8th Light
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What 8th Light does
8th Light is a global custom software development and design consultancy founded in 2006 and headquartered in Chicago, with offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Austin, and Seattle. The firm serves enterprise and growth-stage clients across regulated and high-scale industries, including pharmaceutical and life sciences (Pfizer), food delivery (Grubhub), automotive marketplaces (Cars.com), ticketing (Ticketmaster), gaming (Riot Games), legal tech (LegalZoom), insurance, financial services, agriculture, and higher education (AllCampus). Service lines are organized around four core offerings: Agentic AI Studio for shipping production-grade workflow agents with governance and observability; Emerging Solutions for validated innovation and product acceleration at growth companies; Platforms & Adaptive Systems for modernizing intelligent, API-first platforms in regulated environments; and Marketplace Engineering for high-traffic digital marketplaces requiring fraud detection, real-time verification, and scale.
Delivery is project-based and embed-led: consultants are staffed onto client teams to build, modernize, and operate software systems end-to-end, with an apprenticeship-driven talent pipeline and internal Guilds spanning Infrastructure, Data, Frontend, Consulting, and Web3 that codify knowledge across 40+ programming languages. Technical work centers on cloud-native architectures (primarily AWS), event-driven and API-first design, generative AI and agentic workflows (using LangChain, Anthropic Claude, and Databricks), and rigorous observability and DevSecOps practice. Documented case-study outcomes include 20x payment throughput gains, 99.9% uptime achieved from 85%, 50% reduction in deployment times, and 10x increases in concurrent user capacity.
8th Light is a privately held, founder-owned LLC (Eighth Light LLC, with UK subsidiary Eighth Light Ltd and parent Eighth Light Holdings, Inc.). It has never disclosed external institutional funding or a change of control, has completed two bolt-on acquisitions (WisdomGroup in 2016 and Adorable in 2018), and generates revenue through quote-based, multi-year professional-services engagements priced on team composition, scope, and duration. The firm holds GDPR and CCPA compliance commitments, a WCAG 2.0 AA self-attestation, and a public Net Zero by 2050 commitment.
8th Light firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 8th Light
- Legal name
- Eighth Light LLC
- Website
- https://8thlight.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
8th Light industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Software Development Consulting
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI/ML Engineering & Model Development Services (BPAEAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs) (HDAEANAJ), Agents & Autonomous Workflows (Tool Use, Planning, Multi-Agent) (HDAAACAF), AI Observability, Monitoring & Evaluation Platforms (Drift, Quality, Safety) (HDAEANAF), Enterprise Architecture & IT Operating Model (BPAHAEAB)
Keywords
Where 8th Light is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
8th Light business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Professional Services / Consulting Engagements: 8th Light generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements where they embed teams of software engineers, designers, and product specialists onto client projects. Engagements range from specific deliverables (platform builds, AI agent development) to sustained team augmentation and strategic advisory.
- Staff Augmentation / Embedded Teams: The company provides staffing services, matching skills and client needs to place consultants on ongoing client projects. Team members can work on a single project or participate in internal initiatives when not staffed on client work.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise consulting engagements (quote-based) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
8th Light product offering
Product offeringCore offering
8th Light is a custom software consultancy that embeds teams of engineers, designers, and product specialists onto client projects to build AI-powered products, modernize platforms, and engineer marketplace systems. Core offerings include Agentic AI Studio (8-12 week production agent delivery), Emerging Solutions (validated innovation), Platforms & Adaptive Systems (enterprise modernization), and Marketplace Engineering (digital platform scale and trust).
Product overview
8th Light is a global software consultancy founded in 2006, offering a portfolio of AI-powered services centered on Agentic AI Studio for workflow automation, Emerging Solutions for product innovation, Platforms & Adaptive Systems for enterprise modernization, and Marketplace Engineering for digital platforms. The company delivers custom solutions across industries (real estate, education, agriculture, healthcare, nonprofit) using technologies including generative AI, agentic workflows, and cloud-native architectures. Their service model includes embedded consulting teams, guild-based knowledge sharing, and an apprenticeship program. Client solutions include the Home Connect real estate marketplace, Grubhub's driver onboarding system, AllCampus enrollment CRM, AgTech payment infrastructure, and Pfizer DevSecOps transformation. The company operates across Chicago, London, New York, Los Angeles, and Austin.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Agentic AI Studio A consulting studio engagement (8-12 weeks) that designs, builds, and ships a production-ready workflow agent in the client's environment, including governance, observability, and evaluation frameworks so AI investment becomes AI infrastructure. Targets enterprise and mid-market clients seeking reliable agentic AI in business-critical workflows.
- Emerging Solutions Consulting service combining validated innovation experiments with applied agentic AI, product and design acceleration, and platform modernization for mid-market and growth companies seeking to scale without over-investing in unproven builds.
- Platforms & Adaptive Systems Consulting service for complex, high-scale, regulated organizations that builds modular, observable, API-first platform layers (data pipelines, experimentation systems, delivery cycles) designed to host agentic AI workloads safely at enterprise scale.
- Marketplace Engineering Consulting service for digital marketplace platforms that modernizes infrastructure, absorbs real-time traffic at scale, separates signal from noise, and delivers real-time buyer trust and verification, balancing B2B complexity with B2C seamlessness.
Quantifiable outcome
- 20x throughput increase (960 to 19,200+ payments/day)
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use 8th Light
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
8th Light technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability9 records
Feature4 records
8th Light partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- LangChaincoreTechnology partner providing AI/LLM infrastructure integration for agentic AI solutions. LangChain is featured in partner logos on the 8th Light website alongside AWS and Databricks.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)corePrimary cloud infrastructure partner for platform builds. Used extensively across case studies for cloud-native architectures, serverless computing (Lambda, SQS, EventBridge), and secure transaction processing.
- DatabrickscoreData and AI platform partner featured in partner logos. Supports data engineering, lakehouse architecture, and AI/ML initiatives for client solutions.
- GreenhousecoreApplicant tracking system used for recruitment. Provides AI-assisted talent matching, fraud detection, and spam blocking. Also used for identity verification integration with CLEAR.
- CLEARcoreIdentity verification partner used for all role applicants. Secure biometric verification process ensures applicants are who they claim to be. 8th Light receives only verification status, not biometric data.
- DesanaminorCoworking access partner providing 8th Light employees access to thousands of modern coworking spaces worldwide. Supports remote-first culture for employees outside Chicago.
Scale indicators20 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
8th Light competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Thoughtworks: Global custom software consultancy with deep engineering culture and technology-led delivery, comparable to 8th Light's craft-driven, polyglot engineering model and similarly serving enterprise digital transformation mandates.
- Slalom: Business and technology consulting firm combining strategy, engineering, and AI delivery for enterprise clients, directly comparable to 8th Light's consulting-plus-engineering model across regulated and growth-stage segments.
- West Monroe Partners: US consultancy pairing management consulting with custom technology delivery, comparable to 8th Light's blend of platform modernization and emerging-solutions work for enterprise and mid-market clients.
- Thoughtbot: Boutique product and engineering consultancy with a craft-driven, apprenticeship-style culture and polyglot delivery, mirroring 8th Light's guild structure and polyglot engineering positioning.
- Atomic Object: US-based custom software consultancy focused on product development for enterprise clients, similar in size, craft culture, and embedded-team delivery model to 8th Light.
- Globant: Digital transformation consultancy delivering custom software, AI, and platform engineering to enterprise clients; comparable to 8th Light's Agentic AI Studio and platform modernization offerings, though at significantly larger scale.
Broad incumbents
- Capgemini: Global IT services firm with deep enterprise software engineering and AI practices, comparable to 8th Light in regulated-industry platform delivery but with substantially larger global delivery capacity.
- Accenture: Global systems integrator with massive AI and platform engineering practices, overlapping with 8th Light across enterprise modernization, agentic AI, and DevSecOps but competing across a much broader portfolio and scale.
- Deloitte: Big Four firm with Deloitte Digital and US Engineering offering AI-led transformation, custom software, and platform modernization services that overlap with 8th Light's enterprise client base and emerging agentic AI practice.
Emerging players
- Toptal: Talent network providing vetted freelance engineers and software delivery to enterprise clients, partially overlapping with 8th Light's staff-augmentation and product-development offerings through a marketplace model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
8th Light social profiles
Digital presence8th Light compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
8th Light financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
8th Light leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
8th Light funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
8th Light M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 8th Light
What does 8th Light do?
8th Light is a custom software consultancy that embeds teams of engineers, designers, and product specialists onto client projects to build AI-powered products, modernize platforms, and engineer marketplace systems. Core offerings include Agentic AI Studio (8-12 week production agent delivery), Emerging Solutions (validated innovation), Platforms & Adaptive Systems (enterprise modernization), and Marketplace Engineering (digital platform scale and trust).
Is 8th Light a public or private company?
8th Light is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 8th Light founded?
8th Light was founded in 2006. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is 8th Light based?
8th Light is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does 8th Light make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Professional Services / Consulting Engagements are the primary driver. The others are staff Augmentation / Embedded Teams.
Who are 8th Light's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Thoughtworks, Slalom, West Monroe Partners, Thoughtbot, Atomic Object and Globant. Broad incumbents are Capgemini, Accenture and Deloitte. Toptal is listed as an emerging player.
Does 8th Light have an API?
No public API is recorded for 8th Light.
What industry is 8th Light in?
8th Light's product category is Custom Software Development Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAHAF, AI/ML Engineering & Model Development Services, with a secondary code of HDAEANAJ, AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs). Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 7371.