TechPods JSC

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CTO of a Tire Company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Bringing simplicity, incredible value, and trust to the world of online tire buying.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire TechPods JSC to accomplish?

• Building a Strong Tech Team with High Standards
• Accelerating Product Development
• Supporting a Long-Term Product Roadmap

SOLUTION

How did you find TechPods JSC?

• Referral
• Clutch Site

Why did you select TechPods JSC over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from TechPods JSC were assigned to this project?

35

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

After a multi-year collaboration with an existing outsourcing partner, we decided to transition our tech team to a location closer to home. We had clear criteria in mind: we were looking for an EU-based partner known for transparency, cost-effectiveness, and a strong track record. That's when we discovered TechPods and their co-sourcing model, which immediately seemed like the perfect fit. TechPods stands out with their professionalism and transparency, offering a refreshing change from the bench-style vendors we've previously worked with. 
Their co-sourcing model enabled us to quickly assemble a team of top-tier software engineers, meshing well with our operations without any disruptions. A standout feature of TechPods' approach is our involvement in the hiring process. We have been able to interview and select engineers who not only meet but exceed our high standards. 
Their expertise has significantly accelerated our product development, allowing us to launch our solutions faster than we had initially planned. The commitment of TechPods to excellence is apparent in every aspect of their service. Communication is effortless, and their team consistently adopts a proactive stance in problem-solving. 
The collaborative environment they foster is impressive, allowing for seamless integration between our in-house team and the co-sourced engineers, leading to a highly efficient workflow. TechPods' adaptability and responsiveness to our changing needs have been crucial in our project's success. They have a keen understanding of our business dynamics and provide agile solutions that align perfectly with our objectives. In conclusion, our experience with TechPods has been exceptionally positive. 
Their transparent co-sourcing model and the remarkable caliber of their engineering talent have established them as a valuable partner in our journey towards innovative product development. With a 5-year roadmap for launching new products, we are confident that TechPods will continue to be an integral part of our success.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Acceleration of Product Development

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

• Proactive Problem-Solving: The team at TechPods JSC consistently adopted a proactive approach to problem-solving. 
• Effortless Communication: The communication with TechPods is effortless, and they maintain clear, open, and effective communication channels. 
• Adaptability and Responsiveness to Needs: TechPods are adaptable and responsive to the project's changing needs. 
• Collaborative Environment: This facilitated seamless integration between the in-house team and TechPods’ engineers, which values teamwork and integration. 
• Acceleration of Product Development: Their project management approach effectively improved the project timeline and efficiency.

What was your primary form of communication with TechPods JSC?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• Innovative Co-Sourcing Model: TechPods employs a co-sourcing model that's a game changer. It allowed us to quickly integrate highly skilled engineers into our team seamlessly, without any operational disruptions. This approach is a significant departure from traditional outsourcing and provided a more integrated and collaborative partnership. 
• Direct Involvement in Hiring: One of the most impressive features of TechPods is their policy of involving us directly in the hiring process. This allowed us to handpick engineers who didn’t just meet, but exceeded our high standards. This level of engagement in building our team is something you don’t see with many outsourcing firms. 
• Rapid Product Development: The proficiency and expertise of TechPods’ engineers significantly accelerated our product development, enabling us to launch our products much faster than we had planned. Their contribution was pivotal in enhancing our productivity and efficiency. 
• Exceptional Adaptability and Responsiveness: TechPods’ ability to adapt and respond to our changing business needs was remarkable. They consistently provided agile solutions that were perfectly aligned with our goals, demonstrating a deep understanding of the dynamic nature of our business. 
• Commitment to Excellence: The entire team at TechPods is committed to excellence in every aspect of their service. Their collaborative atmosphere allowed for a seamless integration of their engineers with our in-house team, leading to a highly efficient workflow. 
• Unparalleled Transparency: What I also found refreshing was the transparency with which TechPods operates. Their openness and honesty set them apart from other vendors we’ve worked with.

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

Sustainability Practices: Focusing on sustainability and eco-friendly practices is increasingly important in the modern business environment. TechPods could examine their sustainability initiatives and how these are communicated to their clients.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Engineering of (a/an) Financial services

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Consumer facing credit and cashback fintech

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire TechPods JSC to accomplish?

• Supplement our existing Engineering teams
• Build out our mobile app, website and internal admin console

SOLUTION

How did you find TechPods JSC?

Referral

Why did you select TechPods JSC over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

What was the size of TechPods JSC’s team?

6-10 Employees

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

Techpods were tasked with working across a variety of deliverables including the improvement of our internal customer-service administration tool, the self serve capabilities of our mobile application and improving the efficiency of our existing processes through the development of more sophisticated custom microservices.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Story points delivered
• Customer support tickets decreased

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

Techpods Engineers fit well into our existing project management structure and were fully familiar with the agile scrum methodology for delivering software at pace. The Engineers fully immersed themselves into our company culture and worked side by side with our existing developers to collaborate and deliver high quality code.

The Techpods management team were quick to respond to our requests and easy to communicate with at all times. day to day communication was delegated directly to the Engineers which is ideal in a fast moving environment and gives full reassurance that the Techpods team are engaged and onboard with our goals. There is no hiding behind a "project manager" with Techpods - we worked directly with their well qualified developers.

What was your primary form of communication with TechPods JSC?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The high quality of the Engineers that we were able to work with and the responsiveness of management to our changing needs over time. If we needed to make alterations to the team, management were quick to respond and no difficult conversations were needed. The Engineers themselves had the skills we needed to deliver complex work quickly and at scale. The team worked as if they were full members of the company, going above and beyond to deliver.

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

The notice period for off-boarding is slightly longer than would have been ideal. To respond quickly to changing market conditions, a shorter notice period would be better. However, to management's credit, they allowed for early exits if other opportunities became available and this did happen for us in some cases which was very appreciated.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Arctic Shores is pioneering and enabling Potential-Based Hiring, a new hiring approach which looks at a candidate's capability to perform in a specific role rather than relying on outdated and biased measures such as past experience and socioeconomic background.

I am the Co-Founder and CTO at Arctic Shores leading the engineering team responsible for developing our unique assessments which measure a candidate's true capability for a role.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were looking for capable and curious mid-level engineers to scale up our software development team for specific backend services. We were in danger of falling behind our schedules and TechPods JSC is able to source engineers quickly that fit right into our culture and requirements.

SOLUTION

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

We found TechPods through referral from another company in our local community. Our deciding factors included a track record of presenting developers fitting our specific requirements, the ability to "embed" developers within our team and processes for a long-term engagement, and of course, cost.

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

The scope of work was web application development and the development of APIs for access by third party services. Python experience was required as the primary programming language.

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

We have generally had two software engineers working simultaneously with us on our projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were successfully able to progress our project as planned. Most importantly, each TechPods software developer is "one of the team" and bought into our ways of working.

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

TechPods communication is open and timely and cannot be faulted. We communicate via email or video conference as appropriate, and on a rare occasion, face to face.

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

We were keen to add capability to our team by embedding TechPod developers into our process and avoiding and "us and them" mentality. This is exactly what TechPods were able to engineer for us and is quite unique to TechPods.

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

There's nothing they need to improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Mr & Mrs Smith began life in 2003 with two adventurous hotel lovers (our real-life Mr and Mrs: James and Tamara Lohan) and has evolved into a global travel club with a million like-minded members in more than 100 countries. Every club has a purpose. Ours is to knock your socks off, with help from the world’s best bedrooms. We don’t want this to be a one-night stand or a quick fling; we’re in it for the long-haul. I am the CTO for Mr & Mrs Smith, dedicated to providing a technological advantage to the travel club and enabling the best experience for our members

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechPods?

We hired TechPods to work alongside our in house development teams to re-write our Rates and Availability engine, the core of system for receiving all prices, room availability, types and offers and making them available to our members.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals were to enable us to receive more updates from our hotels and make them available sooner and more reliably to the members. In addition we were looking to work alongside an outsourced team, provided by TechPods, to provide additional expansion capability when required.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We looked at and talked to a number of near shore development partners, who had experience in our preferred technologies and agile working practices, and TechPods came out on top as the most aligned to our culture and requirements.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

TechPods provided us with a number of potential developers that we were able to interview and test to find the most suitable. For this early stage we selected a single developer who has worked alongside the team on the project

What was the team composition?

A single TechPods developer working remotely alongside an in house team of three back end developers, a PO and QA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At this stage it is too early to demonstrate the value provided.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The TechPods developer worked as part of the team, fully integrated into our ways of working and developing stories as any other internal team member would

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have been committed to providing us with the right developers for our project, working alongside us to interview and test a number of candidates and have been incredibly flexible as our needs have changed in the last couple of months. We have a high benchmark for quality of work and they have found us a team member who met that benchmark.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of Kodal, a software digital agency. We specialize in mobile app development, web-based development, platform development, and e-commerce development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechPods?

We needed an additional resource with experience in React Native and mobile development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They found a resource for us very quickly and efficiently. The resource works remotely.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Benjamin (Co-Founder & CEO) during the recruitment phase. They provided a dedicated React developer. 

How did you come to work with TechPods?

I worked with Benjamin previously. I liked his model of providing designated resources. It’s not about outsourcing, it’s about expanding our in-house team.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2019, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The candidate they found is great. She’s very proactive and easily joined project meetings. We’ve gotten amazing feedback. We’ll work with them for a long time. They’re very professional. The quality of the resource is very high. 

How did TechPods perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered everything on time. We manage everything from our side. We include them as part of our team. We do standups with them daily. It’s a very transparent process. We use Slack or Zoom calls. It’s very easy to communicate with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our resource is very good at communicating. She’s very easygoing. Software developers aren’t always easy to communicate with. TechPods is very easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have a relationship directly with the developer. If we have a problem, she’s been very reactive to solve any issues. We've always been able to resolve problems. I don’t have any negative feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t treat them as a separate entity or a silo. Bring them into the team and treat them as part of the in-house team where they communicate and build a relationship with the rest of the team members. It’s fundamental to the success of your project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Almond.org, an ethical rewards program.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechPods?

We were looking for help developing out our technology and product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve done both mobile and web for us, creating our website and our cross-platform React Native application. We also have a backend system database. They also JavaScript.

We’ve built a whole IoT coding system where you can scan data matrix codes and QR codes, a brand management system where we can manage a directory of the brands we work with, and a system that links people’s credit cards to our application to reward them for spending money.

What is the team composition?

We work with Ben (CEO, TechPods).

How did you come to work with TechPods?

It was through a colleague at the time.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around £400,000 ($492,000 USD) so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve achieved a lot. We have a team of four at the moment, so I’m happy with what’s been done for the time spent and money invested. They hit our roadmap and the key milestones we’ve been working toward. We’ve got 200,000 users on Visa, and we’re in the information gathering stage right now. There’s been a lot of positive feedback from users though.

How did TechPods perform from a project management standpoint?

We took a few weeks to get into a rhythm but we’ve got a good system. We live on Slack, and it works well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their speed in recruiting people and filling roles with high-quality candidates stands out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I’ve seen. I’m pretty happy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Launch with the right processes and structures in place. With any distributed team, it’s important to have the right tools in place to work efficiently together. Have regular meetings and speak to team members on a daily basis.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director of Atom CTO

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide technology services to start-ups and small businesses

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire TechPods JSC to accomplish?

• Staff Augmentation
• Bringing in additional skills
• Finding a partner that could help us scale

SOLUTION

How did you find TechPods JSC?

Network

Why did you select TechPods JSC over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from TechPods JSC were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Techpods provided us with the additional team members we needed to expand our team and bring in fresh ideas and skills

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been able to take on new projects and provide new capabilities to our clients

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

They are a very efficient team with a well organised process and very clear KPIs. They were very responsive to our needs and were able to adapt as market conditions changed for us

What was your primary form of communication with TechPods JSC?

Virtual Meeting

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

I'm impressed with their down-to-earth approach and the quality of candidates that they've found for us.

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

No areas of improvement

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Operations for a large IT Managed Service Provider based in Ireland with customers who have operations all over the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechPods?

Our company has structured growth planned for the next 5 years and found that we could not sufficiently resource for our engineering teams quickly enough or at the scale required within the domestic market. We engaged with Techpods to co-source an entire engineering team based in Sofia to instantly create capacity.

SOLUTION

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

I had previously indirectly worked with Techpods at a previous business and was already aware of their capabilities and services offered but they were not established at recruiting in our field so we undertook extensive work to ensure our roles could be sourced successfully.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

We have co-sourced an entire engineering team including leadership in one hit, with a fully managed and branded site set up for our team to work from. We are also filling other non service based roles where we cannot source domestically and TechPods JSC is incredibly supportive but hands-off as and when required.

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

Ben and Mike as CEO and CTO respectively are amazingly helpful and supportive and their team of HR and recruitment professionals are first class in finding and recruiting people with the perfect mix of technical and soft skills with attitudes and behaviours in line with our company culture. Ina, Dayana and Izabela, have been crucial to the success of our project landing so well and on time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project has been delivered on time and is now an ongoing concern and I see no reason why the project will not continue to be successful for both parties.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication has been key and at every step Techpods have checked their understanding of our challenges and needs and I have built a high level of trust with the team there to semi-autonomously deliver for us.

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

The sheer enthusiasm and energy demonstrated for the work.

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

Nothing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for a UK energy supplier and I'm responsible for a couple of teams dealing with client facing services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechPods?

To help with the rebuild of the Pay as you go energy marketing website

What were your goals for this project?

building the major 3 sections of the marketing website while the internal team was dealing with other priorities.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It was suggested by my manager who already worked with this company.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

A Web Developer worked closely to the internal team: UI Designer, UX and other Dev to redesign and re-platform the current marketing website.

What was the team composition?

A Web Developer working independently with small support/guidance from FTE of the company

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Web Developer was able to quickly understand the requirements and working alongside our internal UI/UX team to delivery the requested pages in a timely manner, freeing our internal developers that where able to focus on other priorities.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was managed from our UK Product Manager

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was looking for a developer for a short time project. TechPods have been able to quickly understand technical and business requirements and provide a top candidate in a very short period of time.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company is a UK energy supplier. I managed the business unit responsible for pay-as-you-go products and services

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechPods?

TechPods helped us spin up a team in no time to work on some important regulatory compliance projects

What were your goals for this project?

To deliver a solution in time for a deadline in order to avoid hefty fines.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I previously worked with Ben and knew his strong work values aligned really well with what I needed

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They hired an entire team, provided them with offices to work from, IT required, training and development opportunities and regular trips to the UK as part of the standard agreement.

What was the team composition?

Full stack developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project was very time sensitive and the team has done an impressive work to deliver on time and meet the requirements.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was managed from the UK with a mixed team of IT resources in Bulgaria

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed to hire and the caliber of developers

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing I can think right now