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4.9
5 reviews

Founded in 2014, WeAreBrain is a full-service strategic technology agency in the business of ideas, entrepreneurship and invention. We are entrepreneurs at heart and enable clients to create and execute strategies and solutions for their digital transformation. We imagine, create and develop intelligent design, thoughtful products and solutions. We endeavour to leave the world a better place than we found it.

We are a force field of 75 creators and entrepreneurs with expertise in product design, software development, data analytics and machine learning. Our collective experience and expertise lie in FMCG, Retail, Healthcare, FinTech and Media Entertainment.

WeAreBrain was voted in the Emerce Top 100 and we are a proud member of DDA, representing the leading digital agencies in the Netherlands. Our Tur.ai platform was selected among the Top 25 innovations in the Accenture Innovation Awards and we won a prestigious SpinAward along with nominations for Best of Swiss Web and Dutch Interactive Awards.

Our contribution to female entrepreneurship and gender equality in IT have been recognised by TheNextWomenand EY Winning Women.

WeAreBrain is owned and run by its founders from our headquarters in Amsterdam and Kiev.

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$5,000+
 
$50 - $99 / hr
 
50 - 249
 Founded
2015
Show all +
Kiev, Ukraine
headquarters
  • Marshala Malynovs'koho St, 24/10
    Kiev, KV 02000
    Ukraine
    +380950130615
other locations
  • Laan der Hesperiden 166
    AMSTERDAM 1076DX
    Netherlands
    +31633990235
  • Heroyiv Ukrayiny St, 31
    Kramatorsk, DO 84300
    Ukraine
    +380950130615

Portfolio

Key clients: 

HEINEKEN, Domino’s, United Nations, Maxeda DYI (Praxis, Brico), Sideline Swap, Bloom Avenue, TheOptimalMe, MyRiskDesk.

The Netflix of e-learning in hospitality Image

The Netflix of e-learning in hospitality

Challenge In Q1 2016 Lobster Ink, the world’s leading online education platform for the hospitality industry, approached the WeAreBrain team to explore a new collaboration. The partnership would entail the design, development and launch of a new Lobster Ink website and online marketing of the Lobster Ink platform, globally. Solution WeAreBrain set up two dedicated sprint teams that worked with Lobster Ink over a period of six…
months. A truly international initiative; teams were located in Amsterdam, Kiev, Geneva and CapeTown, meeting daily, using software support tools to support the collaboration. Team One (re)designed and developed the new website, including the development of an enterprise ready, open source CMS (Umbraco) and the customization and integration of 3rd party services for job application tracking. (http://lobsterink.com/careers/), PR (http://lobsterink.pr.co/) and Employee Onboarding (http://safari.lobsterink.com/) A DevOps engineer would manage the Azure Cloud hosting environment of the site. Team two, WeAreBrain’s marketing specialists, created a digital strategy focusing on content creation and management (text, visual video), as well as key online marketing operations; SEO, social media support, and data analytics.
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Beautiful News - Reframing our world Image

Beautiful News - Reframing our world

The challenge Cape Town-based Ginkgo Agency required a brand new platform for their product Beautiful News, a positive news source releasing stories at 4:14 pm every day. We needed to design their platform and develop a suite of key features and functionalities, including an elegant solution to display Today’s Story from a list of categorised stories. Our solution WeAreBrain’s team of developers and designers created new Channels…
and Editions functionalities, as well as Advanced Search, Podcast and My Account features. The team also developed a Google Voice Assistant to go with the site. To try it out, just simply say: “Hi Google, talk to Beautiful News” on your Android smartphone. Furthermore and very excitingly, WeAreBrain has developed a new Contributor Hub, a platform where the community can submit new story ideas and participate in the production of stories around the world as ideators, creators and patrons. Technology The Beautiful News mobile-first web application is based on Drupal 8 technology and the Google Voice Assistant created by the team is accessible via Android Smart Devices. Simply Say “Hi Google, talk to Beautiful News” and start brightening up your day with the best new good news stories.
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Creating a luxury retail experience online Image

Creating a luxury retail experience online

Challenge The aim was to create a bespoke luxury online retail experience. The online organic skincare market was missing a platform which focused on high-end products. The web experience of existing e-commerce platforms was often disappointing and offered no professional advice about which products suited individual customers. These platforms were also unsophisticated and lacked a smooth user experience. This was in stark…
contrast to the service received by customers in luxury boutiques. Solution Working with Bloom Avenue, we developed a sophisticated e-commerce platform. The platform includes an online skin assessment, provided through a questionnaire and via a Facebook Messenger chatbot which we developed specifically for Bloom Avenue. A digital magazine has also been developed and launched to spread exclusive and relevant content and news. Result Bloom Avenue now provides an online advisory experience that is second to none and is at the forefront of the customisation trend for cosmetics. The company’s been featured in a series of online and offline publications such as Women’s Health, Emerce and Mademoiselle Nature.
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TheOptimal.Me - Older. Bolder. Better after 50 Image

TheOptimal.Me - Older. Bolder. Better after 50

Our client and partner, FireFinch, realised the need for a wellness platform specifically catered to people aged 50 and above. With so many fitness and wellness apps out there targeted to young adults, older generations struggle to find wellness solutions which cater to their specific needs. FireFinch collaborated closely with WeAreBrain since 2018 to provide innovative tech solutions focused on functional fitness and wellness…
for the body, mind and spirit. Using Drupal 8, iOS and Android technology, TheOptimal.me gives users expert advice, the latest information and guidance on how to make the best of the best years of your life. TheOptimal.me is an easy to use, intuitive platform (web and app) which uses videos, articles and how-to’s to share valuable information regarding health and wellness. The team created a series of fitness workouts, stretches and technique instructional videos and carefully curated nutrition plans to help matures lead a holistic lifestyle.
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Bespoke insurance solutions for part-time professionals and freelancers Image

Bespoke insurance solutions for part-time professionals and freelancers

Challenge Finding insurance that suits the needs of professionals in the gig economy can be both tedious and cumbersome, especially as a ‘one size fits all’ approach is outdated in today's working landscape. We aimed to provide bespoke insurance solutions for part-time professionals and freelancers, taking into account their specific requirements and set out to save them time and money by providing them with a quote in 10 minutes…
or less. Solution Working with MyRiskDesk, we developed PTProCover, a new platform offering bespoke insurance solutions for part-time professionals and freelancers in partnership with Nationwide, one of the largest insurance and financial services providers in the United States. Working over a period of 4 months we identified the different capacities part-time professionals and freelancers fulfil in the global workforce. We then set about designing a platform that offered insurance solutions that would specifically cater to this rapidly emerging market. Utilising advanced Drupal 8 technology we built a platform that is more dynamic and effective in providing insurance solutions which suit business professionals of the modern era. Result Quotes are delivered in less than 10 minutes in comparison with the standard 2-3 day wait time. We’ve also received a great deal of interest in the backend technology of PTProCover. As a result MRD has started licensing part of this innovative technology to third parties.
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Just do it (yourself), one project at a time Image

Just do it (yourself), one project at a time

The Challenge Holland’s DIY specialist, Praxis’ core commitment is to always be there for the makers. They believe that everyone can build, make and create. To make people believe that they have the potential for creating, Praxis needed to motivate them and show them how easy it is to DIY. Showing an experienced handyman building stuff has been done multiple times, but those video's age quite fast. How could we make DIY look as…
simple as possible? Our Solution We collaborated with multiple DIY experts to create scripts and step-by-step instructions. We then translated the scripts into voice-overs that would be helpful even without any imagery. We then created multiple 3D animations of various DIY step-by-steps to have the freedom of turning the camera and showing the progress from every angle. We simplified the steps by animating every detail of materials and tools used. By showing a real life render of the end result, users have a clear view of how their DIY project should look. Through this process we managed to take complicated DIY jobs and turn them into simple and consumable step-by-step instructions.
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SidelineSwap - Where athletes buy and sell their gear Image

SidelineSwap - Where athletes buy and sell their gear

In 2012, a group of former college athletes realised how difficult it was to find high-quality used sports gear online with no dedicated e-commerce platforms available. This created the desire to create SidelineSwap - an e-commerce platform that supported the sports community by making previously owned sports gear more affordable and available. They also wanted to connect athletes with each other via this platform. Their key…
challenge was they had a great idea but they lacked the know-how to realise their dream.
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Clevergig - The #1 SaaS WFM solution Image

Clevergig - The #1 SaaS WFM solution

We built a cloud-based Software as a Service solution, with a highly scalable micro-service based front-end and back-end. As an agency that promotes international engagement, a dedicated sprint team operating out of Amsterdam, Kiev and Geneva held daily stand ups and utilized software support tools to ensure seamless execution of the project. The team held both heavy-weight tech and marketing expertise, working together to design…
and develop an app, a website and an online marketing program for the MVP launch. The project was delivered on time and in the budget. Using an agile development process with continuous delivery each sprint cycle, along with direct validation and user testing allowed for optimal team and project performance. Co-creation with trial customers made us fortunate to optimise usability and functionality in real time, ensuring that clevergig is the best usable HR solution. On a technical level, the focus was on platform openness. With Public API, developers are able to build own custom functionalities. On performance, scalability & security, the combination of AWS Amazon cloud and container infrastructure (Docker) allowed us to handle traffic spikes, protect data from external threats, and be smart about infra budget, to keep clevergig affordable. The micro-services architecture keeps components small and independent from each other. On engineering level it makes talent on-boarding & team scaling fast and efficient. Machine learning makes the platform capable of analyzing customer data for workforce optimization.
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HEINEKEN Drinkies Voice Commerce Image

HEINEKEN Drinkies Voice Commerce

WeAreBrain has teamed up with HEINEKEN Netherlands to create an exciting new Voice skill functionality to their Heineken Drinkies beer ordering app. Now you can order beer anywhere, anytime through a sophisticated Voice application using Google Assistant via mobile or smart home devices. Smart Speakers

…
boom

Currently, the Smart Home market share in the Netherlands is estimated at $900m and is expected to grow to $1.7 billion by 2023. With Heineken Drinkies being available on Google Assistant and Smart Speakers it has opened up a new market, allowing for larger distribution with reduced marketing spend. Added to this, there is little competition in this new area yet. It is therefore easier to promote, as opposed to traditional app and online channels.

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Floar - Augmented Reality e-Commerce Image

Floar - Augmented Reality e-Commerce

The ARolmaat feature uses AR to turn your mobile device into a tape measure. You can quickly gauge the size of objects, automatically detect the dimensions of rectangular objects, and measure your floor. ARolmaat will calculate the amount of square meters there are and translate it into amount of laminate/tile packages required. Bringing AR to brick and mortar companies It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get excited: this is…
an amazing time for retail. “The biggest shift we’re seeing is that the marketplace is constantly shifting between in-store, in-person and online. But that represents a huge opportunity for retailers (large and small) to provide experiences their customers want, especially in real life,” “Today’s consumers want what they want, when they want it, the way they want it, and given all the shopping venues available to them, those wants are critically important.” So give ‘em what they want and keep ‘em wanting more, regardless of what retail trends are coming your way
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Maxeda Voordemakers platform Image

Maxeda Voordemakers platform

Challenge WeAreBrain has worked with Maxeda since our inception, and over the years we have produced a number of successful products and projects together. At the outset, the challenge that Maxeda faced was that they were excellent at traditional DIY but didn’t have the knowledge or expertise to take their in-store experience online. They didn’t just want to create a landing page for their business, they wanted to digitise the…
retail experience. Solution WeAreBrain played a major role in creating a brand new platform to sell products for Maxeda. WeAreBrain facilitated the setup and coaching of a nearshore development team focussed on building new online services, integrating with the company’s existing ERP and retail solutions (website and app). We created a way for existing users to use the new platform using their existing accounts. We implemented a dynamic search tool into their new webshop and integrated soft content with the product catalogue. Now the new and improved e-commerce platform has completely replaced the old one and is being used continuously to sell Maxeda products.
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HEINEKEN - Chatbot e-learning solutions Image

HEINEKEN - Chatbot e-learning solutions

Challenge How do you educate external sales and support teams about your products if they do not work directly with your business? For example, how do you inform and incentivise barmen to promote your brand above your competitors, or other sales agents operating in indirect channels? HEINEKEN Netherlands, together with Greenberry creative agency, have created a concept for a series of mobile games in which players learn about…
products while playing and competing with their colleagues. To make the games more accessible, they can be played via Facebook messenger. The challenge for WeAreBrain was twofold: Create a templated chatbot solution to support the core e-learning game rules, and; Allow the content creators to create multiple gamified e-learning challenges for different products in a user-friendly CMS backend. Solution We developed a game template with gamification rules which includes: game scenarios, scores, multimedia support, multiple player roles and push notifications. We also created a custom user-friendly CMS to create new games for various products with the ability to customise the look and feel of the marketing material such as landing pages. We created an innovative onboarding process ensuring participation by invite only, by connecting multiple user roles using web portals, including Whatsapp invite and Facebook Messenger. Real-time insights through the custom web portal are available, allowing the marketing managers to track participation and scores. We created a control to send push notifications to individual players or to groups of players to motivate participation.
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HEINEKEN Chatbot Event Management Platform Image

HEINEKEN Chatbot Event Management Platform

Organising an event is hard work. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle that you need to put together to ensure that everything goes perfectly and when you get all the pieces in place you are likely to have an incredible event but sometimes things don’t go according to plan. Imagine you could get help with communicating your event to a wide audience, and managing ticket sales and finding venues which allow for a specific number of attendees?…
Wouldn’t that make putting an event together so much easier? WeAreBrain created an exciting Event Bot - a powerful and dynamic solution that addresses all of this and much more, through a super smart Facebook Messenger chatbot. Our Event Bot can organise and manage your guest list and let you know who is attending and who has to cancel last minute via signups. You can get into the party spirit by listening to Spotify playlists, and you can also pre-book a taxi and plan your route to and from the event - we don’t want you drinking and driving! You can even organise your own event with our Event Bot. Just tell the bot your party requirements, including food, drinks, decorations and more, and the bot, through the Heineken NOW service, will deliver your order right to your house in just 30 minutes! With an efficient and user-friendly registration via a mobile webapp, event hosts are able to register visitors easily. And with transparent event reporting in a custom webportal powered by Tur.ai, event organisers are able to witness the effectiveness of their event and venue in real time.
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HEINEKEN - Predictive sales and marketing assistant Image

HEINEKEN - Predictive sales and marketing assistant

Challenge The global events world is constantly changing and the competition is great. Before you know it, another festival, an innovative conference or a new event is planned that you should not miss. But how do you keep track of which events are coming up? Can you guarantee that your sales and marketing teams know exactly where the biggest commercial opportunities lie, who the organiser is, and which event is best connected to…
your brand? And how do you best predict the volume and expected revenue of a sales opportunity? What if you had all this information in real time, and much more? Solution WeAreBrain has developed SmartSpy, an AI-driven digital sales and marketing assistant that notifies you of new sales opportunities. Through customised automated processes and innovative software, SmartSpy searches the internet for upcoming events and presents the information in a format which makes it easy to assess their potential sales opportunities. Through a web portal, users are able to view the collected event information in a structured and clear format, with email notifications sent to alert sales managers of new opportunities. SmartSpy uses predictive analytics to forecast potential sales opportunities based on a number of predefined criteria. Result SmartSpy has a highly impressive timeline of implementation, with a high number of events searched in the first month of testing. The web portal’s user interface is impressive, intuitive and easy to understand.
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HEINEKEN AI-powered retail marketing automation Image

HEINEKEN AI-powered retail marketing automation

1. A multi-purpose application that allows to configure consumer facing loyalty campaign initiatives, including but not limited to rewards and cash refund campaigns. In collaboration with Triple (wearetriple.nl). 2. An innovative and multi-purpose Image Processing and Optical Character and Image Recognition solution that extracts the data from images of both rolled and A4 receipts. This is accomplished with proprietary AI…
technology and a matching algorithm using a neural network. We have carefully created an algorithm to calculate the cashback per consumer based on the various campaign rules and the actual price of the purchased product. 3. A customised web portal has been developed to manage campaign rules and view the results of the image processing, with the ability to manually correct the system. The platform also helps brand managers, marketers and business stakeholders to collect relevant consumer data, understand purchasing behaviour, promote new and existing Heineken products directly to consumers, and ultimately ensures purchases. This intuitive, user-friendly platform transforms a manual and therefore slow process into one that is nimble and simple to use while closing the gap between consumers’ expectations and company marketing intentions by applying the latest Artificial Intelligence technology and sophisticated OCR and image processing capabilities. Since the launch of the product, 30.000+ receipts were successfully processed over the first 3 campaigns, boasting an automatic correct recognition judgement rate around 80%. Considerable cost-savings were also made at Heineken, by reducing internal handling and processing costs by more than 90%, as well as external third party commissions for affiliate marketplaces. Heineken is 100% in control of all campaign related data all the while staying fully compliant with European GDPR regulations.
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HEINEKEN - AI-powered procurement automation Image

HEINEKEN - AI-powered procurement automation

Challenge The process for new official vendor requests was fragmented and cumbersome. It involved multiple complex Excel forms without validations and a process which needed to be driven by the requestor, who was usually unaware of all the necessary steps involved. The use of offline forms to collect vendor information caused manual validation issues and multiple data reentries. This inefficient and lengthy process caused low…
percentages of first-time-right requests. Furthermore, the unguided process caused long lead-times and delayed deliveries of the products and services in demand. Solution We developed an intuitive workbot called Harry which serves as an Enterprise Virtual Assistant to new and established HEINEKEN vendors to assist them with making new procurement orders more quickly and efficiently. Additionally, a new digital business process was created, one which is now orchestrated by the system. Harry is able to track each individual request and ensures that all participants are guided through each step of the process. Harry helps employees successfully perform each task in the process, including: starting the request, the procurement to process the request in the most efficient way, supporting and guiding the vendors to fill in their data correctly and checking it with sources like DUNS and IBAN, and helping the controllers with the correct data in the correct format. We introduced an eSignature solution, saving time and paper for vendors. Additionally, Harry has the 'face' of a chatbot running as a custom, web-based chat interface that runs on the existing SharePoint and uses existing Active Directory to identify the users. Harry comes with a likeable avatar character, instantly becoming a virtual colleague everyone can relate to. For some of the required steps we have used other user interfaces and channels to offer the most optimal user experience, such as online forms, emails and a secured web portal.
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Reviews

4.9
5 reviews
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Platform Development for Healthcare Digital Solution

"Their leadership and transparency stood out to us."

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4.5

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
June 2018 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

WeAreBrain developed a SaaS platform for a healthcare digital solution. After building the video-streaming platform, the team went on the create their website, iOS and Android apps, and UI/UX designs.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Mauritius
Elizabeth Grantham
Founder, TheOptimal.me
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The platform was a finalist for a prestigious industry award, exceeding the expectations of the internal team. WeAreBrain communicates regularly with the client to ensure a smooth workflow. The team goes above and beyond to provide quality results that meet the requirements of the client.

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder of TheOptimal.me, a digital solution for people 50+ that helps mitigate the negative effects of ageing, sitting and stress.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire WeAreBrain?

WeAreBrain was selected to develop our custom-built SaaS video streaming platform with native website and iOS and Android apps. The biggest challenge was developing a user-friendly UX for our 50+ target audience. We required both technical & UX design services. We provide content flows and visual design inputs.

What were your goals for this project?

The platform needed to be accessible - working on any device, any time, anywhere. Audiences with lower bandwidth needed to have a good experience, it needed to be adopted for specific UX requirements and privacy concerns. The platform needed to be scalable, secure to allow e-comm and payments through Stripe and PayPal, compliant with PCI & GDPR requirements.

Added to this, we needed to create an affordable MVP using off-the-shelf technology solutions. The architecture needed to be flexible allowing vertical extensions into e-comm, a B2B offering and other on-demand services. Our team had limited experience and needed to find an experienced and trustworthy partner for our build.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had identified a business whose offering was in a totally different category, but had similar capabilities. Senior team members at WeAreBrain had worked on this project and were recommended to us. We had high-level discussions with 3 companies, and whilst WeAreBrain's estimates were slightly higher, they way out-scored the other vendors in terms of thinking, strategy, experience.

Most importantly, they LISTENED to our brief, as opposed to proposing a totally different model and offering they thought would be better. The Board of Directors unanimously agreed with their selection.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We provided the basic requirements from a consumer perspective, and all content follows. WeAreBrain took our initial design and provided a full 360 service: Web & App design and development, including selection of fit-for-purpose off-the-shelf technology, custom CMS, UX & a level of visual design.

They became and are an integral partner for TheOptimal.me. They continue to provide consulting services at executive level, from technology to e-comm and digital marketing. One of the most pleasing aspects of working with the team is that new releases / updates very seldom have bugs and problems, and in fact, throughout the build, we have been hugely impressed with the almost seamless and robust process the tech team delivers against.

What was the team composition?

The team has varied over time, depending on the resource and expertise needed in various phases. Initially a small team built the web MVP, and changed when the App build began. WeAreBrain has been flexible and responsive, depending on our needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TheOptimal.me is a new offering and is creating a new category. We were extremely proud when the platform was selected a finalist in the 2019 Drupal Awards. We are only getting started, but WeAreBrain will continue as our technology partner for the foreseeable future. We are constantly complimented on our site, our UX, and the ease of use.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

At the start, as newcomers to building technology, our team wasn't very efficient in terms of review, and we went a few rounds before we learnt that we needed to take a far more robust approach to approvals, as opposed to getting excited about how beautiful things looked.

We found ways to overcome the language barrier without impact on workflow and over time, our team communications have worked effectively on Slack and other approval platforms. The team have been very responsive to urgent needs and fixes, and after a few initial hiccups on timing, have delivered against reasonable deadlines, within budget.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their leadership and transparency stood out to us. At an executive level we have been able to communicate openly and honestly to find solutions to problems, and to map out next steps. There will always be small issues to overcome, especially at a project management level, when language and culture aren't always the same. But these have been overcome with humour and patience.

Mario has become a trusted advisor, and the team always have our best interests at heart. From a financial perspective, I believe we have had and continue to receive great value for our spend. Most importantly, the company culture is one of living in the extra mile.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The one area I would say there is room for improvement is in the day to day comms a project management level - this is partly due to language differences - but the effort put into reducing misunderstandings has been excellent.

4.5
Overall Score No-one's perfect.
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    Almost always on track and on time.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    Maybe not the cheapest quote, but very good value and worth the premium
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    Always excellent. We have very few fixes required.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    Without reservation.

Marketplace & Job Board for Professional Services Company

"They deliver what they promise and if there are any hick-ups they tell it straight away and try to get it fixed."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Oct. 2015 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

WeAreBrain designed, developed, configured, and launched an online marketplace from scratch. Later, they built a job board as well. Since then, they've provided ongoing development and maintenance.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Rufus Franck
Founder & Owner, Consultants 500
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The platform successfully launched and has been operational for four years without any bugs or technical issues. WeAreBrain's project management style is flawless; they're organized, deadline-oriented, and fast. The leadership invests time in offering valuable suggestions and improvements. 

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We operate a niche job board and marketplace for the professional services sector. Via our platforms, you can search for jobs and professional service providers in the professional services industry. I am the founder and owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire WeAreBrain?

Back in 2015/2016, I came up with a business idea for my current business, but I had zero experience in web development. A friend of mine recommended WeAreBrain and after some further market research, I decided to hire them. They built my online marketplace (and later on my job board) from scratch and since then I have been using WeAreBrain on a continuous basis for new development activities, further improvements, and maintenance types of activities.

What were your goals for this project?

I had a business idea and WeAreBrain translated this idea to building a full-blown platform thereby taking into account all sorts of technical aspects like database choice, responsive design, mobile-friendly, payment infrastructure, and also the web design aspects.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A friend recommended them and after that, I did some further market research

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, developed, configured, and launched my online marketplace from scratch. I wrote my business idea in a 50+ page business paper and they translated this to workflows and wireframes. Once we approved the workflows and wireframes, actual production began in the form of 2-week sprints. In the meantime, functional versions were ready for user testing and feedback. Key improvements were also made during each sprint thanks to helpful suggestions from the development team.

What was the team composition?

The project team existed of about 6 people, but certain individuals would come and go depending on the skills needed. The project manager stayed involved on a continuous basis while he did a great job of translating business ideas to the technical team and vice versa.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My platform was launched in April 2016 and since then it has been operational on a continuous basis without any bugs or technical fallouts.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was top of the bill. Clear and fast communication, deadlines were always met and budget was monitored and communicated on a regular basis. I would not know what to improve here.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They deliver what they promise and if there are any hick-ups they tell it straight away and try to get it fixed without any additional fees. Short and fast communication lines. The owners of the company are also personally involved and they take the time to think with you and come up with valuable suggestions and improvements.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Could not think of any.

5.0
Overall Score As said earlier, I do not think I could have started my business without the continuous support from WeAreBrain.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    Far above expectations
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    Great value for money
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    I do not think I could have started my business without them.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I have never considered looking for another developer so I would refer them to my friend or business partner without any doubt.

Web Development for Sporting Goods Marketplace

"The Brain team stood out because they understood the problem we were trying to solve, and how we aimed to solve it."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Dec. 2012 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

WeAreBrain developed a website for an online sporting goods marketplace. The team went on to provide site maintenance, fix any bugs, and develop new features.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Boston, Massachusetts
Brendan Candon
CEO, SidelineSwap
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The engagement allowed the client to quickly and affordably launch their product, meeting the needs of the internal team. WeAreBrain effectively manages projects through close collaboration. The team is hard-working, professional, and effective.

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

SidelineSwap is an online marketplace where people buy and sell sporting goods.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire WeAreBrain?

Initial website development, including allowing users to create accounts, list products for sale, search / browse, chat, purchase, and track their orders. Ongoing website maintenance, including bug fixes, new feature development, and supporting growth as we scaled.

What were your goals for this project?

Provide a best in class, mobile-first marketplace experience for buyers and sellers in the sporting goods category.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After working with several vendors, we selected Brain4Web based on a strong referral and satisfactory conversations with their team. We continued to work with Brain for 7+ years because of the quality of their engineering team and product development.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

  1. Software engineering
  2. Some product management

What was the team composition?

At most times we've leverage 1 - 4 resources to supplement our in-house teams. For special projects, we've scaled up to as many as 10 engineers, product managers, and designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brain played a critical role in the success of our business. They allowed us to quickly and affordably launch our product, and then scale while maintaining a great user experience through rapid agile development cycles. We currently support millions of users and were ranked the 13th fastest growing marketplace in the world in 2019 by venture fund a16z.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

A project manager on our team works closely with the Brain team (typically engineers, but sometimes a PM on their end as well.) We work in 2 week sprints. We leverage many collaboration tools, including Slack, Jira, Confluence, GitHub, Google Hangouts, etc. All teams communicate effectively in English. Time zones are rarely a blocker (Boston / Kiev).

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The Brain team stood out because they understood the problem we were trying to solve, and how we aimed to solve it. They are not just a software development shop, they've been excellent partners who provide thoughtful feedback as we execute on our vision. And are always highly accountable and trustworthy throughout any project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing noteworthy.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Development for Shipping & Deliveries Company

"Their speed and their attitude were impressive — the speed of their work is limited by your speed only!"

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Aug. 2019 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

WeAreBrain developed an API, native mobile apps for shippers, a web portal for merchants, and an administrative control panel from scratch. 

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Almere, Netherlands
Jurgen de Jonge
Founder, iSHIPit BV
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

A functional solution was delivered on-time and on-budget; the products are integral to the business's success and ability to scale. WeAreBrain had a detail-oriented, communicative workflow marked by flexible pivoting to the highest priority tasks. 

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

ishipit.nl is a platfom for delivery gigs. Companies can hire "shippers" per hour (for a number of hours). Main target currently: delivery restaurants, soon also retail. Complex fiscal rulings in place preventing "shippers" having to declare VAT and having to register @ Chamber of Commerce. My role is founder and investor

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire WeAreBrain?

WAB: delvelopped all from scrach: API, native mobile (shipper) apps, web app (mobile coming) for merchants, etc.

What were your goals for this project?

Develop 1.0 platform from scratch while pilotting and being able o adjust development roadmap quickly based on day-2-day learnings and experiences. Maintain budgets, and quickly shift resources (monthly) based on chaging requirements! Never exceed budget!

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We worked with a different development company earlier. A "befriended" development company even. However communication, performance, quality of output was not in line with demands. Almost a year we made the drastic decision to start all over again and do a complete write-off of the old platform. We selected WAB based on talks we had with another client of WAB whose platform we were considering to use as a temporary solution. We expercienced first hand the level of quality of WAB. That made us decide to try to come to an agreement ourselves with WAB. The rest is history.............

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project consisted of creation (100%) of: 1. API 2. web (mobile soon) portal for merchants 3. mobile (native) apps for shippers 4. admin control panel A tremendous amount of business rules are applicable as well as many business settings and filers in order for merchans to find the perfect shippers (including favourites, blacklisting, automated or manual selection, fines for late cancelation, ec). All finance and invoicing is handled via the platform in line with Dutch regulations! Soon we will integrate pay-per-use insurances as well additional services will be provided!

What was the team composition?

2 fte backend developers 2 fte mobile developers 1 fte product owner 0,5 fte project manager 0,5 fte Q&A + myself (product owner) => the size of the team as described above is flexible. Whenever in a monh there are more backend related taks, the budget is moved a such. Total flexibility!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a working platform functioning better then expected and was developed in line with set budgets and timelines. This platform IS our business and is therefore not meant to optimize certain parts. Currently we are adding some more features and then will start to scale up quickly. Our platform is ready.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I worked on a dail base with Ana Gritsenko, a Business Analyst, Product Owner and UI designer in 1 single person. Per month we defined the roadmap (requirments, urgency, team, budget) and together we defined to reflect requirments from an automation point of view. Anastasia created all wireframing, described all usecases into detail and once agreed I merely (most of the times) could only agree and provide text (easy). She then briefed the dev team (daily stand up).

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their speed and their attitude were impressive — the speed of their work is limited by your speed only!

Are there any areas for improvement?

none (really)

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    never missed a meeting
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    pricing is competitive. Pricing/quality far beyond competitive
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    never a complaint
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I do already

E-Commerce Development for French Kids Concept Store

"Their organization and efficient structure stood out."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Less than $10,000
 
Apr. - July 2020
Project summary: 

WeAreBrain developed an online identity and webshop, which involved conducting onboarding and design workshops. In the creation of the site, they provided graphic design and data migration services.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Pontoise, France
CEO & Founder, Les Petites Barboteuses
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The new website will launch in Q4 of 2020, serving as the first international label for the store. WeAreBrain maintained reliable, consistent communication throughout the project. 

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

MyTinyStars is a leading French Kids Concept Store known as Les Petites Barboteuses. As the founder and CEO of the company I am responsible for the entire product selection and branding of our online and retail presence.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire WeAreBrain?

We hired WeAreBrain to develop our new online identity and e-commerce webshop for the MyTinyStars label.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking for an experienced, reliable and affordable e-commerce partner to build our new platform for the new season.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We conducted a lot of online research and WeAreBrain came recommended.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

- Onboarding workshops - Design workshops - Requirements documentation - Website development - Migration - Graphic Design

What was the team composition?

Team Lead Developer Designer Tester Graphic Designer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

MyTinyStars will officially launch in Q4 and is our first international label outside of our homemarket in France.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I had a dedicated project lead and we communicated daily via Slack.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their organization and efficient structure stood out.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The Graphic Design output could potentially be faster.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer