ABOUT
Propeller Labs
Summary
In the 2 years prior to starting Propeller Labs, I spent nearly every day working with the Pivotal Labs engineering team on a collaborative project that involved several working products.
During that time, I was taught a masterclass on agile development methodologies, inhaling best practices on pair programming, velocity planning with the Fibonacci pointing scale, and most importantly — how to communicate.
When I eventually started Propeller Labs, I aimed to fill the talent gap for early-stage companies that didn’t have time on their side nor the budget to work with high-cost agencies. Our goal was to accelerate development for startups with a strong product-market fit by coaching product owners through identifying MVP features during the story writing process.
The result was a consultancy that attracted the attention of startups from accelerators like Y Combinator and 500 Startups, and eventually a segment of enterprise companies that sought to use Propeller as an in-house product studio.
Notable Customers
Arup
We worked closely with Arup’s internal product team to prototype and develop a construction management app designed to connect builders, architects, and engineers through real-time access to blueprints and punch lists.
Center for Corporate Transformation
We worked with New York Times bestselling author and UC Berkeley professor Morten Hansen to create an enterprise app suite that tracks, measures and analyzes corporate behaviors.
ChinChin
The Hong Kong-based team came to us with a vision for creating an end-to-end service for wine collectors. We provided design and responsive web development for their virtual wine auction, storage, and delivery service.
The Corcoran Group
The Corcoran Group is one of the largest luxury real estate brokers in New York City. We worked with their internal product team to conceptualize and build an SMS-based property listings chat bot to agents.
Credible
We helped CEO Stephen Dash disrupt the student loan industry by overhauling a critical workflow in their web application to reduce the steps required to compare lender refinance offers.
Cruise Automation (Acquired by GM)
Their goal to bring self-driving cars to the masses has earned Cruise a $20bn valuation. We helped Kyle and Daniel create a prototype for their RP-1 test drive.
FitMatch
We worked with retired boxer and body transformational specialist Ngo Okafor on the branding, design, and development of FitMatch, a new vertical in online dating apps based on pairing fitness and workout pairing.
HeartThis (Acquired by Thumbtack)
We helped HeartThis create a mobile companion application for their growing social shopping website. Their team was later acqui-hired to grow and enhance their mobile application focus.
HyHo
We worked with philanthropist Vikas Kwatra on the product strategy, design, branding, web, and mobile development of Hyho, an altruistic experience marketplace for the vacation industry.
LiveGlam
We worked with TV personality and entrepreneur Dhar Mann on the product strategy, design, and iOS development of LiveGlam, a live video app for makeup tutorials and AMAs, highlighting top artists.
Mixpanel
Mixpanel is known as one of the darlings of Silicon Valley for its focus on high-quality design and execution. We worked with their team to implement an Android companion app to their iPhone app.
Old Navy
We worked with the product innovation team at Old Navy under CMO Ivan Wicksteed to create a conceptual Store of the Future, delivering a unique in-store experience with interactive digital shopping displays and dressing rooms.
Teneo Holdings
Starting with a backend and front-end website overhaul, our partnership expanded into designing and implementing core web apps that produce real-time results for their customers.
Volley Labs (Acquired by JPMorgan)
Our work revolved around designing and building a website that matched the sharp and vibrant aesthetic of this AI-focused edTech company.
Worklife (Acquired by Cisco)
From YC W15, Worklife envisioned a productivity app suite based on meetings. We worked with their team to build the iOS app before they were acquired by Cisco’s collaboration software division.
Yardclub (Acquired by Caterpillar)
We helped Yardclub design a single-page application for an emerging marketplace for heavy machinery rentals in San Francisco.
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