Smart Thinking
Smart Thinking is a nearshore software engineering services firm offering senior-only Dedicated Talent staffing and fixed-budget Project Delivery, with AI-assisted development, legacy modernization, and MVP delivery for US and European clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersMérida, Mexico
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Smart Thinking does
Smart Thinking is a US-domiciled LLC operating a nearshore software engineering services business, founded more than fifteen years ago and headquartered implicitly in a US-aligned nearshore jurisdiction. The firm maintains a bench of more than forty senior engineers and sells into US and European clients, with a logo roster that includes Unbounce, Hipcamp, Edenred, Liqui Moly, HomeCityIce, Pug Interactive, and AppIt Ventures. Its stated differentiator is an "AI-First Delivery Model" that redesigns the development workflow around artificial intelligence tools and a senior-only bench, explicitly excluding junior engineers.
The company delivers across four core service lines: AI-Accelerated Product Development, AI Integration & Automation, Legacy System Modernization, and Rapid MVP Delivery. The technology stack spans modern AI platforms — Microsoft Azure AI, Google Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock, and Microsoft Copilot — alongside LLM APIs from OpenAI and Anthropic, orchestration frameworks (LangChain, LangGraph), RAG systems, and vector databases (pgvector, Redis). Core application engineering covers TypeScript, React, Next.js, Python, C#, Swift, Kotlin, Node.js, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, AWS, Azure, and Docker. The firm operates ClearFuture as a sister company focused on enterprise AI enablement and knowledge platforms, which extends its footprint into higher-end AI consulting.
Commercially, Smart Thinking runs two engagement models. Dedicated Talent bills senior engineers hourly against a rate sheet and returns a shortlist of resumes matched to the client's stack. Project Delivery provides a ballpark estimate followed by a structured phased plan executed to a defined budget, accelerated by AI-assisted workflows. Distribution is direct via the company website, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, with contact forms as the primary bottom-of-funnel conversion point. The company is privately held, founder-led by Juan Pablo González Hermosillo, and shows no evidence of external venture or private equity backing.
Smart Thinking firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Smart Thinking
- Legal name
- Smart Thinking LLC
- Website
- https://smartthinking.com.mx
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Smart Thinking is a nearshore software engineering services firm offering senior-only Dedicated Talent staffing and fixed-budget Project Delivery, with AI-assisted development, legacy modernization, and MVP delivery for US and European clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Smart Thinking industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nearshore Software Engineering Services
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Computer Related Services (541519)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Offshore Development Center (ODC) / Dedicated Team Services (BPAEAMAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- IT & Software Engineering Staffing (BPACADAA), AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs) (HDAEANAJ)
Keywords
Where Smart Thinking is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mérida
- HQ country
- Mexico
- HQ region
- Latin America
Markets served
Smart Thinking business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Dedicated Talent / Staffing: Hire senior nearshore engineers billed by the hour. Returns rate sheet and shortlist of resumes matched to client's tech stack. No juniors, senior-only teams.
- Project Delivery: Scope, phase, and ship projects to defined budget. Ballpark estimate provided first, then structured phased plan. AI-assisted delivery enables faster execution.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Dedicated Talent - Hourly billing for senior engineers |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project Delivery - Fixed budget phased delivery |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Smart Thinking product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smart Thinking delivers nearshore software engineering services through two engagement models: Dedicated Talent (placement of vetted senior nearshore engineers billed by the hour, matched to client tech stacks) and Project Delivery (full-scope software projects shipped to defined budgets with phased planning and AI-assisted execution). Service categories include AI-Accelerated Product Development, AI Integration & Automation, Legacy System Modernization, and Rapid MVP Delivery for US and European companies.
Product overview
Smart Thinking is a nearshore software engineering services company offering two engagement models: Dedicated Talent (hourly placement of senior nearshore engineers) and Project Delivery (full-scope shipped projects). Core service portfolio includes AI-Accelerated Product Development, AI Integration & Automation, Legacy System Modernization, and Rapid MVP Delivery. The company operates ClearFuture as a sister company focused on enterprise AI enablement and knowledge platforms. All services are delivered with an AI-first approach using AI-assisted engineering workflows.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Dedicated Talent (Hire Senior Engineers) Nearshore senior engineering talent placement that scales a client's team with vetted senior engineers working in the client's timezone and billed by the hour; resumes are matched to the client's tech stack and a rate sheet is returned upon inquiry.
- Project Delivery (Scope & Deliver) Full project delivery service in which Smart Thinking scopes, phases, and ships software projects to a defined budget using AI-assisted delivery; clients receive a ballpark estimate first followed by a structured phased plan.
- AI-Accelerated Product Development End-to-end product development service delivered faster using AI-assisted engineering workflows, enabling companies to build and launch AI-powered software products with senior nearshore engineering teams.
- AI Integration & Automation Custom AI agent creation and AI workflow integration service that unlocks efficiency and new capabilities within client products and business processes using LLM APIs, RAG systems, and AI orchestration tooling.
- Legacy System Modernization System upgrade and refactoring service that improves the scalability, performance, and maintainability of existing software systems using AI-assisted engineering workflows.
- Rapid MVP Delivery Lean, AI-powered execution service that launches production-ready minimum viable products in weeks for companies needing rapid validation of product ideas.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40+ Senior Engineers delivering projects
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Smart Thinking
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Smart Thinking technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature3 records
Smart Thinking partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ClearFuturecoreClearFuture is a boutique enterprise AI practice and sister company of Smart Thinking, specializing in enterprise AI enablement and knowledge platforms. It represents an affiliated entity for delivering enterprise-level AI solutions beyond Smart Thinking's general software development services.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Smart Thinking competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Scalable Path: Boutique nearshore software development agency offering vetted senior developers and full project teams to US startups and enterprises — closely mirrors Smart Thinking's Dedicated Talent / Project Delivery dual model.
- BairesDev: Large nearshore software engineering firm based in Latin America providing dedicated senior teams and end-to-end delivery to US clients — directly comparable in service mix, nearshore economics, and US timezone alignment to Smart Thinking.
- Arc.dev: Remote developer hiring platform focused on senior engineers (often timezone-aligned to US/EU) — overlaps with Smart Thinking's Dedicated Talent hourly staffing of senior vetted engineers.
- Andela: Global marketplace for vetted engineering talent (originally Africa-focused, now multi-region) competing head-to-head with Smart Thinking's nearshore dedicated-team and project delivery offerings for US/European clients.
- FullStack Labs: US-based nearshore software consultancy with senior Latin American engineering teams delivering full-stack web, mobile, and AI/ML projects — directly comparable offering to Smart Thinking's client base and service mix.
- Netguru: European nearshore software consultancy delivering product development, AI, and digital transformation services — comparable in services, AI integration capabilities, and target customer profile to Smart Thinking.
- Toptal: Vetted top-tier freelance talent network for software engineers, designers, and finance — overlaps with Smart Thinking's Dedicated Talent model in offering vetted senior engineers on demand to enterprise and growth clients.
- Turing: AI-era platform for matching companies with senior remote software engineers globally — comparable to Smart Thinking's AI-First Delivery positioning and senior-only nearshore/remote team pitch.
Broad incumbents
- EPAM Systems: Large global IT services and digital engineering platform offering product development, AI/ML, and modernization — overlaps with Smart Thinking's services at a much broader scale and serves similar enterprise clients.
- Globant: Global digital transformation and IT services firm with strong nearshore Latin American delivery hubs — competes with Smart Thinking for AI-enabled product engineering and modernization work, but at enterprise scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Smart Thinking social profiles
Digital presenceSmart Thinking financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Smart Thinking leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Smart Thinking funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Smart Thinking 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 Smart Thinking
What does Smart Thinking do?
Smart Thinking delivers nearshore software engineering services through two engagement models: Dedicated Talent (placement of vetted senior nearshore engineers billed by the hour, matched to client tech stacks) and Project Delivery (full-scope software projects shipped to defined budgets with phased planning and AI-assisted execution). Service categories include AI-Accelerated Product Development, AI Integration & Automation, Legacy System Modernization, and Rapid MVP Delivery for US and European companies.
Is Smart Thinking a public or private company?
Smart Thinking is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Smart Thinking founded?
Smart Thinking was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Smart Thinking based?
Smart Thinking is headquartered in Mérida, Mexico, in the Latin America region.
How does Smart Thinking make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Dedicated Talent / Staffing is the primary driver. The others are project Delivery.
Who are Smart Thinking's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Scalable Path, BairesDev, Arc.dev, Andela, FullStack Labs, Netguru, Toptal and Turing. Broad incumbents are EPAM Systems and Globant.
Does Smart Thinking have an API?
No public API is recorded for Smart Thinking.
What industry is Smart Thinking in?
Smart Thinking's product category is Nearshore Software Engineering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAMAL, Offshore Development Center (ODC) / Dedicated Team Services, with a secondary code of BPACADAA, IT & Software Engineering Staffing. Its NAICS code is 541512 and its SIC code is 7371.