OnDemandStartups (AiForMVP)

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Midriva, a transportation company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OnDemandStartups?

We needed help with mobile app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

OnDemandStartups is helping us with mobile app development for our business. The platform connects passengers with drivers to take them from point A to point B. It also has payment gateways, and users can see how much they’re paying for every mile in real time.

Currently, we’re still working on upgrades and product expansion in Mexico and Guatemala.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with a project manager and five other members of their team.

How did you come to work with OnDemandStartups?

I found them during an online search. I chose OnDemandStartups among a list of 3–4 providers due to their flexibility of payment installments.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

So far, we’ve spent around $250,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2017, and the engagement is ongoing — I’ll continue using their services for any new development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been able to add every new feature I’ve asked them for — their team always finds a way to make my requirements happen.

How did OnDemandStartups perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is exceptional, and it’s constantly improving throughout the years. Regarding communication, we use WhatsApp, email, and Zoom meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer support is great despite the time zone differences — if I send them a message right now, I’m sure I’d get a response first thing in the morning.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can improve their testing efforts before delivering anything to ensure there aren’t any glitches in the platform.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a social media startup focused on making friendship and romantic connections easier by using voice as a primary mode of communication.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OnDemandStartups?

We were looking to partner with an established app development firm to develop an app for iOS and Android.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Instead of investing in our own infrastructure and team, we hired OnDemandStartups to carry out all of the software development work for our app, as well as the other infrastructure that we needed to stand up for our startup.

We started the engagement by identifying all of the milestones and getting buy-in from all stakeholders to carry out the project. We have two teams working on the development, one for the app’s iOS version and one for the Android version. They’ve also done extensive backend development based on the AWS platform.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 8–9 people from OnDemandStartups, including both senior and junior app developers.

How did you come to work with OnDemandStartups?

We found OnDemandStartups through online research.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are in the process of launching the app in different markets, and the reception has been great.

How did OnDemandStartups perform from a project management standpoint?

OnDemandStartups has performed well in terms of project management. They are professional, and they try their best to meet deadlines whilst still being open to requests and changes along the way.

We use Jira for project management and Zoom and Google Meet for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with OnDemandStartups’ professionalism and openness to changes and making the product better. They always do their best to ship a quality product on a tight timeline.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no complaints. They’ve done a great job so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to be open about the requirements and demands of the project and your expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Commercial Director for Innovation and Digital Ecosystems. My company offers innovative products and services for the construction industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired OnDemandStartups to build our digital asset management ecosystem. We wanted to capture and track all our assets in projects spread across kingdom of saudi arabia

SOLUTION

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

We were referred to this vendor through a consultant. Deciding factor was commitment to project delivery within our tight timeline and competitive pricing as compared to indian vendors.

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

Our scope included building a digital ecosystem to capture all our fixed and movable assets and tracking their movement and financial indicators.

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

• 1 Project Manager
• 1 Program Manager
• Developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Upon implementation of the solution we were able to capture over 2000 ghost assets with a value exceeding $3mn which were previously not registered in our Asset Register. We increase efficiency of the staff by 50% in asset tagging and data collection from site.

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

We used Jira, Github and Slack for communication. Channels were straightforward and they appointed one program manager who was in touch with us throughout the delivery of the project.

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

The speed of execution and talented and creative UI/UX team, yet keep things simple and user-friendly are amazing.

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

Nothing really

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a co-founder at Prowireonline.com and I lead the product and operations of the business. we are a market network platform that connects buyers and sellers of professional services through a highly engaging, gamified user experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

we heired OnDemanStartups to build and manage our complete platform from grounds up. They helped us from the very inception of developing our product and tech strategy, to putting together our tech stack and managing the development, delivery, and maintenance of the platform

SOLUTION

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

we did a comprehensive RFP process where we shortlisted 3 vendors. our primary criteria was to find a tech partner who understands the needs of a startup, is agile in its approach, and understand how minimalistic approach to product delivery and consumer engagement works.

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

we used NodeJS as our backend technology and react as our frontend, and the infrastructure was hosted on amazon web services, we integrated multiple accelerators like hubspot, strapy and others to help expedite solution delivery.

we commenced the project with a through scoping and design exercise which lead to planning our 9 month road map of deliverables and milestones.

the team did a great job in sticking to the timelines, we had some overlaps but they were well documented and managed with all stakholder inputs and ownership.

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

we had at any given time 10 to 15 resources working on our project ranging from lead system architect to frontend and backend developers, UI/UX engineers, Product manager, scrum master, content writers etc.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

we got delivery of the project in phases that allowed us to test our assumptions and user experiences, we excelled on many fronts like engagement, stability, with the shoestring marketing budget we deployed, the platform helps manage the traffic we generate and drive our internal conversion goals.

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

the team used Jira and Slack quite effectively, documentation was kept on confluence and we had bi-weekly meetings on various topics.

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

its people, they are passionate and committed, they completely owned the project as it was their own startup and gave us more then 100%.

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

i believe it is a general issue now in emerging markets, but the churn rate needs to be addressed, we lost a couple of key guys during the course of the project, which did not impact the project too adversely, but it did slow us down for a while, but they recovered well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a transportation service startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OnDemandStartups?

We needed someone to provide us with mobile app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

OnDemandStartups continue to support us with mobile app development as we continue to build more features. It’s available for the iOS and Android platforms and we’re currently at the stage of implementing a payment solution, similar to what banks are offering.

Other than that, they’ve integrated an admin panel and provided us with an accountant to collect our reports and data to ensure good accountability.

What is the team composition?

We’re mainly in communication with one person from their team.

How did you come to work with OnDemandStartups?

We came across OnDemandStartups while researching on Google and decided to work with them based on positive feedback, project costs, and initial customer service.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been a successful partnership with OnDemandStartups, even though we got held back a couple of years due to limited access to certain technologies. Thanks to their team, we were able to fully develop our backend and bring the project to life.

How did OnDemandStartups perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform well as they’ve provided us with a really flexible payment plan and have been making adjustments to our needs. There’s obviously a timezone difference, but we still interact seamlessly through WhatsApp, email, and Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What made me feel comfortable about choosing them was their US-registered address.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Maybe they could be more updated with other platforms in terms of professional-grade software that can interact perfectly with iOS and Android platforms, as well as Google Suite.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to plan what you want to want to accomplish from the very beginning, so you can have everything built during the process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the creator and co-founder of the company for Eatenhunt.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire OnDemandStartups?

We hired them to help us crystallize our concepts to an actual product. We sourced the development to them.

What were your goals for this project?

To progress from a concept to a real-world application.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Based on my previous experience, my criteria was to search for a vendor that can give us a new perspective of implementing systems. I had dealt with teams from Malaysia, Singapore, Bangalore and Pune so I needed someone else with a different perspective, new best practices and with pragmatic and reasonable costing for a start-up.

Describe the project in detail.

I developed the flow of the system. Once we signed on with the company, they used our flow and developed the wireframe to our liking. From there the actual development began. We are satisfied with the speed and constant communication. They also shared with us best practices from other projects; we appreciate that. Their post support was good as they are flexible to help us on small matters to rectify. In fact, until today if there is a small bug they helped us sort it out quickly without cost as they take pride in their quality of work.

What was the team composition?

I deal with their Business Development Manager who assigned the work to his team. Correspondences include his staff in the cc-list and they contact me for clarification. Otherwise, all communication goes through one point of contact so that he has the full picture of what's going on.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within 4 months the project went live without any major issues. There were no show stoppers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I worked very well with the Project Manager. Communication was responsive and rapid via email, WhatsApp or Skype call.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I find them impressive for their knowledge, responsiveness, openness to work things out and reasonable pricing. It is a very well-balanced company that understands the pains of start-ups. Empathetic is the right word.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wish they open an office in my country.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Boon4 Network Malaysia SDN BHD, a delivery company providing on-demand, on-the-way, same-day, and urgent deliveries. We have two applications: one for people who want to send packages, and one for delivery drivers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OnDemandStartups?

Our challenges were in technology, marketing, and funding. We’re using a concept similar to Uber’s, but for delivery services.

I learned that OnDemandStartups had an existing product that could fulfill my business needs. When I downloaded the platform, reviewed it, and found that it was only 30% suitable for my business requirements, I asked them to customize it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After I communicated my requirements to them, OnDemandStartups built the whole system for me, including the backend admin panel. In addition to developing a website where users can post jobs, they created a native app that's compatible with iOS and Android for the senders and the drivers.

After the first two weeks, they had developed a prototype of the app for us to test. I had an in-house UI/UX designer but OnDemandStartups also gave us suggestions on how to improve the design.

What is the team composition?

I worked with two people initially: a backend developer and Nabeel (Product Owner) who served as our project manager. 

How did you come to work with OnDemandStartups?

I found them on Google after searching for similar platforms to the one I was looking to build.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested about $33,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with OnDemandStartups in September 2018. The project was completed in three months’ time and officially launched in March 2019 but our collaboration with them is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t think my business would’ve worked without their help. We need to monitor a lot of drivers, so we need a good system and a simple interface for senders to post jobs. 

At the same time, we need to track where all the drivers are. OnDemandStartups’ technology has been crucial to the success of my business.

How did OnDemandStartups perform from a project management standpoint?

Working according to the milestones we set, they’ve delivered everything on time thus far. We communicate via Skype, which we use for screen sharing, and WhatsApp.

Communication is a challenge because of the different time zones since Malaysia is three hours ahead of Pakistan, but we’ve been able to compromise. The team wakes up early to work with my time and I also stay up late to work with theirs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Nabeel gave me a lot of good advice. The team has also been willing to help me out with small modules outside of the quotation such as fixing bugs and making changes. They’ve been very flexible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should try to catch up with the customer’s timing because we had a challenge with the time difference, as I mentioned earlier. Other than that, there’s nothing they can improve on.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They’re really committed to their work and are willing to go the extra mile. I’d recommend OnDemandStartups to any friends or business partners looking for a developer. They’re adaptable and can advise the customer on technical items and business logic.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm partner in IT service company called Seniordev AS. We provided various IT services to primarily Norwegian clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire OnDemandStartups?

In collaboration with Rimfjord AS and Bate Boligbyggelag in Stavanger we built a new startup called Fiksa. This included finding business opportunity, setting up a business plan, profile, name, products, you name it. All you need to get a business up and running. To hit the ground running we worked with OnDemandStartup on application development.

What were your goals for this project?

Seniordev's specific goal was to provide advice on how to approach the software needs of Fiksa and to deliver a software package solving Fiksa's business requirements.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We search online for a periode of time, sat up meetings and demos. After testing four various vendors we landed on that OnDemandStartup had the best software expertise and team.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we signed up we started going through our business requirements. Output of first step was clickable prototypes we iterated on together with the rest of the Fiksa team until we landed on best solution. After that implementation phase, where we really liked we got continues builds daily through Continuously Deployment.

What was the team composition?

Team was composed of Product Owner, Scrum master, one designer, one back-end developer, one-front end developer and two app developers. Myself was project manager from our side at Fiksa.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From Fiksa's inception in first week of November 2019 it only took two months till we were live in market with the first MVP. It went very fast! Today Fiksa has 600 unique users and customers have bought artisan services for roughly 30 000 USD so far.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Culture eats strategy for breakfast! In addition to strong IT qualifications, the best part with working with OnDemandStartup was their culture and communication was really good. We understood each other from day 1, and I also very much liked to be in direct touch with the whole team when needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

OnDemandStartup understands business. They are not taking requirements and just start implementing, but sit down with us talking through what we actually going to solve, and correct also us on our side when there's been things we overlooked or didn't see.

The business requirements got translated to UX prototypes which we iterated on. I personally like UX prototypes very much as every stack holder, from tech guys to business, can understand them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Things have gone very smooth, so don't have any point on this one. Only thing I miss was to meet them in person.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Paddle App Ltd. We’re an on-demand marketplace connecting homeowners and tradespeople.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OnDemandStartups?

We were looking for a development engineering company that wasn’t in the UK for budget reasons.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did everything for our Android and iOS app. They built the architecture and infrastructure, as well as the apps and the administration panel. They also did our web platform and back office. We have a website that is part of the dot come that they have. Technically, they’ve done a little support on it as well. Behind the apps is a comprehensive back-office platform that enables us to manage and administer the business and app performance.

They built it in AWS, which we required. They’ve integrated a number of third-party strategies as well including Stripe, Google Pay, Apple Pay. They built the web platform in JavaScript and normal SQL.

What is the team composition?

Originally, we started with 5–6 members on Team A, and then we doubled up. We’ve had two teams running side-by-side for a period. Then, we went back down to one. Our main point of contact was Nabeel (Scrum Master & Product Owner, OnDemandStartups). But I also communicated with Asif (CTO, OnDemandStartups).

How did you come to work with OnDemandStartups?

We reviewed 3–4 companies in India and Pakistan and eventually decided to run with OnDemandStartups. We were looking at an on-demand platform, and they had good experience with technologies we could leverage to accelerate the development of our product.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $70,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The QA process probably went on longer than it should have, but that was anticipated. When we eventually went to market, the solution was excellent.

We got to market really quickly for phase one. They fulfilled the target we set, and we got there rapidly from the ground up. After that, they’ve been very responsive and supportive and given lots of their time. They do a lot of work out of hours, and none of it has an extra cost. You get a lot of goodwill and dedication to the project, which is exactly what you need when you’re a startup.

How did OnDemandStartups perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s been good, and there’ve been times when it was fantastic. Over the last 2–3 months its been really fantastic. During the main build, there were periods where they were intensely building and we didn’t get huge amounts of feedback, but they’ve always been quick to respond.

It took a little time to adjust to their communication, but there have been no issues there. We expected the time difference as well, but it wasn’t ideal. As the project went on, they started working more on our schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Working to our schedule and doing what needed to be done to deliver on time was key. Secondly, I liked their expertise and experience. We were on the same page and able to move quickly, thanks to their experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Probably, but nothing jumps out right now, to be honest. I’m still working with them and the work is very good. I’m very comfortable with them and will continue working with them for a long time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have all the information ready for them when they get going in the morning, with the time change. Also, be detailed in the specifications that you send across so there’s no room for interpretation. That’s probably a general rule for every development company though. At a distance, you have to be technical and detailed with the information you provide.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a grocery delivery service. We provide an end-to-end service from the online purchase of groceries to delivering them to a specific location.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OnDemandStartups?

We were looking for a company to develop our website and mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Based on the set of requirements, the team at OnDemandStartups came up with mockups, user interfaces, and built the entire infrastructure that included an admin control panel that managed our products, delivery, driver profiles, and more.

Their team developed the user end of the website, which connects with the API and database. They also built out a mobile app for iOS and Android. The Android version was built in Java and Kotlin, and the iOS app was developed in Swift.

What is the team composition?

Currently, we’re working with a project owner, four developers, and one QA tester.

How did you come to work with OnDemandStartups?

Our CEO found their website, but they were also referred to us. We were skeptical at the initial meeting with their CEO and project manager. Their team convinced us that they knew what they were doing with their technical authority.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with OnDemandStartups started in February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we launched in October 2019, we have 4,500 users. The feedback has been highly positive with minor occasional bugs & glitches.

Our office staff is pleased with the backend admin systems. They’re a bit impatient for additional functionality as it was built from scratch, and there is still a lot of software needed.

The team at OnDemandStartups continues to add features and functionalities. They also oversee the maintenance of our site and mobile apps.

How did OnDemandStartups perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, we’re satisfied. Their team has been quite responsive. They go out of their way to address any concerns I have. I can call the project manager or CEO directly. We have daily stand-ups and have had the opportunity to meet other members of the team.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team at OnDemand Startups takes pride in their work. Sometimes, they’ve pushed back on my suggestions for shortcuts. They explained that the proper way would avoid problems in the long run.

Each line of code is high-quality. In my experience, that’s unusual for an outsourced software developer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything that their team needs to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Treat them as consultants and allow them to input into the process rather than try to dictate what you want to be built. Explain why rather than how, so their team can bring in their technical skills.