Varfaj Partners

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Art Director of The Only Agency, I oversee the agency's creative and work closely with our artists who are developing brands.

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj Partners, and what were your goals?

Varfaj Partners helped us develop and code a website for our artist, Scotty Cunha, called Rose Rescue.

How did you select Varfaj Partners and what were the deciding factors?

Varfaj Partners reached out to us, wanting to work with our agency on our website and it just so happened that we were looking for web developers. We set up a meeting in December 2019 and have been working together ever since!

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

We needed a consumer site fully coded and developed to be user friendly. The team helped us set up our Shopify storefront and added in all the detailed features we were looking for!

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

We have worked with both Jared and Steven, who have been so friendly and easy to work with!

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

Anyone looking for web developers should absolutely hire Varfaj Partners. They have a great team, a sharp eye for web design, and work quickly and efficiently!

They worked thoroughly, plus the team is very friendly and quick to respond to all of our needs. Because we have had such a great experience working with them, we have now recommended them to many of our clients!

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

Their team is very responsive and have open communication. Additionally, they got all of the work done in our desired timeline.

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

What we like most about Varfaj is that they are innovative and always provide us with quality work!

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

Not at all!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO/Founder of Arrived Communications founded December 2018, we have a total of 4 employees our intention is to bridge gaps in communication using automated push notifications.

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj?

Our challenge is to design and develop a sleek, user friendly IOS application that simplifies processes of communication. We also required a landing page (Company Website) to get the ball rolling

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to invest capital into a trust The vision for Arrived as well as this project is to change the world by simplifying the process of communication and automate push notifications of safe arrivals at destinations including planned events, safe arrivals home, school, work etc.

How did you select this vendor?

12/28/2018, After making a tweet online requesting if anybody knew any app developers to help design and develop our idea I received a direct message from Varfaj Partners "Hey, just saw your tweet. Our app developers would love to help." I exchanged contact information with Steven Schwartz and immediately received a phone call, Steve who was then located in Chicago coordinated for us to discuss the scope of the project in person which later became a Coffee shop in the lower east side of Manhattan; Steve and I had an extensive conversation which included both back stories of our respective organizations/long term goals and visions to me being shown the "Vendefy app" that Steve claimed Varfaj designed and developed which would be launched in the Apple App Store "really soon". Everything from the long term vision for Varfaj and the sleek design of the Vendefy app gave me a level of confidence that Varfaj was the right organization to take on the task of developing our IOS mobile application. A couple weeks later after I received an official contract offer and spoke to a few references provided by Steve; These references were "friends" that have done business with Varfaj (Cameron LeCoque of Basecampfunds.com, Mark Plaskow of Scientific Clinics and Steven Peer of Sole Strike).

Describe the project in detail.

Although our contract was written rather vague by Varfaj it included "unlimited revisions until customer satisfaction" as well as a clause that any third party vendor to touch the app would have to be authorized by Arrived Communications - it was also verbally agreed that only "in house" Varfaj employees would be involved to ease my initial fear of going with Fiverr due to outsourcing; the details of the contract were to design and develop our IOS application, remake our company logo as well as design our company landing page (website) most of the granular project details were mainly verbally discussed and I took all conversations and verbal commitments at face value as an inexperienced consumer eager to get a new company off the ground while entrusting an organization that had seemingly been "there before". Immediately after starting the project with Varfaj (February 14th of 2019) A Slack chat group was created and broken down into the following subcategories "General, Design, Random & Website" Slack was a space where we could discuss ideas and receive status updates on all design and development changes.

What was the team composition?

I was assigned the following team members from Varfaj which I was told would work specifically on my project for the entire duration of the project (Niv Henn was my assigned Project Manager, Ben Devera was my assigned "Developer Manager" and Jay Ayoub was my assigned Designer) Jay who was said to be a Varfaj employee was later determined to have been a contractor who had worked previously with Co Founder Cameron Zoub with other companies in the past. Jay left stopped working with Varfaj because "Varfaj, started outsourcing the work for cheaper alternatives"

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

Unsuccessful is an understatement, this project has been nothing short of a disaster - We have constantly produced document after document to provide guidance and our expectations were never met. To date we continue to receive mediocre work and have requested a FULL refund after spending more than a year being ran in circles.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What was most impressive about Varfaj was their positive "can do" attitude, any and everything sounds possible. Any request or Following through with effective communication and actually delivering the products requested/discussed are the only issue

Are there any areas for improvement?

They could have better communication & consistency in their efforts. That is an area in major need of improvement. My experiences with Varfaj included several instances where I was provided commitment "dates" that not only weren't met, I would have to be the one to reach out to them and find out that they weren't met. Examples of this include receiving updates, receiving quotes. Varfaj tends to give commitment dates by saying

Please describe your company and your position there.

Trade Ideas LLC produces A.I. generated, actionable market intelligence for institutions, fund managers, wealth management advisors, and self-directed investors to mitigate risk and capture alpha. Our mission for our clients is simple: enable better, consistently informed decisions in the markets.

As a SaaS Fintech innovator for over 15 years, Trade-Ideas award-winning technology leverages algorithms derived from recursive, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence to develop trade plans and produce statistically optimized performance results. I am a co-founder and managing partner.

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj?

We constantly seek to evolve and innovate on our platforms to create experiences that maximize value on the first impression. We engaged Varfaj to assist with what a near term first impression would look like.

What were your goals for this project?

The outcome was intended to create a roadmap of which direction our user interface would further evolve towards.

How did you select this vendor?

Varfaj reached us via an alumni network of The University of Texas at Austin. Their initial approach caught our attention and additional reviews of their portfolio indicated solid experiences and previous projects.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They reviewed, tested, and evaluated the existing customer experience of our web platform. They prioritized key elements of the current layout that required added emphasis and which elements could be receded. They then created several mock designs that served as the basis of discussion and further revision.

What was the team composition?

We had one point of contact as project manager.

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

The solution provided by Varfaj acts as a design signpost that points to near term directions the interface will reflect. This allows us to spend more time in the deeper layers of the technology perfecting the machine learning AI and other capabilities.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was effective with regular check-ins, review sessions, and questions where needed to drive to the result.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We enjoyed the enthusiasm and energy around the engagement. there work was marked by an approach that sought to understand the technology first and then provide design guidelines.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Given what was asked, there is little room for improvement.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Geo Ivery the owner and CEO of Ivery Towers LLC and International Best Selling Author of Soulstream the Mancer epic.

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj?

Game Development of a Mobile App Game that was based on my novel series "Soulstream the Mancer Epic" and the high fantasy characters. The game was supposed to be like Candy Crush or Bejeweled and very inclusive for all ages to be able to play while learning more about my series.

What were your goals for this project?

When Cameron reached out to me in February I was on a book tour in Egypt and looking for a development team that could create a fun and interactive Puzzle game like Candy Crush that was based on my characters from "Soulstream the Mancer Epic".

Cameron said he was a fan of my series and read my novel which later I found out were lies. He's never read the book at all so therefore could not possibly be a fan or know what I want as a client.

Varfaj, according to the contract we signed in April 1st was supposed to create the game from start to finish in 3 months. We are now on August 20th and the company only recently within the last 27 days set up a GDD (Game Development Document) which is usually one of the first steps of development.

I played the alpha version of the game only to find over 55 issues. Cameron and Ben apologized that they were behind and swore they would have the game done with all of the bugs complete this month and a proper Beta version would be live for the public to play.

I checked the document today and there are still over 40 bugs and issues that make the game unplayable. They are costing me money every day as I cannot start my other gaming projects. Their communication comes days after I text them sometimes weeks or more usually followed up with an excuse about traveling or fake apology with no answer to my concerns or questions.

The Game is supposed to create micro-transactions through an in-App store that would allow players to purchase in-game currency and special moves that improve their gameplay experience. None of which were ever completed or even playable.

How did you select this vendor?

Linked In was how my assistant was contacted by Cameron from Varfaj and he called me when I was in Egypt saying he could guarantee through a contract that his company could complete the task within 3 months which I thought was ambitious considering all the other companies we spoke to said 6 months+ Basically, he said anything to get me to sign the contract. Bait and Switch.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Cameron said there would be two phases to the project. First would be the Art design and next would be the Programming.

Cameron presented me with Art that could barely be considered art or design especially in the capacity that I sent him references and asked for beautifully rendered pieces that would wow a Fantasy audience and better yet me as the creator. This was supposed to be the first time the world got to see the characters animated and in full color as action heroes.

Not only did he send me abysmal artwork but I had to personally draw out the characters to give him references and photoshop my own work so that he could see the level of work I expected him to complete. He was never able to complete the task so I personally provided the character designs that were to be used in the game.

His only other job at that point was to provide the graphics for the puzzles and the Interactive map that would look fantastic. He did not complete the puzzle pieces which set back production and the map he provided looked Elementary at best. At this point, I realized he was either outsourcing the art to people on Fiverr or other independent artists which means he lied to me on many occasions about being the artist and that he was not capable of creating the level of rendered artwork I asked of him.

He said the Map he provided would simply be a marker for him to go in and detail, but Ben needed to get to programming as soon as possible so please sign off on the artwork so Ben can be able to work. I asked many times for him to please make sure that he adds the details and render the levels like beautiful paintings. He agreed and we went to the next phase.

Ben said that he could program 100 levels, to begin with, that would be puzzles of interactive fun with the characters. I told him that is ambitious, but if you believe you can program 100 levels with proper game flow, Characters with special powers, interactive gameplay, and an Item mall for players to add additional features that made it a fun experience then so be it.

He assured me he could do it and here we are 4 almost 5 months later and still no game and 10 times more issues than actually playable features. They provided a link to the game to test the product and I have never been happy with it.

The features don't work, the characters were never added. There is no storyline. The map's artwork was never updated and rendered to acceptable quality. The features I specifically wanted were never added. There are tons of misspellings and typos that make the game look like an amateur mistake.

I could go on and on about this but I would rather say there are a lot of issues on the bug report. Now it seems like they are infighting as Ben said Cameron never paid him. They are unprofessional and frustrating at best.

What was the team composition?

Cameron - Art Director and Project Manager Ben - Programming Development

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

This game was projected to make over $30,000 per day in the beta testing phase and up to $1 million per day once it's properly launched. To give you some industry numbers, Candy Crush made $980 million last year and Bejeweled makes over $9 million per month to this day.

I have a large fan base anticipating the release of the game and most are already currently Candy Crush players so they are more than familiar with the game and concept and they are actual fans of my novels. It was an easy shoe in to fit my fans with this genre and add their families and friends as new potential clients. Varfaj is 2 months behind on their due date which costs me money every day.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Cameron was the Project manager for his team. He was extremely unprofessional and terrible to speak on the phone with. He argues instead of offering solutions and thinks he knows everything which is a turn-off.

He finally admitted to not reading the novel after 5 months and said that "he shouldn't have to know the characters to develop a game for them." In which I felt betrayed and let down by his services. Ben was the only Programmer that contacted us from Varfaj which used to be professional until he said he was not paid by Cameron and would not release the game.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They're quick-witted and on their toes with slick talk and fast answers, but there's absolutely no substance behind it. At one point Cameron went to my own website thesoulstream.com and quoted from it when I asked him to name characters from my book. He went as far as to name character classes instead of actual characters which is how I knew exactly where he was reading it from because I wrote it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are too many areas to improve to list. Maybe start by hiring people with experience with portfolios in the field you are trying to sell the dream on. Listen to your clients and do your homework.

At this point, they were literally paid to read the book and know the characters. They even had the audiobook as an option which I narrated. They didn't bother and it is offensive that people like this take away from actual good and professional video game development teams and designers.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re xchange llc, a marketplace platform for students to buy and sell college-related goods. I’m the owner.

What challenge were you trying to address with Varfaj?

We were looking to develop our website and build out our entire mobile-application based platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We contracted them to build our iOS and Android mobile application, but they thew in a landing page for free. The system has a chatroom that allows students to negotiate, accept, and decline prices for goods. Purchases happen directly through the system. If there’s a good a student doesn’t find, they can fill out a form and receive a notification when it comes up for sale.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of five people. Everyone was hands-on and made me feel like I was their only client. I had a single point of contact that acted as a project manager. There was also someone overseeing the web development and someone to talk to about code. Another person set up the payment system with the bank.

How did you come to work with Varfaj?

I heard about them online and through referrals. I only heard impeccable things about them and the work they’d done.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in May 2019 and finished three months later. They’re still available whenever I need consulting or advice.

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

They’ve been integral in founding our company and idea and building and marketing our platform. The design is fantastic and has all the functionalities we wanted. It’s better than we could have imagined. Lots of people have said they love it.

How did Varfaj perform from a project management standpoint?

We talked through Slack, email, and WhatsApp phone calls and texts. They were communicative and consistent with updates, always sending photos of the platform that described how the development was going.

What did you find most impressive about them?

All team members were highly qualified and knowledgeable, as well readily available whenever I had questions. Even after we finalized the design, they were willing to go back and make changes. It all fit our exact specifications.

They were also helpful in providing valuable insights into running and marketing our business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Varfaj reaches out when they have questions, so not really, no.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of an online electronics distributor.

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj?

We needed a series of backend processes that would integrate with our multiple third-party vendors in order to sync, manage, and place orders in real-time for our customers on our e-commerce store. Order placement, updating, tracking, and return tracking were core components that we wanted available on our web store, which weren't available by the software we were subscribed with—Shopify. We ended up hiring Varfaj for enhancing the website’s backend.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main objective was to extend our current website to track, manage, place, and handle returns for our e-commerce store.

How did you select this vendor?

A friend of one of Varfaj’s satisfied clients recommended them to us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Varfaj took care of various developments for us. The project needed a centralized administrative application with a database system that integrated with multiple APIs through vendors, shipping providers, and Shopify, in order to maintain a streamlined workflow for our customer service staff that manages customer relations and orders.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of a project manager and two developers.

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

Our system was finished on schedule and it single-handedly took all of the legwork out of my hands and let our customer service agents completely automate the e-commerce business. I’ve gone from spending 10–15 hours a week on administrative tasks to about 30 minutes a week.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Varfaj’s project manager stayed in constant contact with me and asked questions as they arose. The status updates on the project were also great.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciated their openness with their processes, speed, and quality of work. Varfaj’s communication was also impressive as I never felt out of the loop on the status of our projects.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and creator of a platform that allows you to turn your software into a paid service within minutes. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj?

I hired Varfaj to do the full frontend development for Shrey Auth and to maintain their code and provide updates for a month. 

What were your goals for this project?

My main goal was to have a clean interface that communicated a level of security and clarity to users. I wanted them to make our website responsive as well, as many viewers and users would come from mobile sources.

How did you select this vendor?

I selected Varfaj mostly because of their previous experience and professionalism. I seriously considered about four other design firms before deciding to go with Varfaj. The deciding factor besides their previous work was the fact that they made me feel like I'd be taken care of, not just handed a finished product as soon as possible.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

I did not give them much input besides the text I wanted to be displayed on the site and the general feel I was going for. Varfaj handled the rest. They provided a finished website with over 10 pages.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of two developers from Varfaj.

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

Almost every user comments on how our UI stands out and how clean the website is. I attribute this to their team's design eye.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I was in collaboration with one project manager, and every single deadline was met. I didn't have to haggle with them or constantly bother them. They came to me whenever they had questions and met every single goal in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The company culture was the most impressive thing to me. Everyone on their team seemed rather self-motivated to get things done. The developers were extremely forward with me and made sure I had all my needs met.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a platform that allows users to sign up for weekly inspirational quotes sent directly to them every Monday through SMS.

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj?

We hired Varfaj for front- and backend development for the website and web application. They also automated the delivery of quotes to clients along with the automation of a referral system.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to build a platform that would motivate people every Monday by texting them an inspirational quote. Another goal was to have an automated referral system with an intuitive dashboard for our users to earn money by referring friends to the platform.

How did you select this vendor?

A couple of colleagues I work with have worked with Varfaj in the past, and they recommended I use them to build out my website. We had a few other vendors we spoke to in consideration, but Varfaj's impressive showcase and welcoming team inclined us to move forward with them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Varfaj built the whole system for us, along with automating a referral system. We came to Varfaj with just an idea. They were responsible for design and development. We discussed our key functionalities and desired features and we got going. Shortly after, we were already receiving wireframes and mockups for the entire platform.

What was the team composition?

The team was composed of a dedicated project manager, designer, and development team that was overseen by the CTO. The CEO has been with us the whole time, making sure everything was running smoothly.

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

The first version of our product was completed quickly, and we were able to launch sooner than we expected. We are very pleased with the results so far as we are beginning to pick up more and more users daily. The team is still with us to ensure everything is running smoothly and to handle necessary updates.

Varfaj also provides marketing services, which are convenient, and we are currently strategizing a plan to grow our company to something huge.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I was very impressed with the project management. We were given consistent updates daily through Slack, which was our primary form of communication. Anytime we request a progress update our project manager gets back to us immediately. Overall, we haven't faced any communication issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The overall experience is just unmatched. Everything is swift and work is rapid. We were blown away by how quickly the first version fo the completed product was delivered and how well-built it was.

Are there any areas for improvement?

At the moment, I don't see any areas for improvement. Varfaj has blown us away and nailed every aspect of the project, from idea to product.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of SoleStrike, an online business in the sneaker industry. We connect customers to limited release sneakers and clothing from official retailers for a fee.

What challenge were you trying to address with Varfaj?

After multiple unsuccessful projects with freelancers and specialized developers, we needed a development partner with multiple resources and skills in-house. We were looking to revamp our e-commerce website and make our business more efficient.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Varfaj redesigned the front- and backend of our WordPress website. They automated several tasks—such as refunding orders or putting up products—using custom plugins. They also created tools specific to our business that improve our efficiency. Lastly, they implemented ways to make our social media accounts—our primary tool for marketing—more attractive to customers.

What is the team composition?

I work with Steven (CEO, Varfaj), Ben (CTO, Varfaj), and Niv (COO, Varfaj). Niv serves as our project manager, and Ben is in charge of the development team.

How did you come to work with Varfaj?

I knew Steven from working in the same industry as him. I heard about Varfaj through him and decided that partnering with them would benefit my business.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000 so far.

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?

The plugins and tools built by Varfaj have brought us a lot more business. We can take in more orders and successfully complete them. Our newfound efficiency makes my job easier. Varfaj is now working on other websites for us as well.

How did Varfaj perform from a project management standpoint?

The team has excellent communication. They provide both weekly and daily updates on their progress through Slack, emails, or a group text message. By having multiple ways to reach out to Varfaj, I can choose whichever is most efficient for me at the moment. I always have someone I can contact if needed. Ben keeps the team on track to meet our deadlines and milestones, and Niv gives us regular reports.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Varfaj provides customized service and solutions to our business; we never feel like just another client with them. I definitely feel like they genuinely care about improving my business according to our specific needs and wants. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

As of right now, I can’t think of anything negative to say about them. Varfaj’s team is efficient and easy to communicate with. If anything, their work and processes have exceeded my expectations.

Any advice for potential customers?

Clients should communicate exactly what they’re looking for with Varfaj. The team will then make sure that their expectations align with the client’s. We’ve never had any issues with hidden fees—Varfaj is transparent about the scope of work and the costs in advance. They also make sure to resolve any problems as they come up. So long as a client communicates with them, I don’t anticipate they’ll have any problems.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the chief business development officer of The Salty Soldier LLC. I develop and implement strategies, both for growth and to better serve the military and veteran communities.

For what projects/services did your company hire Wilson Develops LLC?

We are developing a social media app for the military and veterans, where they can connect with people they served with as well as people in their fields. They can exhibit esprit de corps and develop relationships with prior service where they can improve their quality of life once leaving the military and/or seeking employment.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to launch our app for both iOS and Android.

How did you select this vendor?

We located Kyle (Owner, Wilson Develops LLC) through someone we outsourced our marketing to.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected Wilson Develops LLC, we worked with them to determine our priorities. They did development for our app. It’s a social media platform, and features include an online store, news, user stories, and a meme generator, among other items.

What was the team composition?

We work directly with Kyle. He determines our needs and delegates the projects to his team of developers.

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

We have only soft launched so far. We plan to go live after the completion of the Android portion in the upcoming months.

From design to implementation, Wilson Develops LLC has been top notch. Their level of professionalism and competence can’t be overstated.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They’ve scaled back when we’ve needed to raise funds and then accelerated when have been prepared. The team has always kept us in the loop, explaining the importance of building things using certain platforms and realistic budgetary requirements for each phase, and they’ve kept us updated us as things came along.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

As a serial entrepreneur, I serve many masters. I am also in the CNC and Robotics field, and as such I have an understanding that with the technological changes in the last few years, the game has completely changed. It’s possible to accelerate rapidly to positions of high success even at a young age. Kyle is a bright star of the industry and I can only imagine he will be catapulted into the stratosphere when others learn what we already know.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re very satisfied.