Shaping digital experiences for 18 years

In 2007, Toni Piirainen and Jukka Katajaharju set out to build something different. They envisioned a company where people could shape how things were done, enjoy their work and have a real say in how the business would go forward.

Back then, Codemate looked very different from the company it is today. For nearly a decade, a significant part of our development team was located in Asia, while project managers and senior developers worked from Finland, staying close to our customers. That’s actually where the name “Codemate” comes from. The original idea was that our senior developers in Finland would have a pair programmer – a ‘codemate’ – supporting them remotely. But in reality, that concept never developed beyond the idea stage. Instead, we built hybrid teams where local and remote members collaborated seamlessly. As our old slogan said, ‘Your vision, our solution’, we always wanted to build the best possible solution for our clients based on their requirements, as cost-effectively as possible.

In those early years, most of our work involved smaller-scale assignments, such as Drupal-based CMS web portals and Java-based systems. Another consistent pattern emerged – not by strategy, but through circumstances: we often had one major client accounting for more than a third of our revenue, supported by a diverse range of smaller customers with short-term or lower-volume assignments. We wanted to break away from this dependency, but for a long time, that model shaped how we operated – it seemed to be our fate in that period of time. 🙂

Evolving together – people, purpose and Codemate

As we grew, our presence in Asia became pretty significant. In the early years, the majority of our team – around 70 people – were based in Dhaka, making it the centre of our development work. Over time, we began to shift our operations towards Bangkok, and later opened an additional sales office in Singapore.

The 2009 financial crisis, combined with the early rumblings of data protection regulation (like GDPR), led us to rethink our operating model. To stay aligned with customer expectations and regulatory demands, we gradually consolidated our development presence in Bangkok while strengthening our customer delivery capabilities in Finland and growing our international client base.

Before the pandemic, our Bangkok office had become the heart of our Asian operations, with up to 30 team members – a vibrant mix of local professionals and European colleagues, especially from Finland. This setup enabled seamless collaboration across continents and brought invaluable multicultural experiences to our teams.

From web portals to full digital ecosystems

Our technical expertise has evolved dramatically over the years. What started with CMS web portals and standalone applications has expanded into delivering large-scale digital services and full ecosystems. From embedded systems and cloud-based platforms to AI-powered services and modern mobile apps, we’ve grown into a dependable partner that supports digital products at every stage of their lifecycle. 

Our mindset has matured as well. We are no longer “just software developers”. Today, we act as trusted consultants – ‘creative tech partners’ as we call it. We test and validate ideas from a business perspective before writing a single line of code, and work closely with our customers, often taking full ownership of delivery. The solutions we create for our clients are larger, more strategic and more impactful than ever before.

Going forward with creativity and trust

So, what has enabled this evolution? Simply put: our people. Many of the mates have been with us through every growth phase, evolving professionally and personally along the way. And when the time came to scale, we brought in new talent who share our values, curiosity, and collaborative spirit.

Read also: Delivery Lead Mikael Komu hasn’t considered taking another job in 14 years

Our people and their expertise are the reason we have become the trusted digitalisation partner we are today. Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working with well-known brands such as Nokia, Polar, Google, Burger King, Oikotie, Moi, Netflix – and many more. These collaborations reflect the trust we’ve earned and the complex challenges we’ve embraced.

Just as importantly, the nature of our client relationships has changed. Where we once delivered smaller systems or provided additional development muscle, we are now asked to take the lead on delivering critical, business-driving solutions to support our clients’ core operations and long-term goals. Our role is no longer just to implement features – it is to enable transformation, growth and measurable impact. We are the partner our clients turn to when they want to move forward.

Today, our core operations are still based in Finland – with teams in Oulu, Helsinki and Jyväskylä, and also an office in Bangkok. While we primarily work from these locations, an increasingly significant share of our revenue comes from international clients. To stay closer to them and explore new opportunities, now we have a presence in the USA – opening doors to exciting conversations across the Atlantic.

What’s next?

We continue to grow, explore and push boundaries. One great example is Rebel App Studio by Codemate, our Flutter team that builds beautiful, high-performance applications for multiple platforms, always with care, creativity and technical excellence. 

Get to know Rebel App Studio by Codemate

To strengthen our capabilities and support long-term growth, we’ve taken a twofold approach: growing both organically and through strategic acquisitions. We’ve welcomed talented new codemates, expanded our service offering, and deepened existing customer relationships. At the same time, acquisitions such as Nordic Nomads and Upsert have played a key role in complementing our expertise and culture – and potential new acquisitions are already underway, helping us continue our growth journey in a thoughtful, sustainable way.

The world, the tech industry and Codemate have all changed dramatically in 18 years. We are not standing still. AI-powered digital transformation, international growth and evolving customer needs will shape our next chapter. While the details of the future may still be unfolding, one thing is clear: We are going forward. 

Happy birthday to us!