Istellar Private Limited

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Co-founder of Difenz (CGRA PVT LTD) from Bangalore

For what projects/services did your company hire Istellar Private Limited, and what were your goals?

We hired Sajith and his team to develop a niche product for Fintech / Banking industry. Our goal was to develop a solution for transaction monitoring

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

We found the Istellar team through my common friend. As we were raising funds and in parallel developing the solution for Go-to-Market. The team was quick to understand the problem and scope the requirements in no time. They were also pretty clear in the timeline for deliveries. That was the primary deciding factor

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

They designed the developed the product "Watch" in a very systematic manner. We gave the requirement document with key features for development. They came up with proper modules and key wireframes for approval. Post approval, it was a pretty seamless journey. Also, when we requested for few changes from the initial requirements, they were kind enough to accommodate us. High-quality performance, very flexible, and stupendous delivery.

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

They were an 11-member team, with 4 Senior Developers and 1 project manager to ensure proper coordination between both parties.

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

We were able to launch product both MVP and advanced versions within a year. It was applauded by the Investors and customers were delighted to take the product, as we were the first build a solution for transaction monitoring in India.

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

The project management absolutely fantastic, we have been regularly kept informed on the progress of every module. Also, they were always time-bound and strict adherence to the delivery dates.

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

We had access to every team member at any given time. They also had the project manager efficiently handle any queries or issues with a minimum of fuss.

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

None

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a smart technology company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Istellar Private Limited?

We were trying to create a cloud-based framework that required a lot of technical expertise. Thus, I needed software engineers who could write the code and develop a UI, and we also needed them to have experience in the fintech industry.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Istellar is helping us develop the software we need. Initially, I shared my idea with them, and they built a couple of prototypes for us to choose from. We’ve also shared a couple of documents with them and iterated on their deliverables. Now, we’re in the final stages.

The product is a cloud-based fintech software with a payment processing integration. It is aimed at electrical charging stations, which in the future will be used for the smartphones and smart cars industries.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with 3–4 people from Istellar, although I’m sure there are a lot more people working for us in the background.

How did you come to work with Istellar Private Limited?

I found them during a Google search. In total, I liked 4–5 companies and had calls with some of them. Ultimately, I chose Istellar because I was impressed by their work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

Istellar is really good at what they do. They’re very polite and accommodating to the changes I’ve requested, so it has been a pleasure working with them.

How did Istellar Private Limited perform from a project management standpoint?

Istellar always delivers a day earlier than promised, which is impressive — they’re always on top of things. We use a tracking system through Outlook to manage the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really like Istellar’s timeliness and responsiveness.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I would have them improve.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Managing Director of Ekavaidya Knowledge Services Private Limited. Our flagship project is a database on Ingredients and Products of Ayurveda.

For what projects/services did your company hire Istellar Private Limited, and what were your goals?

We needed and improved version of our android app and also a robust console to manage the content.

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

We had interviewed over 15 developers before finalizing I-Stellar. Their domain expertise, detailed R&D to understand and evaluate the project, communication and discipline were the deciding factors to choose I-Stellar.

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

As the project had a steep learning curve, both teams had a series of orientation and discovery meetings based on which I-Stellar made the timeline of deliverables, all of which were duly met in the claimed standard. The key deliverables included a CMS and an Android app.

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

All high-level communications were made through the team lead. Specific task related interactions were with the FPRs of the corresponding deliverable which included two members for backend and two members for the app.

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

Our primary job of creating and managing the content became a breeze with the new CMS built by I-Stellar. Everything was intuitive and functional beyond expectations. The UI was also straightforward and simple. All this together made our jobs 40% faster.

Coming to the App, the new version was recieved with great enthusiasm. The download rates of the new version were 125% more than the previous one. Conversion and retain rates also soared. We are currently observing around 36% increase in revenue as well.

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

There was an initial detailing on the type of communication channel based on the nature of communication. This was adhered to at all times. Our team had no difficulty whatsoever in contacting or setting up meetings. I-Stellar often responded quite well to unscheduled or emergency meetings as well. All communications were logged and summarized. This was a key component which ensured the timely delivery of our project.

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

Our team never felt that we were interacting with a third party vendor. I-Istellar Private Limited gladly took up all challenges we threw at them and made sure that it is completed as required and delivered on time. They are a very honest team bold enough to admit if something is not within their grasp.

They also would set meetings whenever they felt if they had gone wrong somewhere and would go the extra mile in rectifying it. We experienced working with several vendors and had never seen a team making this grand gesture.

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

When they were handling our project, they did not have a dedicated resource for UI/UX designs. If this too is catered to, their arsenal is full.