What Test Double does

Test Double is a US-based software consultancy founded in 2011 by Justin Searls and Todd Kaufman and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The firm is 100% employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), operates as a Certified Evergreen business recognized by the Tugboat Institute, and has been remote-first since inception. It embeds experienced consultants directly with client engineering and product teams to solve software delivery, legacy modernization, and product management problems for enterprises, growth-stage companies, and nonprofits.

The company's core service portfolio includes Software Delivery, Product Impact (product management consulting), Legacy Modernization (seams-based renovation), Rails Upgrades, DevOps scaling, Pragmatic AI implementation, and Technical Recruitment. Notable technical components include the Standard Ruby open-source linter/formatter maintained under the standardrb GitHub organization, a seams-based legacy modernization methodology, and a scored Legacy Modernization Assessment Framework. AI capabilities span agentic coding (using Claude and Codex), conversational AI for client products, and AI-assisted code discovery. Leadership includes co-founder and CEO Todd Kaufman, co-founder Justin Searls, VP of Delivery Doc Norton (joined October 2024), and board member Jennifer Haas (added 2024).

Test Double generates revenue through custom, quote-based professional services engagements. Embedded consultants are typically placed on multi-year contracts with enterprise clients such as GitHub, Gusto, Zendesk, Betterment, TED, Clever, and IGS Energy, alongside growth-stage clients like Gifthealth and nonprofit engagements. Distribution is direct, supported by content-led marketing (insights blog, case studies), community programs (N.E.A.T., Software Leadership Circles), free Office Hours pairing sessions, and open-source stewardship. The firm is self-funded with no external venture capital, grew from approximately 100 consultants in 2020 to 200+ named consultants today, and has been named to the Inc. 5000 list for eight consecutive years. In November 2023, Test Double acquired Pathfinder Product Labs to extend its services across the full product lifecycle.

Name

Test Double

Legal name

Test Double, Inc.

Website

https://testdouble.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Software Consulting Services: Test Double provides embedded software consultants who work directly with client teams. Consultants are assigned to engagements spanning software delivery, product management, DevOps, legacy modernization, and technical recruitment. Revenue is generated through consulting fees for embedded team members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Test Double is a 100% employee-owned software consultancy that provides embedded consultants who work directly with client teams across software delivery, product management, legacy modernization, DevOps, Rails upgrades, and pragmatic AI implementation. Services span the full software lifecycle, with engagements including Technical & Product Assessments, Technical Recruitment, and AI-enabled software development using agentic coding practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Software Delivery Accelerate software delivery without losing sight of maintainability, quality, and scalability, so client teams reach software investment goals faster via embedded consultants.
• Product Impact Turn around underperforming products, launch new products with confidence, gain strategic clarity on priorities, and build effective product organizations through embedded product management consulting.
• Legacy Modernization Renovate existing software systems safely using right-sized subsystem design with seams-based modernization, including rewrites when appropriate, backed by a scored assessment framework.
• Pragmatic AI Create software solutions powered by AI to solve real business problems and drive results that matter, using agentic coding with Claude and Codex rather than implementing AI for its own sake.
• Rails Upgrades Simplify Rails and Ruby version upgrades and avoid risks using experience upgrading Rails at large codebases, including past engagements with GitHub, Gusto, and Zendesk.
• DevOps Scale DevOps sustainably through holistic approaches that achieve predictable costs, observable infrastructure, and smoother delivery via embedded consultants.
• Technical Recruitment Build tech and product teams thoughtfully with help from technical recruiters who speak software development and product management as embedded recruiting support.
• Technical & Product Assessments Uncover how to improve software investment with recommendations based on the client's product, systems, infrastructure, and team via a scored diagnostic framework.
• Pragmatic Services Overview Holistic software investment consulting covering the entire software lifecycle from strategy to execution, with embedded consultants across delivery, product, modernization, DevOps, AI, and recruitment.
• Standard Ruby Open-source Ruby linter and formatter built on RuboCop with an unconfigurable configuration, providing effortless consistent code style without configuration overhead.

Quantifiable outcome

• Scaled from single consultant to team of 19 while client achieved 11x growth
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pathfinder Product / Pathfinder Product LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired Pathfinder Product Labs (Grandview Heights-based company focused on product management) in November 2023. The acquisition combined Test Double's software development expertise with Pathfinder's product management acumen, creating an end-to-end software and product management services provider covering the entire product lifecycle.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationTest Double is a certified AWS Partner, providing cloud solutions to clients. This partnership enables Test Double to deliver top-tier cloud infrastructure and AWS-based solutions to enterprise clients requiring cloud expertise.
• TraingentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsulting partnership with Traingent on the Ride with Dave AI cycling assistant product. Test Double consultants (Dave Mosher, Jed Schneider) embedded with Traingent team to help architect and build the AI-native product, including scaffolding, observability, and agentic coding practices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• 8th Light: 8th Light is a custom software consultancy emphasizing software craftsmanship and embedded consultants. It mirrors Test Double's craft-focused, embedded-team delivery model with similar mid-market and enterprise clients.
• Hashrocket: Hashrocket is a Ruby and Elixir consultancy with a strong Rails heritage. It is a direct competitor in the Ruby/Rails modernization space where Test Double has built its core credibility.
• Atomic Object: Atomic Object is an employee-owned custom software consultancy building bespoke web and mobile applications. It competes with Test Double on culture-led, craft-oriented software delivery for enterprise and growth-stage clients.
• Gorilla Logic: Gorilla Logic is a nearshore software development consultancy providing embedded engineering teams for enterprise clients. It competes with Test Double on the staff-augmentation and product delivery model across similar technology stacks.
• Bendyworks: Bendyworks is a custom software consultancy offering embedded development teams across modern web stacks. It competes with Test Double in mid-market custom software delivery and modernization engagements.
• Thoughtbot: Thoughtbot is a Ruby/Rails-focused software consultancy offering design, development, and product expertise. It competes most directly with Test Double in the embedded-consultant model and shared Rails modernization specialty.
• Sparkbox: Sparkbox is a web and product consultancy focused on design and development of digital products. It overlaps with Test Double on product delivery, embedded consulting, and enterprise web platform work.

Broad incumbents

• Slalom: Slalom is a large, broad-based technology and business consultancy with software delivery and modernization practices. It competes with Test Double for the same Fortune-100 and mid-market enterprise modernization work but at much greater scale.
• Pivotal Labs: Pivotal Labs, now part of VMware Tanzu, pioneered the embedded-consultant agile delivery model at large enterprises. It is a broader incumbent offering overlapping software delivery and modernization services at greater enterprise scale than Test Double.
• Accenture Interactive: Accenture is a global professional services firm with large digital engineering, cloud, and AI modernization practices. It is a broad incumbent whose enterprise software delivery offerings overlap with Test Double's larger engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/standardrb
• Xx.com/testdouble
• Facebookfacebook.com/218340114901233
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/testdouble

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Test Double