Linkup Studio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Role: CEO Company specialize in transforming ideas mobile app to final development while working in a network of partners to develop this app

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Build an application on iOS and Android

What were your goals for this project?

To give a turn key solution from sketch to publishing the app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Recommendation from a colleague

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

1. Business development
2. App sketch
3. App design
4. App development
5. App integration with other services
6. App deployment
7. App publishing

What was the team composition?

- Business development (2)

- Account management (1)

- UA/UX designer (1)

- Backend Developer (2)

- Frontend Developer (2)

- Lead Developer (1)

Team expands as requirement and flexibility to increase number to meet deadline

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. There were SLAs of features and functionality
2. This is a development phase one therefore the LinkUp team were very helpful in improving features and required outcome
3. The work delivered beyond SLAs agreed

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

1. All colaberation was done via Slack and Email
2. The resound to request were replied never exceed 5 mins, which is something made the development phase on time
3. All speak English like a native and there never has been a single incident were we couldn't communicate 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Having worked with multiple development studio, LinkUp studio is a unique company due flowing:

- Management: Organised, on-points, fast understanding and utilization of tools to be agile

- Skills: Developers at LinkUp are the best I have ever seen, they exactly know how to solve problem at its best, they suddenly suggest method and way to develop on spot, I have never cam a cross any issue or bug were they will not be able to help. You want the best developers

- Intelligence: Clever approach to codes, saving time and cost.

- Trust: Instant detection with high level of trust, something I have never seen a studio does before.

- Experience: They will understand your ideas before getting to a low level design, they have the experience to save your time and money

Are there any areas for improvement?

To be honest I couldn't find any. but i'm sure they will expand and I hope they keep their standard as it is

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Chief Product Officer for OnCell. We’re a white-label platform for culture and heritage, parks, and the tourism sector. We work with organizations around the globe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LinkUp Studio?

We were looking to scale up our development team in order to streamline technologies with some new acquisitions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They've done backend development on two products using Ruby on Rails, front end UI work on our app builder interface and React Web development on our mobile web and admin interfaces.

What is the team composition?

We work with 2–3 fulltime people. I interact with different people on various projects.

How did you come to work with LinkUp Studio?

An acquisition we made was using their services and recommended them, so we continued using them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €100,000 (approximately $113,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in July 2019 and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their quality is good, with little rework needed. They work efficiently, ask the right questions, and give good feedback.

How did LinkUp Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

I handle the project management for the engagement. We use GitHub and communicate via Slack. Their team is pretty good about meeting our deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a smart team. They ask questions to ensure the right solution is implemented. They provide more of a partnership than just being a code factory.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be slightly better at giving daily updates.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your expectations. Rely on them for design work, but make sure they’re asking questions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We built a new marketplace for temporary living in switzerland. We are three founders and iam responsible for the bussiness development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired LinkUp for the whole development of this marketplace with SaaS.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a new technology using marketplace from scratch. We had a MVP before, but it was useless. So we began from scratch to build this marketplace. And with LinkUP we found a great company with all kind of developers for any needs.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It was just research over the internet and for the begin, we didnt know LinkUp as company. But after a few contacting, it was clear it will be the right company. And so on, till today we re really happy with it.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed complete marketplace technology with a lot of functions, such as payments and quite lot of booking engine rules. Even the settle up of hosting by AWS was included, as well developing of scripts for automated testing. At all it tooks one year of development with more then 22 sprints and ongoing optimizations.

What was the team composition?

The project team has about 5 people. Frontend, backend developers, as well database, hosting and testing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just started, so its quite difficult to say. But for sure, without LinkUp, we wouldnt start after a year of development.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Its quite good structured. We ve had exactly estimation of all sprints and developments. The team is very worried about the project and they see always that it goes forward. So communication works via Slack, which i really prefer. But they do as well video calls and are most of the time available. For all tasks we use Trello, so its very clearly arranged about open or closed tasks.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

For me its the team, so each individual team member has always beeing with the project and even a member has changed once, it was ongoing the same. As well the leader of the company, Mr. Sambir does a really good job and you can talk always to him with any needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not at all.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Neatly is a startup that I founded. I am tech veteran with a decade experience running the marketing for various startups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I turned to LinkUp to develop the Neatly app based on my specifications.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to develop a professional MVP that is good enough that people will be willing to pay for it.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I talked to several vendors that I found through Clutch. LinkUp had the most professional and thorough service offering and made me feel confident they could get the job done.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Design, develop and deploy the app. Connect it to a payment processor and email marketing platform. The project began with a discover phase where we mocked up the app and went through the different features. Once we were happy, they started developing the app with several sprints for reviews and changes.

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with a project manager, several designers, front-end and back-end developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project has just launched but there are already several hundred businesses who saw the product video and screenshots and have signed up. The platform works as promised and looks great.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had weekly project management meetings to go over what was done in the past week and what's planned for the next week. We also had a slack channel for regular communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The professionalism is most impressive. After having worked at many well-funded startups I can say that the team at LinkUp is the same quality. They have a strong understanding of how software should look and work and they move quickly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I'm very happy with their service.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Imagine Marketing Group, a boutique agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LinkUp Studio?

I’ve used both in-house and outsourced development teams in the past. I wanted to find an external team that would act like employees of my company to develop software—whether its products for third-party clients or internal products to help my companies run more smoothly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

LinkUp Studio has developed software that engages heavily with business logic. Their scope of work includes automation, marketing, data-scraping, data-analysis, and CRM development. Their team utilizes PHP and Ruby on Rails for the backend and Laravel for the frontend.

What is the team composition?

I work with a team of around 9 people. My main points of contact are Nazar (Full-Stack Developer, LinkUp Studio), Ihor (Full-Stack Developer, LinkUp Studio) and Andriy (CEO, LinkUp Studio).

How did you come to work with LinkUp Studio?

I interviewed over a hundred other firms before proceeding with LinkUp Studio, whom I found on Clutch and another site. I talked to Andriy and got the sense that he was an extremely competent and caring person.  

How much have you invested with them?

I currently spend roughly $12,000 with them monthly, although this is projected to go up to $20,000—$25,000 next year. In total, I’ve spent over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in February 2019, and it’s an ongoing, expanding relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their team has demonstrated a deep understanding of requirements in difficult projects. They’re able to come up with very good business logic and deliver excellent code. They’re very smart and capable in what they do.

I appreciate that they’re not afraid to tell you when they believe something works better than your proposed solution. They’ll explain their logic by creating charts and PDFs, and a plan of action. They’re invested in delivering what’s best for you, and not just what they’re told to create.

How did LinkUp Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great. Their project leads go out of their way to ensure that the client is comfortable and works hard to resolve any challenges that come up. We use a mixture of Trello and their own project management tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’d highlight their investment in your success, which comes from top-down.

For example, Andriy suggested something a few months ago that I’d disagreed with him on—but in the end, he was absolutely right. I told him the other day that I’d been wrong, and he responded, “It doesn’t matter who was right—everything starts with an idea and only the results matter.” He really keeps a long-term relationship in mind and is very easy to work with.

Technically speaking, they excel at UX/UI, which has been extremely helpful. Their design capabilities match their development skills, which is rare.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think that as a growing company, their project management sometimes faces challenges. Having said that, they’re constantly exploring ways to improve their internal processes. They’re proactive in seeking improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’ve been outsourcing development for over 20 years, and I can assure you that they’d save you lots of time and money. Avoid the learning curve by hiring them, because they’ll absolutely deliver.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a GPS scavenger hunt mobile app that allows families to play a game and discover clues and history at nearby destinations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

LinkUP built the mobile app as well as the CMS that allows destinations to create the content for the scavenger hunts.

What were your goals for this project?

My goals were to build as sustainable software platform that was modular and easy to make changes to as our business evolved.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Linkup was referred to me by a friend and I had worked with them on a previous project and have had an ongoing relationship with them for 5 years on different projects.

Describe the project in detail.

They worked closely with me and my team to build and iterate on our software - mobile app and web CMS. We provided written specs (which changed frequently) and designed weekly or monthly sprints around our business needs. Our mobile app was built with the React framework and our website is react.js + Rails.

What was the team composition?

We worked with 3 different developers - one was mostly full time on our project while two others were called in as needed for various parts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

LinkUP did a great job communicating and being responsive to our requests. They were an important part of our team on an ongoing basis. And I look forward to continuing to work with them.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We used github issues and google docs to scope and manage our project. We had weekly calls and also communicated frequently on our slack channel. Their english was perfect and we never had any problems with the time zone or language difference. They were always willing to work late and hop on a call when needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were committed to our success and always did whatever was necessary to help us meet our business goals.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wish that they supported more platforms/languages since I've worked on a few projects that used frameworks that were not suited to LInkUP's stack.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Giant Leap. We are a startup in the child learning development space, and we created a tool for assessing the 8 foundations of learning development. Our platform allows us to evaluate children between 4–8 years old to understand how well they’re doing on attention, memory, spatial skills, verbal skills, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Linkup Studio?

Our company consists of two founders and only one full-time programmer, so we were looking to outsource a lot of the frontend development tasks to someone who would be able to help us move to launch more quickly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We actually have a native mobile app that we’re designing and developing on our own, and a web application that we design, and the program. What we have done is provide them with hi-fi designs and user flows for the functionalities we want, and then they handle all of the web programming in React.js. From there we usually talk back and forth until the different sprints are completed.

What is the team composition?

They’ll usually have between 4–5 developers working on our project, as well as their CTO and CEO who interact with us around project planning and higher-level stuff.

How did you come to work with Linkup Studio?

When we were just getting started, we were trying to find a cost-effective partner to help us program faster, and one of our friends told us about Linkup Studio so we had a point of trust to get started from. Their prices were very competitive, and our initial conversations went well, so we decided to start working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested somewhere between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in October 2018 and are continuing to work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their work so far is really good, especially for how competitive their pricing is. And it’s really great to be able to deal directly with the CEO and CTO on Slack about any issues we have in terms of feeling like we’re able to make consistent progress.

How did Linkup Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Their process is extremely organized. They have a person specifically designated for planning each sprint with us. We walk through the scope and break down how many hours they think each step will take them, and then after both sides approve it, we start the sprint.

They provide great customer service overall. We always get quick responses to our requests, and we can tell that they are always focused on how to make the development experience better for us. It’s one of the biggest reasons we were able to build the trust necessary to continue working with them for this long.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unlike larger or more corporate service providers, there is a very human element to their studio. They really put the effort into winning every client and focus on the long-term relationship, and that was something we felt from the very beginning with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Besides extremely minor things like not getting the scope perfect the first time around, there’s nothing I think they really could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Whenever you’re working with an outsourced provider, you should really have your vision nailed down so that you can communicate to them as clearly as possible what you want. That will make the process a whole lot easier for everyone involved.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of an American agency. We provide web development and design, mobile applications, and other digital services. We sometimes use subcontractors when we don’t have enough inhouse capacity to complete the work for our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LinkUp Studio?

LinkUp Studio is one contractor we utilize in multiple projects. In our most recent engagement, we asked them to develop a cryptocurrency wallet for our client in the financial market.

We had initially been working on a crypto-mining app for that client, but they requested a wallet in addition to the app—and we didn’t have enough internal power to handle the increase in project scope.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We collaborated on wireframes, but LinkUp Studio delivered the entire wallet. They handled its design, development, and project management. Our own team guided them for UI/UX, but the handled the bulk of the work.

For the frontend, they utilized React. Other languages and environments they used were Golang, Node.js, and Python. While they built a unique infrastructure and architecture, they relied on preexisting opensource code.

What is the team composition?

While the team size expands and contracts, depending on the project, we generally worked with five people.

How did you come to work with LinkUp Studio?

They’d reached out to me on LinkedIn, long before I was looking for a subcontractor. Once my agency started getting more business than it could handle, I reached out to them again.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $60,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2018, and it’s an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their work is excellent. If you go to their portfolio, you can see how high-caliber their projects are. They consistently deliver great products, so I continue to rely on them.

Before officially taking them on for my projects, I sent each of their five developers a test project, which they passed with flying colors. I know that LinkUp hires extremely talented developers.

How did LinkUp Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great on that front, as well. Often times when you outsource, the language barrier can be an issue. With LinkUp Studio, I’ve found that their project managers speak English. They’re very easy to communicate with, which helps us enormously.

We used Trello for inter-team communication, but I know that our respective teams used different internal software for project management purposes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their large team boasts a wide variety of skillsets. It’s comprised of talented people from different backgrounds and different areas of expertise. No matter what the challenge or request, I know that there’s a specialist on their team who’s familiar with the industry. The scope of their knowledge is truly impressive, which is one reason I love working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t really think of anything. Any issues that arose from personal differences in working styles were quickly resolved when they swapped out developers. Overall, our engagement has been very smooth.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Regardless of who the vendor is, I’d recommend to send them a test project before you take them on—no matter how good their profile looks. Try them out, because they won’t disappoint.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of a meal planning app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LinkUp Studio?

As we were starting, we wanted to keep development costs low and overcome staffing issues, so we hired LinkUp Studios to develop our mobile app and web platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The mobile app is compatible with both iOS and Android. We provided mockups and designs, but they created a full stack using PHP and a liberal framework to create the backend and Javascript and Python for the frontend.

In addition to features, like calendars, that help users plan meals, the app is integrated with grocery store platforms, which allows users to order their foodstuffs through the app.

What is the team composition?

Andriy (CEO, LinkUp Studio) was our first point of contact at the beginning of the project. Once we determined the scope of the project, he hired a team of developers and we have worked directly with them since then

How did you come to work with LinkUp Studio?

One of my partners recommended that I use them for a different project. That project ended, but I still had their contact information when I started working on this app and decided to reach out. I asked LinkUp Studio and a few other companies to provide us with a quote and a basic prototype. Not only did we like the product that LinkUp Studio delivered, they were easy to communicate with.

How much have you invested with them?

They bill us after each sprint, but we have spent between $30,000-$35,000 in total.          

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on the project in August 2018, and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It has been a long process, but they’ve delivered everything that we wanted on time and within budget. They’ve even gone back to make additional adjustments for us at no additional charge. We’re still working to improve the app and create more content, so it hasn’t been released yet. Nevertheless, they’re top-tier developers. We’re excited to get more people on the app, and we’ll see how the platform does as the user base grows.

How did LinkUp Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We talk a few times a week and have a Slack channel set up. Even though Andriy isn’t necessarily a part of our day-to-day, he’s always checking in to make sure things are running smoothly.

They break up their work up into sprints and use Google Sheets to estimate the time it will take to build a given feature.

We also used a tool called Hubstaff to monitor development. It takes screenshots of their work, which allows me to check in regularly, which was really cool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They actually care about what they’re building and the product’s quality. Unlike other companies I’ve worked with, they think about the problem and focus on understanding the issue before trying to resolve it.

Andriy prioritizes becoming a partner, which is really unique. I really appreciate that they understood our goals and wanted to build a long-term relationship with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While using Google Sheets is effective, I wish they had their own tool to manage payments. As the project has grown, the system has become a little overwhelming. Right now, our invoice sheet has 27 pages, so before making a payment, I have to sit down and determine what we’re actually paying for.

We also hit a slight delay during the project, and communication between our teams slowed down a bit, but that issue has been resolved.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s best to have a solidified idea of what you want to build. Developers need all the information to execute what you want. If you’re not sure yet, work with their designers to narrow down what you want before they start coding because it will save time and money.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product manager for a Lviv-based startup that’s creating a new app for learning English words and phrases, based on music.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LinkUp Studio?

I hired LinkUp Studio to assist with developing features for the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had the opportunity to visit their office and have a face-to-face meeting with them. Our app involves users connecting their Apple Music or Deezer accounts and seeing phrases from their own playlists. LinkUp Studio created new features for our product.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with three people from their team: a backend developer, a QA engineer, and a mobile developer. I’ve also engaged with Andriy (CEO, LinkUp Studio).

How did you come to work with LinkUp Studio?

Before our collaboration with LinkUp Studio, I worked with freelancers that weren’t the most professional and I wasn’t satisfied with their work. We chose LinkUp Studio from around ten candidates. They were professional and open to working with us. Along with their great office, they had the right features for a startup and understood that we didn’t have the perfect definition for what we wanted to create. LinkUp Studio strived to create a better one for our startup.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $31,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first engaged with their team in March 2018, and the first beta was finished in November of that year. They’re finishing our second beta version now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our startup only has a translator and co-founders on staff, no developers. LinkUp Studio delivered the best work possible. I’m satisfied with them. Their team is interested in the product through helping, developing, and providing feedback. The job from their developers was professional. They’re quick workers and help me whenever I call them.

They have a business analyst that surprisingly created new features for us, without the additional cost. Their designers also made images that we missed in the general design.

How did LinkUp Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Because there wasn’t a designated project manager, everyone on their side was involved in the process. The QA engineer could’ve been more involved, but they were generally available. We usually communicate through Slack. We have a face-to-face meeting at their office each week, and I can easily stop by and discuss requirements. Our communication has always been at the highest level.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sometimes they missed time estimates, but they’ve been willing to work during weekends to meet deadlines.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since we’re a startup, there’s always something to improve upon in our projects. We wouldn’t change LinkUp Studio for any other company.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

From my experience, it’s best to have face-to-face meetings. That isn’t a possibility for everyone. Because both of our companies were based in Lviv, the frequent meetings allow us to use gestures when words are lacking.