Metaclass

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CTO at a fintech startup

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Metaclass was recruited to develop the back-end of a greenfield web project. The project presents users with different scenarios of their (financial) futures based on life and investment decisions they could make today. So the back-end needed to receive a user's scenario variables, project them out into the future, and then present the consequences of the decisions made back to the users.

SOLUTION

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

I had recruited Metaclass to work on another project, but after working with them for a while, decided they were overqualified for that project so invited them to work on a more challenging one.

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

• Dev Technologies :

1. Python
2. FastAPI
3. Pydantic
4. OAS
5. Encode databases
6. SQLAlchemy
7. Postgres
8. Redis
9. Docker

• AWS Technologies:

1. ECS,
2. Fargate
3. RDS

• S3 Features:

1. RESTful API with support for relational CRUD
2. dynamic Pydantic schemas
3. a universal CRUD controller
4. calculations for scenario projections
5. support for cascading calculations
6. streaming data over websockets
7. caching layer with Redis
8. automated test suite with pytest
9. containerized the application
10. CI/CD with Gitlab CI
11. hosting environment on AWS

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

We worked with Sasha and Basil. Both were working as back-end developers, but Sasha was also responsible for architectural design, planning, and DevOps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

features landed with comprehensive test cases.

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

I had weekly review calls with Sasha, who would present any issues encountered in the past week and we'd plan for the work items Metaclass could take on for the upcoming week. We used Slack for daily comms, Gitlab Issues to discuss, assign, and review work items. They used their own time-tracking tool.

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

Their commitment to code quality was impressive. There's plenty of cowboy coders there, but Metaclass is highly conscientious about the quality of their contributions, so they write code with the full software life-cycle in mind.

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

As with practically any software project, there's still room for improvement in estimating the time it'll take to tackle a problem. But that's something that almost everyone in the profession struggles with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief architect at Brandly. We’ve created a platform where companies can purchase business cards for their team in an easy and efficient manner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Metaclass?

We wanted to find a vendor that had experience with two of the main technologies we use: View and Oscar. We hoped that through this effort, we could accelerate our development process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided them with specific tasks that need to be completed. This involved both front- and backend development, and design. They’ve also had some freedom to work creatively when working on UX/UI design for products that our employees and customers use. 

They built around 80% of the admin dashboard, which powers our employees’ day-to-day activities. Their team overhauled the way we send emails to make it more efficient. They also built some features to increase functionality around applying discounts and providing price quotes. 

What is the team composition?

I have two primary points of contact; one is purely a developer and the other does development and project management tasks. 

How did you come to work with Metaclass?

I found them on the web. I reached out to them when I saw that they had experience working with Oscar since it isn’t a common tool. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spend between $3,000-$6,000 per month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in March 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work is consistently high-quality. They improved our current system. The code is well-written and they deliver quickly. 

How did Metaclass perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re easy to work with. I’m always aware of what they’re working on and they break done projects into smaller tasks which makes it easier for them to find solutions. We primarily use GitHub to track the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think that their expertise in Oscar commerce is one thing that separates them from their competition. They’re exceptionally easy to with and offer great value. It isn’t necessarily hard to find a vendor who is highly-skilled or one that is affordable, but it is rare to find both together. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m happy with their work. It would be nice if I could pay my bill on a more frequent basis though. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re based in Ukraine, so the time difference can be a little challenging. However, they’re willing to work during your business hours. It’s also helpful to keep a cadence of meeting regularly. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a co-founder of gearo GmbH, a marketplace similar to Airbnb but for film and photo equipment. People can lend and rent from each other in a fully-insured manner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Metaclass?

We were looking for something to fulfill our needs in our already existing platform, which required advanced Python Django knowledge. In developing on-demand product features, it was important to us that we could rely on the development team and that they would stick to the budget we gave them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Metaclass basically has done all development-related work, from server infrastructure to the entire front- and backend. Their team worked a lot with our payment provider to integrate them into the platform. The platform had been built on Python Django before, so we needed someone with the same expertise.

The platform was in place when we started working with Metaclass, but it was at a really basic stage and was really buggy. We achieved the next level with Metaclass, feature-, infrastructure-, and security-wise. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with two developers from Metaclass. 

How did you come to work with Metaclass?

I’d been in close contact with their founder since 2016. When Metaclass started up, we decided to go with them because we’d had a really good experience with their founder already. They’re really reliable.

How much have you invested with them?

Our final cost will be between $50,000–$100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Metaclass at the end of 2016 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We deliver entire concepts with them and have briefings for future features. Metaclass brings forth their own ideas and on how they would achieve the scope better and more efficiently, which we rely on since we’re not technical people. Their team is really open to giving and receiving feedback. They also have a really strong backend team as well as a good understanding of frontend design. 

How did Metaclass perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re basically reachable 24/7. We’ve had several issues happen on our side and Metaclass has been there for us, setting other projects aside to fix our problems, which were really painful. In software development, everything takes time. It takes time to build features, and we can’t tell in the beginning whether something will take two weeks to get an estimate. However, Metaclass sticks to the timing pretty well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We had worked with German developers before Metaclass and they were a lot pricier and less skilled at project management. Metaclass is great really good at project management and at handling briefings. They’re also capable of understanding problems really quickly, which is crucial for us because they really dig deep into our problems and will often see them before we do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could hire more people in specific fields. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to have weekly meetings, especially since they’re a remote team. It’s also important to invest in concepts, layouts, and good explanations of the product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an e-commerce platform focused on the vision market. Customers can trade in existing frames for new frames for sunglasses or prescription glasses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Metaclass?

We needed to create something low-cost and novel. Most e-commerce platforms use a one-way tracking method, but we needed a two-way process. Orders come in, and we provide a credit for the value assessed that users can apply to available products. We hired them to build that from the ground up.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a wireframe for what we needed to build, and we told them what the UX and the workload needed to be. We ultimately had to build everything from the ground up. We tried to launch a few things, but our early attempts weren't customizable enough. They used Django and Python mostly, with an HTML and CSS frontend.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with their CTO to oversee the build and also worked with another lead and a group of developers. We had a very close relationship, and they were careful to be efficient and work within our budget. They came up with great solutions that saved us from creating duplicate functionalities or redoing any elements.

How did you come to work with Metaclass?

We were looking for a unique developer that had ingenuity, creativity, drive, and passion, as well as a solid understanding of the subject matter. Our CTO sourced them and looked through open source, existing platforms that we could change. We hired them because they were a key developer for another platform with a lot of the functionality we needed. When we went to them, we discussed a partnership and had them join our team. They were fantastic, and we were lucky to find them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $60,000 on development before the beta launch, but I would estimate that $10,000-$25,000 of that went to them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We incorporated in 2016, and I believe we started working together in 2017. We finished development and had a beta launch in June 2018, but we still focus on refinements and other products. We will have them do an overhaul of the platform in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We built a lot of strategies up in the launch process, and we do a lot of marketing with affiliate brands. The product is live, but we haven't gone public yet. We have over 100 users who found our site randomly, but our official launch is still in the future. Everyone from investors to users is excited by this first-in-market option, and the model would work in several other verticals. We've engaged with a lot of key players at high levels from other e-commerce industries, and we have worked with firms on patenting this kind of shopping. So much of our success is attributable to Metaclass and the work they've done for us.

How did Metaclass perform from a project management standpoint?

They're always expedient during sprints and rush times when we needed to meet deadlines. We've used Jira, Trello and an internal tracking system, and we also communicate regularly through Skype and Slack. They're great developers, and they've spoiled me against other developers. They're very passionate, and they care so much about our project. They're kind and honest and are great team players.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They can do anything. They're well-rounded in the full stack, and they're so creative. They find ways to make our ideas better, and they deliver customizations that don’t exceed the budget. They're so experienced, and they do a great job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If you work with them, be mindful of the time difference. That is outside of their control, and we just had to manage issues ahead of time, especially if we ever had a tight deadline. They're so great, and I wish I could clone them and replace all the other development teams I've worked with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work closely with them and keep them in the loop. They will be as hands-on or hands-off as you need them to be, and they're very good at understanding products and companies from an eagle-eye view. Give them autonomy and allow them to think outside the box. They will come up with solutions that no one on your team will think of, and they're very entrepreneurial.