1) Give us a background about yourself.

I was studying computer science at university. After graduation, I was working as a freelance software developer and later in outsourcing companies. After a while, I decided to found my own company. 

2) At what instance were you convinced that you wanted to do something like the Cleveroad?

I always knew that my career would be connected with technologies. It was my area of interest and I was simply fond of studying computer and math sciences. As I started working as a software developer, I understood too little companies provide clients with high-quality services. I decided to change that and founded Cleveroad. 

3) How important is it for the clients to build apps for both web & mobile? In your experience, do they know the advantages of one over the other?

It depends on their objectives. For example, e-commerce companies try to be present everywhere, on every platform. It helps them maintain an omnichannel customer experience and get more profit. For some companies, it’s not so important. There are a lot of startups we were working on that don’t have a web application.

In general, clients understand the pros and cons of web and mobile apps. In most cases, they also know what kind of solution their target audience would like to get. 

4) What was your first ever project and how did it perform in the market?

It was an Android project, connected with video recording on specific devices. It was early 2011 and there were no similar solutions on the market.

5) What do you consider your greatest achievement in this space to date?

The biggest achievements are our employees. We have a solid team that consists of very talented guys and it’s something that you cannot achieve in one day. Also, since I have an engineering background, I can manage a high entry level for people who would like to join the company. 

6) Do you get repeat customers? If so, what is the ratio and what do you think is the significant factor contributing to the same?

There is a certain percentage of repeat customers. But I would rather not disclose the ratio.

I believe the primary factor that makes our clients come back is the overall service quality, development, communication, management, etc. 

7) You’ve seen multiple rise and fall stories unfold. Could you point an industry vertical that outperforms the rest in terms of mobile apps?

I can see a rising interest in cross-platform development. I think this field will be developing pretty fast in the following years. 

8) Was there an occasion throughout your journey with Cleveroad, which you retrospectively think could have been dealt with better?

I could have dealt with internal processes in the company and communication between departments better during a period of intensive growth. 

9) What are your thoughts on React Native & Flutter? Of the two, which one do you get the most client inquiries on?

I think that the future is for cross-platform development and technologies like React Native or Flutter. At the moment, we’re getting more requests on Flutter.

10) What talent expertise do you employ in terms of new-age technologies like IoT, Blockchain, & Big Data?

We have a background with developing interfaces for IoT solutions and are focused on preparing departments for Data Science and Blockchain directions.

11) Do you see yourself as an app seller in the foreseeable future, given the fact that you have a strong workforce to support it?

Yes, I had such thoughts. Actually, we were building some products for internal use like cost calculator, rank checker based on Google Webmaster API, email tracker, and some more. But at the moment, it’s not our key development vertical. 

12) You’ve been at this sphere for a long time, what is the one piece of advice you want entrepreneurs to take seriously?

You should understand the ins and outs of the software development process. It may be a good idea to start with freelance and release several products before founding a company.