Lemay.ai

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of gravityAI, a data science solutions marketplace. We are a two-sided marketplace for data science solutions, so we have vendors who upload their data science models into our marketplace and then we distribute those to our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lemay.ai?

As we were building our product, we needed additional data science expertise to help us understand the types of situations, models, challenges that data scientists might have while interacting with our platforms. We needed to engage with the brightest data science talent who would be power users to better understand how they might leverage the platform in that capacity. We contracted Lemay.ai to build several models for us that we knew that clients wanted. 

We were solving to kill two birds with one stone with Lemay.ai. They developed models that we knew that our audience was interested in, and then they also provided us feedback in their interactions with the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The work consisted of application management, application testing, support, algorithm construction, and more. We started engaging with them on how to translate languages via data sciences. We quickly engaged a retainer to build specific models that we were hearing from our clients. They delivered us data science algorithms, models that our clients approached us with. They built out models helping us with things like text classification. They helped us understand the way that data scientists work in order to improve our own platform to work with our data scientists to deliver models to our clients.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people in total. 

How did you come to work with Lemay.ai ?

I found them because Daniel (Head of Data Science) and Matt (Founder) are two of the brightest data scientists I've ever encountered. They were writing something for one of our clients, and I was impressed with how they were on the leading edge of data science. I reached out to them to figure out the project they worked on.

How much have you invested with them?

I think we've spent just shy of $40,000 since we worked together for four months on a $10,000 retainer.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June to December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a couple of ways of measuring success. First, the model they created met our clients' needs. They developed a number of different algorithms that I would say, on average, all did what we contracted them to do.

Secondly, we contracted them to provide us feedback to improve the platform.  I would say during the time period that we worked with them, that feedback proved invaluable for us to be able to improve our platform. I dare say it was more valuable than the actual models themselves. It allows us to continue to build our business and scale the actual technology in ways that we wouldn't have otherwise been able to. We didn't have that type of talent internally to be able to provide us that kind of guidance.
 

How did Lemay.ai perform from a project management standpoint?

They provided really strong communication. We set up a joint channel and they were super responsive, keeping in contact with us daily about questions on things they've seen or on status updates. They were very solid.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their knowledge of the leading edge of data science impressed. I've worked with a large number of data scientists and they epitomize what it means to be a creative technologist and are truly at the forefront of data science. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They're so good at what they do, it's sometimes difficult for them to translate it into layman's terms. They could be a little better at translating difficult data science concepts into terms a business person can understand.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Given that data science is a difficult skill, I would say trust them in how they approach the business problem that you're trying to solve. Make sure that you have a well-defined business problem and are able to talk about it and then trust them to solve it the correct way. Don't be prescriptive, be descriptive in what problem you're trying to solve and they will come up with a creative data science approach to engaging that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm a project manager for a software developer and provider of solutions and services around SharePoint and Office 365. We do customer implementations and upgrades, and I work with the product development team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lemay.ai? 

As part of our product roadmap, we wanted to investigate the integration of data science to help with the automated classification of document types. We often engage with customers that have a large collection of documents that they want to categorize, either for records management or around an information architecture. One of the first steps is cataloging and understanding how customers use documents. We start by defining content types, which is the type of metadata that can be attached to documents. The basic goal was to provide data science through machine learning to be able to automatically classify documents.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lemay.ai undertook the data science to build AI/machine-learning models that can be trained on how to recognize and automatically classify business documents. We started by putting together a matrix of business functions that roughly translate to departments within a company. Within that department are types of documents they might use on a regular basis. For example, in the finance department or as a finance business function there would be invoices and purchase orders under procurement and meeting minutes under administration. As part of the proof of concept with Lemay.ai, we centered on 10–15 types of documents and collected a large sample set for each. 

Once the model was built, Lemay.ai tested its capability. Together we went through probably 5–6 iterations. One of our senior software developers worked on understanding how the technology worked in order to be self-sufficient by the time the project wrapped.

What is the team composition? 

Initially we worked with Mathieu (CEO and Co-Founder, Lemay.ai) on scoping the project. Once we were up and running, they assigned us to their chief data scientist. Daniel (CTO, Lemay.ai) worked with us on a regular basis on all of the technical aspects of getting the models built and viewing results. 

How did you come to work with Lemay.ai?

I wasn't personally involved in their selection. I believe our companies first connected at a local technology forum.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000 CAD (approximately $37,500–$75,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Discussions began the first week of June 2019 and the project wrapped in mid-August.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Lemay.ai met expectations for accuracy in terms of predictability for classifying documents. They said at the outset that if we could achieve a certain number of samples (e.g., in the 300 range) that we should be able to get accuracy above 85%. That indeed was the case. We’re achieving that level of accuracy when we throw documents at the machine learning models that they built and trained. 

How did Lemay.ai perform from a project management standpoint? 

Their project management execution was quite good. We met every couple of weeks and they regularly communicated their progress and expected timelines. The project actually moved a bit quicker than they originally said they would. Daniel was very accommodating. He walked us through what he was building and allowed us to ask any questions. He also shared his knowledge by giving us demonstrations of how everything worked. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

It was apparent to everybody on our team that Lemay.ai really knows the domain and are experts at what they do. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

The scope of the project was as it was expected to be. Toward the end, we realized we didn’t know what was going to happen if we threw unknown documents at the model. Daniel worked through a few ideas and then implemented a solution. That showed that Lemay.ai was open and able to react to the unanticipated. It was a good working relationship. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Regular communication is important, as is documenting deliverables and making expectations clear as possible on both sides.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Founder and CEO of a legal technology company called IPGen.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lemay.ai?

We hired Lemay.ai to develop a web app that would streamline and automate the patent and trademark processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Using Python, they created the wireframes and backend of our app. They also created a demo UI for the frontend that we could present to investors. I am starting to fundraise and present the app to investors, but plan to continue using Lemay.ai to work on our backend as we continue development.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three of their developers.

How did you come to work with Lemay.ai?

I did some research online, and luckily found Lemay.ai by my second call. I chose them, and it worked out well.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000 so far, but expect to spend significantly more with them as the project progresses.

What is the status of this engagement?

 We started working together in December 2018, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have shown the product to investors and potential customers, and we have gotten great feedback. They have made a few suggestions for certain features that we are trying to implement.  

How did Lemay.ai perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great. At the beginning of our engagement, they created a timeline for development and the usually deliver on time. They’ve also done a great job keeping me in the loop and let me know whenever the project has a hiccup. I really appreciate that they explained everything to me in detail so I understand what is going on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In addition to delivering a quality product, they are responsive and do their best to create a comfortable working environment. They made us feel welcome and it has been great working with them. They kept our best interests in mind. For example, they’ve even suggested we outsource small projects to computer science students to cut down on costs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve gone above and beyond what I hired them for. They even helped so I don’t have any notes on what they can improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them by telling them what you need and be responsive. Things get busy during a project like this, and they will reach out to you, so keep that line of communication open.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a company that uses AI to add voice to hardware products. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lemay.ai?

We were looking for a vendor to help us build AI components for different projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of the projects they did for us involved a recommendation engine that suggests content to users based on their preferences. For another project, they developed the tools that help the system differentiate between voices that are heard in a room. Lemay did the research and developed the code for both projects. They used TensorFlow to build new things, but they also used Python for development.

What is the team composition?

We had one main point of contact and we also interacted directly with three of their developers.

How did you come to work with Lemay.ai?

I've known their principal for a long time. I knew about their exposure to different AI tools and methods, so I saw them as experts we could rely on.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2016 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Those projects wouldn't be possible without Lemay's help. Our clients were impressed with their work and their creative approaches. The products produced a WOW effect when we first presented them.

How did Lemay.ai perform from a project management standpoint?

We had regular meetings to review the project and they helped us stay on track, pushing things to completion.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a deep understanding of AI tools and know how to implement them. That knowledge helps them come up with solutions quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If they had a bigger team, they'd be able to take on more projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a manager of venture programs at Invest Ottawa. We're one of the Regional Innovation Centers in Ontario. We deliver services and programming to start-ups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lemay.ai?

We're working with an IBM Innovation Incubators Initiative. Under that program, companies can apply to receive credits to IBM platforms and services. Some companies are not very technically advanced in understanding how IBM services function. We were looking for consultants to help us provide AI expertise to those companies and map out AI deployment plans for them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, Lemay assesses the level of understanding each client has in the AI space as well as their solutions. Then, they assist the client with the IBM program and put together an AI deployment plan, providing recommendations along the way. They also help clients identify which of the IBM services will be best for them. In addition, we work with Lemay and the client companies to select the top candidates for the IBM services.

What is the team composition?

They have a whole team dedicated to our project.

How did you come to work with Lemay.ai?

Lemay was referred to us and consistently came up as one of the top-rated firms during our review and selection process. It’s very important to have client validation about the vendors we are considering.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Two of our clients–one in the medical space and one in the aeronautics space–have been able to advance significantly their product roadmap for deployment and commercialization. One of those companies moved up about 8–12 months in development just because they were able to access that help and look differently at their deployment strategy.

We do a quarterly client satisfaction rating among our clients and Lemay consistently has a score of 4.8 or 5 out of 5. We're happy with their services, so we're planning to work with them on two other programs we're launching.

How did Lemay.ai perform from a project management standpoint?

There’s always a little room for improvement, but as an organization, they're very reliable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're open to new concepts and new ways of approaching problems. We can always count on them to think outside the box when they're developing their solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It's not a major issue, but they could improve the professionalism of their overall documentation.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear about your goals and expectations from the beginning.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a blockchain-based digital advertising company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lemay.ai?

We engaged Lemay.ai to create an AI algorithm that would merge blockchain technology with AI to fight digital ad fraud. This would be a standalone effort that was part of a larger project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Using our high-level concept as a base, Lemay.ai created detailed engineering specs that applied AI and blockchain technology to combat ad fraud. They then created the AI algorithm and now continue to provide support.

What is the team composition?

Daniel (CTO, Lemay.ai) serves as our main point of contact, but we’ve also worked with two other individuals.

How did you come to work with Lemay.ai?

Even from our first interactions, Daniel was open and provided great value, so I felt comfortable moving forward with Lemay.ai.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000–$75,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The initial main effort lasted from February–October 2018, but we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their efforts have helped increase our chances of securing a patent for our solution. This would provide significant long-term benefits for us.

How did Lemay.ai perform from a project management standpoint?

Their workflow is good. During the main development, we had weekly meetings and communicated by email for everything else.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Rather than just focusing on the technology, the team understood the underlying business logic that drove the AI. By interpreting our business needs, they were able to produce technical solutions that aligned with our goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Lemay.ai delivered the algorithm as expected, but their processes weren’t as robust as some of the other specialized development shops that focused on writing code.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the COO of Onepanel, a cloud-based deep learning operating system (OS) and integrated development environment (IDE).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Lemay.ai?

We engaged Lemay.ai to evaluate our platform, provide improvement recommendations, and create a content write-up.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to improve our platform’s UX and increase user awareness.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through a Google search.

Describe the project in detail.

They evaluated our platform, provided improvement recommendations, and produced a content write-up. This involved a screen-by-screen UX assessment, an evaluation of our market positioning, recommendations for our marketing approach, and finally a content marketing creation strategy.

What was the team composition?

They assigned three data scientists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They made tangible improvements to our platform’s UI/UX and realized increase customer traffic flow, resulting in higher user retention numbers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their workflow was very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with the depth and breadth of their expertise.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not that I can recall.