Top Health Tech Product & Data builders & investors
Sidebench is the leading healthcare digital transformation firm in the US. Sidebench designs, builds, and scales digital products and data platforms for leading health companies and high-growth ventures. We bring together four strengths in a single team: technology & product strategy, UX-first product design, pragmatic systems and data architecture, and secure, HIPAA-compliant engineering.
We design and build technology that drives measurable results, from streamlining healthcare systems to creating first-of-its-kind consumer experiences and scaling startup platforms from idea to $100M rounds. At Sidebench, we help the most innovative organizations and founding teams solve today’s challenges while building for what’s next.
Recent Awards & Recognition:
Fast Company's Innovation By Design Award
Webby Awards (2x), Fast Company's Best Apps (2x), Fast Company Best Workplaces for Innovators; W3 Awards (5x Gold)
Inc. 5000 America’s Fastest-Growing Companies (7x in a row)
Forbes 30 Under 30, Entrepreneur Magazine's Most Entrepreneurial Companies, American Hospital Association’s Innovation Challenge Winner
Clutch Global Top 100 B2B Firms; #1 Custom Software Dev: #1 LA Mobile App Developers; Clutch Global Top Leaders Awards: Mobile App Development & Software Development (5 years in a row)
Certified Diverse Supplier - Minority-Owned Business (MNSDC)
International Association of Accessibility Professionals (CPACC)
Let’s Co-Invent the Future Together!
Certifications/Compliance
United States
149 South Barrington Avenue,
Los Angeles,
California90049
310-893-3589
$100 - $149/hr
50 - 249
2012
Service Focus
Focus of Mobile App Development
iOS - iPhone - 55%
Android - 35%
iOS - iPad - 10%
Focus of Software Development
Java - 20%
PHP - 20%
Javascript - 20%
AngularJS - 20%
C# - 20%
Focus of Web Development
Wordpress - 25%
Drupal - 25%
Joomla - 25%
Sitecore - 25%
Focus of Web Design
Website - 60%
Landing Page - 20%
Launch Page - 10%
Usability - 10%
Industry Focus
Healthcare & Medical - 40%
Consumer Products - 30%
Financial & Payments - 15%
Media - 10%
Government - 5%
Client Focus
50% Large Business
40% Small Business
10% Medium Business
Review Analytics of Sidebench
17
Total Reviews
5.0/5
Overall Rating
11
Recent Reviews
What Users Say
Sidebench is a proactive, knowledgeable, and highly collaborative development partner who keeps projects moving efficiently.
Chris Tucker , CTO & Chief Product Officer at Diathrive
Sidebench integrates seamlessly with our team and consistently delivers reliable, high-quality development work.
Danny Steiner , President at Kenshō Health
A highly responsive and detail-oriented team that delivers a smooth, engaging mobile app experience.
Edward Wu , VP Growth Hacker at Peer Health Exchange
Sidebench brought our vision to life with thoughtful design, clear communication, and an intuitive app prototype.
Anonymous
A knowledgeable team that communicates clearly and consistently delivers improvements that move our product forward.
Anonymous
What Users Like The Most
What stands out most about Sidebench is their professionalism and deep understanding of product development. They go beyond simply executing tasks and contribute meaningful insights that help shape a stronger product strategy.
Their rare ability to merge forward-thinking design creativity with reliable, on-time delivery, creating both excitement and confidence in the product’s future.
Their professionalism and technical competence stood out the most. They demonstrated a clear understanding of the development process and consistently delivered work that met our expectations.
What Users Like The Least
At this stage of the collaboration, I honestly cannot identify any significant areas where improvements are needed. Our experience with their team has been consistently positive.
Providing even more proactive insights on post-launch growth strategy or user engagement optimization could elevate an already strong partnership to the next level.
From our perspective, there were no significant issues during the engagement. The team performed well and addressed our requirements effectively.
Sidebench integrates seamlessly with our team and consistently delivers reliable, high-quality development work.
Our experience with Sidebench has been excellent. From the start, the team acted like a natural extension of our internal staff, adapting to our workflows and understanding our goals. Their professionalism and responsiveness make them easy to work with, and we never feel like we’re outsourcing—they feel like part of our team.
The portal they are building on AWS and React covers messaging, calendaring, scheduling, and document management. Their approach to project management has been very structured yet flexible, allowing us to adjust priorities without slowing down progress. Communication is clear and consistent, with regular updates and checkpoints that keep everyone aligned.
Overall, their technical expertise combined with their collaborative mindset has helped us move faster than we expected and maintain a high standard for product quality.
What was the project name that you have worked with Sidebench?
Custom Software Development for Health Coaching Platform
What service was provided as part of the project?
Software Development, Cloud Computing Services
Describe your project in brief
Sidebench has been developing a custom software portal for our health coaching platform, built on AWS and React. The system supports messaging, scheduling, calendaring, and document management for coaches and clients.
What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?
Their ability to integrate with our internal team and adapt to our processes. They combine technical skill with a collaborative mindset, which makes the partnership very smooth.
What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?
There are very few areas for improvement. Occasionally, we requested rapid changes that needed more clarification, but the team handled these situations professionally.
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Project Detail
$200000+
In Progress
Healthcare & Medical
Anonymous
Posted 2 weeks ago
A knowledgeable team that communicates clearly and consistently delivers improvements that move our product forward.
We partnered with Sidebench to assist with the ongoing development of our HIPAA compliance solution, and their team has become an important extension of our product group. They’re very effective at gathering feedback from different stakeholders and turning that input into a structured development plan.
Since they joined the project, we’ve been able to address a significant portion of our development backlog and release updates more efficiently. Their developers bring strong technical knowledge, but what really helps is how organized they are when planning and prioritizing work.
Another thing I value is their openness during the process. Whether it’s timelines, progress updates, or potential roadblocks, their team keeps us informed so we can make decisions quickly.
Overall, it’s been a very constructive collaboration and the results have aligned well with our expectations.
What was the project name that you have worked with Sidebench?
Ongoing Product Development for Healthcare Compliance Platform
What service was provided as part of the project?
Software Development, IT Services
Describe your project in brief
Sidebench supports our internal team with ongoing development work for a healthcare compliance platform. Their role includes translating feedback from our users and stakeholders into actionable development tasks, helping us maintain a steady product roadmap and release improvements over time.
What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?
Their communication style stands out. They’re transparent about progress and challenges, which makes collaboration much easier for our internal team.
What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?
There have been a few occasions where timelines shifted slightly, though they were always communicated in advance and handled professionally.
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Project Detail
In Progress
Healthcare & Medical
Genie Chough, Assistant Deputy Director at Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services
Posted 2 weeks ago
A knowledgeable development partner that consistently delivers high-quality work while keeping complex projects on track.
Our organization partnered with Sidebench to help design and develop the frontend of a scheduling platform intended to support multiple internal workflows. Because the application serves a variety of user groups, it required thoughtful interface design and careful planning around how different users would interact with the system.
Sidebench approached the project with a structured methodology and demonstrated a strong understanding of product development. Their team produced detailed design models that helped clarify the direction of the platform and ensured the development work remained aligned with our broader objectives.
One particularly valuable contribution was the promotional video they created to support our efforts to generate interest and funding for the platform. The video effectively communicated the value of the system and helped elevate what might otherwise have been seen as a simple scheduling tool into a much more compelling initiative.
From a project management perspective, the team has been dependable and organized. They consistently meet milestones and maintain clear communication throughout the process. Their experience and planning have allowed the project to move forward efficiently despite its complexity.
What was the project name that you have worked with Sidebench?
Frontend Development of Scheduling & Resource Management Platform
What service was provided as part of the project?
Web Development, Software Development
Describe your project in brief
Sidebench was engaged to develop the frontend of a scheduling platform designed to support multiple user roles and workflows. The system includes scheduling capabilities, document storage features, and a structured user interface that accommodates different types of users within the organization. In addition to the development work, the team also produced design models and a promotional video to support fundraising efforts for the platform.
What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?
Their professionalism and structured approach to development stand out the most. The team is well organized, responsive, and capable of translating complex requirements into practical solutions.
What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?
The scope of work can sometimes feel a bit rigid when new adjustments are required. However, the team still manages to produce strong results within those constraints.
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Project Detail
$200000+
In Progress
Other Industries
Anonymous
Posted 2 weeks ago
A capable and dependable development team that strengthened our platform and handled technical challenges with professionalism.
When we started working with Sidebench, our primary goal was to stabilize and improve our existing platform used for data collection. The application had accumulated a number of bugs and usability issues over time, and we needed a team that could quickly understand the system and begin making meaningful improvements.
Sidebench approached the work in a very organized way. They began by reviewing the platform thoroughly and identifying the most critical issues that needed immediate attention. Over the course of the engagement, they addressed multiple bugs that were affecting performance and reliability, while also enhancing the overall interface to create a more user-friendly experience.
Another valuable contribution was the addition of new features that helped extend the platform’s capabilities. Their development team handled these updates efficiently without disrupting the existing system.
Communication was straightforward and responsive throughout the project. Whenever questions or concerns came up, their team was quick to respond through email or virtual meetings and provided clear updates on progress.
Overall, their professionalism and technical ability made the collaboration smooth and productive.
What was the project name that you have worked with Sidebench?
Development Support & Platform Maintenance for Data Collection System
What service was provided as part of the project?
Software Development, App Designing (UI/UX)
Describe your project in brief
Sidebench supported our team in improving and maintaining our data collection platform. Their work included troubleshooting technical issues, refining the product’s user interface, and introducing additional features that enhanced the overall functionality of the application.
What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?
Their professionalism and technical competence stood out the most. They demonstrated a clear understanding of the development process and consistently delivered work that met our expectations.
What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?
From our perspective, there were no significant issues during the engagement. The team performed well and addressed our requirements effectively.
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Project Detail
$200000+
Completed
Other Industries
Anonymous
Posted 2 weeks ago
A highly professional team that successfully transformed our teledermatology concept into a validated MVP.
Working with Sidebench has been a very positive experience from both a product and collaboration standpoint. Their team approached the project with a structured discovery process that helped clarify our product vision and translate it into practical workflows and technical requirements.
They demonstrated strong product thinking throughout the engagement, ensuring the MVP was designed not only for functionality but also for scalability and user experience. The final product played a key role in validating our concept and helped us successfully secure our pre-seed funding round.
Sidebench maintained excellent communication throughout the project and consistently delivered milestones according to the agreed schedule. Their transparency regarding deliverables and timelines made the collaboration smooth and predictable.
What was the project name that you have worked with Sidebench?
MVP Design & Development for Teledermatology Platform
What service was provided as part of the project?
Software Development, App Designing (UI/UX)
Describe your project in brief
Sidebench partnered with our team to design and develop the MVP for our teledermatology platform. The engagement began with a thorough discovery phase where their team took the time to understand our vision, workflows, and technical requirements. They then translated those insights into a clearly defined product roadmap and delivered a well-structured MVP that supports remote dermatology consultations and operational workflows.
What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?
What stands out most about Sidebench is their professionalism and deep understanding of product development. They go beyond simply executing tasks and contribute meaningful insights that help shape a stronger product strategy.
What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?
At this stage of the collaboration, I honestly cannot identify any significant areas where improvements are needed. Our experience with their team has been consistently positive.
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Project Detail
In Progress
Healthcare & Medical
Lawrence Tenkman, Founder & CEO at Bikewars
Posted 2 weeks ago
A research-driven development team that communicates well and stays disciplined with project timelines.
As a startup founder building a completely new type of social game, I needed a development partner that could help turn a fairly unconventional concept into a working digital product. Sidebench assisted us in designing and developing an iOS application that supported our real-world bicycle tagging game.
One of the things I noticed early in the engagement was their emphasis on research. Before diving into development, they spent time understanding how the gameplay would function, how users would interact with the app during real-life play, and what technical components would be required to track results accurately.
The team ultimately delivered a beta version of the product that demonstrated the concept and core functionality. They were consistent about meeting deadlines and generally stayed within the budget that had been outlined at the start of the project. Communication was handled through regular Zoom calls and email updates, which made it easy to stay informed about progress.
That said, as development progressed, the product encountered several technical challenges that required additional investment to fully resolve. Given the circumstances and the level of additional resources needed, we ultimately decided not to continue further development.
Despite that decision, the Sidebench team was professional throughout the process and maintained clear communication from start to finish.
What was the project name that you have worked with Sidebench?
iOS Game Design & Development for Social Bicycle Tagging Game
What service was provided as part of the project?
Mobile App Development, Game Development
Describe your project in brief
Sidebench was hired to design and develop an iOS-based mobile game for our startup. The concept revolved around a real-world bicycle tagging game where players interact physically while the mobile app tracks gameplay and records results. Their team handled the product design and technical development of the beta version of the application.
What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?
Their commitment to research before starting development stood out the most. They take time to properly understand the project rather than rushing straight into building features.
What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?
While the beta version demonstrated the concept well, the project eventually faced development issues that required further investment. More early technical validation might have helped avoid some of those later challenges.
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Project Detail
$200000+
Completed
Gaming
Dinesh Kulkarni, Solutions Architect & Chief Product Officer at Indha Health Solutions
Posted 2 weeks ago
A highly capable design partner that significantly elevated the usability and clarity of our product concept.
We approached Sidebench with the objective of refining the design of a platform that was intended to support both mobile and desktop environments. The product concept required careful planning around user experience, functionality, and interface clarity to ensure it could scale effectively in the future.
Sidebench’s team quickly demonstrated strong expertise in UX and product design. They analyzed the existing concept and proposed thoughtful improvements that helped organize the platform’s features in a more structured and intuitive way. Their design work ultimately resulted in a set of comprehensive mock-ups that gave us a much clearer vision of how the product should function and look.
Although the project did not proceed into full development on our side, the design work delivered by their team exceeded our expectations and significantly improved the product’s overall direction.
From a collaboration perspective, the project ran smoothly. They maintained clear communication through Microsoft Teams and were reliable in meeting the agreed timelines and budget.
What was the project name that you have worked with Sidebench?
Mobile & Web Application UX/UI Design for Urban Development Initiative
What service was provided as part of the project?
App Designing (UI/UX), Web Design
Describe your project in brief
Sidebench was engaged to improve the design and usability of a digital platform intended for both mobile and desktop users. The goal was to refine the product’s features, strengthen its overall structure, and deliver a comprehensive design concept that could support future development. Their team produced detailed design mock-ups and interface improvements for the application.
What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?
Their ability to elevate an early-stage concept into a polished and thoughtfully designed product experience was particularly impressive. They brought both creativity and structured thinking to the project.
What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?
There were no major concerns during our engagement. The team delivered exactly what was expected and handled the project professionally.
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Project Detail
$50001 to $200000
Completed
Government
Anonymous
Posted 2 weeks ago
Sidebench brought our vision to life with thoughtful design, clear communication, and an intuitive app prototype.
Working with Sidebench has been a truly collaborative experience. From the start, they took time to understand the look and feel we wanted for our brand. The design team produced a logo and brand book that perfectly capture our identity, while the app prototype they built is both intuitive and visually appealing.
Their ability to balance creative design with practical usability made a real difference. Investors and potential users responded very positively to the prototype, which gave us momentum in securing funding. Throughout the project, they were very communicative, sharing updates and collaborating through Miro, which kept the workflow organized and transparent.
What impressed me most was their attention to detail and the way they translated our abstract ideas into concrete design outputs. It felt less like outsourcing and more like a true partnership.
What was the project name that you have worked with Sidebench?
App Development and Branding for Fashion E-commerce Platform
What service was provided as part of the project?
App Designing (UI/UX)
Describe your project in brief
Sidebench helped us build a working prototype for a fashion e-commerce app. They also refreshed our brand identity by redesigning the logo, creating a brand book, and conducting design research to ensure the visuals and messaging were consistent across the platform.
What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?
Their creativity and ability to understand and amplify our vision. The team is proactive, responsive, and really listens to the client.
What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?
There’s little to note for improvement—they’ve been highly professional, and the process was smooth throughout.
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Project Detail
$200000+
In Progress
Other Industries
Edward Wu, VP Growth Hacker at Peer Health Exchange
Posted 2 weeks ago
A highly responsive and detail-oriented team that delivers a smooth, engaging mobile app experience.
Working with Sidebench has been a very positive experience. Even with the challenges posed by COVID-19, their team consistently stayed on top of development tasks and managed to meet deadlines without compromising quality.
The mobile app they built is intuitive and interactive, and we’ve seen steady growth in our user base since its release. Users have given very encouraging feedback, and the team quickly implements updates and improvements based on real-world usage.
What stands out is their meticulous attention to detail. They don’t just deliver features—they ensure that the app’s experience aligns with our mission and meets the expectations of our community. Communication has also been excellent, with clear updates and a collaborative approach to problem-solving.
What was the project name that you have worked with Sidebench?
Interactive Mobile App Development for Nonprofit Organization
What service was provided as part of the project?
Mobile App Development, Software Development
Describe your project in brief
Sidebench has been helping us build an interactive mobile app for both iOS and Android using React Native. They are also assisting in completing the MVP development for our nonprofit platform, ensuring the app is engaging and accessible for our users.
What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?
Their attention to detail and dedication to user experience. Sidebench treats our nonprofit’s mission seriously and works to make the app as effective and accessible as possible.
What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?
There have been very few issues. Occasionally, external factors like delays from third-party services slowed the process, but Sidebench proactively managed these challenges.
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Project Detail
$200000+
In Progress
NGOs
Chris Tucker, CTO & Chief Product Officer at Diathrive
Posted 2 weeks ago
Sidebench is a proactive, knowledgeable, and highly collaborative development partner who keeps projects moving efficiently.
Working with Sidebench has been a very positive experience. From the beginning, they invested time in understanding our business model and technical requirements, which helped align the team and set clear priorities. Their proactive approach means that potential roadblocks are identified early, and solutions are suggested before they impact timelines.
The team has been instrumental in building our platform, including backend services, web development, and a React Native mobile app. They also helped configure our CRM and ensure the infrastructure supports our growth plans. Communication is clear and frequent, and they are very receptive to feedback, which makes collaboration seamless.
One of the highlights of working with Sidebench is their ability to deliver high-quality work ahead of schedule while staying within budget. They are professional, responsive, and genuinely invested in the success of our project.
What was the project name that you have worked with Sidebench?
Software, Web & App Development for Pharmaceutical Platform
What service was provided as part of the project?
Mobile App Development, Web Development, Software Development
Describe your project in brief
Sidebench is supporting our chronic disease management platform with backend development, web interfaces, and a React Native mobile application. They are also assisting with CRM configuration and building out the underlying infrastructure to ensure the system is scalable and secure.
What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?
Their deep understanding of our business and the proactive way they manage the project. Sidebench identifies challenges early and helps solve them efficiently.
What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?
There haven’t been any major concerns so far. They manage expectations well and are transparent about progress, making the collaboration smooth.
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Project Detail
$200000+
In Progress
Other Industries
Lauren Jenai, CEO at Manifest
Posted 1 month ago
A thoughtful, design-driven team that turns complex wellness ideas into a polished, on-schedule product.
Collaborating with Sidebench has felt less like hiring a vendor and more like building alongside a strategic product partner. From the earliest concept workshops, their team demonstrated a strong ability to translate abstract health and fitness ideas into tangible product direction—balancing creativity with practical development planning. As the app evolved, Sidebench maintained that balance by pairing innovative UX design thinking with disciplined engineering execution. The result is an iOS application packed with meaningful content, intuitive navigation, and distinctive fitness evaluation features that genuinely differentiate it in a crowded wellness market.
What was the project name that you have worked with Sidebench?
iOS Health & Fitness App Design and Development
What service was provided as part of the project?
Mobile App Development
Describe your project in brief
Following a series of in-depth concept workshops, Sidebench is designing and developing a feature-rich iOS health and fitness app that includes advanced content experiences and unique fitness evaluation capabilities.
What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?
Their rare ability to merge forward-thinking design creativity with reliable, on-time delivery, creating both excitement and confidence in the product’s future.
What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?
Providing even more proactive insights on post-launch growth strategy or user engagement optimization could elevate an already strong partnership to the next level.
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Project Detail
$50001 to $200000
In Progress
Other Industries
Lauren Jenai, Founder and CEO at Manifest
Posted on Dec 09, 2019
iOS Mobile App Dev & Design for Health & Fitness Program
I hired Sidebench to redesign and develop the Manifest app from the ground up. We’ve gone through workshops regarding the flow of the app and they’ve been very thorough in getting a full understanding of the concept before starting development. With a defined vision, they’ve developed an app for iOS and we are launching in the App Store soon.
They offer a thorough and organized process, but what’s truly notable is their creativity. Everyone’s input is extremely valuable and it helps keep me on-task. Communicating with developers is often frustrating, but that was never the case here. They're a young and exciting team with a fresh perspective. They have a really good pulse of current markets and strategies; they're a talented group of people.
What service was provided as part of the project?
Mobile App Development, Software Development, App Designing (UI/UX)
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Ryan Easterly, Executive Director at WITH Foundation
Posted on May 02, 2019
Design Strategy & Universal Design Workshops
Sidebench joined our digital health initiative for our Universal Design workshop, which allowed adults with developmental disabilities to give feedback to designers and developers. The workshop was a success, so we expanded it to a symposium and a project we’re calling Beta Day. The hope is to reach a broad array of representatives from tech companies and support them in beta testing their products with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Our needs are unique among Sidebench’s clients, as they’re not developing technology for us. They provide insight into the way designers and developers think and are ultimately responsible for creating the educational components of the workshop. We want to make sure we speak to the tech community in the best way possible, so Sidebench delivers more content and better outreach. Their insight is strong, and they’re great to work with.
What service was provided as part of the project?
App Designing (UI/UX), Mobile App Development
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Project Detail
$10001 to $50000
David de Jesus, Founder & Principal Engineer at AUGx
Posted on Mar 05, 2019
Custom Global Enterprise Platform + iOS Application
Sidebench was key in our business roadmap, and helped build and scale our suite of iOS & Web Platform Apps. Sidebench’s focus on product management and tech leadership has led to a seamless collaboration with Red Bull’s in-house IT and development teams. The Sidebench team was been able to help guide the vision as well as a back it up with a solid technical team. It's been a seamless process since the beginning. One of the big wins is that the app is being used across all business units. The system and application is now currently being heavily used globally for all Red Bull events and continues to be completely supported by Sidebench.
What service was provided as part of the project?
App Designing (UI/UX), Mobile App Development, Software Development
Rating Breakdown
Quality
Schedule & Timing
Communication
Overall Rating
Anthony Armato, Senior Strategist at R/GA
Posted on Oct 24, 2018
Brand Manager - Pabst Brewing Company
They were great. The quality of their work was really high and they delivered on time
Exchange Selfsea Youth Health & Community Platform
$100001 to $500000
14 weeks
Healthcare & Medical
Sidebench partnered with Peer Health Exchange, a national nonprofit focused on youth health equity, to design and plan the Selfsea digital platform, a mobile-first community supporting young people with trusted health resources, peer mentorship, and moderated discussions. The engagement included product discovery, user research, and development-ready designs for the platform’s “Resources” feature and community engagement tools. The work established the technical roadmap and UX foundation for scaling digital health education to underserved youth populations.
Sidebench designed and built AXON, a proprietary smart scheduling and care coordination platform for Cortica’s autism therapy clinics. The system integrates multiple EHRs, billing platforms, and operational workflows to optimize scheduling across providers, therapies, and locations. AXON automated complex scheduling tasks and helped Cortica scale rapidly, reducing patient waitlists from six months to under 30 days and supporting expansion from one clinic to more than a dozen locations.
Sidebench partnered with PCIHIPAA to redesign and modernize OfficeSafe, a compliance-as-a-service platform helping healthcare providers manage HIPAA and PCI requirements. Through customer journey mapping and platform architecture redesign, the team improved usability, reporting, and administrative workflows while preparing the platform for PMS integrations and scalable product growth. The transformation helped turn the company from unprofitable to highly profitable and contributed to its acquisition by Rectangle Health.
Sidebench designed and built CARA, a mobile platform connecting health plan members with community resources, health education, and digital care tools. The bilingual app integrates health data, events, education modules, and community services to improve health literacy and engagement among underserved populations. The platform helped transition administrative phone-based services into digital self-service and contributed to $2M+ operational cost savings in the first year.
Sidebench partnered with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to design the Baby Steps mobile app, a digital support platform helping NICU parents manage the complex transition from hospital to home care. Through deep user research with clinicians and families, the team created a mobile-first experience that delivers personalized care guidance, education, and reminders. The solution improved parent engagement and care adherence and won multiple awards including the American Hospital Association Innovation Challenge and Fast Company Innovation by Design Award.
Collaborated with AHA’s Innovation Group to translate their guidelines and content into actionable Care Plans that can be delivered through mobile platforms, encouraging patients to take a bigger role in the management of their health.
Built a screening tool that creates a score on a scale of 1-10 that gives a measure of a patient’s current health
Designed unique care plans that are derived from a patient’s health score which gives patients an actionable, 12-week plan
Digital care plans are tailored to the user based on their psychographic profile and AHA’s scientific research
The tool works on mobile and desktop which provides flexibility for both healthcare professionals and patients
LA County Foster Care: Time2Connect Web Application
Not Disclosed
10 weeks
Government
The Department of Child Services in Los Angeles, California spends 2 million hours a year arranging 4 million hours of Foster Child visits. They partnered with Sidebench to develop an MVP platform from which they could improve their process into the future. This new platform, called Time2Connect, is expected to save over 500,000 hours/year, allowing social workers to dedicate more time and energy to result-driven outcomes such as reunification of foster children with their biological parents.
Recognizing a global opportunity, Sidebench helped Red Bull marry a custom user experience design with a digitally-focused business strategy to create a photo booth experience that represents Red Bull brands properly all around the world.
Built a custom desktop admin system to customize photo frames and filters to cater to various Red Bull brands across thousands of events
Created a backend system to deliver photo collages or looping GIFs to event attendees
This proprietary technology allows Red Bull to license and sell their technology to other brands and enterprises to create revenue opportunities
We consolidated 4 distinct workflows & marketplace interfaces into a single digital asset marketplace platform to be used by international distribution partners.
Redesigned the marketplace while synthesizing the competing interests of several NBCU business groups and balancing two external legacy technology vendors
Created a system that offers different views, workflows and capabilities for different users based on specific permission levels
The platform is used to distribute digital content and assets to syndicates, airlines and location stations worldwide
Imagine Entertainment: Impact Mobile + Web Applications
Not Disclosed
10 weeks
Art, Entertainment & Music
Impact’s mission is to cultivate and empower creative storytellers from around the world by taking an innovative and collaborative approach to content creation. Imagine Entertainment is one of the most reputable production houses in the world and Sidebench served as a strategic partner in the discovery, design & development of the Imagine Impact ecosystem, covering iOS, Android and web applications.
Worked with the founders of Melody, a music-focused social content aggregation platform, on design, product strategy, and technical architecture of their flagship mobile app.
Designed multiple iterations of the prototype in order to help the co-founders communicate their product vision to investors and to hire and onboard an internal team
The original prototype enabled the team to raise over $850k in seed funding and acceptance into Mucker Labs Accelerator
Worked with PBR to launch a consumer-facing marketing platform that also serves as a tool for Marketing Executives and Field Marketing Representatives to track orders, events and clients.
Created a loyalty strategy that allows fans to discover and attend sponsored PBR events and bars while earning swag and points through the loyalty program
Worked with Field Marketing Reps to build an infrastructure that lists their accounts in their city and log details from visits to those accounts
Collaborated with the CMO and Marketing team to choose which insights were the most valuable and how to record them
The IoT Group, a publicly traded company from Australia, wanted to disrupt the drone market and partnered with Sidebench to design and develop a mobile control app for their ROVA Selfie Drone and an e-commerce store to sell them.
Partnered with key stakeholders at the IoT group to successfully deliver a fully functioning product to the App Store on a highly accelerated four week project timeline from start to finish to meet deadline
Rebuilt existing app provided by 3rd party company and advised on API design and structure
Conducted design and development in parallel on iOS and Android
Defined the future product roadmap to include an augmented reality game experience and auto-follow facial recognition technology
Please introduce your company and give a brief about your role within the company?
I’m the Founder & CEO of Sidebench, an award-winning digital innovation lab, and product design studio. Sidebench incubates select early-stage startups and partners with enterprises & brands including Red Bull, Facebook, Oakley, Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, Sony Pictures, United Talent Agency, NBC Universal, Cedars-Sinai, Instagram, American Heart Association, among others. Sidebench’s goal is to create positive disruption in all industries and to impact the most number of lives through our work positively. We are closely aligned with the Los Angeles Design Community as a company through OpenIDEO, Social Enterprise Alliance Los Angeles, the WITH Foundation, and I’m also personally a board member for multiple non-profit companies, including American Red Cross and the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Our work has been recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s most entrepreneurial companies in America, the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and Inc Magazine’s fastest-growing companies in America.
What was the idea behind starting this organization?
With my background in technology consulting and user experience & product design, I had a vision for building next-generation applications and custom software for large enterprise companies in a very different way than the industry’s big players. I wanted to digitally transform large businesses while also incubating, investing in, and launching startups at the same time. My idea was to integrate human-centered design, modern technical architecture, and forward-looking business strategy into every step of a new product design framework, one shaped around our start-up style of rapid prototyping with the risk mitigation planning and testing needs of working with Enterprise-level IT, Marketing, and Operations teams. It didn’t take long before it was clear that we could go toe-to-toe with the big guys and win.
What are your company’s business model–in house team or third party vendors/ outsourcing?
We operate with an in-house team of Technical Architects, UX Designers & Researchers, Product Designers, and Product Managers in Los Angeles, and our software engineering team sits in Egypt. We acquired ownership of the engineering team last year after two years of delivering successful, scalable products as an integrated team. They were by far the best engineering team we had ever worked with out of the hundreds of developers we had worked with locally, as employees, on client teams, at previous tech startups, Fortune 500's, abroad, or anywhere else.
How is your business model beneficial from a value addition perspective to the clients compared to other companies' models?
One of our biggest differentiators is that we have proven time and time again to solve “impossible problems” across multiple industries. In order to do this, we integrate our expertise in 1) Product Strategy, 2) User Experience design, and 3) Technical Architecture at every major decision point of a new business concept and product design project.
We are extremely unique in this way. This is how we have been successful in building everything from apps that reach millions of users, to internal “corporate innovation” platforms that generate millions of dollars in profitability, to systems that fundamentally change how the government makes decisions.
What industries do you generally cater to? Are your customers repetitive? If yes, what ratio of clients has been repetitive to you?
Sidebench caters to all industries; however, in the past, we have had significant experience across financial services, media & entertainment, consumer products & retail, along with healthcare and government. Our clients usually partner with us on multiple projects, most over the course of multiple years. We are often brought in for Product Strategy, and then move into a separate Product Design engagement, followed by Implementation, and then Data Insights & Support. We have a number of clients who hire us as an ongoing engagement to support the various project and product types.
Mention the objectives or the parameters critical in determining the time frame of developing a mobile app.
When determining the time frame for development on a mobile app, critical parameters to Sidebench are defining overall objectives and the alignment of features that make it into the MVP. We focus on this, as an MVP offering allows us to be lean to get a minimum set of features and bring them to market to gauge user responses. Other questions we consider are if there is an existing code base, existing designs, and how much of these existing materials can be reused.
How much effort in terms of time goes into developing the front end and back end of a mobile app?
Both Front-end and Back-end development requires continuous and close collaboration across cross-functional teams. We will usually quote between X and Y weeks for development projects depending on the complexity of the solution needed. Products with complex back-end work and many user flows can take several months to develop. For Sidebench, it is important when building quality products to ensure development teams have the right balance of high effort, clear communication, and efficiency.
What are the key parameters to be considered before selecting the right platform for a mobile application?
There are a number of factors to consider when choosing the right platform. Other than time and cost, understanding the platform’s users, their demographics and loyalty are equally important along with the complexity of the platform, and it’s compatibility with the type of app you want to create.
These days, almost all new products must support both iOS and Android. iOS is more important domestically, Android more important internationally, but you'll always miss out on potential users unless you build for both.
Which platform do you suggest your clients to begin with when they approach you with an idea (Android or iOS) and why?
There is not one platform that we always suggest. At Sidebench, choosing a platform is always based on the client’s business goals and long-term product vision. We have recently encouraged partners to choose React Native as an alternative to deciding between Android or iOS. React Native lets you build mobile apps using mostly JavaScript. It uses the same approach as React, letting you compose a rich mobile UI from declarative components. With React Native, you don’t build a mobile web app, an HTML5 app, or a hybrid app; you build a real mobile app that’s indistinguishable from an app built using Objective-C or Java. React Native uses the same fundamental UI building blocks as regular iOS and Android apps. You just put those building blocks together using JavaScript and React.
Android or iOS, Native or Hybrid — which platform is best to use to build your app? What are your recommendations?
This is very much driven by the overall needs of the project. If for example, the project being developed is a game, we would likely start with recommending a native iOS or Android app. A hybrid or non-native solution “could” work, but the advantage of running as fast and as smooth as possible, for something as intensive as even a light game, would push the needle towards a native solution above others.
If however, a project only had access to Javascript developers, and the project did not involve a very resource-heavy solution (like a game), there is a good chance a React Native hybrid solution might be suggested. This would also have the advantage of enabling development for both Android and iOS simultaneously (not quite, but much closer to that) than individually/separately.
What are the key factors that you consider before deciding the cost of a mobile application?
Before presenting our clients with a quote for their mobile solution, we will first take into account the number and complexity of user stories needed to achieve an MVP. At Sidebench preparing the right UX/UI flows for the client and their users is extremely important, and we more often than not suggest clients engage in a discovery process with us to ensure the user experience is optimized for their targeted customers. Finally, the tech stack is also an important factor to consider before deciding the costs of the mobile application.
What kind of payment structure do you follow to bill your clients? Is it Pay per Feature, Fixed Cost, Pay per Milestone (could be in phases, months, versions etc.)
We typically work with our clients to define a payment structure that works for them. Most often it is either Fixed Cost or Sprint Based Time & Material.
Do you take in projects which meet your basic budget requirement? If yes, what is the minimum requirement? If no, on what minimum budget you have worked for?
At Sidebench we have predefined ranges which give an estimate of the types of budget’s we work with, however depending on the circumstance that minimum budget will change and we can get creative with our cost structures. There is an expectation, however, that both the idea/concept is validated and we will do our best to put forth an accurate estimate based on the information that we have present. This is one of the key focuses of our discovery process is to define to a more granular level the development cost. Software development is always difficult to pinpoint due to the nature of phased rollouts and the extent as to which features are included in the first release of the product.
What is the price range (min and max) of the projects that you catered to in 2018?
For 2018, we have worked on a myriad of different types of projects, everything from product and concept ideation and strategy to full-scale agile development. These projects have ranged from $10k to $500k+.
Which business model do you suggest to your clients enabling them to generate revenue from mobile applications? Why?
At Sidebench, recommending the right option for them is the most our highest priority. When it comes to the business model, it always comes down to the overall vision of each of our clients. Factors such as the industry, whether it is a service, or has an e-commerce element, and whether or not it is public-facing will help define the appropriate business model. There is no one-stop approach to determining the revenue model.
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