Why Designli?

There are many developers that 'hang a shingle' and start building apps and web-apps as a service for others. However, if you've ever spoken with someone who has paid a company to build custom software, you'll know that there are more horror stories than successes.

This is what makes Designli different. Not only do we build beautiful, bug-free, polished software, but we also do it with a very clear mission: to earn a 5-star review from every Designli customer by delivering an unparalleled product development experience.

As you might notice, our mission focuses on you - the paying customer - and making the process of building software an enjoyable one. The reason for this is derived from our story:

The journey begins.

Our founders launched a college startup in 2012, named Applits, with a bold vision: revolutionize the mobile app industry through crowdsourced app ideas. The Applits community submitted concepts for the next big app, and public votes decided which ideas came to fruition. With initial funding, we aimed to grow the community and outsourced app development to established agencies.

Building apps is hard.

Fast forward three years of running monthly contests deeming winning app ideas to be built (with over 2,000 ideas submitted in total) - and we had only successfully launched 16 apps to the public. If you’re doing the math, that’s much fewer than 1 app per month! We understood first-hand the strategies and struggles of designing and developing quality mobile apps. We found a severe lack of agencies that were conscious of the business case behind why the software was being built and that had a process that didn’t feel like a black box where money is put in and a buggy app pops out the other side. We wished we could find a firm that was able to marry cutting-edge design with quality engineering talent, with a reliable & transparent process.

Designli is born.

It became clear to us what to do next: we decided to close Applits so we could forge our own agency to solve these exact problems. Following the classic “necessity is the mother of invention” philosophy, we built what we wish we could have found as paying clients years ago. We have poured over our process to identify the key actions and steps for success when building custom software for demanding consumers, and doing so with an eye for making it the best possible experience for our clients.

Making software accessible.

Talented members of our team will dedicate themselves to the success of your project. They’ll guide you through the entire process of creating custom software. We’ve proven time and again that application development doesn’t have to be complicated, even in complex software ecosystems. Thoughtful communication along the way eliminates mysteries, misunderstandings, and mistakes.

Our values.

Our customers love us because we're cupid 🤍

Communicative

People who are Communicative are quick, clear, and transparent. At Designli, this means our clients are kept in the know, feeling confident and informed about their software projects.

Universal Respect

People who embody Universal Respect are humble collaborators. At Designli, we share our expertise with humility and work respectfully alongside our clients and colleagues.

Proactive

People who are Proactive anticipate and overcome roadblocks. At Designli, we foresee and address technical, administrative, and timeline challenges before they hinder progress.

Inquisitive

People who are Inquisitive crave knowledge and strive for mastery. This commitment to ongoing learning ensures that we offer expert guidance and deliver innovative solutions that exceed expectations.

Dependable

People who are Dependable are individuals you can rely on. At Designli, this entails doing what we say we'll do, showing up on time to meetings, and feeling a sense of ownership over our results.

Our technology.

We hire talented developers before we need them. That way they’re ready to be assigned to your dedicated software development team as soon as possible. In the meantime, they work on the Designli Engine.

The Designli Engine is our proprietary backend development tool. It expedites as much as 70% of the time and effort it takes to lay the foundation for your application. You can leverage it to keep your timeline short, keep costs down, and set up dependable integrations with your enterprise applications.

All Keith wanted for his 10th birthday was a domain name. Fast forward a few years to high school, and when his mom told him to get a summer job he opted to sell his website instead - rather than start mowing lawns.

While working on his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University, Keith spent his time coding websites and launching the Ohio State Freestyle Rap and Beatbox Club, which grew to be one of the largest student-run organizations on campus. Keith paired up with Josh to build a college startup, Applits, named Inc.com’s “Coolest College Startup of 2014,” and has been leading app and web-app projects with Designli ever since.

Josh is a natural contrarian, and often goes against the crowd when he thinks there’s a better way. A college athlete and engineering student turned college dropout, Josh wanted to pursue entrepreneurship rather than getting a degree. That’s when he teamed up with Keith and found his passion for the technical complexities of building and launching new software systems.

As an aspiring private pilot, scuba diver, and personal finance enthusiast, Josh is a “jack of multiple hobbies” and master of, well, some. As the COO of Designli, Josh enjoys learning how customers’ businesses work and figuring out how to design and implement software to solve their problems.

As Designli’s CTO, Nelson has been instrumental in shaping the company’s philosophy and processes. Before joining Designli, Nelson has held roles as a game developer, researcher, professor, and Chief Executive Officer. His background has endowed him with knowledge of finance, emerging technologies, and all things software development.

Most importantly, Nelson’s experience has connected him with a wide network of skilled people. He helps Designli draw from a talent pool that spans the entirety of the Americas. This helps us build a deep roster of the best app designers and developers available.