We’ve taken on some unique challenges outside traditional software and full-stack development. If your project has similar complexities, we have the experience to help.
Startups Need to Recognize Revenue
A small startup we worked with was struggling to recognize revenue because a critical hardware component needed to ship to customers. We partnered directly with the COO to craft business strategies and make key decisions regarding the performance and schedule of the hardware development we were leading, ensuring the company could stay afloat.
Getting the Board on Board: Charismatic and Convincing Presentations
We’re skilled presenters who enjoy making complex technical concepts accessible to diverse audiences, from engineers to executives. Byron, for example, once ran parts of an Un-Conference at Google, impressing participants so much that one offered him a job on the spot.
Offshore and Nearshore Contractors
We’ve collaborated with contractors across numerous countries and time zones on a variety of projects. It can be challenging but rewarding. Success often comes when contractors are augmenting a core team of full-time engineers and every pull request is reviewed with a hands-on approach.
Using Independent Design Companies to “Build the Whole Product”
Hiring an outside firm to develop an entire product can work—but only under specific conditions. We’ve seen success when the two companies share a mutual, beneficial goal beyond the contract and when the hiring company has strong technical leadership deeply involved throughout the process. Writing a cheque and hoping a working product shows up later rarely works.
Hardware Vendor Management
Managing hardware development brings its own unique challenges. We’ve worked with vendors to define technical specifications and cost requirements while navigating the mismatched timelines of hardware and software development. Hardware tends to follow a waterfall schedule, which requires careful synchronization to avoid one side blocking the other.
Software Vendor Management
Buying software instead of building it can save time, but it’s rarely as simple as their sales team make it sound. Integrating third-party software often reveals hidden complexities. While "Buy vs. Build" often favors “Buy,” we’ve learned how to navigate the inevitable challenges that come with integration.
Multi-Million Dollar Equipment Purchases
We led the planning, budgeting, vendor negotiations, and purchasing for a multi-million-dollar wireless development lab at Google. Starting with an empty building and a tight timeline, we set up the lab to support the development of what’s now known as Google Nest WiFi, ensuring it shipped on time.
Software Automation and Testing of Real Hardware
We’ve designed RF circuits and radio systems, created new WiFi test stations, automated RF lab benches, and written extensive software to automate performance testing and analysis. These projects often combined deep hardware understanding with software automation, making them both challenging and rewarding.
Compliance and Certification
The FCC had never certified an upgradeable Software Defined Radio—until we changed the rules. Together with a CTO, we helped draft the rules that the FCC adopted and then used them to achieve the first-ever FCC Class 3 Permissive Change to add a new modulation to a radio. (Vanu’s FCC Grantee code: RD6). If you're in a regulated industry and need to pass compliance tests, we've done that.
But Mostly, We Do Software
Our primary expertise lies in building meticulously crafted, high-quality products and leaving you with a motivated, happy, and cohesive team. If your product is complex and involves intersections with any of these specialized areas, we may be uniquely qualified to help guide its development.
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