Launchpeer

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a network of private golf club members worldwide called Thousand Greens

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

We had a website. We wanted to build the next generation platform that could deliver the users an any device any where experience across web and mobile

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

We took recommendations from many people, and went through an RFP process with seven vendors

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

There was an initial prototype development effort (screen shots). That led to a development proposal, based on which there was a development of a website and an iOS and Android App

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

We mostly interfaced with a single project manager and the rest of the resources were firewalled from us.

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

It was a DISASTER. The final deliverable is a half baked web and mobile app that is buggy and suffers from latency issues. The app suffers from architecture issues, poor coding issues, and simply missed implementation issues. We have already identified >100 bugs that we are fixing using another agency and are discovering new issues every day

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

The main project management tool was Slack. The communication process had both positives and negatives. The positive was that the team was very methodical in documenting everything. The negative was that the team firewalled all communication through a single project manager, and the inability to have a direct conversation with the lead developer was simply a lot of wasted cycles in trying to explain something and getting lost in translation.

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

Nothing. They had no sense of timelines (a 6-8 week prototype was finally abandoned after 5 months with not all screens developed, and a 6 month development phase was finally forced to go live with a half baked product after 1 year)

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

The Team's QA methodology is non existent. After spending months writing user stories (which were well documented), there was literally no QA process where they ran through every user story and tested it thoroughly for both basic functionality as well as interop (web, iOS and Android). The Team does not understand real time low latency app architecture The Team claims to work on structured sprints, but the reality is that they don't

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creator of a fitness mobile app.

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchpeer?

We worked together on mobile app development and design.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped me put together designs for the app. They communicated with me to get my input on what the designs should look like. This step in the process was important to me, as I wanted the app to have as smooth of a user experience as possible. They also worked with another firm to start developing the app.

How did you come to work with Launchpeer?

I was working with another company before them, but they weren’t the best. After reading their reviews on Clutch, I felt like they’d be a good fit for me.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent about $40,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February 2020 – January 2021.

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

They delivered high-quality designs that have contributed to a clean UX. We worked closely to make sure that the app would be as user-friendly as possible. They were accommodating of my desires and now it’s just about perfect.

How did Launchpeer perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicated well over Slack. Their timeliness was inconsistent and their app development knowledge lacked at times. I now know that this is because they contracted another company to help with the app development portion of the project, so I wouldn’t fault them too much for this.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their onboarding process for new clients impressed me. From day one, they gave me a clear roadmap of how the entire project would go. They’re strong communicators as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their design work was great, but their knowledge and responsiveness in the development phase of the project weren’t as good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a great firm to use for design prototyping. As far as actual development, though, they wouldn’t be my first choice. However, they did help me find the development firm I ended up using to finish the project.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am attempting to found a company based on a mobile application.

For what projects/services did your company hire Launchpeer?

I hired them to coach me on the process of developing an app as well as create a codeless prototype for the fundraising process.

What were your goals for this project?

To create a pitch deck, pitch, and a prototype for the application I am trying to develop.

How did you select this vendor?

Targeted advertising and a free consultation phone call.

Describe the project in detail.

The team helped me take an idea in my head, validate it, create a website, create a pitch deck, practice my verbal pitch, explained fundraising, and lead me through the entire prototype creation process including creating a customer journey, logo, and ultimately making the prototype which looks fantastic.

What was the team composition?

I was able to work directly with the sedulous CEO Jake who has answered my tireless questions and guided me through each step. For the technical part of this I worked mainly with two other individuals (Rebecca and Gabe) who were extremely knowledgable, friendly, organized, and diligent. I believe there were others working behind the scenes. I cannot speak to working with them directly but I can say the quality of their work on the product was fantastic.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The creation of the impressive prototype and a beautiful pitch deck are the primary visible outcomes of these efforts. The more obscure and subtler results are how much they have taught me about the process of developing a mobile application and creating a business around it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Generally very efficient, particularly during the prototype development phase. For the less technical components, there was an entire curriculum I could follow at my pace and there were weekly group coaching calls to help keep me accountable and push the workflow.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

1. How skilled they are at what they do.
2. They are one of the few companies (possibly the only) that are willing to put in this much effort and give this much help and attention to people operating at early early stage start ups.
3. They are able to work with technology companies at multiple phases of development because of how skilled they are.
4. How accessible they can be. Their technical team responded to my emails consistently and I regularly communicate with their CEO who is super knowledgeable.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not at this time.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of a podcast player app. Our product integrates social media into the listening experience.

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchpeer?

We hired them to help with the beta version of our app at the very beginning of our development process.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I expected them to develop a functional beta app for iOS and Android, using React Native. Initially, we started with a larger scope, which we pared down quite a bit as we went. We hoped to pull Twitter content into the app that was relevant to the podcasts that users listened to. We also wanted to add direct messaging features and a click creation feature. In the end, we had a bare-bones player with Twitter content in the listening and discovery experience.

The project started very well, and I was impressed by the contracting process. They were very thorough, and it took about a month to ratify the contract. In the first two months, I was impressed by their speed, and our initial expectation was to have a working product within about 12 weeks. In the end, we spent ten months on this project, and we just cut ties with them. There were just too many bugs, and we ultimately transferred the project back to our internal team.

What is the team composition?

In the beginning, we worked with one main developer and a project manager. There was also a customer success manager who worked in the background. Along the way, the managers and a secondary developer left while we were working together. There was a lot of turnover.

How did you come to work with Launchpeer?

My co-founder found an ad for them on Instagram.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of the project was around $70,000, which we paid in two-week installments.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in October 2018, and we terminated the contract at the end of August 2019.

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

We've completely severed ties with them. I was hoping to go to market within about three months, but we're already about a year into the process. We still don't have an MVP, and we're currently looking for a new technical founder to help us complete the project internally.

How did Launchpeer perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was ok, but the outcomes weren't there. We had to pull them along the way, and they pushed back at almost every turn. We were willing to be flexible and make changes, and the product did become sharper over time. They were friendly, and we tried to keep communication as respectful as possible.

Overall, they were very difficult to work with, and we had to renegotiate several times. We borrowed a lot to make this app, and we still have nothing to show for it. The relationship really soured. They didn't prioritize my project, and seemed to only be in it for the money.

What did you find most impressive about them?

At this point, I can't think of anything specific that they did well. I have reviewed them already on other sites, and they have responded, but I don't care to engage with them any longer.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be careful. There weren't many reviews available when we first engaged them, so we didn't have any information from other clients. They've somehow managed to get 5-star ratings from customers, but I don't know how true those reviews are. They posted a positive testimonial on their website that they attributed to me, which I asked them to remove. That kind of behavior is unethical. Reach out to the reviewers who have rated them poorly and ask them about their experience.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of Rostrd, a platform that connects youth athletes with former college athletes who can serve as mentors and coaches.

For what projects/services did your company hire Launchpeer?

We needed them to design a prototype for our app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted the finished prototype to help us secure funding and move toward a full-scale business launch.

How did you select this vendor?

I first heard about them through advertising on either Facebook or Instagram, and I decided to speak with them after some further research. I considered some other vendors, but Launchpeer was the right choice.

Describe the project in detail.

They held a number of meetings with me to discover what I was looking for and how they could best make it come to life. After multiple discovery meetings and almost daily conversations, they made changes to my logo, updated details per my request, and made it exactly how I wanted it.

What was the team composition?

I worked with a project manager and a lead as well as designers and a creative team.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The prototype looks amazing and we’re ready to take the next steps. Launchpeer’s work helped us sort through our questions and get our idea off the ground.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was great. Every member of their team worked together very well. They always made me feel like I was their only client. They did a great job responding to questions, using Zeplin for project management, and they used their expertise and knowledge to make suggestions as well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They delivered a better prototype than I expected. I didn’t need to make any changes to the initial design because it was so well done.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I think explaining Zeplin a bit more clearly would have helped me understand how to use it faster.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder and president of 5th Level Web, an internet marketing firm.

For what projects/services did your company hire Launchpeer?

We hired Launchpeer to build a prototype for a proof of concept (POC) for a new marketing SaaS tool.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to demonstrate our application’s flow to prospective investors and employment recruits.

How did you select this vendor?

I interviewed six prospective freelance developers and companies.

Describe the project in detail.

The prototype was supposed to model the application’s flow from the perspective of both end-users (client companies) and marketing agencies. They were supposed to build it with Sketch and Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator.

What was the team composition?

I met with Jake Hare (Founder, Launchpeer), a project manager, and two developers.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Unfortunately, Launchpeer did not perform. They achieved none of the outcomes promised in the agreement, and they tried to poach one of our startup team in direct violation of the non-compete clause in the NDA we signed. I lost trust in them, stopped the project, and requested a refund, which hasn't been given.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

My team ended up doing the brunt of the work because Launchpeer didn’t deliver. We created the diagrams, wireframes, and user story they were supposed to provide.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They seem to be getting a lot of positive PR in spite of their problems delivering a successful product.

Are there any areas for improvement?

First, they need to learn and demonstrate integrity by honoring the contracts they sign. Second, they need to actually deliver what they promise. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of FYTR. We're an online marketplace that customizes meals from restaurants to fit people's personal caloric needs or food considerations.

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchpeer?

We're a startup, so we needed to get market validation on the supply side and on the demand side. We were looking for a company to develop a platform for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had multiple phone calls with them and discussed how the system could run on the supply side and how restaurants could customize their meals. Then, I provided my feedback and we tried to find different plug-ins and APIs to get the market validation, while keeping the costs down. We broke each segment of the build into different parts. That way we could build out a small part, validate that part, and then continue to build other parts instead of trying to build everything at once. I made a lot of changes after we started building the visual prototype in PDF, but they were always very understanding.

They’ve already delivered the first beta version of the demand side application, which is the backend system for the restaurants. It's a web based application that is built in React Native. We're now developing a platform for users, which is going to be an iOS/Android app.

What is the team composition?

I work with 4–5 members of their team, including a designer, a lead developer, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with them?

I found them through an online search. Their team is very friendly and they're willing to work with my budget. Also, their entire team is in the United States, which is important to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between $40,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

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

We have a technical adviser, who has been reviewing the scope of work and commended the quality of the code. Launchpeer is very transparent with the bills, which gives confidence to myself and my adviser. In addition, they offer a 30-day free maintenance service that includes addressing any bugs. That gives us peace of mind because we're testing the platform with the restaurants. The companies that have tested the app so far are very happy with the results.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via email, Skype, and Slack and they're very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're truly invested and passionate about the project. I never felt that this is just another project for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything. It took them a little time to understand my needs, but once I passed the project on to their technical team, they implemented is properly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about what you want and they'll be able to provide that for you.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company helps real estate brokerages grow their market share by utilizing Hopscript, our phone-based lead generation system. It’s designed to increase the lead to client conversion ratio. I am the CEO.

For what projects/services did your company hire Launchpeer?

We identified a way to increase the conversion ratio through untraditional methods of script usage. We recognized this method as an opportunity to establish a new product that can increase real estate appointment conversion rate. With that idea in mind, Launchpeer helped us create our vision from start to finish.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a user-friendly product that could make a massive amount of calls within a short timeframe, serve as a catalog of scripts, and record and play audio during a phone call.

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed multiple companies. Launchpeer best understood our vision and was excited about turning the idea into a reality. They had the strong team structure, experience, professionalism, and capabilities our complicated project required. We could tell they were enthusiastic about our product.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Launchpeer guided us through the stages of product design, graphic design, and marketing. They turned our idea into a sellable product that’s ready for launch.  We’re about to take it to market. As a one-stop-shop, they offer everything a startup needs to hit the ground running.

What was the team composition?

Launchpeer has a relatively large team, but most of our day-to-day contact was from the project managers. They served as a reliable point of contact and ensured no information was lost as it passed from person to person.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Our main product, Hopscript, is ready to be launched next month. Without Launchpeer, our idea never could have come to fruition.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Launchpeer managed the project and communicated seamlessly with us. We met all our deadlines and stayed within our budget. They're efficient with their time, friendly, and always available to answer our questions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Launchpeer’s ability to grasp a vision and translate it into a sellable product is top-notch. They were able to take our ideas and expound upon them not only to make a better product but also to come up with really creative branding and design. To put it simply, they know what they're doing from development and design to branding and marketing.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the COO of an e-commerce platform for outdoor enthusiasts to buy and sell outdoor gear, as well as book or promote adventure-travel trips, guides, services, etc.

For what projects/services did your company hire Launchpeer?

We needed to grow our online presence through social media marketing.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase our user base, online presence, analytics, and sales. We needed our campaign to be directed to our specific niche of outdoor enthusiasts, which can be tough to penetrate if the right approach isn't taken.

How did you select this vendor?

We had searched for many marketing firms, but none seemed to be our fit. Knowing the people at Launchpeer beforehand was a huge help, so when we discussed our needs, they knew what we wanted instead of just telling us what we wanted to hear. We haven't looked back once since.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

From knowing us prior, Launchpeer knew what we did, and learned even more about us and what we wanted to continue doing. We had meetings almost daily, non-stop communication, and a very detailed plan laid out from the start for our marketing campaign.

What was the team composition?

Their whole team was involved with us from the start, including a designer, a writer, and an analyst. They stayed consistent and productive the entire time.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

All social media outlets have grown over 300% in less than 90 days, and it won't be slowing down. We have metrics showing positive results for every aspect of our marketing campaign! It’s all very positive, and our users and market have been engaging with all of it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They offer great communication, and are both timely and professional.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What’s most outstanding is the fact that everyone can relate to our industry and our platform as a whole thanks to their work. Their experience and true professionalism are not only impressive but also very comforting, especially when it's so hard to find hard workers in today's world!

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only thing that could’ve been done differently was that we should’ve started earlier. Zero complaints for the Launchpeer team.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Mylai LLC. We’re an on-demand personal training service.

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchpeer?

We needed to outsource custom software development, from cradle to grave.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took what I had—a rough sketch and prototype of the idea—and turned it into a fully working product with enterprise apps, two phone apps, and databases. Gym owners can go to our web-portal and register an account, and then their trainers can swipe “I’m Available” and be dispatched to wherever the user would like to get workout. It’s a turnkey, SaaS solution for the gym owner.

The app itself has two different workflows: one for users and one for trainers, but they both download the same one. It has geo-location and mapping features, plus geo-fencing. All the information is housed under our CMS—our enterprise, web-based solution. This lets us access all the data easily and lets trainers and users go through one focal point. The mobile apps were built with React Native, and the web tool was done in React.js.

Right now, we’re still in our 60-day bug fix period, and we’re on version 1.3. After that, they’ve offered to continue maintaining the app for 1% of the project cost.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with five or six people, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with Launchpeer?

Prior to Launchpeer, we’d tried outsourcing and working with a friend of mine from college, neither of which went well at all. We actually found them through a mutual connection. A friend of mine is a project lead in a big software development firm in Cincinnati, and she floated them to us after I realized she was out of my budget. They quoted me a price that was perfect for our budget so we went with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $46,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March until June 2018.

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

Within our first month we have seven customers, north of 300 users, and over 50 reviews, which have a 5.0 average. It was a pretty quick turnaround and we’ve had a lot of really good comments from our customers. They really like the design, and I think they personally submitted our application for UI/UX award in South Carolina. There’s been nothing negative; it’s a really good app going by what everyone has said.

How did Launchpeer perform from a project management standpoint?

We almost always talked through Slack. We worked with two-week springs, so we had semi-monthly calls for an hour to go over progress. They were by the book with the methodology.

What did you find most impressive about them?

How quickly they responded to concerns, for sure. I think the longest they ever went during business without responding to anything was probably 30 minutes. Outside of business, it was maybe five hours at most —Saturday night at 8:00 until 1:00 Sunday morning.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would say they could upgrade their contract negotiations. They originally sent us a primitive contract and we went through 19 revisions to make it more dense and sophisticated.

Any advice for potential customers?

You should spend extra time upfront to clearly outline the scope. If possible, produce your own materials for them to reference during negotiations so that they're abreast of what you want. I think that's why ours turned out so well. I was very diligent with that. Other than that, I don’t think you’ll find a better, more affordable, development shop.