#88- Redefining the way we code, forever

Freeing developers from the burden of ensuring code quality to enable them to write & test code faster and better

Jul 02, 2023

Problem

A typical mobile engineering team takes between 4-6 weeks to roll out a new feature. But only half the time is required to ideate, visualize, and write code. The other half is spent waiting for Quality Assurance to go ahead. In the past, Quality Assurance (QA) professionals were responsible for manually testing software applications. However, with the need for faster release times, the industry has shifted towards automated testing conducted by developers themselves.

Automated software testing allows developer teams to write logical and functional tests that run faster and more frequently than manual testing. This shift means that developers now bear the responsibility of ensuring code quality, which includes writing testing code and verifying code logic. Unfortunately, testing code is often considered a chore, leading to poorly written tests and lower overall code quality. As a result, even the best applications still experience downtime, bugs in production, and security vulnerabilities.

To make matters more challenging, developer turnover is high, making it difficult to understand the code they developed. Additionally, the prevalence of Open Source code, which may not be fully understood by development teams, adds complexity to the situation.

Solution

In light of these challenges, I’m looking at a code integrity platform which addresses these issues head-on. The platform enables developers to maintain the integrity of their rapidly scaling code bases, create high-quality code, and test it in real time.

What can make this platform special is its combination of AI expertise and developer tool knowledge. The founding team possess firsthand experience as developers & has experienced the pain point of not testing their code extensively, making them ideal for creating such a solution.

The platform works alongside developers, in real-time, in their own environment as they write code. It analyzes the application's code and documentation, leverages AI technology, and interacts with the developer to generate tests and documentation that demonstrate the existing code behaviour - all in real-time. This takes a load off developers' shoulders, allowing them to focus on their primary code while ensuring code integrity.

Ask

I am looking for a favour. If you are:

A flutter developer,
Aware of coding integrity & testing automation platforms,
Able to explain concepts to me like a 5-year-old,
Interested in co-investing in the deal if we proceed,

Would you mind sparing 30 mins of your time to help me out? Click below

Help Sid with a 30 min call

Market

Code generation tools are still in their early stages but show great promise. They have seen remarkable advances, thanks to technologies like OpenAI's Codex algorithm, which translates free text into code. Tools such as Github's Copilot, driven by Codex, have already demonstrated their value, with a staggering 1.2 million developers registering for the product in 2022. I firmly believe that code generation is just the beginning and its impact will be transformative.

Lack of testing automation can cause billions in spend to companies and this is not a space where they’ll skimp on resources. Companies are used to paying for dev tools. Most dev tools start as consumer software at the bottom, gaining relevance and influence among developers before making their way to the top becoming enterprise implementations. This is a challenging but profitable journey. According to Blume, top developer-led companies take ~7 years to hit unicorn status and ~8.5 years to IPO.

Code integrity platforms are here to enhance developers' ability to create high-quality code by simplifying the code integrity process. They can integrate seamlessly with developers' preferred IDEs, ensuring a natural and efficient workflow.

As code generation tools continue to multiply the amount of code being developed, ensuring code quality becomes even more challenging. That's why tools like these are necessary to keep up with the scaling demands.

A recent deal which caught my eye is Codium AI. Tel Aviv-based Codium AI is an AI-powered tool that helps developers write better unit tests. It works by analyzing your code and suggesting tests that cover a wider range of code paths and edge cases than you might be able to think of on your own. Codium AI can also help you to improve the quality of your existing unit tests by suggesting changes that can make them more robust and efficient. (I asked AI to generate this write-up!)

The benefits of using Codium AI:

Increased test coverage: Codium AI can help you to increase the coverage of your unit tests, which can help to catch bugs earlier and reduce the risk of regressions.

Improved test quality: Codium AI can help you to improve the quality of your unit tests by suggesting changes that can make them more robust and efficient.
Reduced test maintenance: Codium AI can help you to reduce the time and effort required to maintain your unit tests by automatically updating them as your code changes.
Increased productivity: Codium AI can free up your time so that you can focus on other tasks, such as development and bug fixing.

Codium AI is available as a VS Code extension. To use it, you can simply install the extension and then start writing your code. As you write, Codium AI will analyze your code and suggest tests that you can add to your test suite. You can then review the suggested tests and decide whether to add them to your suite.

Codium AI looks like a powerful tool that can help you to write better unit tests. If you are looking for a way to improve the quality and efficiency of your testing, Codium AI is a great option to consider.

Funding

It raised $11 million in seed funding co-led by Vine Ventures and TLV Partners alongside notable angel investors including executives from OpenAI, Snyk and VMware.

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