software's business model, a lead of tech, a UI/UX designer, and a couple of full stack developers.

How did you come to work with Fulcrum?

Finding a service provider with experience in the gaming and sports betting industries was hard. We found Fulcrum and thought they were a great match.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $800,000–$1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Fulcrum in March 2023, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Fulcrum has successfully built our software, which is up and running as expected.

How did Fulcrum perform from a project management standpoint?

Fulcrum has done a great job with the entire documentation and process. The team has guided us through the project since this is my first time developing software, and I don't have deep technical knowledge. I've learned a lot from Fulcrum. Overall, I'm very satisfied. It was crucial that the product worked when we released it and didn't break down. There were no major bugs, which would have resulted in a disaster. For me, the project has been a success. 

We communicate via Slack and collaborate on tools based on Confluence for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Fulcrum is technically capable. Michael (CTO) finds solutions for things that don't exist and is a real pioneer in work—that is what I like about them. Fulcrum is always looking for solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We've had a couple of delays where Fulcrum miscalculated time and resources. The team has told us they could deliver something in a certain amount of time with a certain number of people. However, we’ve struggled and had issues, which have caused a couple of essential features to stay in the backlog and not be executed.

Regarding time estimations, I can't challenge Fulcrum because I don't have technical knowledge. I rely on the team's opinion and expect them to provide me with realistic calculations and timelines that work. I now know that work will most likely take longer than the timeline Fulcrum provides; for instance, if they say something will take three weeks, I know it'll take five weeks. Now, I can challenge them in some ways based on my experience building software with the team.

Another issue we've experienced while working with Fulcrum is that they hire contractors and lease them to us without having control over those resources, which is the main problem I've discussed with them. If I go to a carpenter to build a table, he will give me a price and timeline estimate. I don't care how many people work on the table; I just want the product. However, this industry is different. 

The problem is we pay for a team of people, and if a teammate is sick or doesn't come in, we're still paying for the same number of teammates. If someone goes on vacation, I pay for that vacation, and nobody substitutes the person. If I require certain functionalities, I don't want to deal with the vendor's teammates.

I wasn't aware of this working model when I started the project, and I can't challenge it because I don't want to deal with substitute teammates who I don't even know what they're doing. Fulcrum has done their best to guide and help us, but we've run into some situations, like teammates leaving for vacations without us knowing, and I don't think I should deal with that. 
There is always room to improve on both sides. Communication is the most important thing to ensure a good and valuable partnership. That worked very well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend having a technical person on your side who can challenge Fulcrum’s recommendations. Customers should be aware of the team's working model if they're hiring someone to build software for them. If I pay for a team of ten teammates, I need to give 30-day notice if I don't need them anymore, but I can't say that since I'm not a technical professional. 

If you're not a technical person and don't have a deep understanding of development, you're in the back seat. You have no control, and you can't question anything. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of an it services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software Development and R&D

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Fulcrum to accomplish?

• Build profitable SaaS

SOLUTION

How did you find Fulcrum?

Referral

Why did you select Fulcrum over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Fulcrum were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Our project was ambitious from the start: to delve into AI research and development with the aim of crafting a standout product. The experience of working with our provider made this complex journey practical and insightful, filled with significant learning moments and progress. The initial phase involved deep research to understand the AI technologies that would best suit our project's needs. 

The creation of a working prototype was a significant milestone. This step brought our theory into the tangible realm, showing us the potential of our research in a real-world application. The prototype was not just functional but came with comprehensive documentation and guidelines, making it a valuable tool for further development and testing.

Testing and validation were rigorous. This crucial phase ensured that our solution was robust, reliable, and ready for real-world challenges. The provider conducted thorough technical evaluations and testing, gathering valuable feedback for refinement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Fulkrum expertise, commitment, and pragmatic approach helped us achieve our project goals and provided us with a cutting-edge AI product poised to make a significant impact in our industry. It was a journey worth undertaking, and we're eager to see the difference our new product will make.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The management of the project was truly exceptional. The team responsible for the project delivered all the project milestones within the designated timeframes. Their level of dedication and attention to detail was great, and they ensured that all aspects of the project were executed flawlessly. The communication between the team members was also excellent, which made the process seamless and efficient.

What was your primary form of communication with Fulcrum?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

What stood out most about this company was their holistic approach to problem-solving and deep technical expertise.

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

At this point, there is nothing that requires improvement or could have been done differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Dataanalyst of Sports360 GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a Football Player Consulting Agency out of Germany

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Fulcrum to accomplish?

• Create an app to make internal communication easier

SOLUTION

How did you find Fulcrum?

Online Search

Why did you select Fulcrum over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from Fulcrum were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

With weekly meetings, nice and productive communication we established the idea of an app, that eases the communication of players transfer relevant info with every agent out of the agency. Fulcrum turned the idea of the app into reality in the exact way we wanted it to be.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Since the app was finished nearly every agent uses it daily. It works without any problems and makes communication with everyone way easier. It is exactly as we wanted it to be.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

When a question was asked/any changes wanted to be made, from our side their was an immediate answer or proposal for a virtual call. Also progress or changes were delivered exactly as communicated.

What was your primary form of communication with Fulcrum?

Virtual Meeting

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

everyone was really nice and hardworking. Also the short amount of time in which we got answers to our questions and needs.

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

None. The Project took longer than we expected, but we also underestimated the work that stood behind our idea.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director and Founder of a social networking company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

IOS only mobile app that allows people to discover and connect with one another.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Fulcrum to accomplish?

• Build Our MVP
• Help us put together our outsource team

SOLUTION

How did you find Fulcrum?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Fulcrum over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• extreme professionalism

How many teammates from Fulcrum were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Deliver us with the MVP and then help us out with our outsourced team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Extremely performant MVP with a very structured project management and delivery process.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Delivered on time

What was your primary form of communication with Fulcrum?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We're impressed with their depth of knowledge and the quality of the team members they have.

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

None really. Maybe a better project manager at the beginning of the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am founder and head of product development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We are aiming for continues improvements to help our customer have a better experience while they are using our services and website. Fulcrum was the right partner to take our website to the next level with the right mindset.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

After several meting with fulcrum team, from design, analyst, and devs, we have decided that they have the right startup mindset to move forward toward the next version/generation of our product.

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

We had a kick-off meeting to discuss our objectives. The team prepared survey and the right analytical tools to understand our customer behavior and personality. From there, the team delivered mock-ups and wireframes for our site. They updated the content to reflect our company's services and created a web app which improved the customer experience.

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

A project manager was our key contact person. An expert UXUI designer which helped us improve the user experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching our new website/web app, we saw customers experience improve by over 80% and increase the traffic to the website as well. our customers loves the new web app and how the new UXUI and usability is more user friendly which lead to increase in the revenue.

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

We had weekly stand-ups with their project manager, who communicated with the rest of the team. weekly meeting with the designer to reflect the progress and do any minor changes required along the way. If they were any changes in timeline they make sure they let us know ahead of the time to make sure it will not impact our timelines. We used slack to coordinate and they worked will with our team.

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

Their professionalism and the personality of the people who work with them is amazing. They were intelligent and fast-thinking people who provided out-of-the-box ideas and helped us improve.

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

I dont think so. My experience with them was great that we decided to work with them long term on several other projects.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The company is an augmented live stream experience that combines watching and wagering simultaneously. I am Head of Design and lead all of UX, Product and Design.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Fulcrum?

We hired Fulcrum to help us complete the front-end development for our app which needed a tight turnaround time.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to create a best-in-class front-end experience for our application which looked identical to the comps, responded quickly, and was fully binded to our database.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were referred to Fulcrum by another vendor partner.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected Fulcrum, we had a series of sessions in order to align on project requirements and timelines.

What was the team composition?

The team at Fulcrum consisted of a PM, RM, and a lead RN developer, as well as a QA person.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were extremely pleased with the outcome of the product. We hit our deadlines and the front-end experience extremely solid.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We collaborated well with Fulcrum during daily standups and across slack communications during the tight timeframes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Fulcrum is able to think strategically and roadmap a client's product to success.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing, they were a great partner!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder of Piccles. We aim to reduce feelings of isolation and anxiety among hospitalized patients through a collaborative digital drawing experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Fulcrum?

We’d built an MVP version of our product, but we needed a vendor to continue the development.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to iterate on the first version of the solution, incorporating customer feedback in each build.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them online and reviewed their previous work. After a Skype interview, we felt that they’d be a good fit for the project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They provided development services using React and Firebase technology.

What was the team composition?

We interacted with a project manager, who allocated tasks to the rest of the Fulcrum team based on our specific needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We tested the app with multiple users, and it performed successfully, which allowed us to expand our market reach.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We collaborated entirely over Skype and Slack, and it worked very well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have a quick turnaround time when developing features.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, nothing comes to mind.