SpdLoad

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have taken care of the web project from start to finish. Initially, we went through a comprehensive discussion of my needs, the type of customization I was looking for, and the required technologies. Based on this, SpdLoad came up with technical specs. While the current trend is to use existing software instead of coding from scratch, I didn’t want to a WordPress template because we needed numerous features on the site—login, authorization, payments, and so on. They used frameworks for my site.

It features training videos, recipes, and Facebook integration. Users have access to HD-quality [high-definition quality] streaming video through their personal dashboards, which are hosted on an on-demand content delivery network. The recipes are divided into breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and include take-out options, snacks, and smoothies. That’s more than 100 options altogether. We have several payment solutions, including PayPal. There is also a blog and a custom referral program through which users can receive discounts.

What is the team dynamic?

I have been in contact with their founder, Maksym Babych, who also manages their team. He is my go-to person, and he makes himself available for any questions. Everything has gone through him so I don’t have to talk to 10 different people.

How did you come to work with SpdLoad?

They were referred to me by a mutual connection. I was looking for a company that had its own staff since smaller web agencies today tend to use freelance resources in a subcontracting model. However, if a freelancer becomes unavailable, the whole project would get stalled. Fortunately, SpdLoad has a full staff, from designers and testers to front and backend engineers.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been close to $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with SpdLoad in June 2017, and the collaboration will be ongoing for technical support. I have another project for which I’ll hire SpdLoad. I won’t look elsewhere since I am happy with them and they know my project inside out.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

I had an MVP solution and a user base, but the platform itself did not exist. SpdLoad adapted my concept into the actual technology. We initially developed a responsive web application using Angular and Laravel.

SpdLoad was flexible around the features we'd be building, and advised me on how to build a product that could evolve over time. SpdLoad assigned a Russian-speaking team for my project, which made it easier for me to work with them. They understood my business concepts and adapted the platform to best suit those. Even after the specifications were set, it was easy to change and adapt them. My US partner reviewed SpdLoad's work and approved it.

I was in contact with SpdLoad's head developer, who consulted me on every aspect of the project. He put together the rest of the three-person development team. At one point, we introduced an additional resource.

How did you come to work with SpdLoad?

SpdLoad was recommended to me by my partner and mentor, who was using them for an AI project. I saw their portfolio, liked it, and contracted SpdLoad.

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

The cost of SpdLoad's work has been $8,000 for our initial phase. With the changes I requested, the total has gone up to $11,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I have been working with SpdLoad since August 2016. The backend has been completed, but we've needed to make a lot of changes and adapt the design accordingly. We estimate that the app will be ready in three weeks, at which point we will start beta testing.