Every developer approaches coding differently, creating challenges for teams to efficiently navigate and understand legacy codebases. To ease this difficulty, technology veteran Dennis Pilarinos developed Unblocked, an AI-powered platform dedicated to helping software developers quickly grasp unfamiliar code.
Leveraging artificial intelligence, Unblocked integrates deeply into existing developer workflows and corporate communication tools like Slack, Jira, Confluence, Google Drive, and Notion. This integration enables developers to easily query the platform with specific contextual inquiries about their project’s code. Questions such as, “How are user metrics defined in our application’s backend?” receive clear, timely responses from Unblocked’s AI, reducing the need to manually sift through documentation or seek out colleagues for insight.
Pilarinos, who previously led development at tech giants including Microsoft and Amazon, has a strong track record in creating successful developer platforms. He spearheaded the continuous integration service Buddybuild, which Apple acquired in 2018, and subsequently worked at Apple, contributing significantly to the development of its Xcode Cloud service.
“Developers often struggle to quickly find the insights they need,” Pilarinos recently explained. “Our goal is to consolidate fragmented company knowledge and streamline their workflow by using AI to deliver immediate, accurate answers.”
As AI-generated code becomes increasingly prevalent, Pilarinos warns the problem of deciphering legacy codebases will only escalate, making solutions like Unblocked essential. Beyond simply answering queries, the platform introduces advanced tools, such as autonomous continuous integration triage, which helps developers efficiently test their code through varied scenarios.
Current users of Unblocked include notable companies Drata, AppDirect, Big Cartel, and TravelPerk. According to Pilarinos, engineers at Drata, for instance, reported time savings of up to two hours each week after adopting the platform.
Unblocked announced that it has secured $20 million in Series A financing, raising its total funding to $30 million. The funding round was led by investors B Capital and Radical Ventures, alongside participants Amplify Partners, First Round Capital, and XYZ Capital.
Rob Toews, partner at Radical Ventures, highlights the future role of Unblocked: “As AI-generated code expands dramatically, tools like Unblocked become invaluable. The writing of software will increasingly incorporate artificial intelligence, making comprehension of code’s purpose and logic a significant ongoing challenge. Unblocked is uniquely positioned to help engineer teams navigate these complex issues.”
