Building digital products for world changers
Netguru builds digital products that let people do things differently. As a company, we deliver digital products for top startups, Fortune500 companies, and well-known brands to help them solve real problems through software and product design. Our clients have changed the way people do banking, listen to music, learn languages and rent bikes. Their products have been featured in TechCrunch, Business Insider and Product Hunt. Share your challenge with our team and we’ll work with you to deliver a revolutionary digital product.
headquarters
other locations
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One Canada Square, Canary WharfLondon E14 5ABUnited Kingdom
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al. Jana Pawła II 29Warsaw 00-867Poland
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ul. Pawia 9Kraków 30-001Poland
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ul. Krakowska 29Wrocław 50-424Poland
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al. Grunwaldzka 472Gdańsk 80-309Poland
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ul. Młyńska 11Katowice 40-098Poland
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ul. Świętojańska 12ABiałystok 15-082Poland
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ul. Henryka Sienkiewicza 85/87Łódź 90-057Poland
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ul. Żołnierzy 9 Dywizji Piechoty 8Rzeszów 35-083Poland
Focus
Portfolio
Volkswagen, Keller Williams, Damac, Solarisbank, Moonfare, Finstreet, temi, Artemest, Shine, Tourlane, Policygenius, Skrill, Newst, Countr, Hive.
Swap
Swap is a P2P mobile payment app and a rising fintech star in Mexico. The first version of their product worked fine; however, adding more features required a complete UX/UI redesign. Swap was looking for an external partner that would help them rethink the interface. We ran workshops that helped understand the idea behind Swap and take a creative approach to the UX redesign. Our team created custom illustrations, which made onboarding an effortless experience. Thanks to the UX redesign by Netguru, Swap added a new personal finance management module, social media money transfers, bill payments, the Swap credit service, and the Swap card to the app without losing engagement.
Read more: https://www.netguru.com/featured/swap
Helpr
Helpr is a marketplace for social care. The UK-based startup’s founders had a great idea for a disruptive service with positive social impact, enabling carers to select jobs that best match their skills, location, and availability. However, they needed a tech partner to build the custom software. Netguru created the frontend and backend for the web app, as well as the iOS and Android versions of Helpr. The platform supports six types of users, many of which require dedicated interfaces. We integrated Helpr with Stripe for card payments. The startup has been connecting care workers with their clients for five years already, making profits and social impact in the community.
Read more: https://www.netguru.com/featured/helpr-social-care-platform
Shepper
Shepper is a tool for monitoring revenue-generating assets. It sends people ("Shepherds") to locations to check on the state of a property, car, or insurance claims. The service began with two separate apps - a tool developed in-house for "Shepherds" and a third-party app for customers. The Netguru team was responsible for mobile development and designing a new app that would merge the two systems together and improve the overall user experience. In six months we built a React Native app from scratch. The platform is gaining traction on the demanding B2B market with customers from over 12 countries, the main markets among them being the US, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and Scandinavia. Over 100 corporations already use Shepper on a recurring basis. The startup is backed by Aviva Ventures.
Read more https://www.netguru.com/featured/shepper-physical-assets-checks
Keller Williams
Keller Williams is the world's biggest real estate franchise. They needed an exceptional tech partner to build the best AI-powered software in the industry. Since 2017, we have built together a series of AI-powered products from scratch - a CRM system, the Kelle personal assistant (aka "Siri for real estate"), a consumer app, and improved other core apps. Netguru also created a UX/UI style guide and design system. Our cooperation helped KW to grow into a technology company, building value with digital solutions. In 2019, "Fast Company" named KW the most innovative real estate company in the world.
Read more: https://www.netguru.com/featured/keller-williams-digital-transformation
Cash Opera
Cash Opera is a quick and easy to use app for currency exchange between individuals. It matches people looking for a particular currency with those who no longer need it. The app needed a thorough redesign of their UI, so Cash Opera partnered with Netguru. We did a UX review, fixed multiple user flows, and improved the UI for the core functionality. Clean and coherent custom illustrations and a new set of icons match perfectly with the new animated logo designed by the Netguru team.
Read more: https://www.netguru.com/featured/cash-opera
ODIN
The Odin Development Compass (ODC) is a platform that helps individuals discover their natural strengths. The company was looking for a custom software provider for an interface redesign to gain traction among users. ODC consisted of 20 different apps deployed on external hosting. Each of them had a separate database and source code. Netguru was responsible for auditing and refactoring the code, as well as redesigning the UX and UI of the crucial Teamcasting module, and migrating to AWS. We successfully helped Odin unleash the full potential of their idea and repaired and stabilized the ODC platform.
Read more: https://www.netguru.com/featured/odin-team-organization-tool
Neveo
Neveo is a social media app for sharing photos online and in a monthly booklet that connects young and older family members. At first, the Belgian startup offered a digital frame gadget but decided to switch to print albums. With only five people on board, Neveo needed external tech support, so they turned to us. Netguru built a new compelling photo sharing platform and designed a scalable architecture that can handle growing traffic. Neveo is gaining some serious market traction. Over 20K users in more than 100 countries share more than 1 million pictures each month.
Read more https://www.netguru.com/featured/neveo-photo-sharing-platform
Shine
Shine is a self-care app that allows people to manage stress and practice mindfulness via motivational messages and self-improvement audio tracks.
Since it was launched in December, we have been introducing new functionalities and fixing bugs.
We are responsible for mobile development and design. We chose React Native in order to be able to build an Android app on the basis of the iOS version later on.
The Daily Shine Text functionality offers empowering information with a link to a related article and check-ins for a positive recap of the day.
Moonfare
Moonfare is a fintech platform that revolutionizes private equity. This Berlin-based startup believes individual investors should also be able to invest in private equity funds with low minimums (starting at £100k) and low fees (up to 0.5%). The Moonfare team turned to Netguru to build a secure technology platform and provide the investors with amazing user experience.
After an analysis of the project and Moonfare’s business goals, Netguru recommended to build the new platform with Node.js on the backend, design it with React.js on the frontend, and configure the whole architecture in Amazon Web Services.
After a couple of months, Moonfare successfully puts its product on the market. Now, the platform has 200 investors and 1,000+ members and manages more than €60 million across Europe and the world.
Babbel
The Berlin-based company is a top-grossing language app with over one million active subscribers and a 70% brand awareness rate in the core markets. Babbel decided to use its strong position in the B2C segment and enter the B2B market. Netguru designed and built the UX/UI of a module for organizations with an admin dashboard, ability to deal with big data, easy navigation across different views, access to invoicing, and app usage data. Thanks to our cooperation, Babbel now supports learning for teams in companies ranging from startups to medium enterprises and well-established organizations, such as Hyundai, Paramount, N26, Bacardi, Pirelli, and Acer. The company is one of the leaders on the growing market of language learning apps for business.
Read more https://www.netguru.com/featured/babbel
Artemest
Artemest is an e-commerce platform that connects customers with the most beautiful crafts from around Italy. Before contracting Netguru, Artemest was struggling with technical issues surrounding the project's online infrastructure.
The client needed a comprehensive review of their product. Another crucial step involved finding new ways of developing and upgrading Artemest's e-commerce platform. Netguru provided a full-stack solution to these problems.
Artemest has grown exponentially, building a community of artists and curators around its business. The platform has been featured in Forbes, The New York Times and Elle magazines.
Read more:
https://www.netguru.com/featured/artemest-ecommerce-platform
Nodus Medical
Zurich-based startup Nodus Medical develops a voice-controlled digital assistant for surgical teams. Nodus hired Netguru to design the UX and UI and develop the frontend for their SaaS platform. Later, the company turned to our DevOps consulting team for help in migrating to AWS. Netguru made sure Nodus chose the best services and configuration options for easy deployment, security, performance, and cost optimization. The Nodus Medical platform is being used in hospitals across Europe to streamline the surgical process by providing valuable data during the procedure while lowering the mental stress of surgeons.
Read more https://www.netguru.com/featured/nodus-aws-cloud-migration
Countr
Countr has turned to Netguru at the beginning of January 2018. The client already had an alpha version of the app, but it required a general reorganisation. The crucial elements in building the platform were:
- Developing a mobile application that would scale effectively.
- Implementing a Machine Learning solution that would enable product discovery.
- Rewriting the legacy code according to best practices.
- Extensive testing of the application to make sure users understand how it works and what value it brings.
Read more:
https://www.netguru.com/featured/countr
Lisk
Lisk is a platform for building blockchain applications. The startup from Zug, Switzerland, teamed up with us to design its user experience and user interface. Twelve Netguru designers were involved in the project. We organized a couple of on-site workshops and exchanged hundreds of wireframes and dozens of user testing reports. The effect is a modular and scalable design system and an extensive website redesign.
Read more: https://www.netguru.com/featured/design-system-for-blockchain-application-platform
Volkswagen Home
The Volkswagen Group is the largest automaker in the world. Netguru designed the UX and UI for the first Warsaw concept store of the company's flagship brand - Volkswagen Home. The client set a clear goal: to design a compelling place that combines coziness and luxury. The Netguru team designed every step of the purchase process, including every possible interaction with customers, from arriving at the parking lot to coffee service and making the deal. Volkswagen Home opened in October 2017, and without much promotion VW finalized five deals in the first month. The average sale price at VW Home is now 4-5k PLN higher than the average in traditional sales channels. Netguru's design helped double the sales of high-end car versions.
Read more
https://www.netguru.com/featured/volkswagen-home-first-in-the-world-concept-store-for-volkswagen
Pockee
Pockee is a family-friendly payments app concept built by Netguru that educates through fun interactions and using gamification lets kids learn while they play. Pockee's interface can be adjusted to suit the age and personality of any child. Parents can relax as their children learn to save and spend money.
Petro Niche
Petro Niche is a Calgary-based technology and consulting company focused on the oil and gas sector. It offers mapping and consulting services to oil and gas professionals across western Canada. Netguru worked with Petro Niche on enhancing the existing code and expanding the functionalities of the Petro Ninja app. The process involved building the app’s new functionalities using React Native as the main mobile technology.
Reaad more
DAMAC
DAMAC has been operating in the real estate market since 2002, delivering residential, commercial, and leisure properties across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, and the United Kingdom.
A major factor that distinguishes DAMAC from other developers, is its ethos of supporting its agents. As a keen adopter of modern technology, the company developed an idea for an app in which all of the information the agents needed, is available at their fingertips.
The team at Netguru has been instrumental in helping DAMAC to produce a comprehensive digital product that delivers a range of features. Agents are now able to effortlessly browse through the latest offers, check all relevant property details including the size, location, and specifications amongst other additional features.
Read more here:
CarLens
Machine Learning and Augmented Reality combined in one sleek mobile app that lets you recognize cars in the streets.
- Image detection
Image analysis tasks can be as simple as reading bar-coded tags, or as sophisticated as identifying a person from their face.
- Tensorflow
The biggest advantage of Tensorflow is its easy integration with mobile application on both Android and iOS.
- Machine Learning
Data is one of the most important things in the machine learning process, seriously. It should never be underestimated. Very often it is even more important than the algorithms you chose.
- Augmented reality
Since we did not have any restrictions with regards to the technology we could use, we have decided to choose the latest and greatest possible AR solution. So we went with AR Core coupled with Sceneform SDK from Google. Sceneform can draw just about any Android view in 3d and AR. This included Lottie animations!
Herdius
Herdius aims at building a highly performant decentralised financial platform. They decided to raise capital through ICO tokens. As the ICO industry is getting highly competitive, Herdius needed an attractive way to win over investors for their idea.
Thanks to the cooperation between two designers and one front-end developer, the Netguru team managed to launch the website in 3 intense weeks.
Herdius can now raise money to fund their cryptocurrency project. The user interfaces were positively received by different stakeholders.
Read more
https://www.netguru.com/featured/design-for-emotions-herdius-case-study
Oncimmune
Oncimmune is a leading early cancer detection company. Their patented technology can detect autoantibodies produced in response to cancer, allowing their tests to detect cancer up to 4 years earlier than current methods.
Oncimmune turned to Netguru, because Netguru offered a complete service – from building wireframes and designing screens to coding a mobile application. During the scoping session, the Netguru team verified the client’s needs and requirements for the application. React Native was an optimal solution that would facilitate building such a product efficiently.
Building an app in React Native took only six weeks, which included the design and testing phases. The cooperation between the teams went smoothly and according to the plan. The client could quickly begin the promotional efforts and focus on business goals.
Read more:
solarisBank
Solarisbank is the first banking platform for corporations and startups with a full banking license. This means they can build their own financial products using different ‘bricks’ provided by Solarisbank. This Berlin-based fintech company was looking for a team to build and support their product development in two main areas: debit card and consumer loans. But our cooperation was so much more. Netguru helped Solarisbank expand its API services; assembled and introduced a well-oiled, standalone team to work on a platform for handling debit cards (Ruby); and strengthened the team responsible for the consumer loan products engine (Elixir).
Now, Solarisbank is making waves at a pace rarely seen before in the financial industry.
It took them less than three years to build the platform, scale up a team, and raise almost €100m in funding rounds.
Read more:
https://www.netguru.com/featured/solarisbank-the-first-banking-platform-for-corporations-and-startup
Newst
The founders of Newst.se wanted to disrupt very conservative processes in the industry and create a better environment for the three-part collaboration that is happening within the lease segment: real estate owners, consultants, and clients.
We helped Newst.se
design a modern and intuitive UI that incorporates various business requirements into a coherent product. In order to do that the team used Scrum framework and followed the following steps:
- Defining the scope and designing a better hub for real estate representatives
- Making listings of premises much more intuitive and informative for potential tenants
- Building a scalable architecture with well-documented API accommodating for different data standards and formats
- Extensively testing the solution as part of our process (multiple points of inspection), internally (organising bug bashes) and with partners (alpha version)
Read more:
temi
Temi is the sister company to Roboteam, a leading provider of unmanned ground vehicles. That is also the name of a cutting-edge personal assistant robot, labelled by the media as the equivalent of Amazon’s Alexa on wheels. Netguru joined temi to help the company to build a robot, envisioned to lead the market of home robotics.
To tackle the challenge of building a personal assistant robot from scratch, a lot of effort was put into research and testing. The goal was to find the best use-cases of architectures and technologies for temi. Our joint teams also had to handle voice recognition, video loads, and fast data processing in the cloud.
The personal assistant robot has received fantastic feedback from the first testers, industry experts and media outlets. Temi also gathered a round of applause in industry events in the US and Europe.
Read more:
https://www.netguru.com/featured/meet-temi-a-personal-assistant-robot
Hive
Hive is an NY-based challenger in the market of collaboration platforms, taking on incumbents such as Asana or Trello. Hive, a project management tool fuelled by machine learning and tonnes of integrations, combines a chat functionality with a task overview, thus increasing team efficiency.
Netguru’s part of the project was to craft a slick design for Hive’s apps and to develop a React Native app for iOS and Android.
Read more:
https://www.netguru.com/featured/hive-a-secret-child-of-asana-and-trello
Darajat
A scalable multi-language e-learning platform hiring tutors in Egypt and Kuwait and offering high-quality engaging courses. Darajat’s founders were looking for a web development team that had projects in the Arabic language in their portfolio, and Netguru is one of them. Together we created a learning management system (LMS) that is suited for changing curriculums in multiple countries, scalable, and ready to expand to other markets. Our team helped clarify the scope, built an MVP from scratch, and provided maintenance support. We also helped Darajat develop and execute their marketing strategy. The platform has already gained traction in Kuwait and Egypt and is ready to expand to further countries, also outside the Middle East.
Read more: https://www.netguru.com/featured/darajat-elearning-platform
ChaperHome
ChaperHome is a seed-funded startup and its creators’ second business project. The app needed several functionalities, including location snapshots, start and destination points, message and scenario presets, a dead man’s switch with alerts sent out in case of trouble, and more.
Netguru developed a frontend of the app for which we used React Native.
ChaperHome has received fantastic feedback from users, including many interesting suggestions for new functionalities and ways in which an application of this type could be used in various other industries.
Read more:
https://www.netguru.com/clients/chaperhome
parcelLab
parcelLab develops two main products: tailored delivery notifications and a custom track & trace page. They needed compelling, elegant and useful landing pages for the owners and managers of different online shop categories: fashion, home & living, consumer electronics, and brands & products. The company turned to Netguru to help them promote the campaign and attract new clients from different industries. The process included:
- Creating visually appealing designs for landing pages that would resonate with different audiences
- Translating designs into fully interactive and engaging landing pages.
- Using top-notch tools with to deliver the highest quality.
Altostack.io
Altostack.io turned to Netguru to help them design and implement their entire branding and web design strategy.
The Netguru team successfully managed to complete the Altostack.io design project within 4 weeks. The new branding identity of the company received positive feedback from stakeholders. The main results included:
- The company’s entire corporate identity was designed.
- The company’s landing page reflects a fresh approach and is now adjusted to its tech-savvy customers.
- 17 illustrations were created.
- Altostack.io’s branding stands out positively from its competition which uses a more traditional visual language.
Apps for Good
Apps for Good is an NGO that partners with educators to deliver its technology learning courses to young people between 8 and 18 years of age. Its courses are available to teachers through a dedicated e-learning platform. As a part of their growth plans the organisation’s leadership decided to revamp Apps for Good’s core software.
Netguru was chosen to develop a platform that allows teachers, students, and volunteer experts to engage and facilitate technology teaching. Apps for Good was already a complex project operating on a large scale since 2012. On top of that, the project had been developed and maintained by several different teams over the years.
Apps for Good is helping more than a thousand schools and ten of thousands of students around the globe every year. After three years of cooperation, Netguru is still one of its main tech partners.
Read more:
Helpling
Helpling is a platform that offers home cleaning services and connects cleaners with homeowners. The market Helpling operates on is highly competitive and requires a healthy balance between innovation and sustainability.
Netguru has worked with Helpling for a long time now. The relationship we’ve built on trust and understanding of each other’s processes means that our cooperation is extremely effective.
Ledbury
Ledbury, an innovative retailer specializing in luxury men's shirts and accessories, wanted to merge their online and offline sales processes. Netguru helped Ledbury by adding a unique feature for Ledbury clients and opening new sales channels, increasing the overall revenue and helping Ledbury expand the number of stores, gaining access to a pool of developers for future development.
Reviews
the project
Dev & Design Outsourcing for Commercial Real Estate Company
“It’s very valuable and cost-effective for us to have part of our development with Netguru.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the head of product with Newst.se, a B2B marketplace for commercial real estate. We’ve been on the market for about 18 months. We connect brokers and real estate owners with companies looking for commercial property, whether it be an office or warehouse. On top of that, we add tools to the supply side that help them reach out to properties faster and essentially find someone to move into their vacant commercial properties as quickly as possible.
What challenge were you trying to address with Netguru?
In Sweden, developers, coders, and the technical side of things is fairly expensive; there are high costs for that kind of labor. We decided to go nearshore in Poland — we are in Sweden, and Netguru is in Poland — because the costs are very competitive, and they still provide high-quality resources.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Netguru essentially helped us set up our entire online digital product. They’ve touched upon anything from design UX to product management, front- and backend development, and DevOps. They’ve been involved on every level in terms of developing the product.
We came to the partnership with an idea of what we wanted to achieve, and we wireframed that with Netguru. They came up with high-fidelity designs. It’s a very collaborative and organic effort, and the team that we’re working with is very integrated with our team and process.
The package is hosted on Amazon. It’s a Rails-based stack, primarily, with JavaScript and a couple of React frameworks.
What is the team composition?
We’re currently working with three developers: one frontend and two backend. They’re dedicated to us. There’s also a scrum master on their end. There are other resources that we can add along the way, including QA, design, and DevOps. They are very flexible from that perspective. The core team is always there, and then it’s fairly easy to onboard other resources as needed for certain amounts of time.
How did you come to work with Netguru?
We found them through a recommendation. We had a couple of meetings, and we had a good fit straightaway. They understood what we wanted to achieve and laid out the resources we needed. From there, we initiated the operation.
How much have you invested with them?
Our running cost is around $25,000 per month.
What is the status of this engagement?
Our work together began in 2018, and it’s ongoing. They’ve been with us since day one. Our product has been live for 18 months, but we’ve worked with Netguru for about 24 months.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They’re very integrated and forthcoming. We’ve basically been with the same resources since the start of the engagement, so even though they are outsourced, we really feel that they are a part of the team. We try to give them the ability to feel ownership of the product and what they deliver to us, and they’ve taken to that.
They want to deliver a good product with us. Rather than just sending them specifications, they actually come with suggestions, so it’s a very dynamic and fruitful cooperation. It’s very valuable and cost-effective for us to have part of our development with Netguru.
How did Netguru perform from a project management standpoint?
We’ve never had any issues in terms of meeting deadlines and communicating.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Having worked with a few other providers, I feel like Netguru has a bit of a different approach. It almost seems like they’re a startup in terms of their roles, like a customer success manager. They really try to deliver a quality product, and all of the resources we need are always available.
Overall, it’s a very well-oiled machine. They try to not only deliver something to us but also develop themselves, learn new technologies, and come up with new ideas. For them, it’s not just about delivering specifications, but also delivering a really good product for us.
Are there any areas they could improve?
There’s nothing that’s worth mentioning or that affects the delivery for us. You can always get better at different things, but at the end of the day, we’re very happy with Netguru’s final delivery.
Any advice for potential customers?
I don’t know if we just had a great team fit, but based on my experience working with Netguru and learning how they work, I think it’s very valuable to try to integrate them as a team. That way, they will definitely feel more ownership. They have communication skills that make it possible for them to integrate, so if you allow them to, they will, and good things come out of that.
the project
Fraud Prevention Solution Dev for Financial Services Co
"If I had another project, I would directly start it with Netguru and not look for other providers."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CTO of CRIF Bürgel, a financial services company based in Germany. I’m responsible for the whole architecture, infrastructure, and security in the company.
What challenge were you trying to address with Netguru?
We wanted to develop a new product for identifying fraud. The product would use different strategies, including device fingerprinting and biometrics.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Netguru developed a fraud prevention solution using best-in-class services. They implemented a microservice and infrastructure as code (IaC) architecture. Their team used Redis, CockroachDB, Rancher Kubernetes, AWS, React.js, and Node.js.
What is the team composition?
We started with two developers and increased the team to four developers and three DevOps team members. We increased it further from there, adding a product designer, a scrum master, and a product owner.
How did you come to work with Netguru?
I looked for outsourcing companies on Clutch and shortlisted 10 of them. Netguru ranked well, and we had the best communication with them.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent between $300,000–$400,000 on this project.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with Netguru in late-February 2019, and the project finished in February 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Everything was high-quality and delivered on time.
How did Netguru perform from a project management standpoint?
While my product owner was in contact with their developers, I was in contact with Netguru’s project manager. Their agility was good as was the quality of their people.
What did you find most impressive about them?
If I had another project, I would directly start it with Netguru and not look for other providers.
Are there any areas they could improve?
One challenge for Netguru may be keeping their team motivated during the coronavirus. However, there was nothing that they could’ve done better. Netguru just needs to continue in this direction.
the project
App Design & Development for Legal Annotation Service
“I recommend working with them.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the founder and CEO of elScript SA, a legal annotation service. I’m developing an application that is like a digital document for lawyers or legal practitioners. It allows them to annotate legal documentation.
What challenge were you trying to address with Netguru?
The challenge was with the algorithm running the application. The product works a little differently than others. Most annotation tools detect that your annotations remain the same and are the ones being modified over time. In the case of the application I had in mind, it’s the text that gets changed, and the annotations are there to remain as a knowledge base.
We needed to develop an algorithm that helped the application to sort the differences between two legal texts and to port over the annotations to the next text.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Netguru built the application. They did design and front- and backend development. They also developed the algorithm.
What is the team composition?
Most of the time, there was a project manager, a frontend programmer, two backend programmers, a designer, and a QA person.
How did you come to work with Netguru?
I looked at a review site for developers. I was looking for someone in Eastern Europe because I wasn’t able to afford Western European programmers. I targeted Poland, as I knew they had really good programmers over there.
I found some good reviews about Netguru. I went on their site and was convinced they were the right company for us because they had a very clear article about how to talk with developers if you don’t know anything about development. It made things very easy for me to know what I had to do to help them understand my project.
How much have you invested with them?
My company spent €200,000 ($237,400 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from February 2019–July 2020. We had an MVP released by the end of 2019 or the beginning of 2020. Everything went live in July.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
I’m very happy with them. They delivered what I wanted. The application is functional. We’re testing it with users. We’ll be starting a campaign to see if we have more users that will pay to use the application.
How did Netguru perform from a project management standpoint?
Project management was good. I didn’t know anything about this kind of stuff, and Netguru helped me. They were good guides for me. They set the different steps we needed to go through, and everything was clear from the beginning. We had 1–2 initial Zoom sessions, and then we used email or Slack.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Netguru was very helpful in explaining the process and how it was going to work. They were good at designing what the MVP should be. Initially, it was a very broad project. They were able to focus on what would help us to be impactful and leave the rest of the bells and whistles for later. Discussions were good. The relationship was always peaceful and friendly.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Sometimes the QA could have been a little better. I had to do some proofreading myself.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
I recommend working with them. Go to Netguru with some mockups and clear ideas of what you want to achieve. Tell them who your target users are.
the project
React Engineering for Digital Wealth Management Firm
“The people on the team are also pretty good. We enjoy working with them.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the chief product officer of a digital wealth management firm based in Berlin, Germany.
What challenge were you trying to address with Netguru?
I had a new project with a significant scope and I didn’t necessarily want to bring on internal resources because it was a temporary change in scope.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They’re currently working with to provide two React engineers and two Salesforce engineers. They work on our product team as part of a large cross-functional product we’re working on.
They take part in our sprint reviews, retrospectives, and planning. They do provide their input to help make our team and work more efficient.
What is the team composition?
We work with four of them at a time.
How did you come to work with Netguru?
I reached out to a number of companies that I’ve met with before. Netguru pitched to the company in the past. I went through my due diligence and looked at cost-effectiveness and how we would work together. Then I did a technical review of the engineers themselves to make sure that they would meet our technical requirements.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent between €50,000–€100,000 (approximately $60,000–$120,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with them in June 2020.
the project
App Dev & Consulting for Prescription Medicine Startup
"They are phenomenal engineers."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m an engineering manager for a prescription medicine startup.
What challenge were you trying to address with Netguru?
We needed some mobile development done but lacked the internal resources.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Netguru provided a team to work collaboratively with our internal team. They took care of some business requests that desperately needed to be attended to. They also work on development, deliver full-on business requirement features, and do some consulting.
What is the team composition?
Initially, there was a program manager, a senior Android engineer, two iOS engineers, and a QA engineer. Currently, I interact with a senior frontend engineer, two backend engineers, and a QA teammate.
How did you come to work with Netguru?
They were referred by one of our senior directors who had worked with them previously.
What is the status of this engagement?
We began working together around August 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Netguru is integrated into our internal teams, so we have monthly check-ins. If there are issues, the team leader addresses them. They are phenomenal engineers and a great asset to our team. They produce high-quality work, and we are satisfied with them.
How did Netguru perform from a project management standpoint?
We don’t fully utilize their project manager because I took on a lot of that role myself. Essentially, she acts as an engagement manager, making sure their engineers are engaged and happy.
She also answers their questions and makes sure that their needs are met. We use Jira extensively and communicate mainly via Slack. We also have daily stand-ups. The team is flexible and available.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They onboarded onto the tech stack very quickly. They took the time to learn our tooling and tech and to comb through the entire code. They do this better than any vendor I’ve worked with in the past.
Additionally, they are leaders in the field regarding the architecture of their code. Netguru constantly looks at new technologies and architecture, as well as new and old principles, and they take pride in being great tech leaders.
They’re also good at pointing out issues and consulting. For example, they helped tremendously with our Android codebase. They integrate well and blend in with the synergy of our team.
Are there any areas they could improve?
It would be nice if they had a process for their engineers to agree to work a certain time in order to fit their client’s schedule. I asked the account manager about this in the beginning and was told that wasn’t their policy.
Their engineers were free to work whatever time schedule they chose. They were more accommodating in reality when we needed them to be, so it was never a real issue for us.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Treat them as part of your team. They want to provide the utmost integration because they care and want to do what’s right for their client.
the project
iOS Dev for Voice Transcription & Organization App
"Netguru has been down to earth, approaching everything humbly."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the directing manager and founder of The ORIGIN AG.
What challenge were you trying to address with Netguru?
I had an idea for an app that consumers can use to voice their thoughts and feelings without looking at their screens. I wanted users to be able to reflect on their ideas but was a novice in terms of building a product like this from scratch. I needed a partner to develop the product.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Netguru built our app for users to record, store, and analyze thoughts, notes, tasks, and dreams. Their team developed the product for iOS from the ground up. We will build an Android version but believe iOS market segments will be more interested in the tool.
From the beginning, I had strong ideas, which I sketched for their team. Netguru was adaptive throughout the project. I brought them my ideas as to how users could access the different parts of the app, but they ensured we followed best practices.
With the platform, users can speak what they think and feel without having to look at their phone screens. The speech is recorded and transcribed. Their team integrated the app with Apple’s transcription engine, speech2text algorithms, and voice assistants to transcribe user’s recordings into organized notes. Then, the transcript gets stored and sorted in a creative interface. They implemented game mechanics, which enable users to interact with their ideas and categories on the home screen.
We haven’t done a hard launch, so that’s coming next. At that point, we’ll be working to find the sweet spots and pivoting on features if necessary. We’re approaching the process with an attitude of building the app with our users.
What is the team composition?
The team fluctuated between five and seven people. We worked with three developers who supported the main developer. We also engaged with a product owner, a product leader, and quality assurance teammates.
How did you come to work with Netguru?
A colleague recommended Netguru as their team developed an app for him. We decided to visit and appreciated their effort to understand our vision deeply. There was also a large degree of transparency in regard to cost, which I valued because I’m new to this market. At the end of the day, I had a gut feeling based on the in-person meeting
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent around €140,000 (approximately $155,500 USD)with them so far.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with Netguru in January 2019, and it’s ongoing. We’ve gone back into development to fix some bugs and upgrade basic features. I don’t see why I wouldn’t continue to work with them.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’ve done a few focus groups. Generally, the feedback has been excellent, and the product’s aesthetic has been a big plus. Users tend to think the platform’s quite fun to use. They speak, watch the app transcribe their words, and then see their thoughts stored. It's a new tool in the market, so people are a bit confused in the beginning. To help users understand the platform, we’re creating a more explicit onboarding process in combination with marketing materials.
How did Netguru perform from a project management standpoint?
They've performed exceptionally well. Usually, we've had stand up meetings every morning via Google meet. Our primary method of communication was Slack. Netguru team was not afraid to speak their minds. We’ve built a close relationship.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their team has been most impressive. Netguru has been down to earth, approaching everything humbly. They’ve spoken their minds throughout the collaboration.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Nothing comes to mind right away. I can't complain.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Go and meet the Netguru team in person. Shop around to compare offerings and teams.
the project
UX/UI and Product Design for Software Company
"Netguru’s bar for talent is extremely high."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m a product manager for Esper, a regulatory software company. We build tools for regulators to use when researching and implementing new rules based on legislation.
What challenge were you trying to address with Netguru?
We had been without a designer for a while. In the process of hiring an in-house resource, we decided to go with an outside firm on a rolling basis.
What was the scope of their involvement?
It was not a particularly well-scoped engagement; we needed help on ongoing projects on an as-needed basis from Netguru’s design resources. We worked with one designer in Poland who participated in our daily team stand-ups. She put together a style guide for us and completed various product design tasks that had been in our pipeline for a while. The style guide was UI-intensive; it specified pixels, colors, fonts, and shadings, among other things. The designer utilized those elements to build out product features and enhancements. This involved thinking through the UX carefully.
What is the team composition?
The primary contributor was a designer, but we also worked daily with a Netguru project manager who kept work organized and on track.
How did you come to work with Netguru?
I previously worked with Netguru at another company that utilized them as one of their primary design and development resources. After working with them for over a year, I can speak to Netguru’s outstanding work and an incredible caliber of talent.
Working with them was also a very convenient process; I could leave comments on designs at midnight and find the feedback addressed by the next morning’s standup. We had a rapid design cycle as a result.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent $10,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in July 2019, and the engagement will wrap up by the end of August 2019.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Our team and CEO are impressed by their work. Our frontend developers are very excited to start building the new design system that Netguru outlined for us. We’re using the new style guide to reskin our app.
How did Netguru perform from a project management standpoint?
The designer used Sketch and InVision. I would write a ticket for her detailing the product requirements. She would then put together a design in Sketch and upload it to InVision, where I’d leave comments if I had questions and tweaks to make. This workflow repeated for every task, and it worked very well.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Netguru’s bar for talent is extremely high. In my last role, one of their designers mentioned that they interview 200 people for every design position that they fill. Their interview process is rigorous, and as a result, they attract top talent. In addition, Netguru has an incredible remote culture. It really makes working together easy from a client’s perspective. Lastly, their style is amazingly crisp, clean, and consistent across their work with multiple clients that have different needs.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, nothing comes to mind. I've been very happy with Netguru’s work throughout the entire engagement.
Any advice for potential customers?
I would recommend having a daily stand-up. All it needs to be is 10–20 minutes every day. Since I’m in the Central time zone, mornings work best for me. That's Netguru’s afternoon, so every morning I show up and they told me what they just worked on all day.
the project
Full Stack Development of Psychometric Analysis Tool
"They never make promises that they can’t keep."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the founder and CEO of Odin Company, a psychometric software company. We develop very innovative software apps that are used mostly B2B. We do a combination of tests on unconscious motives and conscious behavior. It all takes 10 minutes online.
What challenge were you trying to address with Netguru?
We had way too many bugs in our software development. We were looking for a more professional business to improve our software.
What was the scope of their involvement?
When we switched to Netguru, they confirmed that our software needed a lot of work. We started to revitalize our existing software to make it more solid and consistent. Now we’re at the end of the lifecycle of that software because with the new plans we have, it’s better and cheaper to rebuild it. We already aligned that process with Netguru. They’re more like a partner to us than just a software development company. It will be a development process that happens in several phases.
We’re using Ruby on Rails coders and architects. They help with front- and backend development. They weren’t involved in the design–we already redesigned the complete, new software. We created wireframes and screens. We first have to get out the proof of concept for the new business proposition because that will bring us to the exit of our business.
We’re making our product highly scalable. We’re about to launch 3-4 scrum groups for the end development of our new product. They’re going to build an engine in which we can easily connect many people to jobs or training options. Our software is sort of a black book that combines candidates for training possibilities. Once a candidate takes a test, we match them up with jobs or training opportunities that match the results of that test. It will be a standalone system.
What is the team composition?
The project manager manages the team. There’s an account manager, project manager, a quality manager, two coders, and an architect. I also work directly with coders and designers.
How did you come to work with Netguru?
Someone I know had a warm relationship with them. We asked them to review our software and they were very thorough. We were convinced they were the right partner for us.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent 300,000–400,000 euros ($335,000–466,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in May 2016 and the work is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We are very happy with their work over the last three and a half years. We haven’t had even one bug. It’s an advantage for us that we can scale the team whenever we’d like.
Our clients are very happy about the percentage of uptime, which is extremely high. The software is very solid. They put in sufficient tests and live protocol to test new software. New releases are very solid and our customers hardly noted anything about maintenance.
The setback is almost all the developers we knew are not available, which is normal because they can’t be waiting for us. Last winter, we had to restart the team. It comes with how we work, but it would be interesting if their backlog for transfer of knowledge to new teams could be a bit more consistent.
I understand if we don’t build anything for a year’s time, they have to move on. My solution for that is that we visit them once in a while. We take two or three days to invest in the time to get it all up and running again. We are very happy with them as partners.
How did Netguru perform from a project management standpoint?
Their project management is really good. I’ve been having troubles with account management because I’ve had some account managers who came in after the project manager did her work and started it all over again. I don’t have time for that. I’m very honest about that and am sort of blunt sometimes. They’re very open to whatever we need even if it disrupts their structure.
The core of it all is the project manager. I have a real connection with the project manager and the coders. At first, I didn’t have a bond with the account managers. They were flying in without asking. I didn’t see their value until a few weeks ago when I met the new account manager. He does what he should do and he’s really adding something to the project manager. He thinks with us and helps us to position things. He’s a contextual guy, which is really good.
We started communicating with email, but at a certain point, we had to bring everything into a ticket system. I hate it, so I hired an AI student to take care of my tickets. She’s been the middleman between me and Netguru regarding the ticket system.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I really like that the people at Netguru add some things to the deliverables I want or need. I know quite well what I’m looking for and they come up with the smart solutions to do it so much better than I could think of. They are so solid.
What you see is what you get. They’re really young and are so good at this–they never make promises that they can’t keep. Estimations are secure.
We had a workshop with them last winter. We were visualizing the customer journey of the new software to be built. One of the coders asked us to take another 30 minutes to guide him through the process. It was a courageous thing to do rather than just pretending to get it all. Through that, we found out we missed a few things too. We’re very happy with them as a partner.
Are there any areas they could improve?
The account manager should be aware of how a customer works. I’m a content person and I like to know all the details because I have to sell it to my customers. The project manager is key for me. I don’t feel the account manager needs to be the person in charge. If I were Netguru, I’d reconsider how they divide responsibilities in their company.
Everything they do is highly protocoled, but it would help them to have cultural awareness of how other countries function.
the project
Front & Backend Dev for Cloud Based Remote Management System
"Netguru looks after their developers."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CEO & founder at SixEye Limited, a remote management platform for lighting and AV control systems. We’re unique in the fact that we support devices from multiple manufacturers and allow system integrators to have their own portal with their own branding. We can manage the projects of multiple manufacturers that have integrated with our platform all in one place. The devices connect directly.
What challenge were you trying to address with Netguru?
We were struggling with hiring developers. Initially, our team was developing our server application, but we needed a frontend developer. With two others not working out and a deadline approaching, I started looking for outsourcing firms that could provide developers.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We started with a frontend developer, and eventually added a backend developer. We kept the front- and backend arrangement, although the developers rotated after a while. We also added a QA, who also covered our own developers' work. The frontend developer used React with Redux and other JavaScript libraries. The API was developed with Ruby on Rails by the backend developer.
It’s a multi-tenant application so the front- and backend need to manage the concept of multiple customers interacting with the same application and support custom domains. The front end supports theming for each customer. They implemented a frontend design that we created. We needed to display data, sometimes in real-time. The frontend had to know which device it was rendering. On the backend, permissions have been a huge feature over the past year. It’s complicated because each device has different abilities, and each ability has a permission. The backend developer was instrumental in the design of our permissions system, designing a significant part of it herself.
What is the team composition?
There was always one frontend developer, one backend developer, and one QA. Each developer comes with a code reviewer, and I’m in contact with the project manager.
How did you come to work with Netguru?
I searched Google for outsourcing companies in Europe because I wanted to be roughly in the same time zone. We talked to Netguru and another company. While Netguru wasn’t the least expensive, they were well set-up. From the first interview, I got the impression that engagement with them would be smooth. While we didn’t end up using them for this, they also had a lot of design experience and had won several awards. They found a developer, and they subcontracted, which didn’t make a difference to us. The process was completely seamless.
How much have you invested with them?
We invested between $50,000–$199,999.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from November 2017 until May 2019.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
It’s easy to work with them. The frontend developer was skilled in JavaScript and the flows of developing a frontend app. Netguru helped us learn that we could have an entirely remote team. We now have the confidence to have employees working entirely remotely. For example, our developer based in Uruguay. We met her once for two days. Two years ago, I wouldn’t believe that was a possibility.
We simply wouldn’t be where we are without Netguru. We’ve matured as a company, getting through initial milestones such as showing at tradeshows and demonstrating the unique features. People are now prepared to back us financially for a bit longer. We now have a remote team that’s less expensive than outsourcing. Netguru will be our first choice if we decide to make a mobile app. We would happily hand over a chunk of work to their team. If money were no object, we’d continue with them.
How did Netguru perform from a project management standpoint?
The project manager was excellent. He came to visit us in London and was communicative with his developers and our team. The project manager made sure to find out if anyone had concerns, and would even give me a hard time if he thought I wasn’t managing things well. When they rotated a couple of the frontend developers, it felt like losing our in-house staff because of how closely we worked together. The code reviewers take the additional burden off of our team. It was well-managed, and they delivered a great service.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Netguru looks after their developers. They evoke the sense that they enjoy what they do. The developers aren’t only talented but motivated. Despite growing as a company, nothing was ever too much trouble, and they were never too busy. Their team was readily available. If a particular skill was needed on a project, they could find someone to do it within two weeks.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Before you hire Netguru, being able to talk to the incoming developer would be nice. I have to temper that with the fact that a lot of their clients come to them with specs and money and perhaps are less concerned with who their developers are. I’m an engineer along with my lead developer, and we know what we’re doing, but we’re only two people and care who we're working with.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Give Netguru a spec and have them deliver on it.
the project
Web & Mobile App Dev for Online Education Platform
"They were really good at turning my ideas into programming."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CEO of an online education platform for web and mobile. Our platform enables anyone who wants to teach something to teach it. For example, someone could teach English to girls in Afghanistan or I could teach script writing to my neighbor. It works online and offline.
What challenge were you trying to address with Netguru?
I needed a company to develop our website and mobile app following a few unsuccessful previous engagements.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They developed our website and mobile app. It’s a very complex website with social media features, and it’s in 10 languages. We only connect people to people. Most applications are people to machines, but we wanted to get people together. Sometimes we call our website “dating for knowledge”.
We are planning to work together for another two weeks following our launch. We will pause for three months while we do some marketing and user testing. Then we will continue to develop as usual.
What is the team composition?
We have one team leader.
How did you come to work with Netguru?
I looked all over the world after failing with three other companies. Netguru invited me to go to a workshop for two days to look at the project. They said if we chose them, we wouldn’t have to pay for the workshop. If we didn’t go with them, we’d pay 2,000 euros for the workshop. That was very clever of them and very fair.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent over $500,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in March 2017 and the work is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We have a very complex app and web page now. I’m happy with the quality of work. It wasn’t initially clear how much it would cost to finish the project, and we ended up going over budget. It’s like building a house – we changed a lot of things and it became more expensive than expected. I learned it’s very difficult to budget a website.
How did Netguru perform from a project management standpoint?
Their project management is outstanding. I couldn’t talk to them like a technician, but only like a teacher or someone who understands what people need. I could talk to them more emotionally than technically, and they were really good at turning my ideas into programming.
I speak with the team lead for 10 minutes daily. We have a team meeting once a week where I talk to the whole team and they report to me what they did the previous week and what they’re planning for the next week. They’re very clear. We mostly communicate through Slack. They’re very clear.
When one developer disappeared and took with him three weeks of work, Netguru didn’t make us pay for it and took it on as their own problem. They’re very fair, and I’m happy even after two years.
We negotiated a certain rate for each programmer or designer per day. The team leader from Netguru and I could decide how many more resources we needed. We could change the workload and the financial load day-by-day, which was very convenient for me in terms of planning the financial flow.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re very transparent about where my money goes. I can talk directly to all the developers.
Are there any areas they could improve?
For the amount of time we worked with them, they could have given us a bigger discount. Long-term customers should get better rates.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Know what you’re doing. Plan your website or your project better than I did. Do your homework and don’t rely on your developers to do it for you.
Netguru has played an instrumental role in the product’s development and become an integrated part of the in-house team along the way. They provide access to a variety of skilled resources who come on board as needed. The team takes ownership of their work and strives for continuous improvement.