Grio

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director at a late stage startup IT company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Grio?

There were two different needs at different times. We worked on two projects. For one we needed an iOS development team in 2019 and the other was solving crashes and ANR (application not responding) reasons for our Android app in 2020.

What was the scope of their involvement?

In 2019, Grio led the development for an iOS app from the ground up and brought it to parody with our Android product, both in visible features as well as the data produced by the two apps. They also readied the app for worldwide distribution.

In 2020, they were tasked with taking out the top five crashes and top two reasons for ANRs. They are chasing down the thorniest crashes and making progress in removing them. 

What is the team composition?

For the iOS team, there was a project manager, Logan (former Project Manager), Devin (iOS Development Manager), one or two junior iOS engineers, and a designer.

For the current team, we are working with two Android engineers, a senior and a competent junior.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent in the $200,000–$999,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on the iOS project from December 2018–September 2019. We hired them for the Android project in January 2020, and it is ongoing

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

For the iOS project, they provided the engineers to not only write code to get us to parity but also designed in an architecture of the system that will stay with us long-term.

For the Android project, they were given a goal to work on top five crashes and top two ANRs. They’ve made progress on several of the top crashes and we are in deployment period right now. Hopefully we will be able to see those crashes go to zero in a few weeks.

How did Grio perform from a project management standpoint?

They did an excellent job. Logan derived a very pragmatic plan to get us from zero to parity. She had a gentle touch across the 3 organizations working together, Grio, our company, and some outsourced employees, without ruffling feathers. I learned a lot from her. We meet twice a week for 30 minutes to discuss plans, integration, and check on progress. We communicate via Slack and Google Hangouts, as well as having standups.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most remarkable thing about Grio is that they treat the project as their own rather than our project they’ve been hired to work on. They own the outcome, deliverable, timeline, risk, everything. The team is competent, timely, and consistently doing what’s right for their customer.

Doug (Partner) is very easy to work with, and he hires an easygoing, confident staff. We made a couple bizarre requests, such as assisting us in hiring an in-house iOS team that would essentially replace his team. He immediately agreed, helping us through the process. The other request was for a 90-day insurance policy that ensured our ability to enlist the help of Grio after we ended our engagement. Once again, Doug had no problem complying. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

They charge a premium for their services, but they’re awesome.

Think about how to best utilize their services and where you want to spend your money. They offer premium service at a premium price.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at a lighting design firm and manufacturer. I work on the design side and manage a lot of the web stuff we do.

What challenge were you trying to address with Grio?

My company hired Grio to help create a new website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Grio developed an external-facing website that allows our customers to learn about the various products we design and sell. They also linked our Shopify store to our website so that customers can go from our website to the store and purchase products. 

Since the site launched a few years ago, Grio has continued to provide support and modernize it. We reach out to Grio when we want something web-related done that’s beyond our internal expertise; they’re familiar with the site, so they can add different functionalities or change anything. 

What is the team composition?

I don’t know how many people worked on creating the website, but I’ve been working with 3–4 people on managing and updating the site.

How did you come to work with Grio?

My company began working with Grio before I came on board.

How much have you invested with them?

I don’t know what the budget was for the website development, but it was likely over $100,000. Their consulting and web management services have probably been a couple of thousand dollars each year. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in 2014 or 2015, and it’s ongoing. We’re still working with them on a consulting and web support basis. 

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

We’ve been very successful. Our website has grown year-by-year, and a lot of that is due to Grio building a really nice website for us. They made the site customer-facing but also easy for us to manage internally. When we introduce a new product, our internal design studio can build out the page easily. We can also do updates very quickly. Grio has provided a great support system.

How did Grio perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great. The team is very responsive; I just reached out to them a day or two ago asking for a quote on some website work, and they responded immediately. They’re great to work with, and I can’t say I have any complaints. They communicate clearly, and there are never any surprises. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

As a design firm and manufacturer, some of the website work is new to us, and Grio answers any questions we have. They’ve done a wonderful job explaining their work and walking us through the process in a way that we can understand, which is very helpful. When working with other firms in the past, I was often in the dark about what they were doing or how time-intensive their work was. With Grio, I understand what they’re doing and how long something is going to take them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve probably worked with them the most within our company, and I don’t have any critiques. They’ve been really responsive and helpful.

Any advice for potential customers?

Ask a lot of questions to fully understand what they’re doing. They’re very open and will explain all of it to you. In my experience, it’s always better to understand more than less.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product management for an information technology and security firm. We bring fraud prevention and operational efficiency solutions to the market.

What challenge were you trying to address with Grio?

Our internal team needed support in creating mobile app software development kits (SDKs) and a demo app for a new product solution. We didn’t have much experience in the direct-to-consumer business, so we didn’t have the in-house resources for iOS and Android development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Grio built two SDKs for the same product. They integrated several third-party libraries into the systems and effectively repackaged previous work from our partners. Additionally, they added API calls regarding our own services into the SDKs.

Their developers also built a demo app to showcase the SDKs to potential customers. They created each of these products based on wireframes my team provided.

What is the team composition?

Grio provided three developers for the work along with a dedicated project manager. The CEO was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Grio?

Someone within our organization had worked with the Grio team in the past and had a positive experience. We chose them based on this recommendation and due to their reputable history with other large companies.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $120,000–$150,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2017–July 2018.

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

They were successful with everything we assigned them, especially when they added the more senior developers. They produced professional-looking final products and helped us bring the products to the market efficiently.

How did Grio perform from a project management standpoint?

Grio was local, so they became a part of our team during development and worked in our office. They had full access to our communication tools, including Outlook, Jira, and Confluence. Communicating with their management team and staff occurred through email and we engaged directly with their engineers. The project manager handled all our scheduling and invoices needs with flexibility, as the project duration was uncertain in the beginning.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They produced a polished final product and were easy to work—that’s all we could have asked for. Their adaptability was valuable during the initial stages.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We would've liked to be involved in the selection process to pick the most qualified engineers from their team. On occasion, it felt they didn’t fully anticipate the specific needs we’d have and we could have prevented the confusion by choosing the right teammates. Although the developers did a great job, we’re used to a different approach in contracting employees.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of product and engineering for a sports media subsidiary. I handle all of our product design and engineering operations.

What challenge were you trying to address with Grio?

We were dealing with a unique product that uses a subscription model and it wasn’t well-known inside the company. We hired Grio to help us revitalize the product and make it more marketable.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They rebuilt and redesigned our web platform. Now that the product is launched, they also occasionally do operations for us in addition to rolling out bi-monthly updates and improvements.

They rebuilt the site using Ruby on Rails. Underneath that, we also rely on a number of cloud-based technologies, including Amazon web service capabilities like EC2, RDS (database services), and Redis, which helps with site speed. We also use a number of third-party tool integrations, as well as a modified off-the-shelf software that uses MYSQL and Linux.

Our product’s key feature is premium subscription services, so Grio helped us with critical payment technology integration, as well as the ability to create different tiers of user access based on subscription level. In addition to the web platform, they’ve also developed a mobile app for Android and iOS. In that case, we provided a general outline and let Grio’s design team run with that. They developed multiple options for us to choose from.

What is the team composition?

We have about a dozen people working on our project.

How did you come to work with Grio?

Their name came up when we asked for referrals. I initially met with their president to discuss the project and negotiate the cost.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2015 and the work is ongoing.

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

We’ve successfully turned things around. Prior to the redesign, this product had been on the market for several years and had been languishing with instability issues. Since we’re dealing with sports, there’s a seasonal traffic pattern, so we’ll have major spikes for just one or two days at certain times of year. The new platform is highly reliable and designed to handle these changes, even as we’ve continued to scale up.

How did Grio perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team’s remained pretty consistent over the years, which is different from my previous experience with contractors. They adapt well to changes and take ownership over projects, going to great lengths to understand what’s best for the product and offering suggestions about how to improve our process. I also appreciate that they’ve adapted to using the project management tools I’m already familiar with, including Google apps, Jira, and Pivotal Tracker. For day-to-day needs, we communicate via phone, Slack, or email, and I’ll also visit their office occasionally.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their adaptability and attention to detail helped make our product the best it can be. They’re very skilled and willing to learn new technologies if there are specific integrations we want to add.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could do a little better on planning and estimating how long projects take so that we can predict product releases with more stability, but that’s a minor issue.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re not like a typical contractor, so involve them fully in your process. They’ll put a lot of effort into it, whether you need design, implementation, or operations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO for a medical device startup that works on electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, which doctors use to capture brain waves and diagnose disorders like seizures.

What challenge were you trying to address with Grio?

Our device streams EEG data from the patient bedside to a cloud server, which enables the neurologist to review patient information remotely. Grio has been helping us to build the remote reviewing site.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The built a web app using React for the frontend and Node.js and Ruby on Rails for the backend.

What is the team composition?

The team includes a project manager and two engineers at any given time; over the course of the project we’ve worked with about six different engineers as well as designers, and the co-founder and president of Grio has also been closely involved in the project

How did you come to work with Grio?

A former colleague referred them. After evaluating a few different companies, we were confident in Grio’s experience and ability to deliver because their portfolio included both large and small projects spanning a wide scope of applications. That comfort level was important because we were building a solution that would involve unique challenges and require the development of new technology.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2016 and the partnership is ongoing. We already have customers and FDA clearance for our system, but continue to work with Grio on improvements and refinements.

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

Although it’s a challenging project, we continue to get overwhelmingly positive user feedback. Doctors enjoy the remote access and intuitive UI, which enables them to provide better and more responsive care to their patients.

How did Grio perform from a project management standpoint?

Excellent project management and communications make them feel like an extension of our team. Our project manager leads weekly sprint meetings by videoconference to review issues and upcoming work. Since Grio is local, we also meet in-person as needed. We communicate on a daily basis via Slack and phone. For project management, we use Jira, Google docs, and GitHub.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team’s willingness to take on new challenges distinguishes them from other development vendors that only specialize in specific technologies or types of applications. Their approach to problem-solving also stands outs.

Any advice for potential customers?

The partnership is successful because we stay closely involved in the process and iterate quickly with the Grio team. Our project is not like anything else that has been done before, so being keeping a constantly open line of communication between our teams helped us to quickly address challenges as they arose.