Ubik Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

OTONOMI is a parametric insurance platform company. We're a SaaS provider that helps insurance companies automate and digitize their insurance flow and claims processing in the transport and logistics industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ubik Group?

When we first contracted Ubik Group, we were an early-stage startup looking to build an MVP. We had a proof of concept (POC), and our company needed to present and sell the MVP to our customers to raise money for the business. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ubik Group is building the MVP using KONG and Node.js for the platform’s API. Apart from that, they’ve built two dashboards that serve as a window into our backend system. Their team has also created a sophisticated state management backend system for our insurance and digital policies. 

What is the team composition?

Our project manager works with two Ubik Group developers on this project. 

How did you come to work with Ubik Group?

We initially found them on LinkedIn and saw Mike (CEO & Founder). Then, we looked them up on Clutch and saw that they had good reviews. From there, we talked to them and discussed the project. Eventually, our team learned that their developers had experience and expertise in the type of software we were building. For context, we wanted a blockchain-based piece of software with a React-based frontend. Their resources hit these skill sets, so we hired them. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested $80,000. As the contract continues, our investment will likely go up to more than $100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2020, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have financial metrics yet since we’re still at the early stages of the development process. Meanwhile, Ubik Group has managed to work a total of 1,500 hours in engineering tasks since the start of our engagement; we’ve also completed 12 sprints. On top of that, their developers have built features that have turned our POC and barebones API into a production-ready platform. As a result, we’ve been able to show a product demo to our end customers. 

Further, Ubik Group implements a continuous delivery and integration process into our workflow, making the process more efficient for the developers. Likewise, the state management system they’ve developed has helped us manage our processes easily via an API. This same API has helped us develop a database, which in turn lets us easily track and access all data generated on the platform.

How did Ubik Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Ubik Group manages the project well, and I’m happy with their outputs. Their teammates work hard and are highly accessible. When we need to discuss something, we communicate with them primarily over Slack and email. We can also track their tasks and time using ClickUp. Overall, they hit their milestones on time and as required. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ubik Group has a unique combination of skills that are highly in demand across industries like insurance tech and fintech. They’re skilled in smart contracts and blockchain-based development. Apart from that, the developers are good at working with traditional API backend and React-based frontend. Using these skill sets and several other technologies, they’ve put together a comprehensive product with just two developers — something that’s hard to come by.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Ubik Group can use a better individual progress tracking system. For context, it’s sometimes hard to know exactly how far the developers are on a certain task. Given that, it will be an improvement if they can have a more granular and detail-oriented task tracking process. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Set up a clear and regular schedule with Ubik Group to ensure that you’re communicating priorities. Sometimes, time and cultural differences exist, so you must have conversations at regular intervals to keep priorities aligned. This will be highly beneficial for your project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a blockchain platform company. When companies need to leverage blockchain, they start with our platform as a basis. I’m the head of partnerships.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ubik Group?

We had a large customer development project. Ubik Group was helping develop smart contracts and other pieces.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ubik Group helped build an application on top of our platform for a customer. The team built on top of STRATO. The functionality was to foster transparency and compliance in the supply chain.  The team helped share information across a large ecosystem by developing smart contracts, helping with UAT integrations, and testing.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three senior engineers from their team.

How did you come to work with Ubik Group?

I’m not sure how we originally got into contact with them. When I came on board, our team had already worked with them for a couple of projects. We continue to work with them because they’re talented developers.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2017, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team was very picky. We developed the first blockchain anywhere in the world. We have a very high standard, and Ubik is our first choice in development partners. Any bugs or issues were worked through during the testing phase.

How did Ubik Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They did very well. They’re always on time. We use Jira and Slack to keep in touch. We also communicate in daily calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They can develop across the full stack well. The entire team is extremely professional. We work with Fortune 500 companies and they understand how to take care of a large enterprise.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as upfront with your business objectives as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a product manager at Johnson & Johnson.  I work in the consumer division for IT and I manage a digital engagement platform where different brands launch their websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ubik Group?

We needed a vendor to help us develop a new feature for our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a Drupal web platform and Ubik developed a feature that allows professionals to receive sample orders and validate their license numbers. They used PHP and MySQL for development and did integrations with NetSuite and our vendor’s custom platform.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Mike Bysiek (Founder, Ubik Group), three developers, and a QA resource.

How did you come to work with Ubik Group?

I worked with Mike previously and I liked the quality of his work. They had the technical expertise that we needed and understood our needs, so we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $70,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2018, and the project was completed in September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Several of our major professional brands are using the feature, which was our goal.

How did Ubik Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Mike was leading the project and the communication was excellent. He sent us regular status updates and was always available when we needed him.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're a boutique agency that is able to give personal attention to their clients. They gave us a highly-skilled team with a great leadership for a very reasonable price.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their skilled software developers are their biggest asset, so I hope they retain them in addition to bringing on new talent.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a partner at an organization that's developing a complex sustainability platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ubik Group?

We reached out to Ubik to develop a blockchain app and a full development team. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ubik helped us build a working MVP from the ground up within five weeks, using the specifications we provided and a variety of technologies that were mostly modular or plugged in from existing tech specs. They provided frontend and backend resources to build the web and mobile-based platform, which involves many different blockchains (i.e., supply chain, logistics, and data management). They continue to provide support as we launch the platform and move into the next phase. 

What is the team composition? 

We work directly with Mike (CEO and Founder, Ubik Group), as well as two project managers and a team of developers on a daily basis. Members of their team are located in different parts of the world, so we pretty much have someone working on the project at all hours of the day.

How did you come to work with Ubik Group?

We heard of Ubik by word of mouth and through positive referrals from previous clients of theirs. We felt they had a very extensive and talented team of affordable developers, who also align well with our values and mission. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested in the range of $100,000–$250,000, which will increase as the team scales over time. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking to them in October 2018, and they turned an MVP around within five weeks starting in January 2019. Our relationship is still ongoing and we anticipate working with them for the foreseeable future. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were able to develop a high-quality MVP in just five weeks at a very competitive rate. They understood the importance of turning the product around quickly, so we would be able to present it at an important event, working well beyond business hours in order to pull it off.

They're in the process of helping us pioneer cutting-edge technologies that have never been done before. The platform is very complex and gaining a lot of positive momentum. They've done a great job of not only building it out, but also providing adequate cybersecurity and project management resources as well. 

How did Ubik Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is incredible, despite all the many locations their staff resides in. They're very accessible on Slack and WhatsApp and good about tracking their work. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The talent of their developers and affordable rates sets them apart. They're one of the highest quality blockchain developers on the market, and their customer service is second to none. They genuinely care about the success of the projects they take on, which is directly reflected in their deliverables. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve how they market themselves in order to grow their business.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Director of Product Development in the brand department at a Financial Services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Ubik Group provided project management and engineers to build one of the main web properties. This web platform provides the tools and information to help small businesses and communities throughout the USA thrive.

SOLUTION

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

Internal referral.

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

Develop E2E site experience in support of one of the longest running corporate social responsibility programs in the US.

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

2. Tech PM and Product Analyst.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

N/A

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

Working with Ubik Group was a flawless experience. All of the resources the team provided us with were professional, reliable, quick on their feet, thought leaders in the technology space and always willing to jump in where needed.

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

Ubik Group made the process of onboarding contractor resources so smooth and easy. It made getting to work faster and less stressful especially given the high profile nature of the project.

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

Nope! Highly recommend.