Should I hire a company or build a team from scratch?
CyberFonic: You may wish to think about the ownership of intellectual property and managing of technical team.  If you hire a firm, you will need to negotiate the IP and you will probably pay more than if you hire.  But of course, you could be up and running faster if you choose the "right firm".  If you are thinking of off-shoring, then you need to verify how you will have effective technical management in place and how you will structure the contract, e.g. milestones, deliverables, penalty clauses.There might be a half-way option.  Hire someone who has done it all before (verify their claims) and then jointly hire the right firm.