What was the scope of their involvement?
TekRevol came on board to help me design and develop the app. They’re taking my vision, simplifying it, and turning it into something real. They’re building an Android mobile app and it will be a web app as well. We're waiting to do the iOS version down the road. We already have the alpha build downloaded on tablets to show potential investors. We're in the beta phase right now.
A parent and their child (between the ages of 10–16) can log on to the program. They get a list of participating law enforcement officers and can click on each profile. Officers are ranked based on how long they've been engaged in the program, how many children they work with, and how many social engagement tasks they've accomplished. The parent and child can see where each officer is located, what activities they like, and any availability in their schedule. They send a request to meet with the officer, which can happen through Skype or in person.
I set various initiatives for the kids and officers to participate in, such as raising their GPA or visiting the elderly. The kids earn rewards for completing each task. We chart all of their activity in the app. They can shoot a video or take a picture of what they've done. Once an administrator approves the video or photo, we release points to the kids. The points can be redeemed for gift cards or other types of rewards from local vendors and sponsors. We include rewards for the law enforcement officers as well.
What is the team composition?
I work with quite a few members of their team. I work with a PR person, a senior writer, the head of their marketing department, and a developer. I even work with Abeer (Co-Founder, TekRevol) on a regular basis.
How did you come to work with TekRevol?
It was blind faith. I didn't know a lot about technology. I'm a community developer who spent six years working with children and law enforcement officers. I looked up app developers online and TekRevol was the first name that came up. I called them late one evening thinking I’d get their voicemail. Instead, I get a live person. I didn’t realize they had offices in Pakistan as well as in California and Dubai.
I didn’t want to get into the details of my project without a nondisclosure form, and they had one on deck. I told them about my idea and Chris (Managing Director, TekRevol) called me the next morning. Chris listened to me talk for two hours about my vision. He fell in love with it and we've been working together ever since.
How much have you invested with them?
I've spent about $160,000, not counting what they’ve done for me in terms of marketing.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in January 2019 and the engagement is ongoing.
The app was completed with minimal hiccups, earning praise from end users. Working for a self-described “difficult taskmaster,” TekRevol was quick to roll with the punches and professionally responded to all issues, ideas, and queries.