Thrive.io

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an issues-obsessed agency delivering strategic campaigns and digital solutions for a changing world. We partner with businesses, brands, organizations and philanthropies who are dissatisfied with small ideas for their big challenges. We provide meaningful and measurable change because we are creative thinkers who love data. I am the Senior Technical Director.

For what projects/services did your company hire Thrive.io, and what were your goals?

We needed to develop a high-end, high-quality Wordpress website for one of our US clients.

How did you select Thrive.io and what were the deciding factors?

I have worked with some of the Thrive.io team before and found them to be very professional and cost-effective.

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

We provided designs for the website and the Thrive.io took these for development of the Wordpress site. It was important for us to have a very flexible and user friendly administrator experience so we used the Flexible Content functionality of Advanced Custom Fields. There was also some custom development integrating with an API to synchronize data.

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

Our primary contact was Yana, the project manager for this project. We did interface directly with the developers a couple of times as we were working out details for the API sync.

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

The client loves the flexibility that the website provides them and the automated synchronization of data from one of their internal systems.

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

We used Slack for project communication. There was a lot of communication and we always felt like we understood where the project was and was headed. We used Trello for providing bug reports back to the developers.

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

They are very detailed and thorough and over-communicate. If they don't understand something you are saying, they will persist until everything is clear. I really appreciated this. Also, the developed website was VERY close to the designs.

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

This was the first time working with this team, so of course there is always a period of time where you have to learn how to work best together. The project was a huge success.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of a small company that does text message marketing for the real estate industry.

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive.io?

We needed a development partner to help us build our platform from the ground up.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped me build the basic framework of our application when we first started as a company, and over the last 11 years they’ve helped maintain and upgrade that original application. We also worked with them to build an automated testing platform to go along with our original product.

We provided them some very basic designs in the beginning, but they provided the majority of the work, including front- and backend work primarily in Java. That included everything from our basic entity data model to transaction management and the core messaging platform and lead generation efforts.

What is the team composition?

There are around four members of their team that we work with on a regular basis. One person in particular has been with us for the entire duration of our work together and we have really enjoyed working with him.

How did you come to work with Thrive.io?

I found them online, where and they were one of the best submissions to a test that I put out on that platform. Their solution was the most robust, so I decided to partner with them.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the years, we’ve probably spent a little over $200,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

Our main success metric has been the fact that in more than 10 years, we’ve never had to roll back a product release because of software bugs. They are very diligent about having a test-driven approach to the entire development lifecycle. That approach has allowed us to accomplish a lot with very few people, and that is one of the biggest reasons we continue to happily work with them today.

How did Thrive.io perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Track and some other out-of-the-box bug tracking tools, as well as TeamCity for continuous integration and Diversion for source control. We’ve been happy with the level of communication we get from their team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the things that I like so much about their team, but especially Dmitry, is their willingness to go beyond or in some cases actually question the specifications if they can foresee a problem with them.

Occasionally we will have requirements to which there are better solutions and they are always happy to work with us to find those whether or not they are what we originally asked them to develop.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really don’t have any specific things I think they should improve. It took me a little bit to adjust to the difference in culture between our teams, but that was never a problem in our ability to work together.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Unicase law firm is a full service consulting firm that centered its expertise on Energy and Renewables. Ayana is a Counsel at Tashkent office.

For what projects/services did your company hire Thrive.io?

New website development, consulting on hosting and other IT issues

What were your goals for this project?

new website that would attract more clients

How did you select this vendor?

via Upwork, Elmaz was one of the most friendly and client-oriented managers she reacted immediately to my request and provided the scope of work/fees very fast

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

-developed new website -clarified hosting issues -cleaned all unnecessary hostings and domain names -moved domain to another hosting

What was the team composition?

Project Manager Pavel and Elmaz were the leads

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

We have received the feedback from our clients and friends on how the like our new website.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project Manager Pavel was really great in clarifications , general leading the project, was very responsive 24/7. Pavel explained every step to me being a non-IT person, was providing assistance quickly and effectively, he was brilliant in doing his work. We are very pleased with his work and with the new website.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their teamwork, friendly communication style, and immediate feedback stood out.

Are there any areas for improvement?

no

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director at Novo Ministries, a small nonprofit based in Oklahoma City.

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive.io?

We needed an online database to manage our program information. We have dozens of programs around the city and we needed to track and screen the volunteers and children who attend.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had several discovery meetings to identify the features we needed. We broke the work up into several manageable sprints and made certain tweaks along the way. They built a system from the ground up on Drupal 7 to manage all the relationships that we have as a non-profit.  The system integrates a background check screening API into the system.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Dmitry (Co-Founder, Thrive.io) and Alex (Program Manager, Thrive.io).

How did you come to work with Thrive.io?

Thrive.io was recommended to me by another local nonprofit.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested just over $48,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project began in July 2017 and was completed in November 2018.

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

We were very pleased with the end product, and will definitely work with them again in the future. We got exactly what we were looking for and they were able to overcome several challenges along the way.

How did Thrive.io perform from a project management standpoint?

We used email and Skype primarily for communication. They were really good with managing the project through Excel spreadsheets and outlining the goals of each sprint.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were great at spearheading the project with strong leadership. I’m completely satisfied with the services they provided.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would make sure that if there’s any sort of language barrier to reiterate what the end goal is. There’s always a potential for misunderstandings to arise if there’s not a lot of consistent back and forth communication.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a co-founder of SBLOB, a social media platform where users can aggregate and display all of their social media content in one page for others to subscribe to view. In just one page, all of a user’s social content gets equal exposure regardless of the hosting platform, thereby increasing the exposure of all communications to use for later conversions.

For what projects/services did your company hire Thrive.io?

Since we’re a startup, we needed a team of highly skilled developers to help accelerate the creation of SBLOB's backend to support the aggregation of social media and analytics.

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through Upwork.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Thrive.io was tasked with ensuring that SBLOB was compatible with YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Patreon, Instagram, and Twitch, as well as Shopify.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with one strong backend developer who we found very collaborative.

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

When working remotely, the biggest fears are commitment and communication. This wasn't the case from the start with Thrive.io.  We were given confidence throughout the entire process regarding delivery and quality.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

My co-founder managed the project and was in daily contact with the developer.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Thrive.io is particularly strong in backend development. Their developer worked incredibly fast and provided high-quality work. I would highly recommend their services.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We found their frontend development less fluid compared to backend development.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of wewogo GmbH. We’re a startup with a mobile app for users to leave ratings and reviews of businesses. Customers can leave feedback on their experience at restaurants, hotels, advertising agencies, etc.

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive.io?

We hired Thrive.io as a development partner to create our mobile app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided Thrive.io with the sketches I created using Balsamiq. Their team created the design and incorporated my feedback into the final product. From there, they developed the iOS version and then began building the Android product.

They’ve built several functions into the app to increase the overall usability of the platform. Thrive.io implemented features to allow users to upload pictures, leave reviews, search for companies, and use geodata. Their team is also helping improve our website’s API functions and creating a landing page. They’re currently adding more features to the iOS version of the app.

What is the team composition?

Thrive.io assigned one main point of contact who distributes work among the team of 10 developers.

How did you come to work with Thrive.io?

We looked for vendors online. After a few discussions about our expectations, we decided Thrive.io was the right fit for the project. They were strong communicators during that process and explained the approach they’d take. We liked their previous examples of work and we appreciated their professional demeanor.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2018, and the project is ongoing.

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

We successfully launched our iOS app and the software was approved by the iTunes store on our first try. We aren’t going to advertise the platform until the Android version is complete, but we’re already seeing between 100–200 users, so far.

How did Thrive.io perform from a project management standpoint?

The project is handled in different sprints. Thrive.io has hit most of our deadlines, aside from one small delay caused by a few issues. Their communication is strong, and we primarily use Skype and Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciate their willingness to always find a solution and deliver a strong product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s no area for them to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bring a detailed concept to the project to save time.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm an independent maker who is interested in creating my own apps and projects.

For what projects/services did your company hire Thrive.io?

I hired them to help me develop my podcast listening app for Android.

What were your goals for this project?

I had built an app using legacy code. It wasn't in good shape, but I wasn't ready to start over, so I needed a company to continue working on it. I have a limited budget, so I needed to work with a flexible team that could help me maximize my resources.

How did you select this vendor?

I found Thrive.io on WeWork, and one of their developers reached out. Out of all the people I interviewed, he was the best communicator with the most positive attitude.

Describe the project in detail.

I keep in touch with them through Slack and occasional phone calls. I write specs using Google Docs, adding as many specificities and design ideas as I can. After asking necessary questions, they offer an estimate. I often request features and fixes. 

What was the team composition?

In the beginning, one team member worked directly on the application and I served as the product manager and designer. Our small team has evolved to include another junior developer.

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

When I gave them the app, it crashed constantly. Now it no longer crashes and is stable enough to develop new features. It's nearly ready to grow, but remains in beta testing. The project stays in a constant state of slow improvement, mostly because of my lack of resources. Each week, we make a little progress on performance or functionality. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their communication and responsiveness are excellent. I keep in touch with the team through Slack. If I ask a question, I always receive a response within 12 hours and usually get one sooner. If either of us needs to take a break, we negotiate and agree upon it in advance.

I'm impressed with their proactivity. This is the best freelance working relationship I've ever had. They are patient with me, asking questions often and clarifiying when something isn't clear.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I'm impressed that even though they have a lot on their plate, they still have time to work on smaller projects. My project is low on their priority list, but it doesn't feel that way. If they promise to deliver a build, I get one.

Are there any areas for improvement?

If any of my specifications are unclear, I would love to receive feedback about what I can do better. I'm always looking to grow. Even though I'm a client, I want to make our working relationship even better.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Stillwaters Technologies, Inc. We’re a software development company that’s focused on creating products for environmental safety and compliance.

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive.io?

I’ve worked with Thrive.io since their inception. They’re one of my primary vendors, assisting with any development projects as necessary.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked with them on multiple projects, but one of our most complex initiatives involved building an IoT solution to manage the inventories and performance of over the road (OTR) vehicles that haul machinery and other heavy equipment. The solution has both hardware and software components that work together to monitor critical elements like tire pressure and brake functionality. Since the initial build, the product has been largely distributed. I no longer work on that project, but the Thrive.io team continues to provide support.

Looking at all of their work over the course of our partnership, they’ve worked with a variety of technologies like Java, .NET, and PHP. In the majority of our collaborations, we follow an agile approach to the development process.

What is the team composition?

We’ve had a project manager and a relationship manager as our main points of contact, but there is always a background team. We can have anywhere between 2–25 resources, depending on the workload.

How did you come to work with Thrive.io?

I was the principal of a consulting company in a previous role. I helped one of my employees start their own venture, which turned into Thrive.io. We’ve worked with them ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

At this point, we’ve spent between $500,000–$100,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the IoT project back in March 2016, and Thrive.io is still working on it.

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

Thrive.io delivered a phenomenal IoT solution. It was a big project for our company. We were working with the largest manufacturer and distributor of OTR-vehicle parts in the country. The build itself was incredibly complex. Thrive.io navigated the project with skill, avoiding problems and obstacles by creating a strong and thought-out architectural design. Because the solution’s foundation was so carefully considered, we were able to quickly diagnose and resolve problems as soon as they arose. This careful planning was key to the success of the product.

How did Thrive.io perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Jira to track the project, and we were in constant contact with their team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I most appreciate their detailed approach to designing the architecture before moving into development.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be a bit more open to client feedback. Both their team and mine were very confident in the solution, but my client requested changes. I sensed a bit of pushback from their end.

Any advice for potential customers?

I recommend clients stay closely engaged with Thrive.io throughout the project. They’re extremely confident in their work, so without a close eye, they could take it in an unanticipated direction. Stay on top of their deliverables to make sure everyone involved remains on the same page.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president and COO of an online content delivery platform. It started out with musical artists, but we now showcase sports figures, politicians, tourist destinations, and other verticals.

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive.io?

We have a small team of in-house developers, but we needed outside assistance for our development project. We contracted with Thrive.io to help us scale our efforts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our company works with mainstream music artists and major labels. Each artist can add music files, exclusive pictures, and live stream videos to the account for fans to enjoy. The exclusivity of the content is the appeal, and the sports figures or politicians have similar abilities on the platform.

Thrive.io provided development support, working with PHP, Java, and Node.js, to further our goals with this project.

What is the team composition?

Our project manager has been our main point of contact, and he communicates with the development team.

How did you come to work with Thrive.io?

They came recommended from a previous client.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $150,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in April 2016 and remains ongoing.

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

All of their work has been top-notch. They’re easy to work with, and they’re quick to address any problems. They’re very thorough in their work.

How did Thrive.io perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager keeps us on track. We communicate using Slack and Bitbucket.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m not a technical person, but our project manager is able to translate my ideas to the development team in terms they can understand. That’s valuable for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have nothing negative to say about them. I’ve enjoyed working with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of two different businesses. The first provides corporate perks and the second is a sports fundraising group that mostly works with high school athletic teams.

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive.io?

I was looking for an agency to build and manage the mobile apps for both businesses.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Thrive.io works on all of the apps for both companies. They primarily focus on development; most of the design and creative elements are handled internally. For the perks app, we had already built a native iOS version, so their team reverse engineered that system to create the Android version. They also built hybrid iOS and Android versions for the fundraising app. We’ve since handed over the management responsibilities for all of the platforms to Thrive.io.

The corporate perks app allows participating companies to customize the platform so that it aligns with their own brand. Thrive.io created branches of the original version that link to our central API, connecting each version with our core processes such as registration. At this point, they haven’t developed anything very complex because they’re just building branches off of the legacy system.

The fundraising app allows users to create a virtual fan club. Teams can also promote their events, publishing upcoming fundraisers and collecting RSVPs from people that plan to attend. The app serves as a POS, using barcodes and a scanning system to track sales and collect money.

Thrive.io is mainly enhancing the system's reporting features, optimizing the process to allow every team member to register as a “seller,” invite friends and family to join their “fan club,” and share their upcoming plans. The team has built the entire invitation functionality to enhance this process. Right now, they’re working on a live streaming feature using .NET technologies. When complete, one fan will be able to stream each event in real time. The system will notify all other members of the “fan club,” who can follow along or watch the recording at a later time.

Thrive.io is also integrating the core functionalities from the perks app with the fundraising app so that we can share nearby offers and discounts within the fan platform. We’ll encourage them to download the perks app through a download link.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with a project manager and Dmitry (General Manager, Thrive.io). We mainly speak with those two representatives, but we also interact with a QA specialist and a developer when necessary.

How did you come to work with Thrive.io?

They were a referral from another contractor.

How much have you invested with them?

The budget for the current project is $50,000, but our overall scope totals to about five times that amount.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2015, and they’ve since worked on a variety of projects.

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

The perks app was named an Inc. 5000 company for the fourth year in a row. Over the past three years, its experienced a 150% growth rate. The fundraising app is in its presale year, so we’re conducting a market test with about 100 teams. It’s also promoting business discount cards from the corporate perk app, which has helped boost incoming business. Thrive.io is our primary support system in all of our efforts.

How did Thrive.io perform from a project management standpoint?

Unlike some of the other firms I’ve worked with, Thrive.io is very professional. They manage their workload with efficiency and have an expansive library of technical abilities. They’re very diligent and consistently communicate, requesting budget restrictions and alerting us to any changes. We mainly communicate through Slack, but we’ll send emails when it’s necessary. The team is responsive and highly competent—qualities that we’ve had trouble finding in the past.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I most appreciate their communication skills. In all interactions, they’re pleasant, transparent, easy-going, and responsive. Additionally, they’re great developers. I can’t think of any mistakes they’ve made throughout our partnership. Thrive.io tests their work thoroughly, and, based on their success, we’re giving them more responsibility within our company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m happy with their services. Generally, I like to maintain control of the creative process, so I only give Thrive.io specific tasks. They consistently meet our expectations, but we’ll continue to strictly manage the process; it keeps both sides in line.

Any advice for potential customers?

Clients should understand the difference between implementing new functionalities, building updates, and making bug fixes. People have varying perspectives on this, which can lead to misunderstandings and delays. It’s important to establish these differences at the beginning of the partnership so that everyone is on the same page in terms of expectations and estimates.