Kambda

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a partner and Creative Director of a small design agency specializing in branding, website design, and UX/UI for a variety of clients, ranging from small single-owned businesses to large non-profits and Fortune 500 companies.

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

My partner and I were looking for a reliable, talented company to handle the initial web development of the large website we were designing. Since our clients come to use for our unique designs, we needed a company that was precise and design-conscious in their development, as well as collaborative when questions and issues arose. We were also looking for a long-term partner that would help us to maintain this website over many years, and add new designs as necessary.

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

We spoke with an outsourcing company called Accelerance which understood our exact needs and recommended that we talk with Kambda.

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

We asked Kambda to develop a custom, responsively designed website in WordPress with a specifically-tailored CMS in the backend. The website was designed in Sketch and uploaded to Invision, and JIRA was used to manage the project and tasks. Over the years, we continued using the tools but switched the focus to one of maintenance and design additions/changes.

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

We worked with Emilio, the project manager at Kambda, and a few of their developers. Emilio was our main contact throughout the project.

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

The project was a great success. Kambda's attention to design detail ensured that what we created and the client approved showed up on the final website as expected. Kambda's responsiveness and ability to turn around quick requests and changes ensured that the client was happy. They served us all quite well and it was wonderful to have a development company we could rely on.

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

We primarily used Sketch and Invision to share designs with Kambda, and then Jira to handle tasks and changes. This process worked very well.

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

Kambda was always available - emergencies, quick changes, they always were able to turn things around. They were always able to get to last might client requests. We really valued that.

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

Since we were working with Kambda over a long period of time, there was, on occasion, gaps in our work and changes in their development team. It would require some more work to get new people up to speed.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder / CEO of narrowSCALE. narrowSCALE allows you to: - learn what's trending in email newsletters - research topics you're interested in that have been written about in newsletters - discover new newsletter writers

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

Kambda has basically served as my startup's engineering team. They have been responsible for architecture design, scalability, development, testing, release, maintenance, etc. We first needed Kamda to develop a database of newsletters that would permit all of the product functionality we wanted to layer on top of it (trending terms, most common words, etc).

Then we needed them to develop the front end (displays, search capabilities, etc) for our customers. Along the way, there have also lots of site-wide clean-up and customizations.

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

They came highly recommended from someone who has worked with many offshore teams. Deciding factors: references, communication style, responsiveness and care, prices

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

First, introduction calls Then, some high level project scoping / feasibility. Then we basically moved into sprints (We provided prioritized and defined work, discussed questions/issues, aligned on what would be worked on, and it was worked on...) pretty standard :) The first step was biggest: Kamda to develop a database of newsletters that would permit all of the product functionality we wanted to layer on top of it (trending terms, most common words, etc).

Then they developed the front end (displays, search capabilities, etc) for our customers. Along the way and sprinkled throughout, there has also lots of site-wide clean-up and smaller customizations.

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

I worked with two people directly at any one time (the owner of the company who functioned as the project manager too + a developer). The developer has changed a few times based on staffing needs. I know there are other behind-the-scenes support too (like release manager), that I have not worked directly with, but who definitely help!

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

We launched the database, with pretty good, cleaned up data (which was harder than we had all imagined!) We were able to get the front end initial work launched We have been able to do some maintenance as technologies have changed We are set up to continue working on more products and product functionality!

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

We used Trello for our sprint cycles, slack for communication, and google docs if there was something bigger to be written up. They are always very responsive to questions and I enjoy working with them :)!

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

I've really appreciated their willingness to use their brain and not just "do what I asked". I told them up front that I needed an engineering partner, a defacto CTO/Engineering lead that would THINK and be able to ask questions, push back, think longer term, etc. It was important to me that they would be open to playing this role and they have definitely done so, which I appreciate and which has positively impacted our product.

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

Sometimes my projects were worked on fewer hours that I expected in a week... and a bit more transparency/expectation setting could be achieved there.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of product at a fitness company. We offer a jump rope training app.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kambda?

Our internal team was only capable of building iOS apps, so we needed someone to develop an Android app for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kamba improved and updated our existing Android app. It’s built on Kotlin and is native to Android. Since they took over a legacy code, they first had to fix issues and re-architect certain pieces.

After testing the app using smoke testing techniques, the team helped us release it on Google Play Store.

The Kamba team has since helped us add more functionality and continue to work on the app. For example, they’ve added a Google Fit integration.

The app’s primary function is to guide users through their jump rope workouts. It also features challenges, programs, and the ability to track progress. 

What is the team composition?

We work with one developer.

How did you come to work with Kambda?

A mutual contact who had worked with Kambda recommended them to us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in August 2021, and it’s ongoing. We launched the app in November 2021, but the team continues to update it.

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

Even though they’ve had to work with existing code, Kambda has produced an app that’s high quality enough that we feel comfortable releasing on the Google Play Store.

The new version of the app has brought significant improvements in terms of performance, usability, and load time. Our users definitely appreciate Kambda’s work.

They’ve also done an excellent job of providing thorough app testing. Whenever the app has an issue, the team is also very responsive and fixes it immediately.

Overall, we’re very satisfied with their work. We have high expectations, and Kambda meets them all.

How did Kambda perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is good. We use Asana to track their progress, and they do a great job of accomplishing tasks within a quick turnaround time. If more important issues arise, they also have no trouble adjusting their work and moving deadlines.

We’ve been in direct contact with the developer throughout the process, and he has excellent communication skills. We mainly interface through Slack and the occasional Zoom calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their phenomenal communications skills are the highlight of the project. We love that we can communicate directly with the developer. Since I’m a very technical person, it’s nice that we can talk through issues and look at the code together.

It’s also easy to work with them because our time zones are similar. We can work at the same time, which is a huge advantage.

Overall, the partnership has been beneficial to us, and we’ve been very pleased with their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could work on minimizing the number of bugs, but in this case, we understand that it’s hard to do so because they had to inherit the code.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I definitely recommend working with Kambda.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and Co-Founder of Operation 36 Golf. We are a developmental golf program and technology that is designed to take somebody from their first round of golf and give them the plan to become a skilled life-long golfer.

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

We hired Kambda for our iOS and Android Development.

How did you select Kambda and what were the deciding factors?

They were highly recommended by a couple of our colleagues. My main deciding factor is it was apparent that they were very organized, cared more about understanding the project versus selling us, and have an authentic passion for doing great work.

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

We have an ongoing scope of work with their company now. Each release is set up via an Asana board and we work in sprints to meet our deliverables. Daily Standups and Afternoon project status updates keep the team aligned.

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

3

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

They were open to adapting to our systems and also providing feedback on where we can improve to ensure we are being as efficient as possible.

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

They have been the best company we have worked with to ensure that we are meeting deliverables and keeping up with our timelines.

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

Their communication, leadership and ability to get the tasks done within their preset timelines.

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

As of right now, I have no feedback for their team.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner of a CPA firm, and my focus is on tax accounting. I offer personalized accounting services for select clients.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kambda?

I needed Kambda to develop a CRM that streamlined the internal staff operations of one of my clients in the horse racing industry.

What was the scope of their involvement?

It’s a small project for one of my clients’ accounting staff operations. It was taking them too long to manually input data and perform accounting functions, so they needed a system that could expedite those internal processes. 

Kambdar helped me deliver what they asked for by automating a particular function of our firm’s accounting services. They provided tech solutions by creating a CRM system that tracked the client’s horse racing transactions and condensed these into six data lines.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with Emilio (CEO) and two of their programmers.

How did you come to work with Kambda?

It was my brother who referred Kambda’s team to me. Since my brother was obviously happy with their services, I was certain that I’ll feel the same, too.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent around $15,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement started in November 2019, and the last iterations were implemented in July 2020. I’m about to start a bigger project with their team.

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

My client’s internal staff reported that it usually took them a day or two just to manage the horse race transactions, while it only took them 15 minutes to do the same using Kambda’s system. I talked to other business owners in the same industry and they encountered the same pipeline issues. 

I could’ve suggested Excel data management to cut down on expenses, but I went ahead and onboarded Kambda to develop a seamless system — the metrics didn’t lie and we definitely got the results we needed. We’re also looking forward to achieving more milestones through this product as we apply more iterations in the future.

How did Kambda perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicated through phone calls and emails. There was no need for us to follow up or check on the status of their work because Kambda just knew how to do everything at the right pace. I’ve been used to hovering around to check the work of someone I hired, but I didn’t have to do that in this engagement. We paid Kambda, and they basically managed the entire project for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Kambda was not just an agency that I hired, but a business partner that I could trust and shared the same interests with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I didn’t think there were areas that needed improvement. I definitely got what I paid for.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Think about what you want to achieve and consider it within different scenarios — explore these possibilities ahead of time to avoid going back and forth during the actual engagement.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a sole proprietor delivering consulting and development services to AMLAW 100 law firms

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

We were looking to productize a service that we had standardized and wanted expert development assistance with reviewing the prototype code base and extending the tool to meet the wider market needs. We needed rapid review and scalability.

How did you select Kambda and what were the deciding factors?

We ran a search of nearshore development studios and picked a selector of 4 based on their public project portfolios that aligned with the project. We ran a scoping exercise with each and selected based on the ability to rapidly understand, spec and deliver.

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

The application consumes data in a proprietary XML format and uses the D3 JS library to render the data in a selection of custom data visualizations. The tool runs embedded in a popular SaaS platform which complicates the implemetation.

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

2 people, a developer and project manager.

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

New feature versions we increased from weekly to multiple new features daily, accelerating the timeline for delivery from 6 months down to 6 weeks!

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

The team use Slack and the proprietary platform that the software is be embedded in. This flexibility has a double benefit, allowing the project team to better understand the end-user perspective and simplifying the product stack I need to work with.

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

Their flexibility has been amazing, in terms of tools used, approaches to problems, and required resource time.

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

Nothing

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO at SentryTell, LLC. We have an application that provides a way for caretakers of seniors who are still living at home to monitor their activity level. The app connects to a hub in the seniors’ house, and it stores and analyzes data, reports that data on the app, and sends alerts when things aren’t right at the seniors’ home.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kambda?

The app was functional when Kambda took it on but the issue was that the UI was very poor. Therefore, we needed to update some of the screens and make it more user-friendly.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The initial plan was to update some of the screens on the UI side, but we ended up doing a complete app rebuild. They did some graphic design as part of the app build-out. In addition, they’ve helped us with AWS, which we use for database management.

We’re live and in production, but our work with Kambda is ongoing.

What is the team composition?

At the peak of the project, eight developers were involved in various aspects.

How did you come to work with Kambda?

Kambda was recommended to me by a colleague. I looked at the work they did for this colleague. I also researched the apps they had done for other companies and saw that the functionality was there. 

I chose them based on a combination of two things: their skillset to get the job done and the price point. We’re a startup, and having the project done in the US would’ve been significantly more expensive for us. They were a very good middle ground answer for me.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in October 2020 and our engagement is ongoing. We’ll be working with them for quite a while.  

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

We’re too early in the process, so we don’t have any metrics. However, the pre-production people involved in the testing phase have all responded very positively.

How did Kambda perform from a project management standpoint?

We used a number of Slack channels to communicate with them. Kambda’s team is located in Central America, and they are fluent in English. 

I’m pretty happy with Kambda, and I’d recommend them to anybody. It has ended up being a bigger project than I thought because they initially underestimated the amount of work required for the app. Furthermore, there were times when I wanted changes on the app, which modified the scope of the project as we went further.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s the depth and breadth of their technology skills. Whenever we had an issue that the current development team wasn’t well-versed in, they always had somebody else to fill that skill gap. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Kambda doesn’t really work with deadlines very much. If a certain aspect of the project needed to be done by a certain day, we needed to make sure that they understood, because Kambda doesn’t typically work that way.    

Any advice for potential customers?

It would be helpful to communicate the deadlines clearly and make sure that everyone is meeting those deadlines.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am founder and CEO of a SAS company in the concussion management space.

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

Web app and mobile app software development and integration.

How did you select Kambda and what were the deciding factors?

Cost, expertise and referrals.

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

Kambda continues to develop and upgrade our web and mobile apps with good communication skills. They encourage design participation and feedback. There is a web app and a mobile app (on both iOS and Android) that interface. The back end of the web app is on Ruby on Rails.

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

3-4 depending on the scope of work including the owners/project managers and dedicated software developers.

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

Accurate assessments of time needed for projects. Emilio, Silvia and their team have shown great software development organizational skills, deliver on their promises promptly, and work tirelessly to achieve their benchmarks.

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

Agile style storyboard project management including Pivotal Tracker and Trello.

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

Excellent customer communication and relations. In addition to their skills as developers, they have often stepped in to address support issues and are always keeping the end user feedback in mind to come up with improvements.

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

I really don’t have anything to place in the cons/weakness category. Kambda has been a perfect match for our needs. I highly recommend them without reservations.

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO of Find.com, Inc.

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

We hired Kambda to help us develop a new search engine concept. The concept was to create a search engine that would allow users to create their own "Find Engines" (Don't Just Search - Find!) comprised of sites that the user wants to get results from. They could create their own Shopping Find Engine, or their own Sports Find Engine, etc. Users could also share their Find Engines with others.

How did you select Kambda and what were the deciding factors?

We used an outsourcing expert called Accelerance who evaluated our needs and introduced us to a few overseas candidates. We selected Kambda based on their expertise, responsiveness, culture, and English-language skills. Their time zone was also close to ours.

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

Kambda performed multiple projects/steps for us:

1. Set up Project and integrated with GIT
2. Re-established modal window feature
3. Migration to AWS. We also had a pre-existing server issue that we had not been able to resolve ourselves, and Kambda fixed it immediately.
4. Developed our Find Engines, including ability to create, modify, save and delete custom find engines.
5. Integrated google analytics.
6. Added screens and functionality based on a prototype we had created.
7. Electron app embedded inside the script so that the Find.com system could work as a standalone app.
8. Created the concept of a mini browser instead of using the search engine script we started with.

Technology used: HTML5, PHP, MySQL, CSS, JavaScript

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

We worked directly with Silvia Charpentier and Emilio Acosta, who are the principals of Kambda.

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

Kambda was able to deliver all of their projects ahead of schedule, but the biggest win for us was the added value they contributed along the way. They came up with better ways to do things, better features, alternative technical solutions, etc. The investors we shared the technology with were all impressed.

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

They set us up on a Slack Channel, and we also had regular Skype calls. They were always responsive when we needed something, and their professionalism and relationship focus made it easy to work with them. Sometimes you dread having to talk to technical people, but it was the opposite with Kambda.

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

They handled everything for us. We didn't have to get in the weeds with specific developers or handle all the project management detail. Silvia and Emilio were very personable and professional and took care of making sure everything worked on time, on budget, and in a lot of cases better than what we had originally expected.

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

Not that I can think of. I have referred them to multiple other people since, and I wouldn't do that if I had any concerns.

Please describe your company and your position there.

WineGlass Marketing offers DTC Marketing for the Wine and Spirits industry. I am the Director of Technology

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

We needed someone to take over the development of a ROR application that acts as integration between Mailchimp and a wine-based eCommerce/CRM platform Commerce7. We need someone to make code improvements and help us add new features to the application as well as help with maintenance.

How did you select Kambda and what were the deciding factors?

We have tried other offshore development houses (India and Ukraine) and had difficulties with the time difference. Kambda is only a couple of hours different times wise and that makes it easier to work with them. They also have highly skilled English-speaking employees which makes it easier to communicate overall.

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

Programming in Ruby on Rails and managing the application that sits on Heroku. They helped us switch to new APIs that were not rate limited, added some features that let us bypass our migration process, helped us pass new and more data between the applications we are integrating.

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

A developer, the CTO and a Sys admin (3 people).

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

They are smart and they deliver their services particularly well. They are very knowledgeable, hard-working, and make themselves available.

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

We use Slack and Zoom for communications. We use Asana to manage tasks.

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

I impressed with their willingness to find solutions and talk out solutions. Many contractors I have used in the past, just want the facts and they disappear and then reappear with a solution which usually has to be tweaked over and over again.

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

I think most of this is on me. Making sure I am giving them clear requirements.