Nickelfox

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Boda Tech Private Limited is essentially a wedding services company, and we have built a mobile app platform. I am the founder and joint Chief Executive Officer of the organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nickelfox?

We were trying to create a one-of-a-kind wedding app that would allow a couple to invite their friends and family to their wedding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Nickelfox used a whole host of tools. They managed our iOS and Android development along with the backend development. In terms of iOS, they assigned a four-member team to be in charge of the complete end-to-end product. With Android, they assigned us a five-member team, and they were able to get the product out before the stipulated time in the contract. As far as web and backend were concerned, I think there were two people involved. That development was also done within time. They also helped us redesign our UX [user experience] and UI [user interface]. Initially, they developed the entire product for the first two years, and now they are only managing our iOS development.

How did you come to work with Nickelfox?

A common friend of mine recommended them. He had worked with them on another project. I mentioned to him that I needed somebody to make an entire app for me, and he told me about Nickelfox and how they are very well accomplished in the product architecture. I then called them and we met. After discussing the vision for the product, I decided that they were the right people.

How much have you invested with Nickelfox?

The project ranged from $30,000 to $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Nickelfox in February 2013 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Before we were working with them, we were very disappointed with our earlier iOS product, which gave us a rating of 2/5 on the App Store. Once we started working with them and released the new product, the majority of the ratings were 5/5 on the App Store, so the product at least worked without any crashes. For us, that was a big deal because it is a slightly complicated product.

How did Nickelfox perform from a project management standpoint?

Three years back, we were new to building apps. This was our first project. They introduced us to Slack, which was an app they made us download and use. They were very efficient in terms of project management. I think that only on two occasions in our milestones they were late by a day or two, but other than that, almost everything was managed on time. We were very happy.

What did you find most impressive about Nickelfox?

One thing is that when they are not able to deliver, they clearly say no. That’s the one thing we appreciated about them, that instead of saying yes to all our whims and fancies, they were very clear about having every milestone noted. After detailed discussions of exactly what we wanted and how we wanted to go about it, they would commit to the project, which I think was the right way to go about the partnership to avoid any sort of miscommunication of expectations.

Are there any areas Nickelfox could improve?

In our first version, which was created back in 2013, the Android app had a few bugs. The backend and the Android app weren’t totally in sync all the time. That issue took unduly long to get resolved, but once we pointed out what wasn’t working, they resolved it in decent time. Initially, the product given to us had a few bugs, but we were really happy that they fixed them once we brought it to their notice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At my organization, we are building a product that helps women find clothing according to their emotions and perceptions about their own body. We’ve built the technology right now in the form of a mobile app that our user downloads. They chat with our app to describe their perceptions about their own body, and then the app is able to recommend them clothing from online and offline stores of their favorite brands in the US. Our software finds clothes that will flatter their body and make them feel their best.

I’m the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nickelfox?

I met Nickelfox about a year and a half ago. At that point in time, I did not have a co-founder. I did have a backend engineer working with me, but I was looking for frontend help for our app, and specifically someone who could be more than just an outsourcing company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We are a startup, so we have gone through a few versions to get to where we are. With Nickelfox, we’ve done three different versions of the app, in each of which there were completely different features built. With this project, I was specifically looking for a partner that could not only build the app but also help guide us through determining the best practices. Nickelfox helped us figure out how the technology will be best experienced by the user and what should be divided between the clients and servers. From a design perspective and from their tech knowledge, I think Nickelfox has a good mix. I could really feel that they put a lot of thought into their work as they were always asking me questions and really vetting it to themselves to understand what they are building. Early on, I trusted that I was in good hands with respect to the frontend development of my app.

How did you come to work with Nickelfox?

When I spread the word that I was looking for a very good frontend engineer, I was connected to Nickelfox through their director of technology and through one of the founders, whom I had already known.

How much have you invested with Nickelfox?

So far, in total we have spent $11,000 on the three projects, but there’s going to be more work.

What is the status of this engagement?

It’s ongoing. The two previous versions of the app that we worked on with Nickelfox have since been closed. The third version, which should be the final version, is ongoing. Even though I have a co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, and my technical team is getting established properly, I still think that there’s value in working with Nickelfox. Even right now, we hire full-time iOS engineers because I think the quality of their work is really good. We have been working with Nickelfox for one and a half years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The first two apps that I worked on with Nickelfox were not launched. The current version is actually in private beta, and it’s been five weeks. We have 115 users already, and the conversion rate of our product is very high, which is about 54%. The industry standard is 2%. The private beta is going really well. It’s still very early to share more numbers, but the few key metrics on our product are the percentages of accuracy of likes that users see of the product that they like. That is more than 50%. Our conversion is more than 50%, so at least the standard metrics are really good, way above the industry standard. From a product perspective, in the last five weeks, we’ve been getting a lot of feedback from the users, and Nickelfox has been implementing that feedback on a daily basis so that we improve the product every day. They are almost like an extension of my own team.

How did Nickelfox perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, Nickelfox has been really good at project management. In the last two projects, I was going through a period myself of understanding what we are building, and in the early stages, their feedback was really constructive. Their response rate was very helpful as I was in my own process of finding out the right thing for the product. Overall, I would say that they’ve been really responsive. Even though we are in different time zones, I think their ownership level is very high for what they do.

What did you find most impressive about Nickelfox?

The most important thing that distinguishes Nickelfox is the fact that they really put their heart in understanding what we are building. Over the past year and a half, I appreciate the personal relationship that I have now ended up building with them. To me, it doesn’t feel like I am talking to some third party who is just going to do whatever is written on the paper. I don’t fear that they will raise the invoice for every single little detail that I might ask them to change. I feel like they’re sharing the goal with me of what I am trying to build. Whenever we send them a chunk of work, they do their best to understand it and ask me all the right questions. I don’t hesitate to approach them with changes; they adjust very well and come back with the reasonable next steps.

Are there any areas Nickelfox could improve?

I just hope they don’t increase the cost because as a startup, that’s a very key factor that we have to consider to make sure that we can still afford them. Otherwise, nothing really comes to my mind in terms of what could have been done differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Shapercult

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Shapercult is a D2C Shapewear & Intimatewear Brand for Indian women.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Nickelfox to accomplish?

• To design and develop an AI-powered mobile app for personalized shapewear recommendations on both iOS and Android platforms.

SOLUTION

How did you find Nickelfox?

Referral

Why did you select Nickelfox over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Nickelfox were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Nickelfox designed and developed a mobile app integrating AI algorithms for body type analysis and shapewear recommendations. Deliverables included UI/UX design, AI model integration, backend architecture, and deployment on App Store and Play Store.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We successfully launched the app with 90% accuracy in AI recommendations. App is currently in Beta Testing.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Nickelfox followed agile practices and maintained timely sprints. They're proactive, responsive, and quick to address any challenges or change requests.

What was your primary form of communication with Nickelfox?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

Their ability to translate a complex AI vision into a user-friendly mobile experience stood out. Their team was technically sound, and design focused.

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

Minor delays in API integration testing occurred, but nothing major. Communication could have been slightly more streamlined during peak phases.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the COO of a business services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We offer Scheduling, HR, Payroll services to large organizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Nickelfox to accomplish?

• Build a platform
• UI/UX Design
• Mobile app
• Project management
• Keep iterating the platform to accommodate its growing user base

SOLUTION

How did you find Nickelfox?

Referral

Why did you select Nickelfox over others?

• High ratings
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Nickelfox were assigned to this project?

8-25

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We engaged them on a flat and fixed rate basis to help build a scalable platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our engagement with Nickelfox significantly damaged our trajectory and stability.

Building a business is already intensely competitive. But instead of supporting progress, Nickelfox actively undermined it. At a critical point in the build, they replaced senior engineers with juniors, misrepresenting them as experienced talent (even charging us 100% more)This deception led to poor code quality, unresolved bugs, and mounting technical debt—deliberately buried beneath layers of false progress. 

It wasn’t just mismanagement. It was petty and intentional sabotage.

They inflated invoices, withheld documentation, ignored QA, and left the platform in a fragile, unreliable state. When things began breaking, there were no senior engineers left—only underqualified juniors who lacked the context or ability to fix the mess. 

The results:

Platform stability collapsed at a critical time
User frustration surged
Internal velocity was halted while we tried to assess and recover
Time and capital were wasted undoing damage rather than building forward

Nickelfox didn’t just underdeliver—they left us worse off than when we started. The project has since moved forward, but only after a costly and painful recovery that could’ve been avoided with an honest, competent partner.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project managent started strong over time became a nightmare as they started replacing seniors with Junios.

They repsodend by gaslighting us. Sayoing we were dilusaional. 

What was your primary form of communication with Nickelfox?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

This company was only impressive when they had senior ppl there. There would not be any reason to use them today and we wouldnt. This isn’t a vendor that made mistakes and tried to correct them. This is a vendor that acted in bad faith. They cannot be trusted.

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

Yes—almost every aspect of the engagement with Nickelfox needed improvement.

At the most basic level, they could have operated with integrity, transparency, and professionalism. Instead, they chose to act deceptively and destructively.

Here’s what Nickelfox could have and should have done differently:
Staffed the project honestly
They knowingly replaced senior engineers with juniors at a critical time, while continuing to charge senior-level rates. That’s not just unethical—it’s reckless and harmful to the client.
Maintained transparency in communication
Repeated misrepresentation of capabilities and progress reports gave us a false sense of security. Clear, honest updates would have helped mitigate damage early.
Documented their work and maintained handover readiness
They withheld or skipped documentation entirely, ensuring that once they left, the platform would be nearly impossible to recover without rebuilding key parts.
Accepted accountability instead of deflecting blame
When issues were raised, they avoided responsibility, deflected criticism, and at times became petty and uncooperative.
Built for long-term sustainability instead of short-term appearances
Their code was fragile, rushed, and in some cases sabotaged—built to pass superficial demos rather than to serve real users in production.
In short:
Nickelfox could have succeeded simply by doing the job they promised with the team they claimed to have.
Instead, they chose deception, cost us time and money, and left a mess that took months to clean up.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Bozobaka Labs Pvt. Ltd. and we help students prepare for competitive exams

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Nickelfox?

1. Android App Development
2. UI / UX

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop some important features like community doubt solving, gamificaion, coin-economy etc. apart from fixing existing bugs and improving UI UX

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We researched online and shortlisted 3-4 companies. We met these companies in person and chose the one with better team, work history and recommendations.

Describe the project in detail.

We maintained a trello board for all the upcoming features and bugs. They initially rewrote the modules which required work to be done and then once the project was up to date, we started working on 1 feature at a time.

What was the team composition?

We got a developer, project lead and a tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our crashes reduced by 90% and we were able to provide our users with the intended features

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was smooth. We used a combination of slack, trello, Whatsapp and email. The team was responsive throughout.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I'm pressed by their work ethics and the quality of their code.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Quality wise it was great. Had the cost been a little less, it would have been amazing.