Ulam Labs

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Bennett Data Science. We help businesses understand the data around their products. We use analytic models to predict where products are going, and help companies prepare for that. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Ulam Labs?

We often need to use developers for product-related things, and Ulam is our choice for those instances. We’ve also done some work together with mobile apps as well.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Generally, there’s some fact-finding that goes on in the beginning — we work with Ulam to understand scope, and they help us understand how long things will take. After we’ve scoped the project, timeline, and cost, we start working on the project together. We develop a part of the technology, and Ulam helps by writing the code that supports that technology.

The team does a lot of Python development, as well as iOS and Android for mobile apps. I’m not sure of all the platforms they use. 

What is the team composition?

We work with Konrad (Owner & CEO) directly, as well as a few coders from his team.

How did you come to work with Ulam Labs?

I found them online — it might’ve been on UpWork. We started working together and I developed a strong personal relationship with Konrad, so we’ve continued to partner. 

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost so far is over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2015.

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

We measure the success by whether the solutions work well and if they’ll stand the test of time. So far, Ulam’s work has always been high-quality, on time, and future-proof. I’m very happy with their work. 

How did Ulam Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Their skill in project management is probably one of the biggest differentiators between them and their competitors. They’re great.

Our initial overview meeting that we have at the start of each project is one of the reasons I like working with Ulam so much. They’re very good at initiating timelines and deliverables, as well as predicting where challenges are going to come up. Konrad is quite good at understanding projects early on, and he’s always led us in the right direction. 

In terms of tools, we don’t use a lot, but we’ve used Jira and Trello in the past. We keep in touch over video calls and chat messages.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with how well they manage the project. There are a lot of people who can write good code, but without that aspect, it wouldn’t do the right thing. Ulam makes sure it does.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. Ulam is the only dev team I go to; I don’t see how they could do anything better. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Konrad understands project scope so quickly, it makes it a lot easier to come to him with projects early on. Don’t try to get all the answers before going to Ulam, because you might’ve over-specified the problem. I like to come to them early in the process and see what they think and get some advice about how to go forward, because oftentimes, they’ll know how to do it better than I.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a founder and technical officer of CEECAM Corporation. We design and manufacture time-lapse equipment for clients in the construction industry.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ulam Labs?

Our competitors had a better software solution to support their hardware. We needed to catch up by providing similar services as them.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used Python to create our entire web application. We had some existing code that they used as the base, but then they modernized it to create a scalable solution. The platform interfaces with our cameras and stores metadata for the images in a GTS database. Then they built a frontend platform that allows users to view imagery and videos.  They can look at images side by side for comparison.  

What is the team composition?

I worked with Konrad (CEO). Their team has expanded and they have a few developers that work with us as needed and all of our experiences with them have been excellent.

How did you come to work with Ulam Labs?

I found Konrad a few years ago when I was having problems with another developer. I needed something done in a pinch, and then Konrad came through right away. They started the project on a Friday and completed the project on a Tuesday, which prevented us from losing a client. It was a great start to our relationship with them.  

I was so impressed with how well they delivered on that project, that I reached out to them directly once we had the budget to do this larger project. I really trust them.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in September 2018 and it’s ongoing.

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

The app launched a few months ago, but we’re still working with them to add new features and improve the platform. Once we switched to our new platform, we received a lot of good feedback from our clients. They loved the speed and performance. The platform is stable and really easy to use.

How did Ulam Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve been able to delegate almost everything to them because we don’t have any in-house resources. We’ve trusted them to take the lead on this project

Most of our communication has been on Trello. They’ve tracked everything there and I can review bug reports. Then they take care of it from there. They just notify me whenever they’re doing major releases to make sure everything is good to go.

I usually receive weekly progress reports over Slack and then based on my feedback, they push certain tasks into production.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to detail is really great. When our clients report bugs, they respond quickly to resolve the issue.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, our entire organization is very pleased with our partnership with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Generally, new clients should have an idea of what they want in mind and their software specifications ready. They’re good at following what we ask for. I usually provide an 8–10 page document on how I expect the project to work, and they always respond with comments and feedback. Often, they suggest how it can be improved for UX.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director and founder of Upraisal.io, a platform for healthcare professionals. It helps people find, register for, and set up events related to career development.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ulam Labs?

We needed someone to develop the MVP of our platform, as we don’t have any developers in-house.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ulam Labs developed the MVP of our web platform. We already had the designs made, and we handed those over to them. They built a cloud-hosted Django, Python, and JavaScript web app according to our specifications. We looked at platforms that are currently in the market, determined what clients really struggled with, and automated as much as we could.

We released the MVP at the end of February, and we did another two releases until the COVID-19 lockdown began. We paused things because we wanted to see what was going to happen.

Right now, we’re onboarding new clients and trying to grow the company before we invest in more development. Things are getting back into gear, and we’ve begun to commission Ulam Labs to start putting together an iOS and Android app to complement the platform.

What is the team composition?

They gave me one full-time backend developer and one full-time frontend developer. I was the product manager on the project. For a few days, we took on a Dev Ops person and a QA person.

How did you come to work with Ulam Labs?

I did an online search. I reached out to several companies and decided to visit Ulam Labs. I was very pleased with the team and the way they worked. We went through the project, and I felt comfortable with them. Everyone else tried to upsell me on additional services, but Ulam Labs didn’t; they focused on what I wanted to do. There was a developer on our first call with them, which was really reassuring to me. It showed me that they were genuinely interested in the technology as opposed to just the sale.

How much have you invested with them?

My company spent €30,000 (approximately $33,200 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–March 2020.

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

Working with their team has been a really great experience. It’s been a great success. We’re still trying to work out how we’re going to deal with the COVID-19 lockdown; until events start happening again in person, the platform has limited functionalities. We’re testing ZOOM-integrated events right now.

How did Ulam Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

I do the project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I had a very positive experience working with their team. They do remote work really well. We’re satisfied with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their portfolio is a bit lacking; they could demonstrate a better portfolio on their website. They have very talented individuals.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of development at NMR. We are a media consultancy that helps companies manage and distribute their video content.  

What challenge were you trying to address with Ulam Labs?

We hired Ulam Labs to build a web application that would manage the administration, the storage, and the UI of a solution. We’d won a European research grant to create a commercially viable, sustainable product, and we were going to bring it to market for customers in the media entertainment space. We would work with three companies to build the solution.

The final product would monetize and add value to video content. It would enrich metadata by using AI to analyze video content (e.g. it could perform quality analysis or facial recognition). The solution would also be used to analyze video streams on a real-time basis such as courtroom footage. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed them for their frontend development skills, as the solution required frame accurate video players and an optimized web browser. We gave them in-house designs for the web application, which they implemented in React with TypeScript.

They used Python to build a Django application that would expose API functionality. Technologies used also included Javascript. 

What is the team composition?

We were working with 3–4 people. In addition to development, the team performed project management and operations functions.

How did you come to work with Ulam Labs?

I had an engagement with Ulam Labs at my previous company, and I got good results from the team. I trusted them and was already aware of how they worked. I also knew they had quality engineers that could deliver the results I needed. In addition, they’re less expensive than similar companies in the United Kingdom market.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January 2018 until May 2018.

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

They delivered a high-quality product in a timely fashion. I didn’t have any problems with the team—they were a pleasure to work with. When we went to trade shows and demoed the product, the feedback was always really good. Everyone loved what they saw, and the solution worked well. It’s still being demoed today.

It’s difficult to provide other metrics because our parent company decided to pull out of the European engagement, and the project was put on ice. However, other companies are still running with it. 

How did Ulam Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a very flexible workflow, which worked well for us. Team members were familiar with the agile practices we were running. They ran sprints and were available for standups. When a deadline came around, they were willing to work on a weekend to deliver the results on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered high-quality code. The team has the expertise to implement frontend development in the most efficient and modern way possible.

It was easy to communicate with Ulam Labs. There was zero language barrier as they spoke impeccable English. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like to use them more often, so I’d like their company to grow. Hopefully, their successes will allow them to grow larger, and we’ll be able to engage in bigger projects.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Future clients should try to meet the team in person and develop a face-to-face relationship.  Consistent communication is key because it makes the communication barrier as small as possible. Clients should also make sure their requirements are clear.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of LendingBlock, a fintech company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ulam Labs?

We needed a technology partner to develop a cryptocurrency platform for trading loans.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ulam Labs has assisted my team in building the platform from scratch. Their team integrated within our agile methodology.

We focused on the design, while they work on the backend, frontend, and DevOps. Our team helped with some of the features on the backend and DevOps side. They used Python, Docker, and Kubernetes on the platform.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Konrad (Owner & CTO, Ulam Labs). I work with four of their team members.

How did you come to work with Ulam Labs?

I knew Konrad from a previous job and contacted him about this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €130,000 (approximately $147,900 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started engaging with Ulam Labs in April 2018, and the work is ongoing.

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

We track story points and finished tickets on our agile boards. The quality of code is excellent.

How did Ulam Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management is done in-house.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Professional and trustworthy experts work at Ulam Labs. I can give their team a task, knowing it will be completed at the highest standard.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could hire additional developers.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a small mobile virtual network operator.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ulam Labs?

We were looking for developers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve been working with Ulam Labs for 2–3 years, and they’ve become almost a part of our company. They’re an external team, but they work with us continuously.

When we started the collaboration, Konrad (Co-owner, Ulam Labs) reviewed all our processes and gave me advice on what we should change. They were involved in building payment processes and fixing bugs. They provided backend web development using different technologies, usually for new features, but also for bug fixing. We have in-house Python developers, and our website is built on Django, so this is our main focus. They’ve also proposed a lot of new technologies. Some of the features they’ve developed include an automatic payment system for our customers, a new loyalty business module, and a prepaid SIM card registration process done in-app.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three senior developers from their team in the beginning. We’re currently using two, but we will add another member again soon.

How did you come to work with Ulam Labs?

I found Konrad on LinkedIn and found out that he was working in the same building as us, on the same floor. This was a huge advantage in the beginning, given that they could visit us every day from the first hour for stand-ups. I was impressed with their experience in development. Compared to other companies, I wouldn’t need to put in as much time and effort to involve them in our processes, which was a big added value.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost of their work has been around $200,000. We plan to work with them more.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Ulam Labs in September 2016 and we have an ongoing relationship.

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

I received feedback from my team of 20–25 people, including developers, project managers, and product owners. Ulam is a professional team, and time is not an issue for them; if they have to stay longer, work harder, and work faster, they will do it. They’re always prepared and focused.

How did Ulam Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked on a single project in the beginning while we were getting to know each other, but we later started to work in Scrum, and they became involved at each level of the development. There was no set area where we used Ulam; we could use them everywhere.

They are seniors so they have a lot of experience, and they work in a professional way. We provide the right kind of atmosphere for them, but, had the process on our side not been prepared well, they would have mentioned it. From my point of view, Ulam requires a professional atmosphere and work process.

We’re not working within the same building anymore, but they’re still on time when they visit. They visit us a few times per week. Aside from this, we use email and instant messaging like Slack. They’re always available, including weekends and holidays.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have senior developers, and, although they’re an external company, they’re dedicated to the work. Much of their work is related to customer service and happiness. We’re a customer-oriented company, and they know and understand this. They fix a lot of small issues and bugs, and this hasn’t been a problem for Ulam. They think about the satisfaction of the end user; they take this into account, and they’re also quite product-oriented, which is nice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Ulam is a great team, and I regret that they’re not part of my own team. They’re stable and they want to have long collaborations with their customers, but professional engagement is different with an external company than it is with an internal team.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former CEO of Sandpiper Consulting and GotMyJobs, Inc.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ulam Labs?

I first engaged with them when I was CEO of GotMyJobs. We made a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution for small to mid-size construction management companies and needed help with backend Python development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked together across two separate engagements. One for GotMyJobs and another when I started Sandpiper Consulting. For GotMyJobs, they helped with backend architecture, coding, and minimal design work based on the wireframes I provided.

When I was with Sandpiper, we contracted Ulam to help with a client’s front- and backend development. That project was a rewrite of a Visual Basic app. I provided wireframes and they worked from there. They transformed the existing code into a Python backend and wrote the UI in JavaScript. We used Angular for the frontend work and Django for the server.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with three developers on both projects.

How did you come to work with Ulam Labs?

We originally found them on Odesk, which later morphed into Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent over $100,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2015. Our last project concluded in mid-2017.

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

I hired them for two separate projects, so clearly I thought they were good. They’re one of the best developers I’ve worked with: super-hardworking, smart, and able to get things done quickly. The end user on the Sandpiper job was very happy with the results. They didn’t think it was possible to rewrite their software, but we did it under budget and on time.

How did Ulam Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

I did a lot of the project management throughout both engagements. However, they’re organized and good at managing development sprints. We communicated through Slack, Google Hangouts, and used Jira for test management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re top-notch developers and I’d definitely work with them again.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any serious complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Hire them; they’re great.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and Founder of Scent Truck, a direct-to-consumer fragrance brand that allows individuals to create customized fragrances. We also create formulations for enterprise, using data about the scents consumers gravitate toward to help businesses create products.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ulam Labs?

We had some developers working on a website stack migration to Django, but we needed more manpower. Over time, our needs have evolved into building new applications as well.

Our product line is more complicated than traditional product lines. Through the use of a recommendation engine on our website, we're able to determine and generate the ideal scent for a customer based on a number of factors. This process produces unique products that, therefore, lack SKUs [Stock Keeping Units]. For that reason, Shopify isn't an ideal platform for us.

Additionally, collecting feedback from customers to improve our recommendations is a key part of our business.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Ulam built our entire order management system, automating user feedback and providing customers with a “scent specialist” or customer service representative. The system allowed for customer support staff to manually alter orders if needed.

Their team also handled various frontend projects, while gathering data on how customers were using our website. Using our original design, they built out custom features and made significant changes to the website overall.

At a certain point, Ulam started handling the majority of our development work and continues to update and monitor the site.

What is the team composition?

I mostly work with a project manager and a few others on their team.

How did you come to work with Ulam Labs?

I found them through Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested $50,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2017. Although they completed the Django migration in December 2017, Ulam continues to maintain our website.

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

We've received a lot of positive feedback from members of our team. Website performance and customer retention has increased, and I'd definitely say that our business has improved as a result of their work.

How did Ulam Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Using Slack has made their team especially accessible. They're very responsive and dedicated. I remember having trouble with the site on a Friday night, for example, and they stayed up working on it for us. They're great about making sure their clients are happy. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm most impressed by their project management and communication approach, especially compared to other contractors I've worked with. They're organized and take deadlines seriously, but they're also transparent about any issues that may come up and delay work. As a business owner, that transparency allows me to plan around timelines with advanced notice; that's a rare quality to find in a web developer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I think they're great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Entrepreneurs tend to be impatient and dive into projects quickly. Ulam has a great onboarding process, so I recommend taking your time in the beginning to ensure their developers are fully up to speed on your application and company. The process shouldn't be rushed.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of RankSense, which is an SEO software company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ulam Labs?

Our previous DevOps vendor began placing junior staff on our account and billed us for their mistakes. They also made a billing configuration error that tripled what we were paying for on our Google Cloud account. The situation became very desperate and frustrating, so we reached out to Ulam to get us back on track.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our immediate and urgent need was to bring down the cost of our Google Cloud services. They audited our account to assess what was driving up costs and figure out a way to lower costs. They then corrected the billing mistake by making changes to our infrastructure within about a month.

From there, Ulam served as our DevOps vendor and continues to do so.

What is the team composition? 

I work with Konrad Rotkiewicz [Lead Full Stack Python Developer and System Engineer, Ulam Labs] who serves as the project manager to our account. I also work with two developers.

How did you come to work with Ulam Labs?

I found them on UpWork and recruited them to do a small project to gauge whether they would be a good partner. They didn’t disappoint, so I decided to bring them on full-time.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $50,000 to $60,000 in our partnership with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in September 2017 and continue to partner with them for DevOps needs.

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

They’re very responsive to our clients. Because of their diligence, I’m actually able to connect clients directly to them to resolve issues. For example, we recently had a client that was failing their PCI compliance scans. In order to fix the problem, we needed to disable outdated SSL ciphers, but Google Cloud didn’t have the capability to disable them. Konrad work diligently with Google Cloud support to allow us access to an alpha version of the Google Cloud infrastructure that would enable us to disable to the SSL ciphers. They work diligently for weeks and ultimately resolved the issue for the client.

How did Ulam Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done very well. I was previously managing their developers myself, but Konrad is hiring more people and directly managing them so I don’t have to. The project management system they’re developing among themselves is effective — we’re able to see their progress. They know how to prioritize, so we don’t have to wait a long time for things to be completed. 

To communicate with them, we use Jira, eHub, and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s very difficult to find vendors who are willing or able to give you impactful suggestions to better your project. Most developers I’ve worked with don’t challenge your plans; they just do what they’re told. Ulam provides their expertise and makes helpful suggestions backed up with data to better a project’s outcome. I truly appreciate their input — it’s one of the reasons I continue to have them on my team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

More structure and planning in place would be appreciated. For instance, keeping clients updated on when Ulam will have someone from their team available for assistance would be great. Right now, the process is a bit informal.

Another thing they could improve would be to offer a 24/7 support service. We are able to contact them in case of an emergency, but more availability would be convenient.