The Refactory
The Refactory is a US-based software consulting firm founded in 1998 that delivers architecture, refactoring, agile, and design-patterns training, mentoring, and consulting services to enterprise clients across financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, and Latin American fintech.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersUrbana, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Refactory does
The Refactory, Inc. is a privately held US software engineering consulting firm founded in 1998 and headquartered in Urbana, Illinois. The firm delivers consulting, mentoring, and custom training services focused on software architecture, agile methods, design patterns, refactoring, test-driven development, and adaptive object-model systems to enterprise clients. Its service portfolio includes on-site custom training courses (typically 1–5 days, class sizes of 10–30), architecture assessments, framework development, and project-based consulting engagements. Notable clients span Caterpillar, Iron Mountain Fulfillment Services (a 7+ year relationship involving complete backend rewrites of WMS/TMS systems), IBM, Cisco, Motorola, Wells Fargo, Vanguard, Freddie Mac, Itaú Unibanco, and Brazilian fintechs Nubank and UOL/PagSeguro.
Alongside services, The Refactory has developed several proprietary software tools originating from its principals: the Refactoring Browser (the first commercial refactoring tool for VisualWorks Smalltalk, since integrated into Cincom Smalltalk), Method Wrappers, Sharp Smalltalk (a Smalltalk compiler running natively on .NET), and SmaCC, an LR parser generator used to build refactoring tools for Java, C#, and Delphi. The firm monetizes through professional services engagements and multi-year training contracts distributed via direct enterprise sales, conference-led thought leadership (PLoP, OOPSLA, Agile Brazil, Scrum Rio, SATURN, QCon, YOW!, GOTO), and academic partnerships — notably with USP/IME São Paulo through the recurring "How to Create Extraordinary Software" event series (4 editions, 2022–2025). Geographically, engagement spans the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Canada, and Japan.
The Refactory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Refactory
- Legal name
- The Refactory, Inc.
- Website
- https://refactory.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Refactory is a US-based software consulting firm founded in 1998 that delivers architecture, refactoring, agile, and design-patterns training, mentoring, and consulting services to enterprise clients across financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, and Latin American fintech.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Refactory industry classification
Industry- Product category
- IT Consulting and Training Services
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Foundational PM & Delivery Methods (Waterfall/Agile/Hybrid) (EDABAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Integration, API & Middleware Consulting (BPAHAEAJ), Virtual Training, Workshops & Masterclasses (Interactive Sessions) (MPAGAOAJ)
Keywords
Where The Refactory is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Urbana
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Refactory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: Project-based consulting and mentoring engagements with enterprise clients. Principals (Joe Yoder and associates) provide on-site consulting, architecture reviews, assessments, and development support.
- Custom Training: Customized training courses delivered on-site or in classroom settings. Courses cover agile methods, design patterns, refactoring, TDD, architecture, and object-oriented programming. Offered as 1-5 day courses with recommended class sizes of 10-30 participants.
- Software Tools Licensing: Some tools like Sharp Smalltalk are available under open source licenses (MIT, Open Software License). The company may also provide commercial licensing options for enterprise tool use.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom Corporate Training |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Refactory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Refactory provides expert consulting, mentoring, and customized training services to enterprise software development teams, covering software architecture, agile methods, design patterns, refactoring, test-driven development, object-oriented programming, and building adaptable systems. Engagements are typically delivered on-site at client locations as multi-day projects, workshops, or longer-term retainers. In parallel, the company has authored a small set of notable software tools (the Refactoring Browser, Method Wrappers, Sharp Smalltalk, and SmaCC) that are distributed via its website.
Product overview
The Refactory is a consulting, mentoring, and training services company rather than a traditional software product company. The company offers a portfolio of professional services including consulting on software architecture, analysis, design, and agile methods, as well as custom training courses covering object-oriented design, design patterns, refactoring, test-driven development, agile practices, extreme programming, and building adaptable systems. In addition to services, The Refactory has developed several specialized software tools: the Refactoring Browser (integrated into Cincom Smalltalk's VisualWorks), Method Wrappers for VisualWorks, the Sharp Smalltalk compiler for .NET, and SmaCC (Smalltalk Compiler-Compiler) parser generator. The consulting services work alongside the training offerings to provide comprehensive software development guidance, while the software tools represent standalone utilities created by the company's principals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Software Consulting Services Professional consulting services providing top-notch guidance on software architecture, design, implementation, and mentoring for software development teams across various facets of the development process.
- Custom Training Courses Custom training courses covering agile methods, architecture, design patterns, refactoring, testing, and object-oriented programming delivered in person or online.
- Mentoring and Coaching Services Custom on-site mentoring and coaching programs for software developers, analysts, and team leaders focused on skill development and knowledge transfer.
- Refactoring Browser
- Method Wrappers
- Sharp Smalltalk
- SmaCC (Smalltalk Compiler-Compiler)
- Pragmatic Test Driven Development Training
- Design Patterns Training
- Agile Refactoring Training
- Object Oriented Design and Programming Training
- Extreme Programming Training
- Agile Methods Training
- Being Agile at Quality Training
- Being Agile at Architecture Training
- Building Adaptable Systems Training
- Java, C#/.NET, or Smalltalk Training
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $500K annual savings through FedEx server integration and freight process automation at Iron Mountain
Companies that use The Refactory
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Refactory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The Refactory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- USP - Universidade de São PaulocoreOngoing collaboration with USP's Institute of Mathematics and Statistics (IME-USP) for events and academic activities. Jointly organized 'Como Construir Software Extraordinário' event series (4 editions from 2022-2025). Joe Yoder collaborates with PhD students, serves on defense committees, and participates in academic programs.
- Agile BrazilcoreJoe Yoder and colleague Marden Neubert gave talk on 'Architecting Agility' at Agile Brazil 2024 conference held in Aracaju, Brazil (Oct 30-Nov 1, 2024).
- FAPESPminorSão Paulo State Research Foundation acknowledged as a supporter/organizer of events like 'Como Construir Software Extraordinário'.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Refactory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ThoughtWorks: Global technology consultancy known for agile software development, architecture, and design practices. Directly comparable to The Refactory in agile/lean consulting and training, but operates at much larger scale across multiple geographies.
- Pivotal Labs: Enterprise agile consulting and software development firm (now part of VMware/Tanzu). Comparable to The Refactory in agile transformation and pair-programming consulting, though at significantly larger scale.
- Pluralsight: Large-scale technology skills platform offering online courses, assessments, and learning paths. Broadly comparable as a developer training provider, though distribution model (online subscription) differs from The Refactory's on-site custom delivery.
Direct peers
- Mountain Goat Software: Agile and Scrum training company founded by Mike Cohn, offering public courses and certifications. Comparable to The Refactory's agile training product line and thought-leadership-driven GTM.
- Atomic Object: US custom software consultancy that pairs with product teams on development, coaching, and architecture. Similar boutique scale, enterprise client focus, and practitioner-led delivery.
- Net Objectives: Lean-agile consulting and training firm with product management and SAFe offerings. Comparable to The Refactory in training/mentoring revenue mix and enterprise transformation focus.
- Industrial Logic: Specialist agile and lean coaching/training firm offering workshops and eLearning in agile, TDD, and software design. Closely comparable to The Refactory's training catalog and boutique expert-led delivery model.
- 8th Light: Software craftsmanship consultancy providing custom development, mentoring, and training in TDD, design patterns, and agile practices. Mirrors The Refactory's practitioner-led model in a similar boutique segment.
- Object Computing Inc. US-based software consulting firm focused on enterprise development, agile, and architecture. Similar boutique consulting profile with deep technical expertise and training offerings.
Emerging players
- Clean Coders (Robert C. Martin): Video-based training and content brand by Robert C. Martin (Uncle Bob) covering clean code, TDD, and design. Comparable to The Refactory's content/training business and design-patterns thought leadership.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Refactory social profiles
Digital presenceThe Refactory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Refactory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Refactory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Refactory 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 The Refactory
What does The Refactory do?
The Refactory provides expert consulting, mentoring, and customized training services to enterprise software development teams, covering software architecture, agile methods, design patterns, refactoring, test-driven development, object-oriented programming, and building adaptable systems. Engagements are typically delivered on-site at client locations as multi-day projects, workshops, or longer-term retainers. In parallel, the company has authored a small set of notable software tools (the Refactoring Browser, Method Wrappers, Sharp Smalltalk, and SmaCC) that are distributed via its website.
Is The Refactory a public or private company?
The Refactory is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Refactory founded?
The Refactory was founded in 1998. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Refactory based?
The Refactory is headquartered in Urbana, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Refactory make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are custom Training and software Tools Licensing.
Who are The Refactory's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ThoughtWorks, Pivotal Labs and Pluralsight. Direct peers are Mountain Goat Software, Atomic Object, Net Objectives, Industrial Logic, 8th Light and Object Computing Inc.. Clean Coders (Robert C. Martin) is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Refactory have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Refactory.
What industry is The Refactory in?
The Refactory's product category is IT Consulting and Training Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABAHAA, Foundational PM & Delivery Methods (Waterfall/Agile/Hybrid), with a secondary code of BPAHAEAJ, Integration, API & Middleware Consulting. Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 8200.