MindCraft.ai

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our product is an all-in-one software for solar panel installers. My role is Head of Product - I am responsible for aligning the product vision with the business vision + leading the product team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MindCraft.ai, and what were your goals?

We hired MindCraft to do R&D data science projects with us. Mostly they are connected with lidar data and building 3D models from it.

SOLUTION

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

We successfully worked with some of the employees from MindCraft in past.

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

We started with the development of automatical calculation of roof inclination based on the lidar data. This project has been released and our clients are super happy with the result. After this we went to the development of the calculation of shadow impact on the solar panels. Right now we are busy building 3D models. The goal is automatical solar panel placement.

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

Five people. Project Manager Alex, Data Scientists Dmytro, Volodymyr, Wald and Andy

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first project which we did together with Mind Craft is released. The auto roof angle calculation was already requested 100k + times in 2 months of production time. Our clients confirm that it dramatically simplifies the installation of solar panels because the result is very close to the real values and they no longer need to climb on the roof to measure it to be able to calculate how many panels will fit.

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

Alex is a very responsible person. He sounds very strict, but at the same time, he is also very agile and always asks for feedback and reacts fast to it.

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

The quality of their work and dedication to the project are impressive.

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

Maybe hire more people in order to be able to pick up more projects at the same time

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the principal product manager of Super.ai, a machine learning platform startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed someone to provide us with machine learning development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started our partnership by an image-classification challenge. They mainly utilize TensorFlow and an open-source machine learning software.

What is the team composition?

We mainly get in touch with Andy (Co-Founder& CEO ) and Nazar (Operations Director & Co-Founder).

How did you come to work with MindCraft.ai?

I believe I came across MindCraft.ai while researching on Google. We chose them because of their relevant experience in the machine learning space.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in May 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their communication is clear, timely, and well-structured, and the performance of the model code is understandable and approachable.

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

Their approach to project management is consistent and concise, so we don’t experience any surprises. They perform well from a project scoping standpoint and deliver on their promises within the given time frame.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their machine learning and domain subject expertise, as well as their honesty and clarity of communication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There aren’t a lot of areas they need to improve on because they’re a stellar partner.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to be honest about your priorities and flexible with the project outline. I would also recommend preparing yourself for new ideas at the start of the partnership.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of a German consulting and software development company specializing in Big Data and AI. Our main clients include banks, industrial companies, telecommunications providers, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed support on some of our AI projects, specifically around consulting and implementation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with MindCraft.ai’s consulting services to determine what our customers need and how we can fulfill those needs. After that, we started with proofs of concept in this area, implementing the first solutions. We’re also creating mathematical models for implementing software with their help using AWS and Azure for these solutions.

In the beginning, we went through a discovery phase with MindCraft.ai and our customer to find out what we need to do and what makes sense. After that, we had the first round of implementation with a POC, which lasted 8–12 weeks. During this time, we created the first version of the software to test out if it will work. We’re now trying to move forward to the actual development of the product.

What is the team composition?

Three people from MindCraft.ai supported us;  two data scientists and a project manager.

How did you come to work with MindCraft.ai?

We found them through Google and contacted them. We had some meetings and decided to try them out.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2020, and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their team is professional, efficient, and creative. In the field of AI, you don’t always know what you’re going to get, and you have to be creative to find the right solution through different approaches, which MindCraft.ai is very good at.

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

Communication is clear and transparent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their services is good, and our customer has been satisfied.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — I’ve had experiences working with other IT providers, and I would say that our experience with MindCraft.ai is the best.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear and descriptive about what you want to be done, and provide plenty of background information.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of Squirro, a machine learning and analytics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were looking for external talent to develop a clustering software for a news aggregation service.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MindCraft.ai is offering a service that allows us to group similar news stories into one cluster. We worked on the approach to the solution together, and they came up with a proof of concept in 3-5 days.

The next step is for MindCraft.ai to build the MVP. We will then go into full production rollout. The POC included only minimal components of software. The MVP will include a lot more software, including algorithmic methods. They will program it using Python, which will be integrated into our own analytics platform.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with three people.

How did you come to work with MindCraft.ai?

We received a lot of inbound requests from companies that wanted to work with us. We gave them a work package description with a simple ask to come back with a half-baked solution on how to solve such a work package. 

MindCraft.ai was one of the few ones that replied with a half-baked solution approach to our RFI. Most of the outsourcing companies had no clue.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2020 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have a high degree of perseverance. We disassembled their first solution approach to a large degree and they were good sports about it. 

If we challenge them, MindCraft.ai takes the feedback in a positive way to actually come back with a response that makes the overall solution significantly better. That quality is rare in software.

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

We forced them to use our project management tools. We integrated them into our current sprint setup with daily standups, biweekly sprint planning, etc. We use instant messaging as well. We have sprint reviews over Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Most third-party service providers are all about trying to bill you another day rate. With MindCraft.ai, they took the actual challenge seriously and provided good solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My native language isn’t English so there’s always a bit of a language issue.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s too early to say until they deliver the MVP.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Since 2002, Intellias has been helping leading European and North American technology companies create software products by assembling and managing world-class engineering teams in Eastern Europe.

Intellias has been delivering solutions to Fortune 500 companies and helping leading technology innovators build their software products in automotive, fintech, transportation, agriculture, eCommerce, energy, and other domains. The company has been listed in 2019 The Best of The Global Outsourcing 100 List by IAOP and recognized by Inc. 5000 as well as GSA UK Awards.

As a Delivery Director, I supervise a program of 100+ IT professionals working with the world-known map and navigation solutions vendor. The project started with a team of just a few engineers and has grown to a multi-project program contributing to the world-class location-based services platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

The client requested an independent Data Science team to test the Big Data platform and MindCraft agreed to help us test the efficiency of the system and make improvements.

What were your goals for this project?

The team needed to analyze the client’s platform and identify the possible weaknesses and shortcomings, suggesting options and solutions to improve it.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We relied on the recommendations of the people who worked with MindCraft. Also, we evaluated the company’s expertise and track record in Data Science projects and their strong focus and scientific approach were what convinced us to partner with them.

Describe the project in detail.

We contacted MindCraft.ai company already having a previous positive experience of cooperation. The project was managed by a project manager from our company and we were searching for a team of experienced Data Scientists to participate as the end-user to evaluate product usability and provide feedback.

The vendor's responsibility was to implement a part of the scope related to data analytics, using platform tools, guidelines and SDKs. The previous solid expertise in using a variety of Data analytic tools and platforms was very important. The project was accomplished successfully.

The vendor provided expected artifacts and reports with the improvement recommendations which was further used to address discovered usability issues.

What was the team composition?

One team of Data Scientists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

MindCraft has thoroughly analyzed the documentation and the platform we were working on and has provided their opinions and a detailed report on what needs to be improved in the platform to increase its productivity.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow that we built with MindCraft was great and helped us get the most value out of our partnership for both us and our clients.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What we liked most was their openness, they were easy to communicate with. They precisely delivered what we needed of them. We knew we could rely on their deep understanding of the client's business, their solid Data Science skills and Programming Knowledge.

Are there any areas for improvement?

So far, no

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

As a Management Consultant Company with the main focus on Data and Analytics we support our customers around the topics of new disruptive technologies, data, digitalization and thought management.

I founded re:data in 2015 in Switzerland to help customers smartly use data that is in need of analysis and combine it with the customers desire to make an impact with it's business.

By smartly combining data we help our customers to understand trends and ideas that can be found in their data. This enables them to find the added value urgently needed.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MindCraft?

We needed to have a dedicated team to extend our Artificial Intelligence capabilities with both the overall architecture definition and development. Our customer had an urgent regulatory compliance issue and in the pre-project discussions we agreed on a possible and suitable roadmap to tackle this.

What were your goals for this project?

integration of a Convolutional Neural Network with a user friendly frontend (developed by another dedicated service provider) to detect sensitive data in a wide range of files and services.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

we specifically were looking for a specialised AI provider in western Ukraine to build up a strong and long term partnership.

Before committing we have met in person with the Mindcraft Team and have commonly build up the strategy how to get the team involved in the best way possible.

After having spent in workshop style several parts of days with the team it was clear that the way of thinking, working and partnership was exactly what we were looking for.

Describe the project in detail.

the project (MVP) consisted of 3 months - divided into 2 weeks sprints.

As the cooperation on our side was based on 3 working parts (our local team, Mindcraft and a 3rd provider responsible for the frontend and integration) we decided initially to work in parallel and have team specific sprint- and status-meetings.

As soon as the components came close to full integration we decided to combine the meetings and integrate the development efforts.

Mindcraft has shown their brilliant capabilities and knowhow - even in difficult circumstances of development - as access to the end-customer was limited. They came up with creative but effective solutions and approaches to reach the project goals.

What was the team composition?

our local team in Switzerland consisted of a Project Manager, a Business Analyst (and Ukrainian Language Liaison for possible communication challenges due to the different native languages), an AI specialist and an technical architect.

The Mindcraft team consisted of 4 AI specialists and a Project Officer. For the front-end development we had a local PM and 2 developers and a software tester).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Mindcraft team was able to come with alternative, creative but effective approaches to bring the project to a successful ending. Many future capabilities and possible approaches to reach even higher success rates have already been discussed for a V2 of the delivered product.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication with Mindcraft is very easy. Jira, Confluence, Email, Slack, Zoom and other tools were actively used - Answers to questions or concerns came back very fast. The full team is capable of communicating in English on a very high level - both in speaking and understanding.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We discussed, they offered and over-delivered. Impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nazar might have to take a BBQ training before our next project? (internal joke)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m CEO of Vulmax, a technology services company. We offer application development, software testing, back-office support, and other IT-related services, as we've also been developing a referral networking program, targeting companies and individuals who serve the same business areas as we do.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MindCraft?

Our client’s business faced a challenge and they reached out to MindCraft to help solve it. They needed them to research and then build a solution to detect street signs on roadmaps.

What were your goals for this project?

To create a solution that can determine the geolocation of an object and its properties using Google Street View images, proving that the idea was valid.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to us by a good partner we’ve been working with for a long time. Our technical specialist contacted their manager and after a conversation, we decided to work together due to their professional and competent approach.

Describe the project in detail.

The idea was to build a product capable of passing through a specific area on the roadmap. Using Google Street View images, they created an interactive roadmap with designated streets/places where parking is allowed or not, as well as different time-bound and other data. Our role is as a referral partner in the business relationship.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a team lead, a data scientist, and a machine learning engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is under an NDA, but I can say that this proof of concept, and the customer’s idea, was developed well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was good—they delivered at the highest level.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team showed good approaches in business analytics, project management, and full circle machine learning development.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, they did a great job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a boutique consultant around new electrical infrastructure - stationary batteries, electric vehicles and other Distributed Energy Resources.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MindCraft.ai, and what were your goals?

My goals were to supplement the work I've already done for my client with more advanced modeling for electric vehicle fleet charging sites.

SOLUTION

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

Found them through my extended network of contacts in Ukraine by recommendation of a former business partner.

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

1. Develop EV charging session generator code in Python 3
2. Implement YAML parser for session generation business logic (config file provided)
3. Implement session generation business logic as per provided detailed requirements
4. Implement logging and estimation for every generator run
5. The project is intended to be run from console / terminal in a cloud JupyterLab environment

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

3 people - project manager, principal developer and engagement manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The timing was quite aggressive, but the team was able to deliver against all deliverables in a timely manner, even with disruption due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

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

Proactive style, all communication was done in Slack with code being provided through a private github repository

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

The speed of contracting, engagement and deliverables was very impressive.

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

No, I'm quite satisfied with the results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Artua design and development agency. We provide our customers with UI/UX development also mobile app development services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MindCraft?

To build an engine for user intent detection in short text messages.

What were your goals for this project?

To build PoC that will give us an opportunity to obtain possible quality metrics for intent detection.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Thanks to the recommendations of the people who worked with MindCraft, also due to the strong focus in Data Science Consulting.

Describe the project in detail.

For the purpose of PoC we choose NUS SMS corpus that is available from Kaggle. We use English-language part. Pretrained ELMO model was used to obtain word and sentence embeddings.

Several intents were labeled in original dataset using active learning approach to minimize labeling efforts. We show that the approach provided reasonable accuracy of intent detection and may be scaled for emerging intents while switching to live message flow.

What was the team composition?

Two data scientists and data engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have proven that pretrained embeddings provide an excellent opportunity to detect user intents is short text messages.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We managed to build effective communication with MindCraft team. If was a need, we can have met at any time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

MindCraft showed their strong knowledge in Machine Learning Area and great focus on clients problem using BA approaches.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The organization structure of the team should be more understandable for the customer and more independent inside the MindCraft. We were forced to confirm each step with MindCraft’s CEO to begin the project phase. Anyway, we obtained the results needed in a short term.