Riseapps

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a freelance developer, building websites with real-time 3D components. I do that with a flexible team of developers and designers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Riseapps?

For this particular job, we needed an Android app developer and an iOS developer for an updated app project.

What was the scope of their involvement?

My client is an optometrist. We developed a platform that allows customers to make a 3D scan of their faces to use as a model of glasses in the app. Once customers have created their glasses on the app, another eye doctor or optometrist operates the device. The doctor can order the selected frame, which will be 3D printed or made to order.

We built it as a web app, but the face-scanning happens on Android or Apple devices via a third-party clip-on scanner. Later, we transitioned to using iOS devices for scanning. That can’t be done with a web app, so we hired them to take care of the integration of the web app within the iOS app. They also built the entire iOS app for us.

What is the team composition?

In the very beginning, when we did the Android app, we just worked with the CEO and an Android developer. That was three years ago. Now, I usually deal directly with a project manager. I’ve spoken to 2 –3 different developers. I imagine there are more working on the project as well.

How did you come to work with Riseapps?

I posted the job on Upwork. They weren’t the cheapest but they had relevant experience. They also worked with other companies from the Netherlands before and made a good impression. Currently, we work outside of Upwork on a normal contract basis.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $32,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2017–March 2020. Occasionally, we still make small requests, and they're always available. We’re still working with them but there’s no real development effort going on right now.

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

I’m happy with the quality. They guided mobile development because we don't have experience with it. Their team abided by our designs and gave input if something was impractical.

How did Riseapps perform from a project management standpoint?

Currently, we have a project manager, and it helps with organization and cost management. Our project manager also takes our feedback. They're available to us and deliver on all promises. If we need something done, it’s organized quickly and efficiently. We don’t do this very often but they’re flexible enough to know when they need to work extra hours to accommodate deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They react quickly to our requests even after a long time of radio silence. I don’t have to figure out what we were working on a few months ago and instruct them. They have it very much under control. The app's features were impressive, and they managed much of it without needing to do extra research.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes, I felt things could be done more simply but that’s because I was comparing an iOS app with how web development works. It’s hard for me to judge if that’s true. In those cases, it can be challenging to stay on the same page technically, but they can always build what we ask.

While it would be helpful for them to give more insight into their process, our client sometimes lacks a clear plan for the projects when starting up. I understand their position in that regard.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just go for it and hire them. I don’t think somebody needs to do something special to get the most out of it when working with Riseapps. They take good responsibility for their performance.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of an educational technology startup called Melanence, an online learning platform for communities of color.

What challenge were you trying to address with Riseapps?

I needed to create an online learning platform, but didn’t have the technical expertise to actually build it out.

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start, I worked with their UX/UI designer to talk about the overall scope of the project and what we hoped to accomplish. We provided some examples of sites and other layouts that were similar to our vision. Through those meetings, Riseapps developed a clear understanding of the industry and landscape we were trying to get into. 

From there, I continued working with the designer to create wireframes for both the prerelease and live versions of the site and dashboard. Together, we came up with color schemes, buttons, the overall flow of the site, and other user interface details. 

After that, Riseapps started actually building the site. I worked with the project manager to work out the functionality of the site and develop the scope and sprints. 

What is the team composition?

In total, we worked with about 7 people. We worked with a UX/UI designer, a project manager, a WordPress developer, back– and frontend developers, a QA engineer, and a business analyst.

How did you come to work with Riseapps?

I heard about Riseapps via LinkedIn while I was searching for companies. I was looking for a company that could not only develop what I wanted, but a company that also brought ideas to the table. I wanted to be able to collaborate on the project, rather than just have someone who was a technical partner. 

I saw Riseapps’ portfolio and really liked their design style and aesthetics. The pricing was reasonable as well, so I decided to partner with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place from April–November 2020.

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

After the launch of the site, we were able to raise $100,000 in venture capital funding, and we’re in the process of securing more. 

Riseapps’ ability to accurately deliver within time frames is really exceptional. They’re also strong with QA, and always triple-checked their work to ensure quality. Their communication was also excellent. We always had access to them when we needed them.

How did Riseapps perform from a project management standpoint?

I was thoroughly impressed with their level of communication and ability to meet deadlines. At the end of almost every sprint, we were under budget and ended up with more than what we expected.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to push back and make suggestions to improve the product is really impressive. Riseapps has a clear understanding of what works when it comes to the flow of the technical aspect. I really appreciated that they didn’t just create what we told them to, but they offered feedback and suggestions on how to make the product even better.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They did have some turnover toward the end of the project, and their level of service did drop. They could work to be able to ensure a continued level of service in those events.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure that you continue to have clear expectations on communication and that you set up a channel for communicating. As long as you have that, you’ll be fine.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the R&D COO of an international IT-development company.

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

Initially our project was developed by a contractor whose quality was poor. The project didn't meet requirements and timeline. During this phase the main goal was to replace the contractor, reach the development schedule and initial requirements.

How did you select Riseapps and what were the deciding factors?

We searched for another, more qualified contractor who will be able to participate in the project being in the development. Search criteria were the following:

• High customer satisfaction level based on reviews and rating in Clutch;
• Availability of high-skilled React Native and PHP/Laravel developers for the project;
• Willingness to face with challenges and help to reach our goals;
• Fast onboarding and the ability to start the development in shortest terms

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

After the initial meeting we created a "to do" list that contained:

• -Budget confirmation;
• Signing the documents;
• Assigning the developers;
• Reviewing the code quality;
• Finding solutions for existing issues (fixes and updates);
• Continue development of new features in the mobile application,
• website and admin control panel;

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

We were provide with the following team:  

• PHP/Laravel developer
• React Native developer
• React developer
• Account manager

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

Expected deliverables were provided within the specified timeline and the budget. Skill level of the development team was high enough to provide good quality. We were also provided with the recommendations on how to improve the project quality and maintain the project effectively in the future.

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

Project management was on our side, code repository and environments were also provided by us. From the Riseapps side we used their Jira issue-tracker. In the early stage if there was an organisational issue we could easily communicate with their CEO Vladlen and get the solution on the same or the next day.

Sometimes we asked for help their account manager. Most of the time the development team provided us with all requested info, estimations and feedbacks. We had multiple video conferences during the development phase. Direct communication with the developers was good enough.

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

Their ability to help and join the ongoing development process in shortest terms. CEO was aware and did his best to provide us with the desirable results.

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

We didn't mention any area that should be improved.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and director of a sports company in Singapore.

What challenge were you trying to address with Riseapps?

I needed help building software to help my business scale. I’ve done it twice before, and both experiences were less than great. I first went to a company in Singapore, but that didn’t go well. I then had an experience with a company in South Africa, and I did get a solution in the end, but it was nothing like what I wanted.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team is in charge of frontend development. They build features, and they make sure we’re taking the existing API, using its core functionalities, and enhancing and building on top of it to make everything link in the end. 

We’re building an API for marketplaces. It’s a basic but solid marketplace API that’s offered on a subscription plan. I’m trying to take that marketplace API and turn it into a fully functional web platform for any health and fitness business to manage their own businesses and staff, team, and clients.

What is the team composition?

I’ve interacted with Vladlen (CEO) who assigned Ilya (Frontend Developer) to me. I have another developer in Pakistan who does backend development.

How did you come to work with Riseapps?

I found them on Upwork. They had good reviews and a lot of completed projects. I’d used Fiverr in the past and tried some agencies in Singapore and South Africa. I contacted other agencies there, but what I didn’t like was that they immediately wanted to know what my budget was. 

Riseapps listened to my idea, and they offered to work on an hourly basis to see how the project would go. They told me they had done some health and fitness projects, which made me more confident that they understood that part. I finally got in touch with Vladlenm who introduced me to Ilya, and we started working on the project. 

How much have you invested with them?

The cost so far is around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Riseapps in April 2020, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

At the moment, I’m managing two country clubs using this software, for bookings, payments, reviews, and progress reports. It’s a fully functional system, and it’s working beautifully. We’ve added 50% more features to the original API.

We have 350 users at the moment, and transactions are over $60,000 per month. It’s being used by country clubs, and users are happy with it. If there’s an issue, Riseapps will fix it within two hours within their working hours. Our collaboration is perfect for me. I’ve been able to build the solution I envisioned and make it into a reality.

How did Riseapps perform from a project management standpoint?

They always get back to me quickly when I need something, and they communicate in a professional and pleasant way. I get a report of the hours every week, so I understand what was done. Whenever I had an issue, Vladlen was quick to resolve it and change the project to fit what I wanted. 

If I wanted an extra developer or designer, there was always someone he could put in place. The larger scope of the work was done with one developer, which he gave me from the start.

I wasn’t very confident in the beginning because I was working with just one developer, but Vladlen told me that he was getting to know the project, and he’d get into it after a week or two. I can Skype him whenever I want throughout the day. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everyone at Riseapps knows and fulfills their role well. Vladlen is good at listening and wants to make things work, and the developer is there to make my vision into a reality. He always told me when an idea I had was bad, whereas other people I’ve worked with went along with everything I said. They’re not just trying to clock hours. 

They guide me and tell me when I’m being silly. This is a sign of professionalism to me, and I really enjoy the fact that I have someone to whom I was able to give my vision and together we found a way to make it work. They found ways to make things work and also to produce the work in good time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. I asked them for a way to save some cost, and they came up with something.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They should make sure they find a developer that’s a good match, and this is something that takes more than a week to decide. I wasn’t that happy with the developer at first, but I trusted Vladlen’s decision, and I’m glad that I did. It’s also important to get someone that will tell the client what’s right and wrong.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Diffia develops innovative software solutions for health care, providing clinicians with a mobile "assistant in their pocket" to enable them to spend and less time on administrative tasks and more time treating patients. I work for Diffia as a software development contractor, and was responsible for coordinating the project with Riseapps.

For what projects/services did your company hire Riseapps?

We had to integrate an external video platform into our iOS app, but were faced with the problem that the native iOS SDK for this platform had been discontinued. Due to the lack of support for WebRTC in iOS WKWebView components, we needed a native iOS WebRTC client that supported this particular provider, and hired Riseapps to develop this for us.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to develop a rudimentary framework for connecting to the video platform from an iOS app, that we could later integrate into our own native code and furnish with a proper user interface.

The technical spec was to first try to implement the solution using React Native, and eventually in Swift if the React Native solution was not performant enough. Business-wise, the goal was to offload this work as a mostly isolated task, allowing Diffia's own employees and contractors to focus on other tasks.

How did you select this vendor?

Riseapps was recommended to Diffia through one of our technological advisors, who had very positve experiences with them from previous projects. The deciding factor for hiring Riseapps was their immediate availability, clear communication and apparent understanding of the task at hand.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

At the start of the project, Riseapps' developer was given access to the video platform, and instructed to program the simplest possible iOS app that would allow it to connect to the platform for a simple video meeting, with a rudimentary user interface. This was, at first, implemented in a React Native app.

When it turned out that integrating this code in Diffia's existing code base was difficult, due to dependency conflicts, Riseapps promptly provided a functionally equivalent implementation in Swift. No other services were provided by Riseapps, and their work was done in isolation from Diffia's code base.

What was the team composition?

Riseapps provided a single iOS developer who did the all the coding work. Daily coordination with Diffia was done via a dedicated Slack channel.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

This project allowed Diffia to implement the code-level support for the video platform within the planned time and budget constraints.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

After an initial meeting, the start of the project was delayed because of a delay in preparing the test server for the video solution. However, Riseapps was not at all to blame for this, and to their great credit, they started work immediately once the test environment was up and running.

We agreed that Riseapps' developer would post a daily status update in a dedicated Slack channel, and otherwise ping Diffia's developers if he needed anything. This worked excellently, and the administrative overhead was kept at a minimum.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Riseapps impressed us with their ability to work independently with only high-level instructions from us. There was no micro-management necessary. They produce code that is of excellent quality and great value.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Had we known more about the issues integrating React Native code into our non-React Native application, we would have ordered the development to be done in Swift right away. Maybe, in an ideal world, we could have communicated even better with Riseapps before the project started, to uncover this earlier.

However, this was one of the technological risks the project was designed to clarify, and the "failure" of going the React Native route has been a valuable data point for Diffia in deciding which platforms to use going forward.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Noho Medical, Inc.

What challenge were you trying to address with Riseapps?

We built an at-home pulmonary rehab product for patients that have COPD, a pulmonary disease. A traditionally effective therapy is called pulmonary rehabilitation, but it’s only offered at physical locations. People have a hard time getting to these locations, and there aren’t enough of them. Now, given COVID-19, a lot of the rehab centers are closed. Our company has built a digital, at-home version of that intervention.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Riseapps built out a set of healthcare apps. They developed a backend, a web frontend, an iPhone app, and an Android app.

What is the team composition?

We’ve interfaced directly with two different product managers (the initial one ended up leaving the company), the CEO, and a designer. There were at least 2–3 devs working on the project, and the product managers communicated with them directly on our behalf. 

How did you come to work with Riseapps?

I believe we found Riseapps online when we put out a project and asked different companies to bid on it. There were a number of different outsource development shops that we spoke to and considered. Riseapps had experience with all of the technologies that we wanted to use. They’ve also built other healthcare apps, so they were familiar with HIPAA and other regulations. They were very communicative from the start; I had a conversation with Vladlen (CEO), and it seemed like they answered all of our questions very well. 

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent around $130,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in July 2019.

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

We don’t have any hard measures of use because we were building from scratch. The only way we can measure success is through whether they met timelines and delivered the functionality that we wanted, both of which they did. They’ve made sure the apps do what we want them to do.

Their developers are generally very good. Their work is especially good at the design stage. We’re not designers, and I was happy that we didn’t just get a pure implementation of what we asked for; they actually gave us ideas around how to improve what we were doing, or pointed out issues that would come up with the original way we envisioned things. That’s what you want a professional for.

How did Riseapps perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was good. It was a reasonable, good working relationship. They’re remote, so all of our communication was over Google Hangouts, Zoom, Slack, and email. Toward the end of the build, when we were fixing bugs and finishing everything up, we were communicating daily. The minimum amount of communication we had throughout the lifecycle was once a week, when they were implementing first versions of things. It ranged from there.

The timelines were adjusted, but it was reasonable. We missed the initial deadline because we asked for several changes as the product was developed. Our agreement wasn’t fully spec’d out initially because we wanted to get going quickly, so everything was an estimate, and then things got fleshed out as we were building. We were delayed about a month or two from the initial estimate, but I found that to be reasonable, as it was due to changes that we requested.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very professional throughout the whole project. For example, they provided roadmaps, used technologies for development like Jira, communicated through Slack, and were responsive to changes and asks – all of those things paint a picture of people who have done this before and have done it well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

A little bit more communication toward the end would have been helpful. We were having daily meetings, but it was sometimes hard to pin down exactly where we were at on certain tasks. We would’ve liked some more transparency toward the final steps of the project. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Invest in communication upfront, which is advice I’d give to anyone working with any kind of development shop. It’s better to over-communicate in the beginning than to have issues come up later.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder and CEO of a travel platform which provides and end-to-end service for travelers looking to get inspired, plan, book, travel, and share. We are an early stage startup with an international team but based in Switzerland.

For what projects/services did your company hire Riseapps?

We needed to design and build the first version of the app. We engaged with Riseapps to do everything from initial ideas to product ready for app store launch.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a high quality product which could be launched on the app store.

How did you select this vendor?

We searched for companies and found Riseapps to be the best value for what we were looking.

Describe the project in detail.

We first worked on the design based on my original ideas and specifications. After finishing the app design and performing some tests with users we began the development phase. Development lasted for about 6 months until we had a product ready for beta testing. We are now starting beta testing.

What was the team composition?

The project manager assigned to the project was our main contact point for organization and driving the project. There were iOS developers, a backend developer, QA engineers and the designer.

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

Based on our initial design and mockups, we have gotten 500 sign ups for the beta test. We will see how the beta test goes and how the product launch performs on the app store but we are confident!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was very easy to communicate with and they were flexible. We could always count on them to provide the answers to questions, challenge us, and respond very quickly to our requests.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The end to end capabilities of the team were really great. They have all the knowledge and experience to execute a great project and it really helped us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The product is really great. In order to avoid confusion sometimes, I could recommend to always ask for clarification if something is not totally clear. It can avoid extra time or discussions later on.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a travel startup. It’s an instant booking platform for hotels.

What challenge were you trying to address with Riseapps?

We were in development and they helped us through one of our phases. We brought them on several months after we initially started, so we needed their help addressing different bugs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped with certain aspects of the frontend. They came in and filled in some of the holes and gaps that we needed. That was connecting the hotels to our platform and fixing a few of those plugins. They also researched a few different software for us to use. They identified Sabre Travel Software, which they worked extensively with. They were very agile in the way the worked and touched on a little bit of everything.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a lot of people across different teams, but in development, there was one main person.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $2,000 per month (approximately $14,000 in total).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in August 2019 and ended in February 2020.

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

They did a fantastic job with what they were given. They achieved the results we were looking for. We would definitely work with them again and recommend them to others.

How did Riseapps perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a very good job, especially with the challenges with our project that existed before we brought them on. Their members worked on the project with people across several time zones, and they did a great job managing everything. They delivered a quality product on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve worked with a lot of other different agencies, but I liked that they worked well as a team. They all worked from the same office, which helped a lot. Their CEO is very hands-on and responsive. With any tech product, it’s helpful to have a team lead at the top who is very hands-on. In the past, we’ve been challenged with that when we’ve worked with junior developers or uninvested team members, so they stand out in that regard. We could tell that they’re experienced. They’re also competitively priced.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There isn’t anything I can think of. They did a good job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Start with them from the very beginning of your project. One of the challenges we faced was trying to fix mistakes that were already done by other developers. If we brought them on in the beginning, the transition would have been easier and the learning curve wouldn’t have been as big.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Noho Med, which is a healthcare company that provides digital resources to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

What challenge were you trying to address with Riseapps?

We needed to build a digital tool for users.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Riseapps created our principal digital tool, which is our pulmonary rehab program that consists of HIPPA-compliant mobile and web apps. The platforms contain chat and video features using the latest streaming technology.

Their team helped us to design the app using tools such as Adobe Sketch. Then, they coded the apps and continue to code the mobile apps principally. Their team both writes and deploys the code.

On the web app, their team used Django and Python. They wrote the app in a mixture of JavaScript and TypeScript. Their team used the React Native framework for the mobile app, which is both an Android and iOS app.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager and probably 3–4 developers. We’ve scaled the resources up and down. Right now, we work with two developers.

How did you come to work with Riseapps?

My co-founder found Riseapps. We took in three separate bids for our project. We considered the cost and the caliber of the company as well as how they would work with our particular set of circumstances. We decided that Riseapps had the best combination of those considerations.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $100,000 with Riseapps.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began designing the app in August 2019 and the project’s ongoing.

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

I’m pleased with the quality of the code. Their code was easy to read. I’ve had no issues managing their code.

I was a little disappointed with the quality assurance. We decided that we wanted to help alpha test the app, which I would recommend against for future customers. We found bugs that I wouldn’t consider alpha bugs. We didn’t have a good process in place, which was on us. 

How did Riseapps perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was the one area where I wasn’t entirely satisfied. We had an issue at the beginning of our project. Through no fault of their own, the project manager who managed our project left the company and Riseapps assigned a new project manager. It’s a difficult situation when the person who designed your app leaves before the development.

Other than that, they did a good job with project management. It’s a helpful layer to have. They take care to make sure that our requirements are translated appropriately for their developers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Riseapps combines high-quality work and reasonable pricing. I’m impressed with the knowledge and technical abilities of their developers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For the most part, the project went really well. I strongly recommend them. They could’ve mentioned that we didn't have the recipe for success before we had difficulties with the project. If the project management switch didn’t occur, I would be more satisfied. When the switch occurred, we didn’t leverage their CEO as much as we could’ve, which was a mistake of ours.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to have a complete agreement about the schedule and the requirements for each part of the schedule. Looking to do something late and leaving things ambiguous is not a recipe for success. Focus on the early part of the design and development. To the extent that there were frustrations with the development, it usually came out of a lack of adequate preparation during the design phase. When we didn’t agree on a feature completely, we ended up being frustrated. Once everyone’s in agreement, there’s little room to be unhappy. Make sure that the CEO’s involved whenever a difficult transition arises. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

GenomSys is a Swiss company developing technology powering enterprise-grade tools and applications for efficiently managing and sharing genomic data, enabling the progress of large scale personalized genomic medicine. I’m Massimo Ravasi, Director of Software Product Development at GenomSys.

For what projects/services did your company hire Riseapps?

We needed to develop an MVP for an access rights management and data sharing web application. Riseapps carried out the entire SDLC, including design, backend development, frontend development, and testing.

What were your goals for this project?

The web application focused on assisting patients and doctors with sharing and managing the results of medical research. The application had to be capable of genomic data transport, secure sharing, and long term archival.

How did you select this vendor?

Riseapps was selected among many other vendors. Their experts commanded loyalty during the introductory call and the following tech meetings. The team has shown robust expertise as well as integrity and clarity in negotiating.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Riseapps built an MVP for a web application, which is basically an access rights management system. As mentioned earlier, they carried out the entire SDLC.

What was the team composition?

Riseapps team consisted of a project manager, development staff, and a QA engineer.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Having developed a solid web application, we enlarged our set of tools to manage genetic data, aiming at improving the quality of life of people.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The PM Viktoria was sensible, clear and precise. She was available almost round the clock, so it was always very easy to get in touch whenever we needed a timely response to our questions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The Riseapps team has shown integrity and devotion to the project, looking for and suggesting relevant and effective solutions. They managed to meet technical requirements on building the MVP as soon as was reasonably possible.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No