Go Past Zeros and Ones with Z1

BERLIN, Germany – When it comes to finding a partner for creating world-class digital experiences that can scale and connect with a massive audience, balancing competing objectives can be tricky. Some stakeholders value stability and a long track record, while some might seek a youthful, innovative approach, and others might search for a diverse team. Finding all these and more in one place is rare, which is why we’re thrilled to introduce you to Z1, the latest addition turning heads on our roster here at Pangea!

More Than Pixels on a Screen

The success story that is Z1 was catalyzed by two key insights: the conviction that digital products are more than just pixels and lines of code; and the team’s realization that the existing client/vendor model for creating digital experiences was broken.

In response, Z1 was founded with the goal of bringing novel ideas to life by crafting unique digital experiences that are meaningful for everyone involved. Since 2014, from their sunny headquarters in Seville, Spain, Z1 has helped 50 companies to launch over 60 game-changing digital experiences, establishing themselves as one of the top digital product studios worldwide along the way.

Crucial to their continued growth and success are the many trusting relationships forged with clients over the years, who know that Z1 cares deeply about the products they create and will always go the extra mile. Here’s how CEO Héctor Giner explains Z1’s approach to building trust with clients and creating incredible experiences with staying power:

“Building software is hard, especially for early-stage startups or highly innovative organizations. Uncertainties and constraints cannot be easily added to a Gantt timeline. But you can choose a partner you trust, and know that they’re going to think about your product vision and care about your company as much as you do.”

Just a few highlights among their deep client list include the B2B finance platform Seeds Investor; Mentor Spaces, a community-driven mentorship platform focusing on underrepresented talent; and Field Trip Health, an innovator in the emerging psychedelic therapy space. Accolades from clients like these, along with their satisfied employees, earned Z1 an overall Pangea score of 8.8/10.0! Read on for more, or get in touch to see what all the fuss is about.

Practice Makes Perfect

Shipping over 60 products in the past six years is quite an achievement, especially since most were designed and built from the ground up. But even more impressive are the consistent levels of quality and innovation Z1 has maintained while being so prolific. Working with clients from SMEs to corporations, to startups and venture builders, Z1’s team of creative wizards has delivered delightful experiences time and again, across industries from financial services and HR to manufacturing and software.

Reflecting the deep levels of satisfaction and trust of their clients, Z1 absolutely rocked our Pangea Client Insight Scores, with an overall score of 9.3/10.0! Crucial to this were four perfect 10/10 ratings from customers: for Business Maturity, Customer Journey, Process Maturity, and UI/UX Design. For more of the personal context behind these score highlights, here are a few rave reviews from satisfied Z1 clients:

First up, Stuart Winchester, CEO @ Marble, had this to say in praise of Z1’s dedication to quality and design talent::

”Z1 has totally exceeded my expectations. We interviewed a couple of different studios before partnering with Z1 and I couldn't be happier with our choice. The quality of their engineering work, exceptional product-minded execution, and talented designers have really all been totally critical to Marble's success.”

The crucial role played by Z1 in imagining and creating the best possible versions of products was a frequent theme in customer feedback, as articulated here by Mohit Mamoria, CEO @ Mailman:

”Mailman wouldn’t be possible without the help of the Z1 team. They put life into the idea. They brought out the personality of the product with their branding and UX. Z1 has always played a pivotal role throughout the journey.”

On a similar note, Kori Harrison, Head of Product at Field Trip, had this to say about Z1’s ability to take an idea and run with it:

“Z1 was immensely supportive in taking this concept from an idea and pages of specs and research to a beautiful app in 6 months. They helped in bringing our vision to life, I’m very grateful to have them as Field Trip partners.”

Why not reach out to see how Z1 can draw on their deep pool of talent and experience to help steer your next project to success?

Enjoying the work at Z1

Diverse to the Core

Speaking of Z1’s multi-faceted team, one particular thing we at Pangea love is their commitment to diversity. Since day one, Z1 has focused on creating a team with diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and skillsets, as a “melting pot of diversity in which each one opens their backpack to bring out the best of themselves.”

Their 70+ full-time employees currently hail from 11 different nationalities, and this team of digital experts includes psychologists, journalists, and musicians, working side-by-side with those from more typical backgrounds like design and engineering. Z1’s Head of Marketing, Clarisa Guerra, describes how their partners value the diverse perspectives their team brings to the table:

“Our clients value that their products are built from a diverse perspective, and this is one relevant factor why they decide to work with us. If they were only looking for a team of 40 twenty-somethings with a cap, sweatshirt, and homogeneous cultural references, they would not go to Z1.”

Uniting this diverse team, Z1’s company culture is driven by three core principles: empathy, effectiveness, and innovation. These values have produced a strong commitment to teamwork, communication, and a healthy work environment, leading to an overall Pangea Team Health Score of 8.4/10.0.

Among both customers and employees, the results speak for themselves. Just ask Juan Pablo, Mobile developer at the company:

“Z1 realizes the importance of mental wellbeing and they do a lot to keep people happy while focused. I constantly feel valued here, they make real efforts to do so. I'm truly proud to work in a company that cares that much for its team.”

Louisa Jara, Motion-UI Designer, also feels that Z1is a special place that respects its employees:

“I feel like I work for a company that is ahead of the pack when it comes to cool tools and projects. [...]Another important point for me is feminism and equal opportunities, something that, in this sector, is sometimes very difficult to find.”

Taking a break for some table football

There When You Need a Guide

Whatever product you dream of launching, whether web-based or mobile, the design-driven, user-focused team at Z1 can make it a beautiful reality, working across the stack, from backend to front, from ideation to execution.

The deep knowledge of their diverse team ensures that they’re always up on the latest tech to guide your project to the next level, like React, React Native, Django, Node.js, and Swift, and they’re always eager to innovate while ensuring longevity.

A stellar example of Z1’s trailblazing approach is Trip, the unique app they built recently for Toronto-based Field Trip, a company leading the medical and scientific re-emergence of psychedelic-enhanced therapies. The app was designed for those without access to clinic-based therapy, and it needed to be designed mindfully, based on extensive research, yet simply and beautifully.

Working closely with the Field Trip team, Z1 extensively prototyped the concept to achieve the vision of an end-to-end supportive tool that integrated the four key phases of the Field Trip method together (preparation, exploration, reflection, and integration). The product was seamlessly deployed and has received supportive and grateful feedback from users.

Whether you’re looking to develop your own new product, to augment your existing team, or for support and maintenance, why not let Z1 guide you, safely and enjoyably, through the whole experience?

At Pangea, we think Z1’s values of Honesty, Collaboration, Effectiveness, and Exploration shine through in the many unique products and experiences they’ve built over the years, along with their long list of happy clients. To summarize, here are some final words from CEO Héctor Giner:

“We believe the best digital solutions are built at the intersection of business strategy, available technology, and real user needs. We create a balanced approach by understanding the true needs of all influences – scalability, viability, and desirability.”

To see how well Z1 can balance the needs of your next project, head over to their profile page and get in touch!