New Lion

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I run a financial planning company in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire New Lion?

I wanted to develop a software or tech solution for my company but needed help visualizing the potential logistics of the project. New Lion assisted in creating a project roadmap for my tech solution so that I could better understand the potential timeline and costs. 

What were your goals for this project? 

I wanted to understand exactly what I was going to get into with my tech project.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We connected through networking.

Describe the project in detail. 

Through several strategic sessions, New Lion helped me understand and plan several tasks. They posed three main questions: what am I actually trying to create; how much will it cost; and how long will it take?

What was the team composition?

I normally interacted with 2–3 people at any given time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was a success. Before working with New Lion, I was ready to seek out developers and jump straight into coding. However, by building out the roadmap, I learned that I needed to ready my war-chest and have a crystal clear business plan for testing and iterations. I would have spent way too much without their guidance. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs? 

The workflow was great. They accommodated my schedule, and we had a clear back-and-forth flow of information.

What did you find most impressive about this company? 

I was impressed by their mission to help companies. There are many development agencies out there that will just start building because they’re more money-oriented. New Lion steps in because they want to make sure that companies do things the right way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not in the space that I worked on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of GrubKoin, a startup that lets restaurants turn their trade into ad spend.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with New Lion?

We needed a partner to develop the prototype for our mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

New Lion developed the prototype for our app. It allows customers to pay for their food in the app, then that’s turned into ad dollars. The restaurant owner determines where and how the money is spent, and they don’t have to pay cash for advertising anymore.

New Lion focused specifically on the UI, wanting to make it an easy and seamless process for the user. For example, they developed a feature that allows users to send drinks to their friends through the app. If a user sees a friend is at a certain restaurant, they can send them a drink that the friend can use right then and there.

What is the team composition? 

We worked with three people. 

How did you come to work with New Lion?

Another startup founder recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $7,500. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership lasted from February–August 2018. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We came up with a rough idea, and New Lion expanded that into a feasible vision and functional product. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to create an app that was as professional.

How did New Lion perform from a project management standpoint?

We never had any issues with communication or the quality of their work. They were honest about ideas and the direction of the project; they just wanted to ensure we had the best possible product.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re excellent at tailoring their consultancy to the needs of the partner. They have experience working with non-technical people and offer a mentorship that other firms simply don’t provide. They’ll be both your technology provider as well as your business adviser.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can't name anything.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Go into the process with an open mind and be aware that they make things bigger and better than you imagined.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the president of a local publishing and marketing company. We publish several products include a specialty magazine, directories, and trail guides.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire New Lion?

We initially engaged New Lion to create a mobile application. However, we’ve since adjusted our timeline and priorities, so the scope changed to revamping our website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a user-friendly website that allows users to look for trails using search parameters. It also needed to record user data and incorporate it into a leaderboard and challenges function.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found several companies through Google and reached out to them. After several less-than-stellar conversations, we received a referral for New Lion. Our initial interview with their team impressed us, and our collaboration began from there.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We offered our initial idea of what we wanted. New Lion helped us develop the concept further and consider different options. They led sessions to nail down the project requirements and timeline. The process helped us plan the product and the steps we’ll take to finish it.

Their team is now working with us to design the website. After that, we’ll begin development and then the finishing stages.

What was the team composition?

We’ve worked with 7–8 people so far; the project leadership has remained consistent.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has

had on your business?
The design phase is still underway. However, we’re thrilled with New Lion’s work so far, and we look forward to the final product.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

New Lion has outstanding communication. If a stage doesn’t directly involve me, I receive an email updating me on the project’s status and when New Lion will move into the next step. I’m never left wondering what is happening with the project. Every team member is also highly professional and has a clear grasp of our vision and needs. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

New Lion works like a part of our team. They help us flesh out our idea and develop the best plan to bring it to life. The team offers ideas and suggestions, but they listen to us first and foremost.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not that I can think of. They've been great to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of Incident Stream, which is a smartphone app that delivers breaking news information to subscribers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with New Lion?

As a non-technical founder, I needed an external resource to build out the smartphone app that is ultimately the delivery mechanism for the service.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

New Lion handled everything from start to finish. They initially designed and built a prototype that I could use to show people and get feedback. From there they built out the architecture for the full app, implemented it, tested it, and then got it ready to go in the App Store. It is a social media data scraping app. New Lion used APIs with various news sites (e.g., Twitter and Facebook) and integrating them in the app in order to scrape the public data.

They also designed the app so that it’s strong from the UX standpoint. They created a feature that allows users to save information, forward it, and link out to the source data. While it’s initially just for Apple, I plan to go back to them for an Android version once I build up enough active users.

What is the team composition?

I primarily interfaced with a project manager. I also consistently communicated with the software engineers and programmers.

How did you come to work with New Lion?

I spoke a number of people in my area whose opinion I trust. Several named New Lion as a firm that I should talk to, which put them on my radar.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent about $110,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first met with them in June 2018, and the product was on the App Store in early January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Start to delivery of the product was about six months, but I literally only started advertising it yesterday. I did push it out to about 30 people once the app was live on the App Store. I’ve gotten universally positive feedback, especially from a UX standpoint. They’re very strong at building an app that looks good and does what it should. It isn't clunky, which will end up being a big selling point of the app as I start to advertise for it.

How did New Lion perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager did a great job at communication. She always brought in the appropriate people to our weekly conference calls for each stage of development. She followed up with an email after every call, summarizing the conversation and next steps. That was so helpful to make sure that we were all on the same page. They used TestFlight and Asana as project management tools. I could easily put in bugs I came across in the prototype, flag issues as high priority, and see where each item was in the process.

The engineers and developers did a good job of explaining things to me in a way that I could understand. They didn’t just rely on technical jargon. They also sat down and showed me how to modify and change things in the app on my own. It’s really nice not having to go through them for every little thing. Even without a technical background, I'm now able to do some basic programming to maintain the app. I appreciate them taking the time to do that because it’s going to save me a lot of money.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The biggest thing is I can say is that they consistently outperformed their estimate of the hours it would take and the budget. New Lion got the app done before they said they would and a lot cheaper than they thought it would cost. Staying on budget was critical, and they did that in every part of the development process. That made it a much easier process for me because I had a fixed amount of funds. If they got halfway through and told me it's going to cost twice as much, the app would have been dead in the water.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. There were a couple of things not in the initial scope that required additional research on their end. In hindsight, it would have been helpful if I knew those things on day one. So that’s more of a communication issue on my end than anything else.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would encourage you to invest money upfront for research as part of the initial design and prototyping process. A little bit money upfront to have them do the research into how something works will give you full clarity of the budget. That’s particularly true if they’re working on something they’re not familiar with rather than off-the-shelf solutions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of Pawlytics, a management system that helps pet rescues save more animals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire New Lion?

We hired New Lion to create a prototype.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted the prototype to not only be visually appealing and user-friendly for our core market, but to also be something to be proud of. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After two bad experiences, I was profoundly distrustful of development companies. I interviewed 60 other potential replacements, ultimately deciding on New Lion; I knew immediately that I could trust them to be honest about their capabilities.  

Describe the project in detail.

The prototype simplified a very complicated system.  The UI is specifically designed to attract users between the ages of 40 and 60 who tend to lack confidence in using new technology. 

What was the team composition?

The team included the product owner, a CTO, designers, and a business model consultant. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The completed prototype exceeded my expectations. New Lion delivered a beautiful product that I am always excited to share with users. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was relatively effective. Meetings were always very productive, which was evident in the results from week to week. There were a few occasions when requests or feedback we provided was overlooked or lost amid the large team, such as the table design articles we submitted prior to beginning the design. While not a major issue, reiterating previously submitted information was frustrating and seemed a waste of precious time. To their credit, however, New Lion immediately addressed the issue and worked to correct it. They were very professional and took ownership of any mistakes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with the broad range of support they offered for our budding company at a great value. We conducted a number of pitches during our engagement with them, and they helped out tremendously by addressing every angle of starting a new business. Our business consultant, in particular, went above and beyond, even connecting us with other potential startup and investor partners. We also appreciated that they celebrated our wins with us and analyzed the losses.

Are there any areas for improvement?

A Slack channel or similar method of communication would have facilitated faster interactions and ensured the entire team received necessary information. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Let's Go. We’re a mobile app company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with New Lion?

I needed a development firm that could bring my mobile app idea to market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

New Lion built our mobile app from the ground up, but they also provided a lot of value outside of the software creation process. They collaborated with us during ideation and led the project through development to implementation. Then, they helped us go live and launch the platform. Throughout the engagement, they allocated staff members to advise our go-to-market strategy. Overall, they addressed a variety of our business needs. While the app is complete, they currently maintenance the platform and develop new features as needed.

What is the team composition?

Their COO is the first person I met when starting the engagement with New Lion. He’s been an available resource ever since, but an assigned project manager is our primary point of contact.

How did you come to work with New Lion?

I talked to several other entrepreneurs that work in the Minneapolis area to get a recommendation. Multiple people told me that New Lion would be a great fit. I set up a meeting with their COO and we just clicked.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $110,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

New Lion’s talented team of developers brought a great app product to life that receives positive feedback from users. They provided high-quality work for a better price than most vendors in their area.

How did New Lion perform from a project management standpoint?

They exceed my expectations across the board. This includes their ability to provide accurate budget estimations before starting a project. As a result, they often under promise and over deliver in that area. They’re also flexible with their workforce and will assign the resources necessary to deliver projects in a timely manner. We primarily communicate via email and their senior-level staff stays involved with ongoing developments. They utilize project management software like Asana to monitor bug fixes and other app-related inquires.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re capable of fostering great client relationships. We appreciate their receptiveness and willingness to improve. Furthermore, they’re friendly people to work with and care about the success of our business. Their mission isn’t just to make as much money as they can; they also want to bring new ventures to life.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like to see them hire a few more developers. I’ve had to push a few projects back a couple of weeks due to a scarcity of resources. However, this hasn’t negatively impacted our engagement in a meaningful way.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend them to new entrepreneurs without prior app development experience. They’ve demonstrated the ability to work with someone who doesn’t understand the systems or industry jargon. That being said, it’s important for new clients to do their due diligence and educate themselves as much as possible. However, New Lion does a great job of getting inexperienced clients up to speed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Body Knowledge, a company that provides an on-demand self-service platform where people can get a medical-grade body composition assessments without scheduling an appointment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with New Lion?

Our operations were not optimal as I had to constantly stay near a medical device and our client had to make scheduled appointments. We wanted to scale the business with a more automated solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

New Lion first interviewed us to understand what exactly we wanted and developed a cost-effective clickable prototype. They tested it on our clients to see if there was a demand for the product. Their team provided wireframing and a business plan to map out of the scope of work involved.

Then, New Lion developed the initial front- and backend of the web app for iOS using React Native. They are currently continuing to work on the app's features and planning to develop an Android version as well.

What is the team composition?

We work mostly with their product owner and occasionally their COO.

How did you come to work with New Lion?

I was recommended to them by a friend.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement started in July 2017 and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our friends in the fitness-software industry are really impressed with our app user-friendliness and smooth UX/UI so far. New Lion presents an excellent reflection my company through the product. The platform performs well with minimal bugs and New Lion immediate addresses any issues that arise.

How did New Lion perform from a project management standpoint?

I always receive timely responses through text and if any problems arise, we promptly address them through e-mail or a Google Docs. We’re continuously corresponding with each other through daily emails (if I don't respond in 24 hours), weekly phone calls, and monthly meetings. Their team also tracks improvements and ideas through Google Sheets. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

New Lion’s understand that I am not a technical expert, but really make me feel like I’m part of the development process. They explain the broader overview of being an entrepreneur and take me step by step through the whole process. Their team constantly asks me where our business needs to improve and that’s what really set them apart. They cultivate trust between us and are invested in the product as much as I am.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The prototype process took a little longer than I would have liked. It is due to their fast growth and having to quickly hiring/onboarding new developers. However, they developed the app itself extremely quickly—within a three-month timeline.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Narrow your list of requirements as much as you possibly can. They can create so many creative features, but you should focus on your prime objective. They will help you stay on task, but you should remind yourself to stay realistic.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the founders of Lasso. It’s a mobile application that’s available on iOS and Android.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with New Lion?

We needed help with some cross-platform development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a mobile application that rewards group gatherings. We partner with bars and restaurants to distribute offers that are targeted at groups versus individuals.

We began with the design process and narrowed it down to what we thought we needed for a minimum viable product (MVP). That took about two weeks and three to four meetings to come up with the exact feature set and finalized. They moved really quickly to get a product out there. It took 1 ½ months to develop the entire product.

For the mobile side, they used React native and Firebase for our backend. We’re currently working with them on a handful of new designs.

What is the team composition?

Throughout the design process, we had a project manager, a designer, and Richard [CEO, New Lion] and Joseph [COO, New Lion]. They helped advise the design and inform our decisions. Once the actual development was underway, we were assigned two developers and a project manager.

How did you come to work with New Lion?

We were looking for a new developer. We had worked with a team from abroad before, which wasn’t a great experience. We needed technical skill and a good mind for product and design, which is what we didn’t get from our group from abroad. We found out about New Lion through a referral of a happy customer and it saved us. We wanted someone local, but who was also within our budget, which is hard to find.

How much have you invested with them?

$45,000. It will be closer to $50,000 once we complete our current designs.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2017 and continued until June. We didn’t launch until October because we had to set up partnerships.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Any failures were more on our side. The app has been rock solid. Our original product which was called Roundup, which was developed by an Indian team had lots of bugs and crashed all the time. On this app, we’ve had about 1,200 downloads and maybe three or four instances of crashes. That’s been amazing.

Working with a team that is technically skilled, along with having a strong sense of product design and business, has been invaluable.

How did New Lion perform from a project management standpoint?

When there are issues, they’ve been extremely responsive. Early morning on a Sunday, I can still get hold of someone and they’ll get it done. They’ll fix the problem pretty quickly, usually within a few hours.

They’ve performed very well. They’re always available to have a conversation or to meet. We worked out of the coworking space and I could drop in pretty much any time of day and find someone that could give me an update. No matter how busy they were, they were always able to give me a few minutes to take a sidebar. If I needed a fuller set meeting, it wasn’t too difficult to schedule that either.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They manage costs really well. Their estimates were pretty much spot on, which is really refreshing. The group we worked with abroad was much less expensive on an hourly basis, but New Lion worked so much quicker that it ended up being about the same cost as working with an offshore team, which was great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve been so happy that we found them. If we hadn’t worked with them, we would have been dead in the water. I have nothing bad to say about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take full advantage of those early meetings with Richard and Joseph. They’ve got a ton of experience in this space. They can offer a ton of value in helping craft a product that will be successful and economical. Most people have a money constraint and they can help balance those two competing interests. Joseph has been a huge help in helping to inform our marketing strategy and taking this to market.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Spark.Dj. We use AI [artificial intelligence] to bring the experience of a live DJ to any social setting. We’re currently launched in the iOS App Store.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with New Lion?

We needed a better UX design, but I’m only familiar with algorithms and backend work. We needed someone to help us build an intuitive and attractive frontend, so we reached out to New Lion.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We built a working prototype in weeks that immediately went into beta with audiences. Once we validated some features and adjusted a few UI/UX elements, we went straight into developing the sleek and easy-to-use mobile and web application.

Users can use the app to see if someone is hosting a party and add their music preferences. They can also play music similar to what has already been put in, and other users who attend or are nearby are also able to put in song requests via geolocation.

Our AI DJ mixes the music like a live DJ by matching tempos, keys, and also performing some blending. Users are able to play what they like and vote on requests, and the app uses this information to gain an understanding of what the crowd wants in order to keep the playlist up to date.

We wanted to build something that was more brand-oriented. We were doing some things on our website and social media that weren’t reflected in the look-and-feel of the app. We had basic functionality built out, but it looked bad, so we gave New Lion our requirements and let them handle the UI design.

It made sense to add splashes of color and videos on the backend, and also to switch up the interface so that it’s more intuitive regarding how people interact with it. We added the influential features on the frontend, and then made it all come together on the backend.

What is the team dynamic?

Richard Anderson [Founder & CEO, New Lion] helped us build the iOS app. We interfaced with him and Joseph [COO, New Lion], who helped with some of the business aspects. Our initial meeting consisted of laying out business requirements and company goals and talking about how we could achieve our objectives by doing different things with the UI.

Once the project started, we met with Richard a bit less and started working primarily with Brian [Development Project Manager, New Lion], who led the project development. We interfaced with some of the other developers as well.

How did you come to work with New Lion?

We’re a part of a startup competition. We met New Lion at an event, but since we didn’t have the technical need at the time, we didn’t start working with them immediately. Later on, we decided we did need technical help and started to do some research on competitors.

We also considered New Lion’s pricing and how they worked with startups. Afterwards, we felt they were the best fit for our needs.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since January 2017. We still talk to them occasionally, and they check in with us to make sure everything is working well. We were going to use them for another project concerning data transfer, but Google released Firestore and we decided to use that instead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Without New Lion, the project would’ve taken 9 months to build at the rate we were going. They helped us put everything together in 2 months, and we get a lot of compliments about our UI’s functionality and helpfulness. People say it looks great, which is always awesome to hear.

How did New Lion perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a pretty good job. We were using Slack to track the project, and they gave us updates every week on where the project was and what the pricing was going to be. They made sure to deliver what we expected.

They also took an iterative approach, which is also one of the reasons I hired them. We were looking at something functional every week, and they used InVision to build clickable UI prototypes. This allowed us to experience and perfect the look-and-feel before we integrated anything, which saved us a lot of money.

They did an excellent job of managing the project and scope creep. As things moved forward, their work increased, and the pricing ended up being a bit more than we thought. However, we knew this was because we asked them to do more than we’d originally planned. They would always inform us what they were going to charge for a feature beforehand.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like their focus on startups and ability to bring in a business perspective to development. They are unique because of this, and it’s highly beneficial to us as a company. As a startup, it’s good to have some help in analyzing certain aspects of a business, like pricing. Their help has been amazing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they were a bit more assertive. In the startup space, they have to do more educating than the average development crew, and we didn’t need some of the things we asked them to build. If they provided someone to educate and do advising work, they could really show off their expertise in the startup world.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re going to build something out, make sure to have a structure before any coding takes place. New Lion encourages this, and they’re perfect for companies that are trying to figure out their product and business at the same time. I encourage people to engage with New Lion from a business perspective rather than just a development one. This would be selling their services short, and people won’t get the full value.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Travis Bergren and I am the CEO of an agricultural company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with New Lion?

The challenge was developing an image-based software that identifies various weed species from a photo.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

New Lion is developing the prototype of an image recognition software that identifies the type of weed species based on several parameters. They designed an algorithm that uses various specifications, features, and traits of each image to determine the species with a high degree of accuracy.

Currently, in the alpha stage, the product is a mobile application that will be able to detect weed species by taking a picture with a smartphone. A few aspects need to be completed, and then it will be available for iOS and Android later next year.

The team assisted with developing our business plan and identified the technology needed to make the project successful. Once we've completed our mobile app phase, our ultimate goal is to able to use drones and 4k video to gather data.

What is the team dynamic?

I'm working with their CEO, developers, engineers, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with New Lion?

The idea for this project began a couple of years ago, but we didn’t have anyone with the skills to develop it in-house. We also felt the technology wasn't readily available for the idea to work.

Earlier this year, an industry contact recommended New Lion. We went with them because they have the capacity to ideate and prototype this kind of project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $60,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began in March of this year [2017] and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The prototype they created has allowed us to successfully pitch investors and raise seed money for the next stages of the project.

How did New Lion perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very easy to work with, responsive, and communicative. They deal reasonably with any issues that have arisen.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their enthusiasm and willingness to take on a unique challenge are most impressive. The team was able to apply their technical experience and ingenuity to the problem, willing to venture into new territory with us and design a custom solution to the problem we brought to them. They want to grow and are always open to trying new things.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't be afraid to ask questions, to challenge the team, or to approach them with a unique idea.