Unblocked raises $27.5 million Series A to make sure developers actually understand their code
Unblocked looks to bridge the knowledge gap as AI-generated code becomes commonplace.
Vancouver-based Unblocked has secured $20 million USD ($27.5 million CAD) in Series A funding as its platform increasingly helps programmers understand code generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
“AI shifts the role of developers from code writers to code curators, and context becomes even more essential in that transition.”
Dennis Pilarinos
Unblocked CEO
While Unblocked originally built its core offering to keep track of the intent behind historical developer decisions, the increase in AI-generated code is further widening the gap between code authorship and code understanding, according to the company.
As founder and CEO Dennis Pilarinos explained to BetaKit in an email statement, AI can write syntax, but doesn’t explain why it chose a specific approach, how that fits into the broader system, or what trade-offs were made.
Unblocked can keep track of that missing context through in-product integrations and help when someone inevitably tries to review, debug, or build on top of that code, Pilarinos added.
“While authors may not handwrite every line anymore, they still need to understand what the code does, how it behaves, and why it exists because they’re still accountable for maintaining it,” Pilarinos said. “If anything, AI shifts the role of developers from code writers to code curators, and context becomes even more essential in that transition.”
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Unblocked exited stealth in October 2023. Its platform helps understand connections and history by integrating with other platforms where teams discuss their code, including Slack and Github, to learn how a team’s codebase works. It then answers user questions with the gathered information. The company has roots in Pilarinos’ previously founded company, Buddybuild, a developer support service that Apple acquired in 2018 and integrated into Xcode Cloud.
Unblocked’s all-equity Series A round was led by Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based venture firm B Capital, with participation from Radical Ventures and Artisanal Ventures. Pilarinos told BetaKit that a number of angel investors participated as well, including Clio CEO Jack Newton. B Capital general partner Yan-david Erlich is joining Unblocked’s board as a result of the round.
The funding will be invested back into the product, including its contextual intelligence engine and “deeper integrations into the tools where developers spend their time.” Unblocked, which currently has 18 employees, is also looking to add between 40 and 50 people to its headcount across its engineering, marketing, and sales departments, Pilarinos said.
Feature image courtesy Unblocked.
