On The Spot
On The Spot Development is a UK-headquartered boutique software services firm that builds and manages dedicated offshore engineering teams in Poland for international startups, unicorns, and tech companies, operating through long-term Offshore Development Center engagements with full salary transparency and back-office support.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What On The Spot does
On The Spot Development is a privately held boutique software services firm founded in 2016 and headquartered in the United Kingdom with its primary R&D delivery center in Warsaw, Poland. The company builds long-term, dedicated offshore engineering teams for international clients — predominantly fast-growing startups, unicorns, and publicly traded tech companies — recruiting, employing, and managing senior Polish engineers on behalf of those clients and providing full back-office services (HR, payroll, office, legal, accounting). The company emphasizes 100% team dedication, full salary transparency, and a contractual team buyout option as core differentiators from traditional outsourcing.
OTS operates three engagement models: (1) the flagship Offshore Development Center for long-term dedicated teams, which generates the bulk of revenue through multi-year managed-service contracts; (2) Custom Software Development for ad-hoc expert augmentation on shorter projects; and (3) CTO as a Service, a fractional/subscription offering targeting pre-CTO startups. Pricing is custom-quoted per engagement with no public tiers. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting CTOs, CEOs, and founders, supported by content marketing, the TechSpot event series, the 137 Podcast, and third-party listings on Clutch and Right Firms.
Notable clients include Orca Security (scaled from 2 to 55+ engineers since 2019, contributing to its $1.8B unicorn valuation), Unity/Aura (45+ engineers at peak), Cycode (20+ engineers), Karma (27 specialists), 365Scores (15 developers), and Haptiq (19 specialists). The company reports approximately 200 employees across its UK and Poland operations, an 80%+ customer retention rate beyond three years, and outcomes of 30–50% employment cost reduction and 40% development efficiency improvement for clients. The company has no disclosed external funding, patents, or proprietary software products, and its competitive positioning rests on Polish talent access, operational transparency, and relationship depth rather than technology differentiation.
On The Spot firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- On The Spot
- Legal name
- On the Spot Development LTD
- Website
- https://onthespotdev.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- On The Spot Development is a UK-headquartered boutique software services firm that builds and manages dedicated offshore engineering teams in Poland for international startups, unicorns, and tech companies, operating through long-term Offshore Development Center engagements with full salary transparency and back-office support.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
On The Spot industry classification
Industry- Product category
- IT Staff Augmentation and Offshore R&D Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Offshore Development Center (ODC) / Dedicated Team Services (BPAEAMAL)
Keywords
Where On The Spot is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
On The Spot business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Offshore Development Center (Staff Augmentation): Long-term dedicated R&D team engagements where On The Spot recruits, employs, and manages engineers in Poland on behalf of clients. Revenue is generated through service fees on top of engineering salaries, with full transparency on costs. Engagements are typically multi-year contracts with 8 out of 10 customers staying over 3 years. This is the primary revenue stream.
- Custom Software Development: Ad-hoc expert engineering talent provided to clients for specific projects or skill gaps — frontend, backend, mobile, QA, DevOps. Shorter-term than ODC engagements, typically project or milestone-based.
- CTO as a Service: Fractional CTO engagements for early-stage startups — providing technology strategy, roadmap guidance, and technical leadership from PoC through MVP and beyond. Typically billed as a monthly retainer or subscription.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom quote-based engagement — no public pricing tiers published |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels9 records
On The Spot product offering
Product offeringCore offering
On The Spot is a boutique software development firm that builds and manages dedicated R&D teams in Poland on behalf of international startups and tech companies. They offer three engagement models: an Offshore Development Center (long-term dedicated engineering teams functioning as an extension of the client's in-house team with full back-office support), Custom Software Development (ad-hoc expert engineering talent augmentation), and CTO as a Service (fractional technical leadership for early-stage startups). All engagements are characterized by 100% dedicated teams, full financial transparency, and a contractual team buyout option from day one.
Product overview
On The Spot Development is a boutique software development company offering three core service offerings: Offshore Development Center (building dedicated R&D teams in Poland on a long-term basis), Custom Software Development (ad-hoc engineering talent augmentation), and CTO as a Service (fractional CTO guidance for startups). The company also runs TechSpot, a tech event series in Poland covering software architecture and AI topics. These services are designed to help fast-growing startups and tech companies build and scale their products without traditional outsourcing pitfalls.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TechSpot: Tech events focused on software system design, from AI and LLMs to cloud computing and DevOps, organized by On The Spot in Warsaw, Poland.
- 137 Podcast
Products and services
- Offshore Development Center Long-term dedicated R&D team building service in Poland, where a full-time team is built in Warsaw exclusively for the client and functions as an extension of the client's in-house team. Includes full back-office services (office, payroll, HR, legal, accounting), 100% team dedication, full financial transparency, and a contractual team buyout option from day one. Target clients are tech companies and fast-growing startups needing to scale engineering capacity.
- Custom Software Development Ad-hoc expert engineering talent augmentation service providing extra resources to accelerate software development projects. Engineers cover backend, frontend, mobile, QA, and DevOps skill areas, typically deployed for specific projects or to fill skill gaps on shorter-term engagements than the Offshore Development Center model.
- CTO as a Service Experienced fractional CTO service for early-stage startups to guide technology strategy, advise on product roadmap, and support the company from PoC to MVP and beyond. Typically billed as a monthly retainer or subscription, providing technology strategy and technical leadership without the cost of a full-time executive hire.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40% increase in development efficiency for Orca Security
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use On The Spot
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
On The Spot technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
On The Spot partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- 365ScoresflagshipOTS provided 15 developers (server, automation engineers) writing the core of 365Scores' engine. Team delivered high-quality work, helping reduce costs by 2X and speed up development. Partnership ongoing since 2021.
- Orca SecuritycoreOn The Spot has been building and scaling Orca Security's dedicated R&D team in Warsaw since 2019. The team grew from 2 developers to over 55 specialists, supporting product launch, frontend/integrations development, and critical infrastructure initiatives. Orca Security became a unicorn ($1.8B valuation, $630M+ raised) during the partnership. OTS handles full back-office services including HR, payroll, legal, office management, and daily operations.
- CycodecoreOTS builds and hosts Cycode's Warsaw R&D team of 20+ engineers across 9 distributed teams. Engineers work as an integrated part of Cycode's engineering department alongside teams in Israel. Contributed to frontend, .NET, DevOps, and code analysis platform development. Reduced employment costs by an estimated 30–50% while managing all operational aspects.
- Unity (Aura from Unity)flagshipOTS built several R&D teams for Unity (specifically the Aura product team), one of the world's top game engine developers. Teams of 45+ engineers at peak, contributing to mobile app development, playable ads, and platform extensions.
- KarmacoreOTS built and scaled Karma's offshore R&D team from 4 to 27 specialists (2018–present). The team fully owned product development and technical leadership, transforming the product from a legacy monolith to a cloud-native ecosystem. Back-office services included office, hardware, payroll, HR, legal, and accounting support.
- HoneyBookminorOTS provided frontend, mobile, and QA development support to HoneyBook (SaaS CRM and FinTech platform for small businesses). Contributed to codebase modernization and ongoing feature development.
- HaptiqflagshipOTS built and grew a dedicated engineering team in Poland for Haptiq, a fintech and enterprise AI company. Team reached 19 specialists at peak.
- 44pixelsminorLondon-based AI-powered mobile products studio. OTS enabled team scaling across engineering, design, QA, and creative production.
- AITHENAminorAI solutions for pharmaceutical compliance. OTS delivered a robust MVP and provided engineering team ramp-up support for early-stage development.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights4 records
On The Spot competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Andersen: Andersen Lab (formerly Andersen Software) is a global software engineering boutique with strong dedicated-team / ODC delivery from Poland, Ukraine, and other CEE hubs. Closely comparable in service mix (dedicated teams, custom software) and target customer profile (US/EU tech and enterprise).
- Itransition: Belarus/Poland-rooted custom software development and IT services firm (~3,000+ people) with dedicated-team offerings for US and Western European clients. Operates in the same dedicated-team talent market as OTS.
- Sigma Software Group: Large Ukrainian/Polish IT services group delivering custom software development and dedicated engineering teams to enterprise clients across the US and EU. Comparable in dedicated-team business model and nearshore delivery footprint.
- Binariks: Ukrainian/Polish boutique software development and staff augmentation firm (~500 people) offering dedicated development teams to international tech companies. Closely mirrors OTS's boutique dedicated-team value proposition at a slightly larger scale.
- Intellias: Mid-sized Ukrainian/Polish IT services company offering dedicated engineering teams to enterprise clients across the US and EU. Same dedicated-team staffing model and customer profile as OTS, with overlapping cybersecurity, fintech, and SaaS clients.
- N-iX: Ukrainian/Polish IT services firm (~2,000+ people) operating a dedicated-team / ODC model for North American and European tech clients. Highly comparable business model (dedicated teams, nearshore delivery, multi-year engagements) at a larger scale, providing a comparable comp set.
- Yalantis: Ukraine-rooted boutique software development company (~500 people) offering dedicated development teams to international clients. Mirrors OTS's boutique positioning and dedicated-team engagement model, with overlapping customer profile in SaaS and fintech.
Broad incumbents
- EPAM Systems: NYSE-listed global IT services giant with Engineering Delivery Centers in CEE (incl. Poland). The dominant incumbent competing for the same dedicated-team engineering budgets that OTS pursues, particularly with US-based enterprise and Israeli tech clients.
- SoftServe: Large Ukrainian/Polish IT services incumbent (~13,000+ people) offering dedicated development teams, digital transformation, and consulting. Significantly larger and broader in scope than OTS, but offers an overlapping dedicated-team service to comparable enterprise buyers.
Emerging players
- Toptal: Global freelance engineering talent marketplace that competes for the same client budgets (top-tier engineering talent for tech companies). Different delivery model (marketplace vs. dedicated team) but overlapping customer need and competitive set from the demand side.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
On The Spot social profiles
Digital presenceOn The Spot compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
On The Spot financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
On The Spot leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
On The Spot funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
On The Spot M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about On The Spot
What does On The Spot do?
On The Spot is a boutique software development firm that builds and manages dedicated R&D teams in Poland on behalf of international startups and tech companies. They offer three engagement models: an Offshore Development Center (long-term dedicated engineering teams functioning as an extension of the client's in-house team with full back-office support), Custom Software Development (ad-hoc expert engineering talent augmentation), and CTO as a Service (fractional technical leadership for early-stage startups). All engagements are characterized by 100% dedicated teams, full financial transparency, and a contractual team buyout option from day one.
Is On The Spot a public or private company?
On The Spot is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was On The Spot founded?
On The Spot was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is On The Spot based?
On The Spot is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does On The Spot make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Offshore Development Center (Staff Augmentation) is the primary driver. The others are custom Software Development and CTO as a Service.
Who are On The Spot's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Andersen, Itransition, Sigma Software Group, Binariks, Intellias, N-iX and Yalantis. Broad incumbents are EPAM Systems and SoftServe. Toptal is listed as an emerging player.
Does On The Spot have an API?
No public API is recorded for On The Spot.
What industry is On The Spot in?
On The Spot's product category is IT Staff Augmentation and Offshore R&D Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAMAL, Offshore Development Center (ODC) / Dedicated Team Services. Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7370.