Joe Duncko's Blog

# How Dev Youngstown Works

Dev Youngstown LLC is my consultancy firm that partners with the YBI to execute their MVP Development Program.

Our core mission is to give talented local student software developers the 1 year of paid experience they need to be qualified to work remotely from Youngstown, OH, and build high-quality MVPs for startups in the process.

Our team currently consists of four YSU students - three developers and one designer - who work under my guidance to design and build MVPs that meet the specific needs of each startup we partner with.

If you are interested to know how Dev Youngstown started, check out my blog post How Dev Youngstown Started.

What is the YBI’s MVP Development Program?

The YBI’s MVP Development Program is a grant-funded initiative designed to support local potentially high-growth technology startups by providing the resources needed to develop an MVP.

Starting in 2023, the YBI funds one MVP per quarter, with a typical total budget ranging from $10,000 to $20,000. These grant funds typically must matched by the startup, ensuring that the startup has “skin in the game”.

Because I am compensated hourly by the YBI for my time consulting with startups and running the MVP Development Program, the rewarded MVP Development funds go entirely towards student work and paying for hosting fees.

Startups interested in the program must first apply to become a YBI portfolio company. Once approved by the Evolve program board, I meet with the startup to help them put together their application for the MVP Development Program. This process ensures that only the most viable and promising projects move forward.

I also have the final say on whether a project is suitable for our team, ensuring that our students are always working on meaningful and educational projects.

The Logistics of Hiring Students

Our process for hiring student developers and designers is structured to attempt to ensure our students both have the technical chops and the motivation to independently execute work. Here’s how it works:

  • Interview Process:

    • Phone Screening: We start by learning about the candidate’s work experience, tooling preferences, and recent projects. We also ask about their experience with collaboration.
    • Code Walkthrough: The next step involves asking the candidate to demonstrate and walk us through a recent project. This allows us to evaluate their problem-solving abilities and coding style.

  • Student Pay:

    • Our student workers are paid as independent contractors (1099) via direct deposit. Pay starts at $15 per hour, with raises of $2.50 per semester, up to a maximum of $20 per hour.

  • Hours:

    • We guarantee students a minimum of 15 hours per week, though there is often room for more, especially during summer breaks.

  • Remote Work:

    • Our team operates entirely remotely, with most communication happening via Discord. Weekly standups and one-on-one meetings keep myself and the students aligned, and a centralized GitHub Project keeps track of tasks.

Our Development Process

Building an MVP with Dev Youngstown follows a structured approach:

  1. Scoping: I work closely with the startup to define a minimum feature set, typically focusing on two to three core features that will prove the startup’s value proposition.

  2. UI Design: Our designer creates and iterates on a Figma design based on Material UI, incorporating feedback from both myself and the startup.

  3. API Design: The UI design informs our API design, which subsequently guides the database design.

  4. Execution: We break the work into manageable tasks and assign each student work on a weekly basis.

  5. Iteration: Once the MVP is complete, we often have enough budget left to make improvements based on early customer feedback.

For a deeper dive into our MVP-building philosophy, check out my blog post: So You Want to Build an MVP.

Our Tech Stack

  • Backend: Python (FastAPI), Postgres, hosted on Northflank.
  • Frontend: React, Vite, Material UI.
  • Tools: GitHub for version control and issue tracking, GitHub Copilot, Sentry for error reporting, Postmark for email delivery, and Figma for UI/UX design.
  • Business Operations: QuickBooks Online for financial management and Harvest for time tracking.

We provision each client a monorepo on GitHub, and has access to code and task tracking from day 1.

We also maintain a set of tools and templates we have built up between projects that optimize getting projects spun up quickly with basic features (for example, user management).

Looking Ahead

In December we’ll be expanding our team, so stay tuned for hiring announcements.

Additionally, one of our talented students is currently seeking a job, and two more will be entering the job market in December. Please reach out to Joe@Youngstown.Dev if you’d like to be connected.