HubSpire

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the associate director for technology and innovative strategies at the New York State Association of Independent Schools. We’re an accrediting body, an advocacy organization, and a nonprofit for independent schools located in the state of New York. Essentially, I act as our technology director.

What challenge were you trying to address with HubSpire?

We were looking to refresh our website. It had been around 7­–8 years since we’d launched the site, which contains a lot of different online offerings for our members. We have a little over 200 members, for whom we host many professional learning opportunities, registrations, and forums for them to communicate with one another. Our services were very critical during COVID. Everything was changing very quickly, and HubSpire was like a lifesaver. We were trying to consolidate our digital properties, so we put out an RFP just to redo our website and integrate some online services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Quickly, however, the project turned into something much greater than that. HubSpire gave us a number of options that we could pursue, and they ended up building a custom web app for us that has replaced a large number of online services we were using. We’re now headed into phase two and expanding the services we offer to our members.

We’d been using the same website provider for 20 years, and we’d never through to delete a single page during all our other refreshes. In fact, we had 4,300 pages on that site. HubSpire had me create a list of the ones we wanted to keep, and then automatically imported the content from those 100 or so pages into the new site.

There’s some JavaScript and Node.js on the site, and it’s supported by AWS.

What is the team composition?

In total, we have working relationships with around 10 people. Their CEO is heavily involved in every meeting, and I can text him whenever I have an issue, including on the weekends. We’ve also worked with their technology director, their head of UI, their head of cybersecurity, and a project manager. The project manager has been integral to the whole endeavor. We also communicate indirectly with a lot of people behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with HubSpire?

We put out an RFP for a new website and spoke with a number of companies. HubSpire wasn’t a favorite in the process, but their technology director actually reached out to us and we were impressed but how excited they were.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost is around $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2021.

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

It’s a bit early to have exact data, but the number of tickets coming from our users has dropped to nothing. We used to have a few hundred tickets every month about login issues, and those have disappeared. Everything works seamlessly now.

How did HubSpire perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve done lots of these projects over the years, and this is the first time that a vendor has brought one of our out-of-scope requests into the scope at no extra cost. They figured out how to get it done.

Throughout the project, HubSpire found a way to work with all of our changes. They accommodated all of them, even the ones that came late in the game. We actually ended up delaying the release of our website, but Hubspire met all of their deadlines; it was due to a key resource’s retirement on our side.

Communication takes place on Google Meet, Sheets, and Documents. We also interact over Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical capabilities are superior to everyone else’s. Out of the 15 proposals we received, we met with 10 of the companies, and HubSpire was far away capable of doing the most for us in terms of the technologies they were willing to work with and the solutions they were proposing. If we needed to do something on WordPress, Drupal, or another platform, then they could have handled it. We’re very excited by how able to accommodate us they are. This is sometimes a double-edged sword, though, because it allows us to do literally anything. We have to reign ourselves in and focus on the project at hand.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only issue we’ve had is when someone was sick and we had to delay for a day or two. Everything else has been spot on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just talk to them. Even if you have a company that you’re dead-set on working with, keep yourself open. We’ve been burned in the past by

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a dental staffing company based in New York.

What challenge were you trying to address with HubSpire?

We hired them to develop a mobile application, including an iOS, Android, and desktop version.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We reached out to them and scheduled a meeting, where we explained the project scope and requirements in detail. After that, they showed us a sample presentation of their plan.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people — Thomas (CEO) and an assigned project manager.

How did you come to work with HubSpire?

We found them on Clutch. 

How much have you invested with them?

I honestly can’t remember, but this was a pro bono project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them from September–December 2020.

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

They were very detail-oriented and understood how to use modern technologies in building a successful mobile application. They also provide great feedback, offering a professional perspective based on their experience.

How did HubSpire perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very organized, timely, and engaging — they reach out to us regularly. We communicated primarily via email and phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were most impressed with their attentiveness and eagerness to help our business succeed.

Are there any areas they could improve on?

No. I don’t have any complaints at all.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to review their previous projects before hiring them or any other mobile app developer.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a not-for-profit private partnership that provides business support services to an industrial area in Southeast Queens. I’m the executive director.

What challenge were you trying to address with HubSpire?

We had a standard website that was built about 15 years ago. My board wanted a modernized solution that was mobile compatible and signaled that we were a fresh, active company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the new WordPress site from scratch and transferred all of our existing content to the new platform. We provided them with the logo, brand identity, and other graphic design assets to guide their work. They integrated our ideas into the final work. There were some limitations to what they could do, but they always communicated that clearly. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager and 3–4 regular contacts specializing in tech, sales, and more. 

How did you come to work with HubSpire?

Through a formalized process, we received 10 proposals from potential partners. We made a shortlist and conducted interviews with them. They were chosen in the end due to their professionalism and competitive rates.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–October 2019.

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

We’ve received good feedback from our membership base and from our board of directors. While I was initially hesitant to continue with a WordPress, they put together a strong architecture that is sufficiently user-friendly. If I want to make a change on my own, there are things I have to learn to work with the backend. However, they’re more than willing to help me out in that capacity as well. 

How did HubSpire perform from a project management standpoint?

I expressed my vision to them, and they were able to achieve it with some back-and-forth. They were best able to incorporate when we collaborated on shareable mockup files. Within the shared file, we were able to comment back and forth about changes. Otherwise, they were fairly responsive and stuck pretty close to their original design and architecture. They didn’t provide me with tons of design options at the beginning because they felt strongly about one direction. They ended up needing to sell that to me a little bit.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their integrations of graphics and complicated external elements were seamless. They embedded outside sources very well. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would’ve been great if they provided us with a few more design and platform options in the beginning. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a good sense of your desires going into the partnership, and they’ll be able to accommodate them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner at Rosehip Partners, a real estate company.

What challenge were you trying to address with HubSpire?

We hired them for technical support and website design.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team designed and developed our website from scratch. Additionally, they provided web app support and designed and developed our iOS and Android mobile app.

What is the team composition?

Three or more people are working on the project.

How did you come to work with HubSpire?

They were referred to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in the first quarter of 2008, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

We get reviews from our colleagues and competitors, and we’ve set a benchmark on our platform that HubSpire developed for us. Our competitors actually come onto our platform because it’s very easy and functional. They look for certain properties and use it to help them with their own businesses. 

How did HubSpire perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly phone calls and follow-ups, as well as monthly meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

HubSpire has become like family to us. Additionally, they are dependable, honest, and consistent. If we ever run into any issues, the team addresses them immediately.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the principal of Talenthood, LLC, which is a community-based instructor platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with HubSpire?

We wanted to expand our business through a mobile app. Our platform connects high school students with skills and younger kids in the community. We wanted a product that allowed us to replicate what we do in one town in others.

What was the scope of their involvement?

From the beginning of the project, HubSpire was involved. It was a collaboration from the ground up. We had many different conversations and iterations throughout the development. Their team worked on the product's organization, structure, design, and workflows. They ultimately completed the UX and UI for the iOS and Android app. Now, they update and maintain the platform as we expand into new regions.

What is the team composition?

We were fortunate to work with the principal and owner of HubSpire. At least 3–5 other people were also involved in the project.

How did you come to work with HubSpire?

We searched for businesses based in New York City because we wanted to have the ability to meet with the developers.  HubSpire came up as a highly regarded firm. We interviewed them along with three other firms but chose them because of their reputation and work. As well, the principal seemed to understand our direction.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested north of $70,000 in the app.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in May 2019 and completed the platform in August 2019 but our partnership’s ongoing.

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

HubSpire completed the work that needed to be done, meaning we have a completed app. Their team was thoughtful about the development process. By having a mobile app, we can take our template and bring it to different towns. We’re achieving our goal, which is to expand. We started in one town and now we’re about to launch into our sixth in a matter of months. We’re happy with their work and see its success in real-time. 

How did HubSpire perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a few in-person meetings but we communicated through emails mostly. HubSpire gave us a thoughtful outline and timeframe with milestones upfront, so we knew what to expect. Their team held to those timeframes and milestones but also responded to our edits well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The overall experience is great. HubSpire ensured that we understood the scope, cost, and results of their work. That transparency was important to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we were happy with everything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In the beginning, have your vision thought out so that you don’t need to modify the project as much along the way. Think through what you’re trying to achieve. HubSpire can help you think through the project and execute it. The overall experience with them has been absolutely positive. I recommend HubSpire wholeheartedly. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

 I’m the senior designer and web producer for a dentistry company. It’s my job to maintain the company’s website and deal with our marketing strategies to generate more revenue. I’m responsible for a monthly publication of a book as well.

What challenge were you trying to address with HubSpire?

We were looking for new ways to move toward digital publishing. The industry is facing an influx of younger people, so everything needed to be tech-savvy. We needed to develop an app for our company to keep us as a front runner and competitive publisher in the dental industry.

What was the scope of their involvement?

From the ground up, Thomas (CEO, HubSpire) and his team developed a completely new mobile app for us. We started out by discussing how we wanted to develop the product, splitting it into phases. They offered us a wireframe that contained all of the features we wanted to see in the final solution. Once we approved that, we jumped into the iterative development process. The main app is complete, but we’ll be moving into the second phase of development soon.   

What is the team composition?

I worked with Thomas and George (HR Project Director, HubSpire) directly. I’m sure there were others that helped on the development front. 

How did you come to work with HubSpire?

We interviewed about five different companies to see who would be our best-fit partner. Their team stood out the most, so we chose them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $150,000 on the project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

It began in February 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. However, the app has been live since January 2020.

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

From a design aspect, their work is highly aesthetically pleasing. We don’t track any hard metrics for them, but they were able to provide us with a number of suggestions based on their development expertise, and we took them. They ended up being what was best for our app.

We launched the app at a large-scale dental industry conference. There, we got great responses from attendees. We also got verbal feedback that has allowed us to come up with additional improvements for the app.  

How did HubSpire perform from a project management standpoint?

Their main developers were in India, but they had expert-level communication skills. Even when we ran into issues getting the app to go live after a crash at a show, they stayed up late into the night to fix the problem as quickly as possible. The owner gave me his personal number to use if I ever needed help.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re professional in the way they run their business. The team was very on top of things, letting us know when they needed information from us to meet our intended deadlines.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everything’s been running very smoothly. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very organized and have a strong idea of what you want as a customer before going into the engagement.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of Safe Squad mobile app, which is a free safety app on the App Store and Google Play.

What challenge were you trying to address with HubSpire?

My daughter is the creator of the app. She did some coding, but we needed a team to complete what she started.

What was the scope of their involvement?

My daughter is the youngest developer that HubSpire has ever partnered with, so we wanted a very hands-on team. In this very iterative process, we met frequently to discuss our goals and the overall progress of the app.

My daughter originally did some coding, but she didn’t know everything she needed to complete it. HubSpire picked up where she left off with the coding and also helped with beta testing and constructing the algorithm. 

In the end, we received a safety app that we could offer for free online. That way, despite someone’s gender, socioeconomic background, region, or political affiliation, they’d have access to this safety resource.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with Thomas (CEO, Hubspire). The team as a whole was about 4–5 people. They have a large team, but we didn’t require a huge amount of assistance.

How did you come to work with HubSpire?

My daughter browsed other apps online, looking further into ones she liked. We discovered HubSpire in that process. Their team had great reviews online, so we decided to hire them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–July 2019.

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

His work speaks for itself—it’s certainly up to my expectations. We’re very happy with the final product and found the staff to be both efficient and professional. We’ve built a strong relationship over the course of the engagement due to our notably positive experience.

How did HubSpire perform from a project management standpoint?

They went above and beyond our requirements. Thomas was hands-on every step of the was to assure that our project was exactly as my daughter wanted it.

Both Thomas and my daughter are on the East Coast while I’m located on the West Coast, so effective communication was major. I flew in for a few appointments and was always kept in the loop. They were thorough, always providing updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Thomas was willing to listen to our needs and questions, explaining everything we asked about. His technical skills and ability to collaborate make him one of the best out there.

Outside of the development, he truly cares about my daughter’s success. When we tell him that she was on the news or a radio talk show, he is sincerely proud of her accomplishments. He’s invested in our future because of the relationship we’ve grown together. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t express enough how happy we are with the app. They’re a great company to work with, and I would certainly do business with them again.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I wholeheartedly believe that you’ll be in good hands if you choose to work with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring and the Frank L. Boyden professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts.

What challenge were you trying to address with HubSpire?

We had recently designed a course that requires students to conduct informational and mock interviews, and we wanted to develop an app to help us manage the process.

What was the scope of their involvement?

HubSpire was brought in to bring our app concept to life. We needed the app to compile background information, allow easy navigation, and support sharing on social media platforms. In addition to making the app modular for admin users, they were asked to add a rating and review feature on the app. After discussing our project goals, they produced a few mockups to show us how the features would look on a mobile screen. They then moved on to build a beta version of the app per our requirements.

What is the team composition?

HubSpire’s CEO oversaw their development team, which consisted of a lead engineer and three additional programmers.

How did you come to work with HubSpire?

I have worked with HubSpire on numerous projects, and they always manage to exceed my expectations. They are also highly professional and able to work within our suggested timeline and budgets.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent less than $10,000 for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working on the app in January 2019.

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

Within a single month, HubSpire delivered a phenomenal app. Several instructors have adopted the tool, and another university is planning to connect with HubSpire to develop additional features for the app.

How did HubSpire perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was exceptionally responsive to our feedback. We were given access to their project management tools, which enabled fast and efficient communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

HubSpire consistently produces high-quality work at a fast pace and a reasonable price. Their customer service efforts are also notable. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could not have asked for a better development partner.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a client relations manager at the BP Group.

What challenge were you trying to address with HubSpire?

Our committee had a goal of bringing our company closer together by building an internal communications tool. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

HubSpire met with our team initially to go over goals and brainstorm solutions. They suggested developing an intranetwork app that they then built and we've started testing. They continue to work with us to make additional enhancements that we'd like to see included based on user feedback.

What is the team composition? 

We mostly work with Thomas (CEO, HubSpire), as well as a team of about 4–5 people. We're in touch with him every week and hop on larger calls with the rest of the team once or twice a month. 

How did you come to work with HubSpire?

One of our interns found them through an online search.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $20,000 thus far, but expect that to climb to $25,000–$30,000 as they implement the next round of iterations. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2018 and completed the initial version of the app by January 2019. 

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

HubSpire's intranetwork solution has exceeded expectations, receiving a tremendous amount of positive feedback. Our employees are loving the content being shared on the app, and it's performing in the exact way we intended it to. 

How did HubSpire perform from a project management standpoint?

They're proactive about meeting deadlines and keeping us in the loop on project milestones.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Thomas provides a lot of personal attention and he's very approachable. It feels as though he's part of our own team. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a one-on-one conversation with Thomas to brainstorm the best solutions for the project.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Academic Web Pages, a web design company specializing in academic projects.

What challenge were you trying to address with HubSpire?

A university client was trying to make the story of immigration and individual immigrants more well known. We had a website and wanted an app that would allow students to interview immigrant classmates so their stories would be heard. We hired HubSpire to develop that app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

HubSpire used a software platform that enabled them to develop the iOS and Android versions in tandem. It was an extremely intense app, requiring video recording and tagging on the interviews. We used a carefully curated list of questions to ask during the interview, and we collected specific data points during them. Users can tag spots during a recording that someone could jump to hear the answer to a specific question. It’s also possible to tag poignant moments during an interview by touching the screen and making a note. A tag could be “discusses family left behind,” and someone interested in it could touch it to jump to that part of the video. That was a tricky piece, and HubSpire did a nice job of it, especially considering that it works on both Android and iOS. HubSpire also had to provide the ability for people to be interviewed anonymously including audio-only interviews and muffled voices when necessary.

We wanted to make the app available to a classroom, which turned out to be its most common use. An entire classroom would interview each other, and HubSpire created a way to sequester interviews so students could see each other’s interviews but not those of other classrooms. We set up a form for teachers to register their classrooms and manage the interviews via a username and password.

What is the team composition?

I was the point person for the end client, and I had one main contact, an account manager at HubSpire, whom I directed emails to if the client found a bug or if we needed an enhancement made. We had conference calls with as many as 5–6 people from their team. There was a lot of give and take about who the team was at any given point. 

How did you come to work with HubSpire?

Not understanding the scope of the project, we hired an individual programmer who wrote us a borderline unusable app. A friend described the process that her friend who used HubSpire went through to develop a social media app for finding roommates. I spent an hour on the phone with her and found out that she started the same way as we did with two unsuccessful collaborations. Afterward, she found HubSpire and had a positive experience and great success. 

How much have you invested with them?

The cost for this project was $100,000–$120,000, including subsequent enhancements.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with HubSpire in the spring of 2016. They delivered the product in the fall of that year, around the end of October. We went back to them for enhancements a year later.

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

The app has been out for two years, and there are dozens of schools across the world using it. There are tons of public-facing interviews on the website, but the biggest impact has come from the ones the public can’t see, which are private amongst classrooms. There are 128 public interviews and five or more times as many private interviews.

At one level, we’re allowing students to easily create annotated interviews that tell the stories of their friends’ immigration experiences. At a bigger level, we achieved the goal we had to make a more empathic environment for immigrants, and for them to be seen as people with stories.

How did HubSpire perform from a project management standpoint?

They were good at maintaining a shared Google Doc with outstanding bugs and newly implemented features with their status, cost, and how those would be implemented. We didn’t have daily communication. We would agree on what was needed, and they would do it. They’d require some clarification once in a while, and we would both test the deliverables on the set deadlines. We identified problems and made lists on spreadsheets.

We had follow-on versions made based on usage patterns we saw, and I worked with the team on how to implement what the client wanted. At times, various members of their team were talking to me, and our client would be in on it.

They were great about deadlines. They didn’t over-communicate or distract us from our work. They simply did what we asked and came back when we needed to test something or weigh in. I couldn’t have asked for a more responsive, professional, reasonably priced partner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They never say, “No, that can’t be done.” They encourage us to relay how we want the app to be used, and they come up with the best ways of implementing that. HubSpire is creative in terms of implementation, and they’re amazingly responsive. I had a Google chat window with their owner, and, if I said hello, he instantly told me whether he could talk or if he was in a meeting. I loved their immediacy and responsiveness.

They designed the look and feel of the app and didn’t charge us for it. The woman who sent me to HubSpire paid $50,000 just for the design, but we didn’t have that money. It was truly amazing.

They meet deadlines and create a quality product with very few bugs. Of the few bugs that appeared, each one was fixed immediately. It was a high-quality product at a reasonable price, delivered on schedule.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any areas of improvement. HubSpire goes above and beyond.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to describe the goal of the project and allow HubSpire to suggest implementations that would be cost-effective and functional. We told them how we wanted something to work and they did it, and we later found out it wasn’t the best idea on our part.