Uptech

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an e-commerce company that manufactures and sells scrubs directly to our consumers. As a product manager, I help manage our website, mobile app, and overall B2B ordering experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uptech?

We often have different initiatives going on that require our workforce to flex. To meet the increase in demand for special projects, we partner with agencies like Uptech. They’re supporting us on web development for our B2B ordering experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Uptech works on the frontend of one of our React-based web apps. They handle elements such as the account creation, group ordering, and dashboard view. 

What is the team composition? 

I mainly work with two of their frontend developers. There’s also an account manager who meets with me once a month.

How did you come to work with Uptech?

I wasn’t actually involved in the search process but I believe they’d either worked with us in the past or were recommended by one of our customers.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started around November 2019, and we’re still working with them today.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the things we pay close attention to is the code quality. We have a very high standard for our code requirements and ensure that they stick to them. The other things we look at are speed and reliability, which are harder to measure.

How did Uptech perform from a project management standpoint?

Uptech has been a great partner because they’re relatively autonomous. We’re able to assign them tasks, and they take ownership of them to get the job done. 

In the beginning, we did face some hiccups in communication, especially with the time zone differences. Some things might get lost in translation or maybe it’s a situation where they should’ve reached out to our internal developers for help earlier than they did. We’ve since learned from that experience, and they’ve improved upon that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with their reliability. Again, it’s always helpful to know that we can give them a task and have them execute on it autonomously. We needed to figure out what task size and level of difficulty they could handle, but, once we figured that out, it’s been good. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’d be great if they’d ask more questions upfront. Sometimes when we assign a task, their developer will try to figure things out on their own. But, having more upfront questions, even silly or simple ones, can lead to a more effective dialog rather than having to answer questions 1–2 days later.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with any agency, you should do your due diligence to establish a workflow early because it can really help the project as a whole. Figure out what works best for your time zone, see what size tasks the team can handle, and identify what makes sense for them to do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a tech startup. We’re a residential real estate platform based in Dubai.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uptech?

Neither my co-founder nor I were technical, so we needed to get an engineering team spun up as fast as possible.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

 They’re responsible for the initial concepts, user research that defined what we would be building in our first year. They’ve been our primary resource for all of our engineering up until this point. Everything that’s currently on our website and on our backend was developed by them. They used TypeScript, Node.js, and React.

What is the team composition?

It varied over time. We’ve flexed up and down. The team size varied between 3–7. We have a project manager who was the keeper of day-to-day staff, a full-time designer, a QA resource, a frontend resource, and 1–3 backend resources.

How did you come to work with Uptech?

A friend of mine referred them to me. I trust his opinion and know that they worked together to get his company up and running. They also have a lot of recognizable brands on their team. They made it pretty clear that they knew what they were doing.

I’ve worked with 7–8 offshore teams, so I know what to expect, and there was never a communication issue with Uptech. Their frontend prowess was something that I valued. We could tell from their previous work that they had a design-centric approach. I really enjoyed our initial conversations as well.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $300,000–$400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2019 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Uptech has been an extension of our team since day one. First we wanted to launch an MVP, then a V1, and then we wanted to make things faster. We’ve set a variety of milestones every quarter, and they’ve been able to hit that. We were able to launch the company in the midst of a global pandemic.

How did Uptech perform from a project management standpoint?

Generally strong. We met weekly, and sometimes daily. We talk daily on Slack. We share a Jira and Sigma instance, and we used Miro for a time as well.

The team is young, so we had some misunderstandings early on about taking on too much, too fast. There was reluctance to say no to things that I asked for. That may have led to some sloppy code or certain things not being fleshed out. We were able to fix that pretty quickly, but that was a challenge early on.

As a founder, it’s incredibly helpful to have a team managing the day to day of the project. It’s a lot of work to manage Jira, write copy, and keep things moving, but having them manage that was a huge help. As a result, I was able to focus on other aspects of my business, such as fundraising.

Overall, it was critical to have them involved communication and planning. They helped alleviate my workload.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very good at staying up to speed with modern frameworks and approaches. They’re able to take an idea from conception to development. They were always teaching me new methods and were willing to try new approaches, workshops, and exercises. I was definitely impressed by the intellectual rigor that goes behind how they structure projects and their thinking

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes it was a little frustrating because we needed to move faster and we shouldn’t be wedded to those mental models. They could be willing to break some of the rigidity around those mental models. However, it’s still nice to have a framework to lean back on.

We struggled early on with some of the tactical decisions we made because we tried to move too quickly. Other than that, we’ve been happy with everything about our engagement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If I were going to do it again, I would have pushed more on team structure. They like to follow a specific structure and like to have their team set in a certain way. If you’re looking to move really fast and get something to market, you need to know they’re more methodical about stuff and they’re hesitant to break that.

Ultimately, that’s a good thing, but I got frustrated when we were moving too slow. We were caught up in documenting this or completing a specific exercise, or debating something else.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The name of the company is PNKYSWR. I’m the chief product officer and am responsible for ensuring that our product fulfills and exceeds customer expectations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uptech?

We were trying to produce an MVP.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Starting off with design, they did a number of discovery phases in which the discovery team took the time to understand what our goals were, who our audience was, and what they needed. Their research was very thorough.

They then used React Native as well as AWS to develop it.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Anastasiya (Business Development Manager).

How did you come to work with Uptech?

They were referred to me for a previous project and I had a fantastic experience working with them. I knew they could deliver a high-quality product for a good price.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted May–November 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We held off launching the platform because of eternal reasons, so we don’t have any numbers. They did fulfill the project requirements and we were very pleased with the results. Overall, they were great.

How did Uptech perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very strong, and our project manager was excellent. Given the fact that they were an offshore company, they did an excellent job adjusting to our needs.

We communicated over Slack and Google Hangouts and used Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The attention that the company leadership gave us was very nice. We don’t often see that in business relationships.

Are there any areas they could improve?

A few times, there was a bit of a language barrier. They could work on their English a little bit. Or I could learn Ukrainian.

I also felt like we worked with a few project managers before we started working with Anastasiya. But they were always responsive to any issues we brought up.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a company that makes social media apps. I am the Head of Product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Uptech?

We hired Uptech to assist with the development of a React Native app and an Android app.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to be able to have Uptech build high quality applications that could integrate with our backend in a timely manner. They went above and beyond.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended by a trusted colleague.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Uptech built the client-side application for Android for one of our apps as well as a React Native version.

What was the team composition?

Uptech provided 3 core engineers. Others stepped in to help scale or fill the gaps when necessary. The engineers we worked with provided exceptional work and were tremendous to work with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Uptech allowed us to focus on building rather than hiring. The applications that they built were extremely high-quality.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Our team managed the project and worked closely with the engineers from Uptech. We had multiple video calls each week and communicated daily on Slack. The lead engineer from Uptech would translate the action items into Jira tickets.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Everyone from Uptech is very easy to get along with. They are great people who provide exceptional work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a founder and CEO at apprvl.com

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Uptech?

After a close experience with photography, I saw that this industry is in need of change. The pain was for photographers to confirm and get feedback on their photos with clients. Thus, I and my co-founder aspired to bring to life a solution to this problem. We had moqups ready and needed someone to build it for us.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal was to develop and build an MVP is to test the main functional parts and hypothesis on real users and collect feedback and make changes. The app should be scalable for further development, assuming mobile app development.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I and my partner had a list of all companies in Kyiv who might be a good solution for us. It didn't take us long to reach candidates through emails and left out the top 3-5 choices. The last part was to have a face to face talks with each one. Uptech stood-out with their experience with startups and dedication to our problem (rather than just building a product).

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Uptech provided us with a highly committed team of 4 people who developed using Scrum approach for frontend and backend to make an MVP work, as a photo-sharing tool with fast photo uploading saving image quality.

What was the team composition?

We were given 1 frontend developer, 1 backend developer, 1 project manager, 1 quality assurance engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got the product we wanted with positive feedback from photographers and designers who are looking forward to seeing even more features being added.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

For having a better experience with the development team I myself moved to Kyiv. We met in person with the team once in two weeks when it was possible unless had to use google meets. Even when we had to shift communication channels due to some muddle at the start, the team did without hesitation.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive thing about this company is how it builds a relationship with the clients (us). It isn't only about finishing the product that we want but about helping us to solve the problem for the end-user. Like building a tool with convenience for the client, which doesn’t require registration, and very intuitive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Even thou I am satisfied with my overall experience with Uptech, I wish we could have more meetings in person (this time was highly productive and helped us stay on track)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're building a mobile application focused on event-management and discovery.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Uptech?

We hired Uptech to design and build our backend architecture as well as to develop the frontend for our native iOS application.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build a clean, scalable backend framework as well as frontend code that focused on a high level of user delight while using our application. We asked Uptech to do focus on developing our application in such a way that it could eventually be handed over to an in-house team as seamlessly as possible. We also asked that they instrument repeated processes as frequently as possible.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our Lead Developer had previously worked with members of Uptech for more than a year, during which they inspired great confidence in him to collaborate with them again and to recommend to others that they entrust Uptech with development.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Uptech collaborated with our Technical Lead to configure our backend and inform some of our most critical choices that helped our team decide on the best stack for us to use today, and in anticipation of how the business would evolve over time. We discussed our business needs in depth with Uptech and provided their team with detailed guidelines outlining our needs. The Uptech team took these, researched and confirmed our choices or recommended alternatives where we asked them to do so, and implemented them.

What was the team composition?

The project team had 5 people: 3 backend engineers, and 2 frontend iOs engineers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our MVP has yet to release, and so we do not have any hard data to share. However, we can speak to that we look forward to continuing to collaborate with Uptech and use them as our primary vendor for backend and iOS development.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Our team managed the project primarily using Slack, Gitlab, Clubhouse, and Google Drive's suite of tools. Uptech's team was flexible in terms of the best methods of collaboration for us, thoughtful and forthcoming with feedback on how we might improve our collaborative processes and proved themselves to be proactive collaborators where questions remained about product choices.

Despite our team being in Los Angeles, and Uptech's in Kiev, we found there to be no additional barriers to communication outside of those inherent to working with a remote team. I believe that any communication barriers we experienced would have been exactly the same had we been working remotely with a team of native English speakers anywhere within the US. We were concerned about this going into the collaboration, and have zero concern about it now, nearly a year into things.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

While visiting Uptech in Ukraine, I was very impressed by Uptech's leadership and the thought they devote to the structure of their business from their employees' perspective as well as the energy they devote to ensuring their employees have phenomenal working experience as well as an active focus on constantly improving their skill-base.The Uptech team is filled with young, passionate, and well-educated engineers. We're proud to be associated with them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wish I had visited them in Kiev for a week-long sprint before we began working together. The trust, familiarity and improvements to our product that I believe would have resulted from such a choice would have thrown rocket-fuel on our collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Yaza, a video mapping startup. We put authenticated videos on maps. In a world of fake news, we’re a platform where people can protect video content. It’s a safe and easily accessible place to store photos and videos on a map.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uptech?

We needed to build an MVP for our mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re accelerating and expediting all facets of development to get us an MVP for our iOS app by the end of the month. We spend a fair amount of time iterating on the UX in order to get to what we need for ease of use and engagement. We add interesting things about the app that would get people coming back to it.

Uptech first asked us to take a step back and went through customer validation and problem validation to ensure the product was going to solve a problem that affected enough people. We then went through initial designs and I sent some mockups I’d made. They put their spin on the mockups and added updated UX techniques for the app. We iterated on that design with high-fidelity mockups and worked with them for three months before any code was written. As we started building the product, there were some obvious things that needed to be fixed to make it more usable.

They practice agile development and work in two-week sprints. Their process is very methodical. They begin with a meeting to start the sprint. They prioritize the work that needs to be done. They circulate that with us in a document. We approve it. Then they work on the sprint and two weeks later we have the next bill.

The app is challenging because we incorporate location and video. The videos are massive, which requires performance optimization and battery management. There’s also GPS functionality that drains battery life and is very inaccurate in large cities. We were trying to solve the problem of how we can precisely locate where the video was recorded and ger the user to pin it down. I was out there last month working with them to finalize the use cases and the design.

The app will only be on iOS because of the authentication aspect, which is our guarantee that the video can’t be altered, faked, or spread without your permission.

What is the team composition?

My initial contact was Andriy (Co-Founder, Uptech). There are seven other people.

How did you come to work with Uptech?

We had been trying to figure out what to build for a while. We raised some money and interviewed seven different firms. We liked Uptech the best because their proposal was very thorough. It was clear that they understood the classic Silicon Valley startup methodologies for app development and iteration. We were able to interview some of the engineers before making the final decision.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $97,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2018 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s tremendously helpful to have a new set of eyes on the design side helping us clean up the design and challenging us. They worked very quickly and enthusiastically. They have a lot of passion and interest in the project. The builds were very stable and the quality of their coding is good. We don’t have to deal with bugs and problems with the code. They’re a real value-add.

We’re so pleased with them that we signed an ongoing fixed-rate staffing contract. We have the team available to us on an ongoing basis and we'll continue to work on iterating the project post-MVP. We’re a team working together rather than a customer/vendor relationship.

How did Uptech perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager, programmers, and anyone we’re interfacing with directly speak very good English. The time difference hasn’t been a problem because a 9:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. meeting is the end of the day for them. They document very well. We use Slack to contact each other. I also went to their office for five days. 

Communication is pretty fluid. The only challenge is that it’s hard to collaborate on UX design remotely. We both agree that it might make sense for Uptech to require their client to come onsite or for Uptech to send its designers to the site to shorten the iteration cycle on the design side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really like that they don’t just build something that’s unnecessary. They always try to expand what can be built. They think just like Silicon Valley. Their methodologies, approach to their employees, firm management, project management, and even the way they set up their office environment are all akin to San Francisco. It feels very comfortable for anyone that has been doing a lot of work with engineers in Silicon Valley.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re really happy with them. As their team’s knowledge of UX solutions grows, they’ll get even better at the UX/UI design aspects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a nightlife promotional platform that allows representatives from clubs, bars, and lounges, party planners, musicians, and DJs to share their events. Other users can browse the app, find upcoming parties or performances in specific cities, and directly contact promotors to RSVP and request a place on VIP guest lists or bottle service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uptech?

I worked with two different agencies before hiring Uptech; both promised to develop my apps from scratch. The first agency didn’t complete the Android version, prompting me to take legal action. The second completed the apps, but there was a major bug in the Android version that wouldn’t allow promoters to upload their events. Initially, the developer said that he’d fix the problems and make some updates within 30 days, but that soon turned into a full year. Following those negative experiences, I started looking for a new team to fix the previous mistakes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Uptech completely rebuilt both the Android and iOS versions of our app. They redid the backend and fully optimized the design, prioritizing a seamless flow and a user-friendly interface. All bugs and performance issues are fixed, and we’ve rolled out several updates. Their team also set us up with a new server and administrative panel. The app itself is far from finished; we plan to continue adding new features with the Uptech.

Our platform offers a unique design functionality to help promotors. Because our users are scattered throughout a variety of areas, we programmed the app’s background image to match the city in which they’re looking for events. We also included a ticket-selling tool. Most platforms similar to ours just include a link, but our app creates a direct channel for promoters to sell tickets to their audiences.

What is the team composition?

We work with Dima (Co-Founder, Uptech), who acts as a team leader. He helped us analyze the old apps to scope out the work that needed to be done. We have an additional main point of contact that handles everything else, from questions to contracts. Farther into the project, I began speaking with members of their design team and one of their developers, Roman (iOS Developer, Uptech), who manages the technical work.

How did you come to work with Uptech?

I met Shervin at a meetup event for app development. I considered five other companies, but Uptech showed the most interest in my project, discussing its different elements. I was introduced to Dima and ultimately chose to work with his team.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With Uptech's help, we launched the app, and it’s elicited unanimously positive feedback, both from our staff and our users. We haven’t done any marketing at all yet, but we’re still seeing great results. Recently, I attended a venue opening event hosted by a promotional company that uses the platform. They praised the app for its design and performance.

Uptech consistently offers high-quality services. In retrospect, it was a blessing to have worked with those previous developers because now, I can better appreciate Uptech's professionalism and work ethic. We didn’t expect the app to be completed until around October, but they finished it early.

How did Uptech perform from a project management standpoint?

Their staff is young, determined, and highly competent. I can email them with questions, problems, or feedback, and someone from their team responds immediately. With other developers, I wouldn’t hear back for days or weeks. Overall, Uptech is a great agency.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our level of communication is good. They deliver on their promises and don’t give us any false information. All of their team members are straightforward, guiding us through each step of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no complaints; their service is on point.

Any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend them. If I had enough money to buy their team for myself, I’d do it. If they can complete my complex app from scratch, they can do anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Sprent, an on-demand delivery application that allows customers to order items from any story in our city and have it delivered within an hour. Founded in 2016, our business relies on freelancers to deliver the goods from stored to doorsteps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uptech?

I was working with a different company to develop my app’s backend, admin panel, and both the customer- and deliverer-facing versions for iOS and Android devices. Once we finalized those dealings, we engaged Uptech to make some enhancements, handle maintenance, and continue to develop new features and fix bugs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Uptech is involved in the entire development scope for our app, mainly providing front- and backend development. We provide a basic guide of the features we’re looking for; then they draft a UI/UX design and corresponding wireframes. So far, we’ve integrated multiple extensions, including implementing a one-click answering system for push notifications, integrating Twilio as a messaging gateway and HyperPay to manage payments, and linking the app to the Google Maps API.

The market feature is the core of our application. Once we receive an order, the app determines the location and assigns the delivery to the nearest freelancer. The system provides real-time status updates, allowing customers to track their products through Google Maps.

What is the team composition?

Our primary point of contact is our project manager, Dima (Co-Founder and Team Lead, Uptech).

How did you come to work with Uptech?

While working with the previous company, we began looking for a new provider that offered a higher quality of service and better understood our business. We looked online for reputable companies that fell within our budget. We shortlisted 3­–4 companies, all located in Eastern Europe. After interviewing each, we determined that Uptech met our criteria best.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Uptech in January 2018, and it’s an ongoing collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Currently, we have a total of more than 10,000 monthly active users on both the Android and iOS apps, and we’ve completed more than 100,000 orders. Before partnering with Uptech, our crash-free rate fluctuated between 85%–90%. Now, our iOS app is 100% crash-free, and the Android rate has reached 97%. The quality of their work is fantastic; I can’t say enough good things about their service.

As we start another project, we’re considering asking Uptech to help with the development. I’m satisfied with their approach, focusing on the business itself, rather than just the development. They show a real interest in our vision and a commitment to meeting our expectations with each feature that they develop.

How did Uptech perform from a project management standpoint?

I directly interact with both the project manager and their team of developers, mainly communicating via Slack. We share our status, milestones, detailed explanations, urgent issues, and our plans for each sprint. The entire team is responsive to all of my requests.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I am most impressed by how they develop a proper understanding of the business before writing any code. Also, they’re a friendly team with a great office environment. I spent two weeks in Ukraine, working with them in person.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can improve in terms of UX/UI design. The team is a bit weak in that regard, but they’re improving.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Butter, a social app about making new friends.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Uptech?

We needed them to help update our iOS app and design a brand-new UI/UX for our Android app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to launch a new version of our Android app and integrate new API’s for ads into our iOS app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to us by a friend.

Describe the project in detail.

They worked with both Android and iOS, fixing bugs and developing new API's respectively. They also worked on UI/UX issues. 

What was the team composition?

We worked with a great mix of design, development, and QA resources.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Android bug issues have decreased nearly 90% since the new version launched, and our engagement across both apps has increased.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It’s great and it continues to be an amazing relationship. We worked collaboratively, sharing our goals and managing the project through standard project management tools.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their team has been great to work with consistently. Not only is their quality superb, but they’re always around to hunt down answers to our most pressing questions regarding product development. We love working with them and are looking forward to a long-lasting relationship.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There aren’t any that I can think of.