Slingshot

Big Kids & Daredevils

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Slingshot is a software and app development company specializing in taking your vision from idea to launch. Our unique 4-step process puts an empathetic focus on the user, allowing our strategists, designers, and developers to personalize the app specifically for your business.

Whether you're a fortune 50 company wanting to streamline your process or a small organization needing to create a mobile app, our daredevils would be happy to help. Our goal is to create a lasting relationship so that we can guide you confidently into your future.

$100 - $149/hr
10 - 49
2005
Locations
United States
700 N Hurstbourne Pkwy, Louisville, Kentucky 40222
5022721123
United States
6339 Charlotte Pike #781, Nashville, Tennessee 37209
5022721123

Focus Areas

Service Focus

60%
20%
20%
  • Mobile App Development
  • Software Development
  • Cloud Computing Services

Client Focus

75%
5%
20%
  • Medium Business
  • Large Business
  • Small Business

Industry Focus

50%
25%
10%
10%
5%
  • Healthcare & Medical
  • Other Industries
  • Government

Slingshot Executive Interview

David Galownia
David Galownia
CEO
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Kindly share your feedback on how GoodFirms has been doing so far in increasing your visibility among potential clients.
So far having the badge has been helpful in establishing credibility from a 3rd party for those prospects who are new to Slingshot.  We look forward to keeping our profile current and seeing more leads come in.
Please introduce your company and give a brief about your role within the company?
Slingshot is a group of big kids & daredevils, building custom software and mobile apps since 2005.   We work across multiple industries with a specialty in healthcare, and have worked with small companies to the Fortune 50.   I am the CEO & Owner and oversee the  long term vision and strategic direction.
What was the idea behind starting this organization?
I had always wanted to start a company and have a passion for helping people through technology.  We wanted to be the best, which to us means driving the biggest return on investment for our clients.   This goes beyond taking orders and just building something well at a technical level.  It has to go deeper, and a large focus for us is determining what exactly to build that will have the largest impact.  It also means placing a high emphasis on design, which has a dramatic influence on adoption.
What are your company’s business model–in house team or third party vendors/ outsourcing?
We don’t outsource.  We use contractors to scale up on large projects but that’s different than throwing something over the wall and hoping for the best.   Our process and standards are demanding because we don’t take it lightly when clients entrust us with their investment dollars. Good software development has to start with people on your team who you know can be counted on to deliver.
How is your business model beneficial from a value addition perspective to the clients compared to other companies' models?
Our value compared to others I would say comes from two things.  1)  Experience.  We’ve been at this since 2005 and every engineer on our team is senior level.  2)  A focus on combing great design with great tech.   Every great product or piece of software starts with great design.  It’s what the client/customer/user sees first and leaves the biggest impression.  If the guts of your software is good but it looks terrible or is hard to use the chances of success are lowered dramatically.
What industries do you generally cater to? Are your customers repetitive? If yes, what ratio of clients has been repetitive to you?
We have several clients that have been with us 10+ years because we continue to deliver as well as evolve and improve what and how we offer our services.  We’ve worked in finance, HR, healthcare, insurance, government, education, and much more.  We see this as a value because we can draw experience and perspective from so many different places. Healthcare is a specialty I would say because we’ve worked on so many projects.  HIPAA provides unique constraints to software development and having experience there is very valuable.
Mention the objectives or the parameters critical in determining the time frame of developing a mobile app.
This is difficult, but it largely depends on how many features your app has an how complex they are.  Typically a decent size mobile app takes around 4 months to deliver.
How much effort in terms of time goes into developing the front end and back end of a mobile app?
While it varies dramatically, good design and development takes time.  Generally a well designed mobile app is 4-6 weeks of time from a UX Designer and 3-4 months of time from a single developer.
What are the key parameters to be considered before selecting the right platform for a mobile application?
Who are your customers and what devices do they use is the first question.   In the US generally speaking it’s about 50/50 between iOS and Android while in Europe and other countries it skews more towards Android. These days most of the time you have to develop for both platforms, of course there are exceptions.
Which platform do you suggest your clients to begin with when they approach you with an idea (Android or iOS) and why?
This really equates to “who is your customer”.  Find out what they’re using (Android or iOS).  If it’s 50/50 you’re likely best off using a hybrid development language of which you can develop and release an app for both platforms.
Android or iOS, Native or Hybrid — which platform is best to use to build your app? What are your recommendations?
It depends.  Generally speaking a hybrid platform will cost 20-30% less than developing native apps in both platforms.  However, hybrid platforms do have some limitations you’ll have to work around and generally aren’t quite as performant.  That being said, advances in hybrid platforms in the last few years has increased and it’s very rare there is a show-stopper to going hybrid.   90% of the time, I’d recommend going hybrid.
What are the key factors that you consider before deciding the cost of a mobile application?
First, are we working with a team that has their own developers?  Will they be developing the back-end and API?  If so this can cut cost quite a bit.  What are the features of the app?  Are they complex? Simple?  Can authorization be through a common provider like Google, Apple, Facebook, LinkedIn or will the app need it’s own?  Are there third party integrations?  Payment processing?  Most apps in order to be unique, have a feature or set of features that make them distinct.  How complex those features are can change the cost of the app dramatically.
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.)
Generally speaking we like to work in Fixed Cost and bill per milestone completed on large projects.  For support and ad hoc miscellaneous work we’ll bill per hour worked.
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?
Yes we do.  What’s more important for us is the client.  Are they a fit for us culturally?  What do they want to achieve?   Is the work something we can absolutely knock out of the park or is it better for another firm?   We are not the low cost provider, we want to work with people who believe like us that the better the product, the greater the return.
What is the price range (min and max) of the projects that you catered to in 2019?
From scratch mobile apps can be done for as low as 50-75k but those are typically very simple and are more of an add on to an existing desktop application or product.   Substantial apps that I would consider to be full products are oftentimes in the 150k range but that can go up dramatically depending on complexity.
Applications that cover web and mobile can be 500k plus.  We’ve done projects in all those ranges.
Which business model do you suggest to your clients enabling them to generate revenue from mobile applications? Why?
There is no one size fits all to this answer.  It really takes a deep dive into the business to understand best how to price.

Slingshot Clients & Portfolios

Kentuckiana Law Enforcement
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Kentuckiana Law Enforcement
  • Kentuckiana Law Enforcement screenshot 1
$100001 to $500000
20 weeks
Defense & Aerospace

We created a mobile app (available on iOS and Android), which made it easier and faster for officers to access and apply for shifts. They now had a one stop solution, saving them time and frustration. We modernized the look of the KLE website to align with the new mobile app as well as simplified overall functionality and admin related features. The ripple effect of this project means that it’s easier for officers to get security jobs, which means more security needs are being met, which results in more people being protected.

Petfirst
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Petfirst
  • Petfirst screenshot 1
$100001 to $500000
24 weeks
Insurance

Our intuitive web app platform has been a game changer for PetFirst. Their employees are seeing the improvement in their efficiency, and the weight has been lifted off of their call center. They in turn lift the burden from Pet Owners, allowing them to have no worries when it comes to caring for their furry friends health. Pet Owners text in their claims now, in a much simpler, digital process that has eliminated wasted paper and wasted time.

Churchill Downs
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Churchill Downs
  • Churchill Downs screenshot 1
$50001 to $100000
8 weeks
Gambling

We designed and built a mobile friendly web solution capable of collecting online donations from track patrons. So far, the effort has generated well over $150,000 in funds and counting, and is used each year at the Kentucky Derby as well as other race tracks across the country. Purchasing a raffle ticket doesn’t require a long line at a ticket booth. Now, you can purchase from your seat, saving time for all. With such a simple process, tickets are more likely to be purchased, which has increased the impact of the charitable donations Churchill Downs has been able to make.

Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
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Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
  • Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago screenshot 1
$100001 to $500000
50 weeks
Healthcare & Medical

Clinicians answer questions about signs and symptoms of abuse, documenting patient injuries on a 3D interactive human model. The app references powerful research data, much of it pioneered by Dr. Pierce, and seeks to educate clinicians on how to better diagnose abusive situations. The app will be released free of charge, promoted globally as a new standard for best practices in recognizing potential child abuse.

University of Louisville
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University of Louisville
  • University of Louisville screenshot 1
$100001 to $500000
50 weeks
Education

The University of Louisville’s College of Business offers positive leadership courses to its graduate students. They wanted to create a way to teach positive leadership while allowing users to work on their skills in an everyday and practical way. A mobile app could provide such a solution; but in order to be sustainable, it would need to be simple, easy to use, meaningful, and fun.

We worked with UofL to come up with engaging features, making the app feel more like a game and less like homework. We also wanted to ensure the integrity of true meaningful leadership development was maintained. Students and leaders now have access to positive leadership training from anywhere, right in the palm of their hand. This iOS and Android app allows for simple and fun learning, and a connected community within the app allows leaders to share and engage with others. With the app, UofL will be able to innovate the way students learn and share their knowledge with the world.

New roots
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New roots
  • New roots screenshot 1
  • New roots screenshot 2
$100001 to $500000
24 weeks
NGOs

New Roots is a non-profit organization that brings quality produce to underinvested neighborhoods in Kentuckiana by holding “fresh-stop” markets and distributing “shares” of fruits and vegetables. Their goal is for all people to have access to affordable, organic food year-round throughout Kentuckiana.

Previously, New Roots was directly calling each individual shareholder to remind them of upcoming markets in their area. This process was laborious, and shareholders often forgot orders. Additionally, New Roots wanted to show shareholders the true cost of shares and provide a donation option. Together, we decided to create a mobile app that not only helped new shareholders sign up, but also reminded them to order and pick up new shares.

The New Roots mobile app is still under development with an expected launch date of June 2020. The app will be deployed to the Google Play and Apple store and include notifications for shareholders to remind them of upcoming markets, the ability to make payments and donations with the app, and a web based administration portal to manage in app content, shareholders, and orders.

Slingshot Reviews

5.0 6 Reviews
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Ryan Quinn

Professional and high-quality from beginning to end

Rating Breakdown

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  • Schedule & Timing
  • Communication
  • Overall Rating

Project Detail

$50001 to $200000

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Review Summary

Slingshot did a fabulous job, was a pleasure to work with, and delivered a product that I am excited for our clients to use. I would without question use them again if I had a similar project, and will continue to return to them for service and support.

What service was provided as part of the project?

Mobile App Development

What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?

Lean process, great employees, professional work

What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?

I have no complaints

Company Response
Slingshot
Slingshot

Thank you Ryan! So glad we could help

Posted on May 12, 2020
John Aubrey

5 star company!!

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Slingshot staff was receptive to our ideas, kept us updated on the development process, and have continued to be there for any issues.

What service was provided as part of the project?

Mobile App Development

Company Response
Slingshot
Slingshot

Thank you so much! We're happy to help.

Posted on Feb 05, 2020
Karyn Moskowitz

Great Team! Incredible Value.

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  • Schedule & Timing
  • Communication
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Project Detail

$0 to $10000

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Review Summary

We had a great experience working with our team at Slingshot. They were very thoughtful and thorough, doing a deep dive into our work, asking us a lot of great questions so they could gain a good understanding of the challenges we were facing. Then, they asked us to come up with a diverse set of clients to interview, and did these interviews with incredible grace. Finally, they set out to build us a technically brilliant and physically beautiful design. They are fun to work with and extremely talented. We loved working with them and look forward to a future relationship.

What service was provided as part of the project?

Software Development

What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?

They have an incredible eye for beautiful design. Our customers are going to love our new mobile app. They are also extremely thoughtful and competent and were able to get to the very core of our challenges very quickly, and offer great solutions.

What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?

I cannot think of anything I would ask them to improve.

Company Response
Slingshot
Slingshot

Thank you so much, Karyn!

Posted on Jan 24, 2020
Rachel Cone

Great team, fantastic value!

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We just can't say enough about Slingshot! From the beginning of our one-time project to our ongoing hosting and support, the Slingshot team has provided the highest level of service - and the deepest level of understanding - of any company of its kind. As an insurance provider, we needed a solution for better managing our client base and billing services. After taking the time to learn about our industry, and talking with our staff to gain "on the ground" insight, Slingshot delivered a program we're proud to call our own. We're more productive and are able to assist our clients quickly, with just a few clicks!

What service was provided as part of the project?

Maintenance & Support, Software Development

Greg McIntyre

The team has great ideas..

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Project Detail

Completed

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What was the project name that you have worked with Slingshot?

Tellenium

What service was provided as part of the project?

Software Development

New Roots

Good and friendly people...

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  • Quality
  • Schedule & Timing
  • Communication
  • Overall Rating

Project Detail

$50001 to $200000
In Progress

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What was the project name that you have worked with Slingshot?

New Roots

What service was provided as part of the project?

Mobile App Development