Two Custom Apps. 20 Weeks. Zero Scope Changes.
A language services firm needed a HIPAA-compliant messaging platform and a mobile app for their interpreter network — without pulling their internal team off core work.
A Firm Mid-Expansion — and Out of Capacity
Executive Linguist Agency is a professional language services firm headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California. They provide interpretation across healthcare, legal, government, and insurance — managing a distributed network of interpreters who depend on purpose-built tools that meet strict compliance requirements.
By the time CEO Robert Randolph reached out to Vertice Labs, the business was scaling fast. An internal dev team of four was already deep in a full overhaul. Interpreters were running on a browser-based workflow not built for field use. And a significant market gap — HIPAA-compliant, human-verified interpreter messaging — had been identified but remained unbuilt.
The internal team was at capacity. The solution was a focused, senior external partner who could execute without adding management overhead.
Robert had been down the vendor road before. A prior $40,000 consulting engagement had produced four loosely actionable items and no roadmap. His bar for what a new partner needed to demonstrate — before a dollar changed hands — had gotten considerably higher.
Two problems — distinct in scope, shared in root cause: not enough capacity to build what the business needed next.
A Market Gap No One Had Filled
Interpreter-to-client communication in healthcare requires HIPAA compliance and human verification. Robert had done the research. No messaging application on the market checked both boxes. If Executive Linguist wanted it, they would have to build it — and building it right meant owning UX, architecture, security, and compliance from the ground up.
An Operational Bottleneck Generating Support Calls
Without a dedicated mobile app, interpreters logged in through a browser not designed for mobile field work. When pages failed to load, they called the office. Every call pulled time from scheduling, client management, and revenue-generating work. A purpose-built app would eliminate the problem entirely.
The prior engagement Robert referenced — money spent, sessions held, and team largely unchanged. A common outcome when vendors optimize for relationship maintenance instead of delivery. This engagement started from a different premise: scope first, money second.
Vertice Labs started where it always starts: a defined scope of work before any money changed hands. No retainer. No vague discovery phase. Just a deliverable, a timeline, and a price.
SOW Before Money Changed Hands
A full scope of work — deliverable, timeline, and price — was defined and agreed upon before the engagement started. No retainer, no discovery phase, no ambiguity about what would be built or what it would cost.
A Pivot Shaped in the Kickoff
The original concept was a translation tool. Through the kickoff conversation, the scope shifted to a standalone messaging platform that could go to market independently and serve schools, hospitals, and insurers directly — without cannibalizing existing revenue. That pivot happened in a single working session.
Deliberate Sequencing
Loop Lingo shipped first — the larger technical challenge and the strategic priority. The interpreter app followed. Sequencing was driven by impact, not convenience.
Full Transparency, No Status Calls Required
All work ran through Linear with client-facing visibility enabled. Robert could see what was in progress, completed, and queued without scheduling a check-in. Weekly demos kept feedback tight. Async communication ran through a shared Slack channel.
Loop Lingo: HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Platform
A secure, real-time messaging platform for interpreter-to-client communication. Built to HIPAA compliance standards with human-in-the-loop verification — a combination with no commercial equivalent. Vertice Labs owned UX/UI design, system architecture, and full-stack engineering from start to production.
HIPAA Compliance
Architecture and authentication built to HIPAA standards via Clerk (SOC 2 certified) from day one.
Human Verification
Review queue powered by AWS Translate with auto-language detection and human-in-the-loop identity verification.
Group Contact Management
Organization onboarding with group support for classrooms, doctor panels, and adjuster teams.
Stripe Billing Integration
End-to-end billing and subscription management built directly into the platform.
AWS Infrastructure
Deployed on AWS infrastructure designed for clean transfer to Executive Linguist’s organization.
Whitelabel-Ready
Architecture built for broader distribution. Robert’s next step is whitelabeling for third-party resale.
Loop Lingo launched as the only HIPAA-compliant messaging platform with human-verified interpreter identity. No direct competitor exists. Executive Linguist holds live relationships in schools, hospitals, and insurance ready for activation.
Interpreter Mobile App (iOS + Android)
A dedicated iOS and Android app giving the Executive Linguist interpreter network a single place to view and manage jobs, set availability, submit end times, and handle assignments — replacing the browser-based workflow that had been generating office support calls.
Interpreters accessed jobs through a browser not built for mobile. Login failures triggered support calls to the office, pulling staff from revenue-generating work.
A purpose-built iOS & Android app connected to the existing API. Job management, availability calendars, and scheduling — all in one place. Support calls eliminated.
Core Job Management
- →View and manage all assignments
- →Set and update availability
- →Submit job end times and notes
- →Availability calendar view
- →Direct API integration with existing data model
Peer-to-Peer Messaging
- →Direct messaging with scheduling team
- →In-app notifications for assignments
- →Eliminates secondary communication channels
- →Built on Loop Lingo infrastructure
Loop Lingo launched with no comparable product on the market. Live relationships in schools, hospitals, and insurance ready for go-to-market activation.
Whitelabeling in progress. A product built for one firm is becoming a scalable revenue line for broader distribution.
Robert began referring Vertice Labs before project two was finished, connecting a contact who needed a check-in and front desk app.
Unplanned benefit: the internal dev team improved their own practices by observing how Vertice Labs tracked tasks, documented decisions, and managed scope — at no additional cost.
In Robert's Words
“Your entire pitch had no BS in it. You weren’t trying to convince me of anything, you weren’t trying to overpromise. It was just: here’s what we do, here’s what you’re going to get at the end. And I was like, actually yes.”
“You could have easily milked us... and you didn’t. That is a huge deal.”
“Transparency goes a long way to letting me know that I’m not being screwed over. I didn’t feel the need to keep checking up on you or look over your shoulder.”
“You guys did a great job getting us into the App Store with Loop Lingo. I’m fairly confident you could pull off something like this.”
“I really enjoy working with you guys both, and I’d be happy to recommend you to anybody in the future for sure. It’s been an absolute pleasure.”
We Build What Your Team Can’t Get To.
Fixed fee. Senior team. No management overhead. Shipped to production in weeks.