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    Chicago, IL
    888.406.1099

Mobilize Your Business

4.9
6 reviews

It’s true. We love what we do. Building amazing mobile apps that help our clients mobilize their business.

It all began when we started building iPhone apps for fun, and a few of them became big hits. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we quit our day jobs and began making apps for other organizations like Pearl Jam and Kodak. After working in the trenches for a while we realized that building a great mobile app was too expensive, time consuming, and complex. So we set out on our journey to make building mobile apps easier.

That’s why we started Red Foundry – to take our years of experience in building successful mobile apps and package it into a team of engineers armed with technology and process methodology to lower the cost, complexity, and delivery risk of building killer mobile apps.

Red Foundry was built on these simple core values:

  • All apps should be beautiful, unique, intuitive, and relevant. 
  • Any company, large or small, should have the opportunity to leverage the benefits of mobile app technology. 
  • An app is useless without a comprehensive set of tools to support it. 

Every day Red Foundry tackles the tough challenges that face most businesses when going mobile. But most importantly Red Foundry apps are built by a team of software engineers who are passionate about mobile.  It's all we do.  We love it and we have fun doing it.

READ MORE...
 
$25,000+
 
$150 - $199 / hr
 
10 - 49
 Founded
2009
Show all +
Chicago, IL
headquarters
  • Red Foundry
    1608 S. Ashland Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60608
    United States
    888.406.1099

Portfolio

Key clients: 

Penguin Random House, Reader's Digest, Voya, Central Insurance, Utrip, Fodor's Travel Guides, FanAngel, Pearl Jam, Kodak, Panasonic, Wine Enthusiast, Systagenix, StoryTime, Internet Brands, Traveling Vineyard

Reviews

4.9
6 reviews
Sort by

App Development for HR Consulting Company

"Red Foundry has the ability to turn some of the ideas that our clients have, and that we have into a practical solution, all on time and on budget."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
Project summary: 

Red Foundry develops mobile apps that connect dispersed workforces and bring HR processes to smartphones. Red Foundry won this contract based on their ability to scale their resources and work quickly.

The Reviewer
 
10,001+ Employees
Director of Communication, HR Consulting Company
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Red Foundry always delivers on time, if not early, and never exceeds a budget. The team has a strong ability to turn an idea into a product. Good listeners and friendly people, they offer Agile development at an affordable price.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are an HR consulting firm and we provide consulting services to Fortune 500 companies and various other businesses in the field of employee communications.

What is your position?

I’m the Director of Communication Practice. The practice that I work in includes technology industry people and communicators, so we bring the latest and greatest engagement solutions to our clients and their employees. As part of that, mobile applications are obviously needed.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Red Foundry?

We were seeing a need in the marketplace for mobile communications in the workplace. Some clients approached us to help them reach either a dispersed workforce or bring some of the HR processes to a mobile device. That was one trend that we saw. We were actually very proactive and wanted to get ahead of the game.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with Red Foundry?

We selected Red Foundry after an intensive review of vendors to work with us on those applications. Red Foundry had a great background. Some of the founders obviously have been in the industry, whether it's in healthcare, or specifically IT. As part of the review, we did a huge secure review. We're part of a larger company so there are a lot of things that some of our vendors and partners have to fulfill.

Red Foundry’s expertise and their ability to step up, either with resources or just to resolve things quickly, was a key item for us to enter a long-term partnership with Red Foundry.

Right now, some of the client implementations have proven to be a great success factor. We're nimble enough to deliver changes to a client or overall meet their timelines. We're obviously a project-based business so we have to get things done pretty quickly. At the same time, they are agile and very price-effective, especially compared to some of the larger development firms that are out there.

Another important factor was that we were specifically looking for onshore resources which is essential for us in translating some of the specific business needs or issues that we're having. We can get on a call quickly during business hours in the US. That was another reason for us to select Red Foundry. A lot of the firms these days bring all the development offshore or most of it anyway, and it's just not very efficient and that doesn't work for us.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It’s a $250,000 to $1 million partnership at this point, but I think it's growing. Over time it'll just continue to grow as we continue to deliver our projects to clients. It seems like this year [2015] was really an important year because many of our clients have finally made the decision to go mobile. Up until this year, there were a lot of companies who didn't want to be in the bleeding edge, if you will, and so the rise of mobile is finally coming to the workplace.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership with Red Foundry is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What makes Red Foundry a great partner?

There are many things but one is just being able to connect on a personal level. When you approach them with a specific client need, Red Foundry listens really well. They come back to us fairly quickly with some alternative solutions that we can put in front of the client. They've always delivered on time, if not earlier to be honest. From a budget standpoint, they always stayed right where we discussed. If there are things that go out of scope, we know this in advance and can manage that.

Red Foundry has the ability to turn some of the ideas that our clients have, and that we have into a practical solution, all on time and on budget. Our partnership has been really, really great so far.

Is there anything Red Foundry could have improved or done differently?

At this point nothing to be honest; we're a perfectly happy client.

5.0
Overall Score It has been great. We are a project-based business...Red Foundry...essentially spend time, put something together with us, for us, even if it's just a first working prototype application...That investment on their part, time and money, is just fantastic.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    We've had some very aggressive schedules and Red Foundry has been able to deliver.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They definitely stick with those estimates. They let us know in advance when or if something could go out of scope and determine what is the best solution or best path to go.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I would definitely recommend Red Foundry as a development partner.

Minimum Viable Product - Startup Application Development

"I’ve been really happy with Red Foundry’s work so far. From what I know, and what I’ve heard from everyone, this has been a really positive experience."

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5.0

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
4.5
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
Project summary: 

Red Foundry built the basic framework around an app idea to see if users would react positively. The deliverable, a minimum viable product, is an RSS feed that aggregates hashtags from social media sites.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Grand Rapids, MI
Co-Founder, Gathyr
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Red Foundry is a valued development partner. They eschew technical jargon and focus on communicating their work simply and clearly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company. What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the president and founder of a company that provides an interactive RSS feed for hashtags from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We pull multiple hashtags from all three of those and allow users to post out easily. Our goal is to enable people at large events like music festivals or conventions to see everything that’s happening around them more easily.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Red Foundry?

We were trying to build a minimum viable product to test the hypothesis.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We needed a partner to help us develop an app that would cover the basic idea of what we would finally want to implement.

What was your process for selecting Red Foundry with which to work?

We started with another firm before we found Red Foundry, and we did not have a positive experience with that initial company. After that, we tested the waters a fair amount. We really liked the level of communication we got from Red Foundry, which is the reason we settled on them.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Our partnership with Red Foundry is ongoing and, at this point, falls in the $50,000 to $100,000 bucket.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

Neither my partner nor I have a technical background. We’ve picked up quite a bit through the process, but neither of us have formal training. Red Foundry has been great about not using jargon. They’re great about explaining things to us because we don’t have a technical background.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I’ve been happy with Red Foundry’s work so far. This is my first project like this, so I don’t have a ton of things to compare them to. From what I know, and what I’ve heard from everyone, this has been a positive experience.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

I would tell everyone to make sure to have a clearly defined scope before you go in. I feel that our previous partnership didn’t work out well because we didn’t have a clear scope of work, and it just didn’t go well.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 4.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

iOS and Android Application Development for Financial Services Firm

"Utilize Red Foundry; they have a lot of good ideas and information to provide."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
4.5
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Confidential
Project summary: 

Red Foundry provided iOS and Android app development to bring an insurance firm into the mobile world. Red Foundry won the contract based on their ability to use one code base for both apps.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Chicago, IL
IT Manager, Financial Services Firm
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Red Foundry proved to be easy to work with. They applied their strong communication skills to the discussion of how the app would work, leading to a clear set of requirements. The team had a lot of good ideas and solid expertise in their field.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company. What is your role and responsibilities?

We are a property and casualty insurance company. I am an IT [information technology] manager of one of our development groups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Red Foundry?

We wanted to make a move into the mobile app arena; however, we didn’t have the experience in-house to develop the iOS or Android app.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Red Foundry provided mobile app development for Android and iOS.

What was your process for selecting Red Foundry with which to work?

Our VP of IT had heard of Red Foundry and other work they completed. Once we narrowed our pool, we had a conference call with Red Foundry to discuss what they could do for us and how it would work. What interested us in Red Foundry is the idea of one codebase for both Android and iOS.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

Red Foundry is easy to work with. I’ve had direct access to the developers working on the project, which is a benefit on my side of things. This business relationship has worked pretty well.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

Nothing I can really think of. We were able to agree on requirements and what exactly was going to happen. We didn’t have any issues there. I don’t really have complaints, or examples of anything that didn’t go the way it should have.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

I think the key is to get your requirements down and make sure everybody is on the same page, which I would say for any software project you’re going to be working on. Utilize Red Foundry; they have a lot of good ideas and information to provide.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 4.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Application Development for WordPress Development Company

"Red Foundry is awesome. They tackled and accomplished everything to exceed our expectations."

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5.0

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Confidential
Project summary: 

Red Foundry created the reactional-functional markup language to turn a dynamic Wordpress website into an app. They developed for both iOS and Android and now provide ongoing maintenance.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Costa Mesa, CA
Jack and Justin Kelly
Co-Founders, JACKSTIN
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The project ran long, possibly because Red Foundry did not make use of the most up-to-date project management software. However, the team exceeded expectations for the final deliverables. They maintained excellent customer service and were a pleasant team to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company. What is your role and responsibilities?

We are co-founders of JACKSTIN. My brother and I build websites, and we’ve been doing it for almost 15 years between the two of us. We mainly build WordPress sites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Red Foundry?

The business challenge was on the research and development side. We needed help understanding the ability of what WordPress can do to serve dynamic content. We had read about how you can make WordPress into an open API [application programming interface]. Working with them turned out to be a great learning experience for us.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Red Foundry provided app development for one of our WordPress website. We managed and built the website, and we designed the app, but they engineered the app. We used Photoshop to lay out the different designs, and what we thought would be best for our client. Then, we handed it to them, and they developed the app.

What was your process for selecting Red Foundry with which to work?

After Googling and researching a number of companies, we found Red Foundry. We are excited about where Red Foundry is going, how they create RFML [reactional-functional markup language], and how they extend it into an Android app, let alone an iOS app. You develop it in one place, and then you can push it out to Android and iOS. They tied all of our desired feeds into the back of their RFML, and the deployed and managed the app inside of their app platform.

Is this an ongoing partnership, or was there a certain end and start date?

It’s ongoing. I think with any type of technology you put in place, you’re always going to want to keep a business relationship with the people who know how to best work on it, which is Red Foundry, the company that developed our app. If something breaks, we can call them, and they can instantly service the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I think as far as customer service, Red Foundry is awesome. They went over and beyond for us, outside of what we proposed. They tackled and accomplished everything to exceed our expectations. I think that speaks volumes about the type of company they are. I think it’s extraordinary to work remotely with a team to deliver an app to this standard. It’s cool, and they were pleasant to work with. They achieved all the goals that we had set.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

Red Foundry had initially proposed a task management board, where we could have up-to-date statuses, but it wasn’t the most intuitive. We ended up generally just talking with them directly on the phone to hash things out. I think a lot of it would have been done easier in a task management software. So, the one suggestion may be to have a better system for timeline management and customer relationship management. I think they’re working to develop that internally now.

The project took longer than anticipated, but I think that was partly because it was a learning experience for them and for us. Toward the end of the project, it seemed they were stretched a little thin, but we also realize maybe we weren’t being very clear as to the requirements we were looking for. 

5.0
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    It was a little delayed, but that could have been our fault, too.
  • 4.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    I think the value is extraordinary. They’re a premium service provider. They delivered what they said they would and more.
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    The only reason I didn’t give a five is because I think the user interactions and usability could be improved.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Travel Application Development for Startup

"Red Foundry was really helpful in giving advice, helping us identify areas that needed more thought."

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4.5

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
4.5
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
Project summary: 

Red Foundry provided iOS and Android app development, mobile strategy consulting, and ideation services. The key challenge was double-syncing the apps with the associated website.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
Gilad Berenstein
Founder, Utrip
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Red Foundry became an ongoing partner due to the value they brought to the project. Their expert guidance and focus on a holistic approach was invaluable. They were excellent communicators, always ready to jump on a call to discuss any issue that arose.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company. What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the founder and CEO of Utrip. Utrip is a trip-planning app. We use a combination of human expertise and artificial intelligence in trip planning.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Red Foundry?

Our users plan their trips on the Web and then execute their trips using a mobile application. We brought in Red Foundry to build our initial mobile application for Android and iOS.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

The scope of the work provided by Red Foundry was largely mobile app development and strategy.

What was your process for selecting Red Foundry with which to work?

We looked through a fair number of mobile development companies and smaller mobile development shops. We looked for a company that could match speed, quality, and price. Being a young tech startup, obviously price was a big consideration, but just as important as price was the initial speed to launch. We looked at a bunch of firms, and ended up with three finalists, Red Foundry being one of them. We then had a series of conversations, looked at a few apps they had done before. Red Foundry had experience in the travel space, so that’s something we really liked since we’re a travel company. Ultimately, we chose them because they had the best overall bid combining price, expertise in the area, and speed of completion.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was in the $10,000 - $50,000 range, but on the high end of that bucket.

Is this an ongoing project?

The initial app development was a one-time project, but we are in the process now of building an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

Red Foundry is great to work with, and they’re good in terms of ideation. I think with all tech products, especially for young companies, you go into it thinking you’ve figured almost everything out. Then, when you start working, you realize there’s a whole bunch of stuff you haven’t figured out. Red Foundry was helpful in giving advice, helping us identify areas that needed more thought, as well as bringing in best practices and conventions so consumers don’t have to relearn a user interface. It’s important to have partners who can help you think a little more holistically, beyond just the scope of the project you’re working on with them. That was very true and very helpful with Red Foundry.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

Overall – not really. Anytime that something got behind schedule or wasn’t exactly how we imagined it, they were always really great about scheduling a call, jumping on the phone, talking through it, and getting it fixed quickly. So, from that perspective, it was great. There’s nothing I can think of directly.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

Ultimately, I would recommend that prospective clients of Red Foundry, or anyone else, to look for a partner that’s going to be open to an iterative approach with app development, which Red Foundry did a really good job with.

4.5
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 4.5 NPS
    Willing to refer

Application Development and Strategy for Crowdfunding Startup

"They helped us understand our responsibilities and things that we would need to do to be able to help meet those goals."

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5.0

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
4.5
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
Project summary: 

Red Foundry provided iOS and Android app development with payment capabilities. They also offered strategic guidance around web, mobile, and investor strategy, and comported with aggressive project deadlines.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Park City, Utah
Rusten Gomez
Director of Operations, FanAngel
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Although Red Foundry’s expertise is in app development, they offered critical insight into user experience and other aspects of the business. A small firm with limited scalability, Red Foundry was nonetheless a comprehensive development partner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization. What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the director of operations at FanAngel. FanAngel is a crowdfunding for performance platform that allows fans to be able to pay their favorite athletes and teams for performance. We’re especially focusing on the college realm, incentivizing college athletes for better performance, helping them stay in school longer, and helping connect fans, teams, and players in a new way. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Red Foundry?

We approached Red Foundry when we were beginning to build a mobile application for our platform. 

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Red Foundry with which to work?

We talked to a couple other developers to get bids and looked through their repository of apps that they’ve helped develop. We decided to go with Red Foundry to help us launch our Android and iOS mobile apps. One of our mobile advisors was connected with the Red Foundry executive team. They’d had experience with them in the past. We also liked Red Foundry because of how they were using their own technology, their own team, and their own abilities as well as the rate at which they worked. They put forth some aggressive timelines, but they also spelled out how it would happen. They helped us understand our responsibilities and things that we would need to do to be able to help meet those goals. Their price point was also good. It was very competitive. 

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms or a personnel work-hour figure?

Our project with Red Foundry falls in the $50,000 to $200,000 bucket.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Is there anything unique or special about Red Foundry that really makes them stand out compared to other business partners?

The thing we really enjoyed was that, yes, they were specialists in building the application but, during the process, they helped us actually gain some insight into UI/UX [user interface/user experience] design. In addition, they were able to offer additional advice on other aspects of our website and our platform that users, investors, and advertisers would want to be able to see. Red Foundry actually helped us shape how our actual platform rolled out when it came to the website version as well. They had the technical advice we needed.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

The only thing would be a way to scale their delivery up even more so they could have more great people on their team. We’d love to do more projects with them and still have them done on the same time scale.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 4.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer