Stock Optimizer

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Efficient Frontiers is a startup that’s aiming to make quantitative investment analysis tools more widely available.

Our main product is an app, Stock Optimizer, which brings portfolio optimization and other investment analysis tools to iPhone.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

We didn’t have the resources or expertise to develop an app in-house. 
We needed a firm that could design and build an app from scratch within a very tight budget!

What was the scope of their involvement?

As well as carrying out portfolio optimization and other analytical tools, the Stock Optimizer app also displays stock market charts and news. Ready 4S were intimately involved in every stage of this project. Their team was involved in the design, backend, frontend and in developing and modifying optimization algorithms. Prior to the design phase, they built a wireframe and solicited suggestions on details like colour. Within the early stages, they provided mock-ups to illustrate the user path. Ready4S also built the latest version of the app, which has more features and functionalities. They really have demonstrated their ability to handle the entire lifecycle of implementing a product, from design to launch to follow up support.

What is the team composition?

We were assigned a team of four. Kamil was our main point of contact and he was superb. He provided a detailed development plan with regular progress updates, responded to our (many) queries and liaised with the wider Ready4S team.

We were assigned the same team for the update carried out in September 2018. It really helped to work with the same people who were already familiar with our project.

We also dealt with Pawel Ferens, the Chief Technology Officer at Ready 4S. He often called to check on progress and was also on hand to help deal with any complicated technical issues.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent $65,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started work on the first version of the app in August 2017 and this was launched on schedule in December 2017. Work on the second version started in July 2018 avnd this was completed ahead of schedule by September 2018.

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

We don’t have much metrics just yet and have only just started marketing. However, the app has been very well received by investment professionals. We have had several emails praising its look and feel and welcoming an app that brings portfolio optimization and back-testing to iPhone.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

We went from not having a product, to completing and launching the first version of our app and landing page in four months. Ready4S met all their deadlines, kept us updated with progress and responded very quickly to all of our queries. What really impressed us was how they responded to the inevitable problems we encountered as we progressed. They were very proactive in coming up with creative solutions that we couldn’t have though of on our own.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re collaborative and easy to work with. They’re not afraid to make suggestions for improvements and do a lot of research on their own to find better options. They guided us through the process of building an app, and they were more than happy to help. We are very grateful for the work they did.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. We initially felt that it would be best to have a developer located in the same city as us. However we’ve worked with Ready 4S for some time now and this is not an issue. We have regular calls, exchange emails, texts and Skype video calls and communication is just fine.