We help global businesses
to grow
and embody innovations.

Yes, we DO care.

main-img

We are Python & Django
enthusiasts
with product thinking.

We drive our clients through the whole process of building, launching and scaling their solutions. Whether we’re creating a complex enterprise product or an MVP for a startup, when we commit, we put all of our brainpower and soul into it and think ahead. Dedication, passion, drive and stability are what we stand for.

Our Captains

We drive our partners through the product creation, entering the markets, and scaling — in a word, we help ensure the product success.
Roman Gaponov
CEO, idea generator and enabler
We drive our partners through the product creation, entering the markets, and scaling — in a word, we help ensure the product success.
We create advanced digital products that are flexible for future updates and scaling, and never hesitate to offer better solutions when we see ones.
Roman Osipenko
CTO, rocket scientist
We create advanced digital products that are flexible for future updates and scaling, and never hesitate to offer better solutions when we see ones.
We establish an easy yet highly efficient collaboration with our clients, and apply approaches our teams can get the most from.
Arthur Bachinskiy
COO, master over operations
We establish an easy yet highly efficient collaboration with our clients, and apply approaches our teams can get the most from.
Our Vision

Be product creators
as a technical partner

https://djangostars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/company-our-img-1.svg
Our Mission

Create digital products
our team and clients can
be proud of

https://djangostars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/company-our-img-2.svg
Our Values
  • Care about business success
  • Be passionate about engineering
  • Share the responsibility
  • Keep transparency and efficiency
  • Share knowledge and experience
  • Grow talents and grow with talents
https://djangostars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/company-our-img-3.svg

DS history

2008 / 2021
2008
We drive our clients through the whole process of building, launching and scaling their solutions. Whether we’re creating a complex enterprise product or an MVP for a startup, when we commit, we put all of our brainpower and soul into it and think ahead.
2009
Despite Roman Gaponov and Roman Osipenko successfully appointed themselves the CEO and CTO and printed cool visit cards, they still had a small room with no windows as an office and no long-term projects. Romans freelanced, took small projects, and got their chance — they built several products for our new partners from Norway.

Romans even had to hire their first employee!
2011
Romans faced difficulties with hiring new employees — Python was not really a hit. However, engineers who chose Python were really into it, and building Django Stars together with enthusiasts was what Romans dreamt of.

With 10 engineers on board, the company moves to the first own office, and starts cooperation with Money Park — our Swiss partner for more than 9 years already.
2013
In 2012-13 we were empowered with 19 more engineers, and some of them still work with us (Alex, Sergey — we love you, grandpas!). Our first traditions were established— voyages to DjangoCon, Brown Fridays, voting for employee of the year, and, of course, ‘FIFA with Roman’.

We started to work with Swiss travel company Diviac, later acquired by PADI Travel, and we still shape and improve the product together.
2015
2015 was a time to grow — Django Stars hires more engineers, some of which stay with us in 2021, and completes the C-board with our COO Arthur. Not only backend and frontend engineers, but QA, Project managers, and UX/UI Lead strengthened our team with their experience and knowledge.
2018
With more than 65 team members on board, we focused on incorporating transparent and clear processes in Django Stars, redesigned our monthly digest, established a Fete Friday tradition, found our new home — a big and modern office in Kyiv downtown, and celebrated our tenth anniversary.
2021
We meet the new decade with 3 ISO certifications and in the status of Clutch Top-3 Python & Django developers. With standardized and well-described processes, new Brand Book and new website, challenging projects and even more to come.

Numbers that matter

We focus on the product. And the numbers follow.

13 years
Of building digital
solutions
3.5 years
Average partnership duration
450 mln
Raised by our clients
in funding
150%
Сompany growth
within 2 years

How we Roll

We are the people who make amazing things happen.

  • Events
  • Crew
  • Meet-ups
  • Sports
  • Yes, we rock

Frequently Asked Questions

How we do and how we do not work.

How long have you been operating in the market?‌

We have been operating since October 2008. During this time we have completed over 85 projects, using a 100% Python/Django tech stack for development projects in Finance and Banking, Travel & Booking, and Taxi and Transportation, and E-commerce.

What are your main expertise and technologies?‌

We provide turnkey web and mobile solutions from scratch to delivery (when we are responsible for the end result of a product). Maintenance is usually discussed as a separate option for the final stages, depending on your needs.‌

We use Python and Django with DRF (Django REST framework) on the backend and Javascript with React.js library on the frontend.

Where is your business located?‌‌
  • a. In which location will the development process take place?‌
    • The Django Stars LLC HQ is located in Kyiv, Ukraine. Development takes place there.‌ The company is also registered in the USA and has representatives in the USA, UK, and CH.‌
  • b. Can your developers work at our office?‌‌
    • This is negotiable. Usually, we recommend business trips for no more than 3 persons for a maximum of 2 weeks at a time.‌‌
  • c. Does your teamwork from the office or from home?‌
    • Our in-house team is 100% co-located. All of our employees normally work from the local Kyiv office 40h a week, for 6-10 hours a day (with a flexible schedule).‌‌
    • We do not cooperate with third-party companies or remote subcontractors because we want to assume full responsibility for every project's success.
How do we start cooperating with you?‌
  • Our cooperation starts with the first message you send us. From there:‌
    • We have an intro call, where we agree on and sign an NDA
    • W have the Q&A session with the client and our BA department to get all the needed details about the project in order to complete a quotation.
    • After the proposal is accepted, we mutually commit to the original development agreement and Start the cooperation when the contract is signed.
  • However, some steps may be skipped or merged.‌
What are the pre-development stages?‌
  • The first stage we need to complete is the project investigation stage, which includes:‌
    • A project kickoff with the client.
    • Available initial requirements.
    • Form a backlog for the 1st development iteration.
    • Agree on details of an approach that will be comfortable for both parties.
How will you ensure that you understand my project’s requirements?‌

We give a high-level overview of the project as part of our estimation process, along with some mind maps (the simpler, the better). Then we have a meeting to review the requirements and talk through the business problem and proposed solution.

How does your process reduce my risk and increase my chances of success?‌

We provide very precise analysis, research, and an overview before starting the project. Also, we set up teams such that the developers have relevant experience in the required domain, know what the weak spots are and which solutions are better, and always put quality over quantity. And thanks to our Agile methodology, you’ll get fully transparent progress overviews. These allow us to track success and decrease risk.

What business domains do you usually develop for?‌
  • Mostly, we have developed projects for domains such as:
    • FinTech
    • Real Estate
    • Travel & Booking
    • E-commerce
  • We work with startup companies, existing businesses, and re-engineering projects.
How does a typical project unfold, especially with regards to agile project development?‌

We use classic SCRUM methodology with 2-week sprints. We constantly review our progress and provide demos to the client, starting from project initiation right through to the MVP release, further project growth, or maintenance.

  • a. How do you ensure that all the necessary requirements within the project agreement?
    • We store all project documentation in a task management tool called Confluence. For each requested feature we create reasonable tasks, which are implemented by the development team step by step.
  • ‌b. How do you realize the final hand-over of a project?‌
    • We conduct a project demo for the client
    • Share all developed documentation and code base with the client
    • Send all the reports the client requests
How do you measure staff performance during a project and ensure non-performers are removed?‌

We’ve defined an approach for performance measurement:

  • 1) Planning:
    • The PDPs of each employee are based on the company’s strategic goals (MBO approach);
    • Team Leaders provide intermediate reviews.
  • ‌2) Performance Review:
    • A results checkup after each sprint;
    • An independent code review by a Tech Leader from other projects;
    • Strict task-management and reporting procedures are covered by the Project Manager.
  • 3) We provide 360-degree feedback once every 6 months and track factors such as initiative, motivation, teamwork, result-orientation, time management, and self-sufficiency.
  • 4) We have monthly one-on-one meetings to make sure each specialist is involved in the development process, highly motivated to work, and ready to handle possible challenges.
Is it possible to work with your project team in your offices (e.g., for joint one-week-workshops)?‌

‌Sure. We often do this, especially at the pre-development stage.

Do you offer UX/UI design services?‌

Yes, we offer UX/UI design services including:‌

  • User Interface design
    • Simple and sophisticated UI design requires an eye for detail and a keen sense of color theory and composition. An accessible aesthetic design on top of the technical architecture will translate into a user-friendly and appealing interface that will skyrocket the usability of your product.‌
  • User Experience
    • Using a data-driven approach, we ensure that all the “what-ifs” and “why-nots” are answered, and each user who interacts with your product gets a seamless experience.‌
  • Motion Design (for interfaces only)
    • To breathe life and motion into your product and visualize the interface’s behaviour, our high-calibre designers will infuse your product with motion design.
How do you ensure the security of your solutions?‌
  • a. (How) do you check the developed solution for security holes?
    • How we ensure the security of our clients’ data:‌
      • The project IP is 100% owned by the client;
      • Django Stars has successfully passed the ISO audit and was awarded an Information Security Management System 27001:2013 accreditation;
      • PullRequest audits from Google and Facebook technical representatives;
      • Security audits from Fluid Attacks and Cobalt.io;
      • Django as a framework provides several security tools that are widely used in our company.
  • ‌b. (How) do you document your tests and results?
    • We develop testing plans, test cases, checklists, and test reports. ‌We use Confluence to record the process and the test results.
Do you provide a single point of contact who is responsible for us, beyond project-related questions?‌

Yes. This person will be the Sales Representative before the contract is signed, and the Project Manager after the project has started. You are welcome to communicate with the dev team throughout the process.

Which tools do you use for remote cooperation/communication?‌
  • For remote cooperation/communication, we use the following tools:‌
    • Jira for issue-tracking and filling the gaps between project managers and developers.
    • Slack for internal messaging and notifications about progress, code updates, deployments, system alerts, etc.
    • Github for code management, using branches, code review, PEP8, and internal code conventions.
    • Confluence for management of project documentation. To build great products, we need a good understanding of how things work. As a result, we create rich documentation.
    • InvisionApp for design prototyping.
  • How often should we communicate with you during the development process?
  • Based on our experience, around 2-4 hours per day in the first two weeks after that, the client is welcome to attend daily meetings but doesn’t have to. The results-review meetings take place every two weeks. You can expect us to be available to answer your questions on a daily basis (it will take us no longer than 24 hrs to reply).
What info should I share to get a detailed estimation?‌
  • The short answer is: “Everything you have!”. But to be more precise, we’d appreciate it if you could provide us with the information below (in full or partially):‌
    • The general business context and environment
    • Why you think your idea will be successful and is worth exploring (motivation)
    • What you have tried (current state)
    • Where you want to get to (future state)
    • Wireframes
    • Business process flow diagrams etc.
  • We need to know as much as possible about your idea.
What happens after my product has been delivered?‌

‌We hand over all project documentation to the business, terminate supplier contracts, release the project resources, and communicate the closure of the project to all stakeholders. If required, we can sign a separate agreement for maintenance and support.

  • Contact Us
  • Book a meeting
Anastasiia Yuvchyk
Account Executive, Django Stars
Book a meeting with our expert, discuss your product idea and get your questions answered

    To learn more about how we process your data, visit our Privacy Policy.
    form-result-images
    Hello!
    Your request has been successfully sent.
    We will contact you soon!
    rewiews
    iso
    isoisoiso
    Anastasiia Yuvchyk
    Account Executive, Django Stars
    Book a meeting with our expert, discuss your product idea and get your questions answered

      To learn more about how we process your data, visit our Privacy Policy.
      form-result-images
      Hello!
      Your request has been successfully sent.
      We will contact you soon!
      Anastasiia Yuvchyk
      Account Executive, Django Stars
      Book a meeting with our expert, discuss your product idea and get your questions answered