Linkup ST

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the author of an educational online project for preschool children called "Study-smile.” The purpose of my project was to give children early knowledge in an interesting, accessible way. The project consists of nine online programs in two languages, a large number of printed assignments, and guidelines for parents.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LinkUp Studio?

I hired LinkUp Studio to create a website and program animated online lessons that worked on the browsers of PCs, laptops, and tablets. LinkUp Studio also carried out site analytics, gave instructions on writing texts, set up a payment system, and performed optimization to promote the site on the Internet. We are diligently working now to develop the site and create new products.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project is to create a good, high-quality product that will please and benefit both parents and children.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I opted for LinkUp Studio based on the recommendation of one of my site designers. Before that, I scheduled a few talks with freelancers and had one unsuccessful experience with them.

LinkUp Studio also conducted some explanatory conversations and showed me some of their similar work to assure me that they could perform the assigned task. It was important to me that participants displayed initiative, flexibility, and a spirit for success during the work process. That's what I got. I made the decision myself.

Describe the project in detail.

"Study-smile" was completely my idea. My life project is to make children's education fascinating. The basis of this project is to create online assignments that children can independently move by clicking the necessary elements, entering letters, and translating.

We discussed every task with the programmers at LinkUp Studio and created technical tasks for each module. The programmers performed the assigned tasks. I checked them and they made corrections. I can also send questions to the developers and ask them anything about the site at any time of the day, and I get the fastest possible responses. 

I am also the site administrator. The guys taught me how to simplify the use of the site for customers. The programmers at LinkUp Studio provide full technical support of the site, which is important.

What was the team composition?

Initially, several programmers worked with me. Then I was assigned to one developer, who understood and implemented my requests the best.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

The goal of the project was to create a high-quality product that would please and benefit both parents and children. And we succeeded! This site is actively used, and I get a lot of positive feedback every day.

The biggest indicator of the project’s quality is the approval of customers and the subsequent purchase of our products. People do not make one-time purchases. They continue to buy, become regular customers, and lead friends to our site.

Since LinkUp Studio has more computer experience, they give me advice from time to time about features that we could add to the site to increase user loyalty.

How effective was the project management?

At the initial stages of cooperation with LinkUp Studio, we had some misunderstandings. It seemed to me that everything was taking too long, although they assured me that the project was progressing relatively quickly.

The cost of the main work turned out to be more than we originally agreed upon, but the LinkUp Studio employees assured me that this was only a small part of what they can do.

Soon, we found a common language. Now our cooperation is truly coherent and reliable. The time difference does not affect the performance and quality of their execution. Often their programmers respond even it is a day off or a late night, and they do everything possible to help when the issue is urgent.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What most impressed me about the LinkUp Studio team was their humanity. I felt that they were truly listening to me, empathizing with me, and trying to understand my needs and position themselves to address them. This was true of all their team members. The second quality was their professionalism and progressiveness. Another was their desire to work and refusal to make excuses. It suits me very much.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

After four years of work on the project, I concluded that it is necessary to discuss the full range of work before giving assignments to specialists and agreeing to implementation. This helps avoid any surprises at the final price and terms of work.

Unfortunately, we had realized that programmers do not fully appreciate the whole amount of work: we agreed at a certain price, but once the work turned out to be more extensive, the price rose. Now I try to formulate tasks more clearly and eliminate questions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the Co-Founder of Nestler, an online rating and review platform for the property rental industry in Australia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LinkUp Studio?

We didn't have any technical experience. We needed a team that could take our ideas and put them into a working product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built our entire custom platform from scratch. They helped us take a wireframe design and build that out into a workable product. The platform is technically multiple websites built on Ruby on Rails. It has a search function, messaging system, and a payment gateway that they created. It’s not quite up and running but it’s close.

What is the team composition?

Our main interface is the CEO.

How did you come to work with LinkUp Studio?

We found them via Upwork, the freelancing website. We interviewed them and a bunch of others. They weren’t the cheapest but they were the ones who most seemed to know what they were doing. We decided that would be the best bet and I’m pretty happy with that so far.

How much have you invested with them?

So far about 30,000 AUD ($23,600 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in August 2017 and it's ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work they've done has been really good. They’ve delivered on milestones and fixed any bugs. We haven’t been able to test the full set of features yet but what we have tested worked almost exactly as we wanted it to work based on a sometimes quite shaky brief from us. They’re very good at taking a semi-ambiguous instruction and turning it into something that works properly.

How did LinkUp Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been good at setting timelines and milestones. We had been meeting once a week. Now we've upped that to twice a week to make sure we're on track with everything and to keep up to date as much as possible as we get closer to the end of the project. We have those meetings as Skype calls but we also chat frequently via Slack. If there are any problems, especially important questions, they’ll ask us about them so we can address them before the regular calls.

The team's good to work with, especially the CEO. He's the one who has the best communication skills but the rest of the team is also pretty good to deal with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They seem quite happy and willing to work towards completion of the project. They’re not just hitting milestones. They want to build to the point where it works.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not off the top of my head.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Definitely work out the milestones and functionality before employing them. I think that's how it goes with any development team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Lisa Tsjin. I am the founder of Travechat, a worldwide travel message board where users can ask any questions they want and get answers from locals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LinkUp?

We found that there was no custom platform for travelers outside of WeChat and WhatsApp, which only connect users to the contacts in their phones.

We saw that there were a lot of travel groups, and many people willing to answer questions, but that no one knew the people inside a group. Our aim was to create a more systematic tool which, after we gathered enough data, would allow you to store and search through questions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Based on my paper wireframes, LinkUp developed our website and our Android and iOS apps. We went through a lot of changes between the idea and the finished product.

The platform allows users to send their questions directly to locals from the places they’re interested in. Anyone with an account on our app can become friends with another user and answer questions from around the world. If someone is traveling to Malaysia for the first time, they can ask a question about the country, and the Malaysians on the platform will be notified to reply instantly.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Andriy Sambir, the CEO of the company, as well as two developers: one for the website and one for the app.

How did you come to work with LinkUp?

They stood out from the other providers we approached. On our first call, they brought their whole team together for a teleconference. I knew that, rather than having a single person build my apps, I would have access to a dedicated team. This was a crucial reason for choosing them. I looked at other freelancers and groups on Upwork, and many of them promised to do the job, but none set up a call like LinkUp.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested around $10,000 in their work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with LinkUp in June 2017 and have been working on the project for six months. We launched the MVP version in January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

LinkUp’s designs were a 90% match to my vision. They delivered what I wanted.

Launching the MVP version has been a challenge because of cost, but the result is okay. We’ve organically onboarded 300 users, mostly friends, family, and people attracted from Facebook travel groups. The user count is small, so people don’t expect instant replies, but they’re still using the platform because they support the concept. I’m quite satisfied with this result.

After the MVP gains a presence, it will be easier for us to find investors. They will be able to see that we’ve built a minimal version ourselves, so they will believe in us and help us advertise in the future. We’ve been happy to work with LinkUp so far.

How did LinkUp perform from a project management standpoint?

The timezone difference was a challenge. When we discovered bugs or needed a change, we had to wait 4-5 hours for their team. This made us consider hiring an in-house programmer rather than continuing to outsource them.

We can only communicate in English and don’t come from a tech background, so Slack conversations have been difficult at times. If a client isn’t handling the development themselves, there can be differences between the idea and the finished product.

In one case, the developers made a change to the website without my permission. I could see the effort that they put in, so we were okay with paying another $200 without advance knowledge. They put a lot of effort into the website and wanted it to come out perfectly. After this, we realized that any features they create should be confirmed with us.

Coming to an understanding between parties takes time, especially when outsourcing the work. We devised a solution by writing details in Google Docs spreadsheets, confirming them, and only then starting the job.

We’ve had a lot of discussions and made some changes, which extended the development time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Because we don’t come from a tech background, finding the right development team was crucial. LinkUp Studio gave us the confidence we needed to grow. We work as a single team. I appreciate being treated like a member, rather than a customer.

They understand the difficulties faced by startups and haven’t pushed for the development of more and more features to get our money. We were lucky to choose LinkUp as our first developer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their response times could be improved. They work on weekends, but we sometimes don’t get a reply during those times. Being more responsive would bring us better results.

We currently have six weekly calls to develop a better understanding. We didn’t always do this.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner of a company offering landscaping and maintenance for burial grounds that, due to various circumstances, would otherwise be left without supervision. Our yearly activities involve cleaning, decorating, and landscaping tombs; cleaning, handling, and maintaining monuments; tending flower gardens; and painting fences. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LinkUp Studio?

I needed a website and a mobile application to support our company. LinkUp Studio provided frontend and backend development and design.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create apps that worked well, met all of our technical requirements, and allowed the possibility of future updates. LinkUp Studio met our objectives perfectly. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A colleague recommended that we contact LinkUp Studio.

Describe the project in detail.

I wanted to create a website and mobile application in a specific area—caring for the graves of foreign relatives in Ukraine. Few people understood the essence of my idea. I needed a provider with a great imagination to create a new solution using my design template, and LinkUp Studio succeeded.

What was the team composition?

We work with three developers and a quality assurance (QA) engineer. The developers are always online to discuss aspects of the project, and the QA engineer produces accurate deliverables. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

We collaborated on every stage of development. LinkUp Studio quickly implemented every new idea I shared. I had some design templates already, but their designer sometimes offered even better solutions. The results of the project were completed professionally and met our original terms and budget.

How effective was the project management?

LinkUp Studio does not provide designated project managers, but I was still able to communicate with the whole team through their project-management system and on weekly calls.

I appreciated not having to pay for an unproductive “yes-man.” By directly communicating with the development team, we minimized potential misunderstandings and had a clear understanding of what we’d accomplished and what challenges we’d be facing in the future.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The LinkUp Studio team is made up of true professionals who are eager to pursue new opportunities. They also think in technical as well as in business terms.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

If you want to make your idea into a reality, I definitely recommend working with LinkUp Studio. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of ScaleAbout, a company that works with social media influencers who have distribution, outreach, or monetization problems. We have tools that solve these problems by taking their content from social media and spreading it outside the social media and SmartLane. We also are building a marketplace for the fans to connect with their influencers and pay them for services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LinkUp?

We needed frontend and backend development work and we had a deadline. We were looking to outsource a company since we're a startup and lack big resources.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I work with my product manager and my UX/UI designer. I provide specs and screens and then I create small tasks. I go over the task with the developers and schedule a timeline that works for both of us. Once they finish their task, they pass the ticket back to me and I review it. When I have questions, I send it back.

Since I have a technological background it's very easy to work with them. I don't need a project manager from their side.

What is the team composition? 

I work with 3 developers. Usually, I interface with two of them, and one is in the background. 

How did you come to work with them?

I found three good companies and I sent them all the same interview questions. Then I compared their product and pricing and decided that LinkUp is a food fit. I took my chance with them and they were great.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in January 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They met the deadlines and everything went according to my expectations.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

I communicate with them on a daily basis to discuss the progress and the next steps. They're very responsive and great communicators.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their transparency and their professionalism.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I assume they could have more developers that specialize in more fields. The last developer I used wasn't from them because they didn't have anyone who specializes in what I needed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It's all about communication and expectations. As long as you communicate properly and everything is transparent there shouldn't be any issues. Know what you're looking for and they will develop it for you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a GPS-enabled mobile app tour business. We work with a number of cities, hotels, and tour operators to launch iOS and Android apps that feature city guides.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LinkUp Studios?

We had an existing Android app, but they helped create a GPS-enabled version from the ground up.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After we provided the architecture, they ran tests and suggested new features to take advantage of Android’s unique capabilities. They built the app to our specifications, ensuring it matched the corresponding iOS version.

While we launched the app on our own, they assisted with any problems that arose during the submission process.

We do marketing through our WordPress site, and LinkUp helps with that on occasion.

What is the team dynamic?

We worked directly with Andriy Sambir [CEO, LinkUp Studio] in the beginning, and he organized his internal team. Oleks Pochinsky [Developer, LinkUp Studio] serves as our primary developer and we communicate with him weekly.

How did you come to work with LinkUp Studios?

They were referred to us two years ago. We were told they were hardworking, so we decided to give them a try.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We starting working with them in January 2016 and our relationship is ongoing. While our initial project is complete, we hire LinkUp whenever we need an Android app built.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Having an Android app to complement our iOS version has helped our business tremendously, doubling our revenue in the last year. Our investment has already paid off.

How did LinkUp Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Andriy really focuses on building business relationships, working to ensure the client is happy. We use GitHub for project management and G Suite apps to share documents.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We've worked with developers in the past that have simply walked away from a project. Andriy and his team, however, are committed. They manage our high expectations and have given us a sense of stability we’ve never experienced before.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve worked through a few minor prioritization issues over the course of our long-term partnership. This would be true for most developers, of course, and it's important to communicate through an effective project manager when working with a remote vendor.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with any developer, it helps to have a clear idea of the technologies you want to incorporate. Set clear milestones and objectives. This is how LinkUp prefers to operate, which is why we worked so well together.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and founder of an organization called Wholesum, an online platform that assists in streamlining meal planning for companies, outfitters, and outdoor excursion organizers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LinkUp?

We needed help developing our mobile app and online platform. Development requirements included website design assistance, graphic design support, and database coding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They supported us during initial app and web development and design. They researched and recommended the optimal server to launch our platform, and coded the web app using Ruby on Rails. With my guidance on algorithms and user interface design, they built us an iOS and Android app. They helped us with the app approval process by meeting the relevant criteria necessary for posting apps in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

What is the team composition?

I communicated with about five of their team members, including a project manager for initial planning; a team leader and developer for user interface and graphic design aspects; another developer for mobile apps; and yet another developer for the final phases of the project.

How did you come to work with LinkUp?

After local development teams proved to be too expensive, I posted our project on Upwork, and they responded with an estimate. I interviewed five companies to determine which would be the best match for us.  Out of those, I really appreciated LinkUp, not just for their skill set, but for their enthusiasm for the project. They clearly understood the scope of what we needed, and they came ready with new ideas for how we might change or adjust our specifications.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2016, and we’re still collaborating.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have around 20-30 companies actively using our platform, and more than 200 others are testing it, or expressing interest in it. To what extent this can be attributed to LinkUp’s work is hard to determine at the moment. Overall, I’ve been so happy with their work that I’ve given them more tasks than detailed in the initial scope of the project.

How did LinkUp perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been responsive, transparent, and communicative.  Whenever I've requested a timeline for deliverables, they've provided me with accurate estimates. Their turnaround for work varies depending on complexity, but they’re always upfront about expectations. They’ve done everything they can to meet our specifications.

It’s been easy and effective working with them, and I’ve been pleased with them throughout our collaboration. We communicate via phone, email, and Skype. We also use Acello to communicate for bigger, multi-step deliverables.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do everything exceptionally well. When I decided to hire a development team, I was anticipating having to spell out specifications for our project’s vision, but they presented me with ideas and products that surpassed what I could have done. Every phase of our collaboration has gone smoothly, and they’ve absolutely exceeded expectations almost every step.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Due to the complexity of the backend work, we’ve inevitably uncovered bugs and glitches. I’ve learned to conduct thorough testing for every deliverable in order to better understand what users may experience in different situations and check for bugs. However, they’re always quick to fix issues free-of-charge.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take the time to thoroughly lay out the specifications you want, and then trust in their work. Make sure to leave time for product testing and revision, but other than that, if you give them the space to work they’re capable of delivering a high-quality product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Chris Miller and I'm the founder and CEO of a boutique consulting company. We help communities—in Latin America, North America, and Europe—attract jobs and companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LinkUp Studio?

I had an idea for something called “economic development in a box,” which is a single tool delivered as a service to clients around the globe to solve common community problems.

We were looking for a vendor that could provide a comprehensive web platform. It needed to support 15 modules that perform different functions, as well as connect the community to the resources they need to be successful.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started by identifying the problem that we're trying to solve and then worked backwards to identify the best technology to use. They selected Ruby on Rails as a cross-browser platform, along with a PostgreSQL database on a Nginx web server.

There was extensive back and forth during testing, including finding and fixing bugs. Most of the changes that made were due to me changing my mind, but they also made recommendations if they felt something made more sense to be done a different way.

They finished Phase 1 of the project, and now the ball is in my court to sign up the first customers. After six months of collecting feedback, they'll begin Phase 2 development.

In addition to the technology, they offered really useful suggestions about how this product could be integrated into my company. They were very interested in figuring out how best to deliver the technology that would solve the business challenge.

What is the team composition?

My primary contact was Andriy [Sambir, CEO, LinkUp Studio]. I also worked with a lead developer and two junior developers.

How did you come to work with LinkUp Studio?

I was introduced to Andriy though entrepreneurs I worked with on a project in Ukraine. He struck me as very personable, enthusiastic, and direct. His team is made up of really smart people, and they were eager to do something big.

I asked him if he would be willing to take a look at the project. He talked it over with his team and said they would love to work on it.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $19,000-$22,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started around June 2015 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are no data or metrics yet, but this is a really important project for my company because it transitions us to delivering an actual product rather than just providing a consulting service. It was absolutely critical that it be successful, and so far I am very happy.

How did LinkUp Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a very fluid, dynamic, and agile process. I had a weekly call with Andriy, which other developers would join depending on the phase of the project. They were in constant contact via Google Hangouts as they refined some of the features. Once a week we'd also have an all-team meeting for a progress report and any challenges.

They adopted my project management and ticketing system for this project, and I really appreciate that flexibility.

What did you find most impressive about them?

From a business perspective, I was impressed by their diligence, enthusiasm, and—most importantly—integrity. Every step of the way, Andriy and his team demonstrated integrity. I trusted them implicitly, and I was I was well rewarded for that trust.

From a technology perspective, I was impressed by their intelligence and flexibility. Typically developers are only interested in talking about code and tools. LinkUp is willing and able to understand your business at a deeper level.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go into great detail on the problem, and then let them propose some ideas. Listen to what the developers tell you because they can add value beyond just the code.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of operations at DECA, a financial and operational consulting company. We specialize in incentives, compliance, and access to capital through grants, tax credits, and financing solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Linkup ST?

We needed help with a software development project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Linkup ST has designed and developed our software platform. The team has also done the scoping, architecture, and project management. The platform is an ERP system customized for our industry and location. It’s an AI-based guided wizard or workflow that enables our clients to engage with our services and allows our team to automate a lot of the backend features. The platform is tailored towards the Puerto Rico tax incentives landscape, where we have a tax credit application, Act 60 application, tax and compliance filings, etc.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 10+ teammates from Linkup ST.

How did you come to work with Linkup ST?

Someone referred Linkup ST to me. I chose them because they had high ratings, a great culture fit, good value for the cost, and aligned company values.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2025, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Linkup ST has delivered a software platform that our firm is already using. Our entire team has moved to the platform, which has around 50 internal users and more than 300 external users. We’ve seen a lot of increased productivity, time savings, and error reduction. The platform has saved us about 30% on the backend, and we anticipate it saving additional time shortly in the future. Our team is now able to spend more time on the high-level review.

How did Linkup ST perform from a project management standpoint?

Linkup ST’s project management has been seamless. The team has been attentive and ensured we stay on deadlines or, at least, stay informed of the reasons for any delay. We communicate via in-person meetings, virtual meetings, and email or messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Linkup ST has been very good at catering to our needs. The team always makes us feel like the number one focus. Linkup ST gives great advice and consultancy and performs the results we want.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything for Linkup ST to improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Rentify, a financial services company. We’re the UAE’s largest rental rewards platform, offering tenants flexible payment options, rewards on rent, and a digital rental experience. We also provide landlords with automated payments and tenant retention tools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Linkup ST to accomplish for your business?

We hired Linkup ST for design, development, pitch deck creation, and QA support for a whole year.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Linkup ST was responsible for brand development, mascot development, iOS and Android app development, backend development, and payment integration. The team handled the app's frontend and backend development.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–5 teammates from Linkup ST.

How did you come to work with Linkup ST?

We found them through a LinkedIn reach out. We chose them over other options because they had high ratings, a great culture fit, good value for cost, and company values aligned with ours.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2024–February 2026.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Linkup ST helped us launch and scale our product. We went from an MVP to $2 million in revenue in four months. We also saw consistent releases.

How did Linkup ST perform from a project management standpoint?

Linkup ST had very focused delivery teams. We mainly communicated through virtual meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Linkup ST was innovative and supportive; they worked like it was their own project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was always room for all of us to do better.