Invatechs Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a partner at a venture services firm. We build software for very early-stage startups in exchange for equity.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Invatechs Software?

As an investment company that builds software, we’re always looking for talented engineering partners who are reasonably priced. We initially engaged Invatechs Software to serve as that partner when we look to build platforms for our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Invatechs Software has a broad skill set, and we usually commission them for frontend and backend development, in addition to native mobile app development. Many of our products are JavaScript-based and hosted with either Azure or AWS. Invatechs Software has been very progressive and forward-thinking in the technical and strategic recommendations they make.

They do not offer UX or design services, however. When projects require those elements, Invatechs Software will search within their network for a designer, or I search within my network in London. I also have a background in UX, so I will sometimes work closely with their team to design the product. In the cases where there is no need for high-end UX or designs, simple out-of-the-box design principles are sufficient.

What is the team composition?

We work with 5–10 people at any given time. A benefit of working with an agency like this is that we can expand and contract our team according to the needs of our business. They’ve been very flexible in that regard. Our team usually consists of one backend engineer, one frontend engineer, one tester, a technology lead or manager, and sometimes a business analyst who will work out the business logic behind the product.

How did you come to work with Invatechs Software?

We learned of Invatechs Software through a referral from the CTO of another startup my business partner has invested in. We had a productive in-person meeting and felt comfortable selecting them as our agency of record. Because they are a smaller company, we thought that we could have a more personal, and likely more fruitful, relationship with them because we’d be a meaningful part of their business.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent at least £100,000 (approximately $126,200 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in December 2018 and remains ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The technical strategy that Invatechs Software brings to the table has been fantastic. Typically, the cost of building any of our software products is much more favorable than what our clients could find in the UK. Because we work with Invatechs Software to develop products that are at a more affordable price, that increases the margin our company can take in terms of the equity in the deal.

How did Invatechs Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We tend to work with fairly tight time constraints and more or less a fixed scope, but Invatechs Software has been happy to commit to those terms and deliver accordingly. They’ve been excellent at coordinating the progress of each engagement. We communicate well through Google Hangouts, Zoom, and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve been a tremendous provider for us because they have deep FinTech experience. By no means do I say that to limit their capabilities in other sectors, but they have been especially valuable to us given their expertise in our industry.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's always a question as to the extent to which they should incorporate UX and design capabilities in-house. I would say there's a business case for it because that is increasingly part of what software development requires. It has not been a problem for us because they have individuals within their network that can handle those responsibilities, but I think there is a case for considering whether or not they want design capabilities within the organization.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think it’s important for somebody with technical or product management experience on the client side to interface with their team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a development leader at CacheFlow. We provide technology services for financial advisors. Our software enables us to provide a better overview of the client’s cash flow and an advisor can provide better service in terms of how to save money for the client.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Invatechs Software?

We had a small team. We searched for a couple of months without success to hire good engineers at the level that we needed. We decided to outsource the work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a web app that was developed five months prior to Invatechs Software joining us. We couldn’t bring it to the production level with the resources we had. They were a part of our development process. We included them in the development cycle. They did the front- and backend development. The web app is aimed for mobile phones mostly. We used ReactJS, NodeJS, and MySQL.

We started a new product with them, and they still maintain the web app.

What is the team composition?

We hired two people who we have direct contact with.

How did you come to work with Invatechs Software?

I found three companies in a Google search and interviewed each of them. I chose them based on their reviews and their pricing, and because their developers were specialists in their field. I may have read the reviews on Clutch.

How much have you invested with them?

It cost $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had great feedback from managers. They were pleased with the speed and quality of the development.

How did Invatechs Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We managed the project. I like the integration team model. Their communication is great. We used Skype, Slack, and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with how easy it was to integrate them into our team. It was smooth getting set up and getting price quotes, and all the paperwork was quick and easy. Their CEO is amazing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open and consult with them. They have good expertise that will be beneficial when starting a project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a startup aimed at Indian consumers providing a way for the user to assess their financial situation and make decisions appropriately. We are headquartered in California and have ten employees.

What is your position?

I am one of the founders of the startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Invatechs Software?

We needed ample software resources for our solution. We didn’t have the development talent that we needed on staff, and finding local talent was cost prohibitive. As a result, we went searching for a cost effective partner capable of supporting our long-term custom development needs.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

They're developing our solution using AngularJS, Node.js and HTML5. Java is used in the backend and Bootstrap is used in the frontend.

The decision to develop our project in a specific technology was a collaborative effort. I have a strong technical background, and so do my employees. Their preference for technology coincided with ours. We have a four-man development team working on our project.

How did you come to work with Invatechs Software?

Invatechs Software came recommended by a friend. We researched them and found that they were able to deliver the necessary knowledge and manage projects better and at a lower rate than the Indian competitors we were also considering.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total development cost has been $10-12,000. Pricing is done as a combination of fixed-price and hourly rates.

What is the status of this engagement?

We maintain an ongoing relationship with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We don’t have any figures to share because it’s sensitive data. I can tell you that end-users seem very impressed with the usability and the various features we offer through the app. We do not receive a lot of negative feedback or defect reports.

How did Invatechs Software perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project standpoint, the one metric that we track is how often Invatechs Software are within budget, which they are most of the time. In terms of delivery time, they are far ahead of the schedule more often than not. I haven't seen any issues in this regard.

We don't have a formal communication model, as we are not a large organization. The thing I like about their team is that there are no communication barriers. As soon as an issue comes to our mind, we will convey it to them, without any formalities.

As far as technology expertise, they are as good as our developers. We use several tools, including Microsoft Project, Trello and others.

What distinguishes Invatechs Software from other providers?

We have a collaborative work effort, bringing ideas to the table together. Merits and non-merits are discussed. It's easy for us to communicate since we are all technologically-oriented. Our working model enables us to not have impediments or after-thoughts. We iron out everything before plunging in.

Usually, developers in India are good at following clear functional specifications. They are good at handling the technology part, and less so with the design aspects. One thing I like about Invatechs Software is that they try to understand the strategic goals we're trying to accomplish, not just the technology behind them. They aim to become a solutions provider, rather than just a technology company. They've aligned their goals with ours.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

It's a startup. We help people easily pay their import duties and VAT [value-added tax] liability on whatever purchases they make.

What is your position?

I'm the managing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Invatechs Software?

I've used Invatechs extensively for building my website and for smartphone app development for iOS and Android devices. I don't know how to code myself, so I needed to fins a cost-effective way of having my vision built. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

They were responsible for the technical work and hosting. The artwork was done through a different vendor. Ivan [Vetrau, the CEO of Invatechs Software] has always been my primary point of contact. Aside from him, I've been in contact with three of their developers, but not to a significant extent. We perform all quality assurance in-house. I use them exclusively as a development team.

How did you come to work with Invatechs Software?

They were recommended to me by someone with whom I've worked and whose opinion I value highly. Invatechs seemed to grasp what my expectations were and what I was trying to do, and we've worked together well. I only considered a handful of vendors. I felt most comfortable with Invatechs because their proposal seemed to have the best approach and everything was well within the timing and budgetary requirements. 

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total cost of their development work so far has been around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We're still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We have no metrics yet. The product has been launched two months ago, and it has been in the live testing phase since November 2015. It has worked well so far, but we haven't made it available to all our clients. The ones who have used it have detected only a small number of issues, which Invatechs were able to sort out. So far, the website has had no usability issues at all.

How did Invatechs Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive, polite, and easy to get along with. They definitely exceeded my original expectations as a tech partner. I've outsourced jobs in the past to a number of Eastern European companies. Invatechs has been the best by far.

There were times when they went over budget, but that was due more to miscommunication than to a fault of Invatechs. We have decided, as a result of one such instance, to have a more structured approach in the future and break down the costs by month. The issue has since been resolved. We use Basecamp for project management. It's my tool of choice.

What distinguishes Invatechs Software from other providers?

I like the fact that they're responsive and polite. Ivan is available 24 hours a day. When I contact him through Basecamp, he will even respond on weekends and outside working hours.

Is there anything Invatechs Software could have improved or done differently?

They could improve the testing they do before publishing live versions. We found bugs that should have been discovered during testing, not by the client.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a startup digital agency. We develop mobile apps with Android and iOS, but we also build websites and produce video content.

What is your position?

I’m the director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Invatechs Software?

We’ve been working with them two or three years now. The first project we were working on was an app for Android devices. You have a security guard on the train station that has to clock in. He would have to start a shift and then walk around and provide updates. You know the security guard is not sleeping and if there is an incident he will take a picture and send it to the backend. The app basically helped security guards document their time and any incidents that occurred. It has geo-locational capabilities as well, so you can see exactly where certain things happened.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

There was one person from Invatechs assigned to the project. Then they had a backend developer, a project manager and someone else was helping with doing some forms, which can be printed. We have an ongoing project that’s been going on for over a year now. They have between two and three developers working on this. It’s an app for the postal service that helps streamline efficiency.

The end client communicates directly with the developers through Basecamp. I get involved with collecting the money and sending it to Invatechs. I do offer services, too. I’m recommending marketing companies to work on this because we need to market the app once we have the functional, production-ready app. We provided a videographer to shoot the promotional video for the website.

How did you come to work with Invatechs Software?

I knew them beforehand.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I’ve invested $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This is still an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We’ve had good feedback from the client. They were shortlisted for Expo awards this year because of the app and the website. We were in the ceremony. They invited Ivan to come over from Belarus and I was there along with the whole project team. This was about to launch at the time and now once we go through the marketing stage and get some traction for the product, I can see clearly that next year we can get some awards for the product. 

How did Invatechs Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They were able to deliver on time and within the specified budget. I think we had a problem only one time. We were working on something that I discovered and it was resolved very quickly.

We used Basecamp for project management. I know they used Trello internally. I would imagine they use Slack, too. They’re very good at being on GitHub and using the latest technology. They know a lot about the cloud. They’re always willing to try something new instead of PHP.

What distinguishes Invatechs Software from other providers?

They’re very professional and very methodical. Ivan, our developer, is a very precise person. It’s very good to deal with him. He wouldn’t try to cut corners.

Is there anything Invatechs Software could have improved or done differently?

Being a startup, the resources we have are limited in terms of covering every possible angle. If you are a bigger company you have the budget and the manpower to do a lot of quality assurance [QA]. I think it would be foolish to expect that kind of level of QA with a startup. We are all working on the agile environment. There is high pressure to deliver very fast. I think they can improve on the QA side.