What Code Poets does

Code Poets Sp. z o.o. is a privately held Polish software development company founded in 2013 and headquartered in Wrocław, Poland, operating as a specialized staff augmentation (team extension) provider for the life sciences industry. Its core offering places dedicated scientific software engineers—many with PhDs in chemistry, biology, or bioinformatics—directly into client teams across biotech, pharmaceutical, and chemical organizations. Pricing follows a pay-per-hour model with rates ranging from $50 to $130 per hour, minimum 3-month contracts, 12-month preferred terms, and annual rate negotiation for predictability; clients pay only for worked hours with no recruitment, benefits, or overhead fees.

The technology stack is centered on Python, JavaScript, and PostgreSQL, layered with deep domain specialization in cheminformatics and bioinformatics tools including RDKit, Biopython, AutoDock, MOE, Modeller, PyMol, ChemDraw, ChEMBL Database, and the Cambridge Structural Database. The firm delivers custom applications spanning computer-aided drug design (CADD), retrosynthesis planning (Synthia, developed for Merck), electronic laboratory notebooks (L7 ESP for L7 Informatics), laboratory data management, and AI-driven molecular simulation platforms (OrbNet for Iambic Therapeutics). Two patent applications on Synthia features (Customer Inventory and Batch Mode) and registered trademarks on Synthia, OrbNet, and L7 ESP indicate movement toward productized IP alongside services revenue.

Commercially, Code Poets runs a sales-led, enterprise field-sales GTM targeting life-science buyers in North America and the UK, delivered via a remote-first model from the CET timezone. Named enterprise customers include Merck (EMD Millipore), L7 Informatics, Iambic Therapeutics, Metabolon, QIAGEN, and deepmatter, with engagements ranging from one to 22 engineers and durations from six months to over five years. The company employs 11–50 staff (30 as of 2018), has received no disclosed external funding, achieved teal organization status in 2019, and was recognized by Clutch as one of Poland's best software companies in 2019.

Name

Code Poets

Legal name

Code Poets Sp. z o.o.

Website

https://codepoets.it?utm_source=clutch.co&utm_medium=referral

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Code Poets is a Polish staff augmentation firm that embeds scientific software engineers (including PhDs in chemistry and biology) into biotech, pharma, and life science teams, delivering cheminformatics, bioinformatics, CADD, and AI-driven drug discovery solutions on an hourly billing model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wroclaw

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Team Extension Services: Pay-per-hour billing model for dedicated software developers. Clients pay only for working hours with transparent monthly reports. No recruitment fees, benefits, or additional overhead costs. Rates negotiated annually for predictability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Code Poets provides team extension (staff augmentation) services, placing dedicated software developers with backgrounds in biology, chemistry, and computational sciences (including PhDs) into life sciences client teams. The offering covers cheminformatics, bioinformatics, computer-aided drug design (CADD), AI/ML for drug discovery, and laboratory data management solutions on a pay-per-hour basis with long-term engagement (minimum 3 months, preferred 12 months).

Product overview

Code Poets is a staff augmentation company that provides dedicated scientific software developers to life science organizations. Their Team Extension service offers access to engineers with backgrounds in biology, chemistry, and computational sciences (including PhDs). Services span cheminformatics, bioinformatics, computer-aided drug design (CADD), AI/ML for drug discovery, and laboratory data management systems. The company operates on a pay-per-hour model with flexible contract terms and integrates developers directly into client teams for long-term collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Team Extension Staff augmentation service providing dedicated life science software developers (including PhDs in chemistry and biology) to biotech, pharma, and life science companies. Developers integrate directly into client teams for long-term projects with a pay-per-hour model, satisfaction guarantee, and 30-day termination flexibility.
• Scientific Software Development Custom software development services specializing in life sciences domain. Covers cheminformatics, bioinformatics, computer-aided drug design (CADD), AI/ML for drug discovery, and laboratory data management solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 56% cost savings for Merck compared to in-house Boston-based development
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Itransition: Mid-size custom software development and team-extension provider with life-sciences experience and a delivery center in Poland/Eastern Europe. Direct overlap with Code Poets' staff aug model and target buyer (pharma and biotech software teams).
• DataArt: Technology consulting firm with dedicated life-sciences practice covering pharma R&D, laboratory informatics, and biotech engineering. Competes head-to-head with Code Poets for cheminformatics/bioinformatics staff aug and custom life-science software projects from an Eastern European delivery base.
• Innowise: Polish-Belarusian software development and staff augmentation vendor with life-sciences case studies among its portfolio. Targets similar mid-market pharma/biotech buyers using comparable hourly-rate dedicated-team model.

Emerging players

• Benchling: Cloud platform for life-science R&D (ELN, registries, molecular biology) that increasingly absorbs the kind of cheminformatics custom engineering work Code Poets performs — partly a customer (platform integrations) and partly a competitive substitute for in-house ELN builds.
• Dotmatics: Provider of scientific R&D platforms (ELN, LIMS, data management for biology and chemistry). Comparable to Code Poets' L7 Informatics ELN engagements as both customer and adjacent substitute for bespoke life-science software builds.

Regional players

• Sigma Software Group: Ukrainian-origin IT services group with a Polish presence offering custom development and dedicated teams. Overlaps with Code Poets on rate, geography, and life-sciences/cheminformatics project work for EU and US biotechs.

Broad incumbents

• EPAM Systems: Global IT services and digital engineering firm with a substantial life-sciences vertical (pharma, biotech, healthcare). Operates scale team-extension delivery from Eastern Europe similar to Code Poets but across many industries, making it both a benchmark and a competitor for senior life-science staff aug work.
• SoftServe: Large IT services firm with healthcare/life-sciences capability and Eastern European delivery — competing for similar full-time team-extension and product engineering engagements in the same pharma/biotech buyer pool.
• Genpact Life Sciences: Large professional services firm with a dedicated life-sciences vertical delivering digital, AI, and data engineering to pharma. Competes for the same strategic engineering and AI/drug-discovery talent-augmentations that Code Poets wins at Merck and Iambic.
• Cognizant Life Sciences: Large IT services division dedicated to pharma, biotech, and medical devices offering digital engineering, data, and consulting. Comparable to Code Poets as a buyer-of-services for life-science software and data engineering, though spanning many verticals and at far larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/codepoets.it
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/codepoets

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Code Poets