Holly Ashley
The Startup
CodeScience is a professional services startup that enables organizations to deploy strategic business processes into the cloud. Staffed with a team of Salesforce experts, CodeScience helps businesses harness the power of Salesforce through product development that reduces time to market and overcomes talent shortages. Headquartered in Chattanooga, clients include Salesforce.com, MailChimp and Cornell University.
Alpha Phase
CodeScience incorporated in 2009 as a Salesforce product development outsourcing solution, creating products for the AppExchange. In 2012, founders Mike Witherspoon and Tim Youngblood moved their early cloud computing startup and 11 employees into the INCubator, a Chattanooga Chamber startup program at the Hamilton County Business Development Center.
Beta Phase
Along the way, CodeScience found that government and private investment in infrastructure, education and business for emerging metro areas like Chattanooga were a hidden source of spectacular developer talent. Where the world thought of only San Francisco and Silicon Valley as the source of innovation, cities like Chattanooga and Nashville proved just as innovative and capable.
The founders took advantage of these talent pipelines and grew their team to 52 employees in Chattanooga, San Francisco and Atlanta by 2015, expanding to occupy two suites inside the INCubator at 100 Cherokee Boulevard. Original founder Mike Witherspoon moved to San Francisco where he brought on a new partner, Brian Walsh. He then hired Coni Thomas as the new Operations Director to be based in Atlanta and oversee the Chattanooga headquarters.
Deployment
Today, the company supports the unique needs of all SaaS (software as a service) companies. CodeScience guides their clients through the full lifecycle, including the plan, build/test, distribution, marketing, sales and support phases. Thomas says their practices help clients avoid common pitfalls many companies encounter when they grow.
CodeScience graduates from the INCubator’s three-year program this month, with quadruple their original staff and more product offerings. Though the founders plan to remain a boutique shop, they hope to scale at least three times larger by expanding their target market to SaaS companies internationally.
“We have built a very successful company focused on just 3,500 potential customers; I can’t wait to see what we can do with a target market 10-20 times of that,” Thomas says.
The Chattanooga team moves into refurbished offices on the Southside this month. Still growing, they are currently selecting a seasoned tech recruiter to hire new developers.
“We continue to bet the farm on Chattanooga and are doubling down with our graduation from the INCubator,” Thomas says.
FROM NORTH SHORE TO SOUTHSIDE
CodeScience’s new offices are at 1401 Chestnut Street in Chattanooga’s Southside neighborhood.
“We’re thrilled to be working with such a fun and creative company to be bringing unique new life to a classic Southside building,” says Matt McGauley, president of real estate developer Fidelity Trust Company. “Chattanooga is lucky to have such a talented group making a major commitment to our city.”
The entire renovated first floor creates a unique, high-tech workspace that any developer would love. The team plans to host an open house event St. Patrick’s Day weekend, inviting other entrepreneurs, developers and business leaders to meet their team.
CODESCIENCE
RECOMMENDED READS
› Startupland by Mikkel Svane
› The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
› The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
› The Startup Owner’s Manual by Steve Blank
› Aligning the Stars by Jay Lorsch and Thomas Tierney
