Kharkiv IT Cluster members: JustCoded
IT ClusterMembers of Kharkiv IT Cluster are specialists with a baggage of knowledge and skills, who represent Ukraine at the top level on the international market. We are very proud of them, that is why we talk about their achievements.
Meet our member — JustCoded.
Anna Kravtsova, PR Manager of the company, spoke about the history of JustCoded and what makes the company special!
A little bit of history
JustCoded was founded in 2007 by Sergey Soshin (COO), Konstantin Boyko (CEO), and Alexander Prokopenko (CTO), who joined them later.
“Most of us have toyed with the idea of starting our own business. They call it a startup today, but back in 2007, it was just a crazy undertaking”, — says Anna.
“It’s like skydiving: you jump, and only then you realize the risks and start acting”, — Sergey Soshin, COO at JustCoded, shares his thoughts.
Anna also told us the story of the company’s name:
“Initially, we focused only on software development and, in fact, just sold the man-hours. This is how the JustCoded name came out. Now, the meaning no longer corresponds to the positioning and the way we work, however, we haven’t changed it”.
Offices of JustCoded are located in two cities — Kharkiv and London. The development center is in Kharkiv, and the headquarters are in London.
Focus areas
“Before, we did a bit of everything and in various fields: e-commerce, real estate, fintech, healthcare, community sites, etc. One fine day, we realised that the competition between tech companies was too high, so we decided to narrow down our focus on fintech only, particularly, on crowdfunding and investment platforms.
We preach the “partner-partner” approach, meaning the client’s product is as important to us as it is to the client. Our team does not just find a FinTech solution for a business but knows what problems may be encountered on its way in advance.
We thoroughly research the market, study the regulations of different countries, discover new business models and use case possibilities for our solutions. By the way, we often share our findings on the JustCoded page on LinkedIn”.
Moreover, while working in the FinTech niche, company’s specialists are developing our own product — LenderKit. It is an in-house built software that can help launch a crowdfunding platform faster and with less effort.
Сorporate culture of JustCoded
Anna also told us about the corporate culture of the company:
“We moved to a new office in 2019. You may wonder, how it can be related to the social responsibility or the overall consciousness of the team. Believe it or not, the new office was a turning point for each of us and determined the direction for our corporate culture development.
Within one year of working in our new office, which we call JC home, we have implemented many new practices.
First, it is waste sorting. Together with Kharkiv Eco City, we installed recycling stations to collect PET plastic, paper and tetrapak packaging. Every coffee point now has a paper cup bin and, in the future, we plan to cut down the use of paper cups.
During the sorting process, we collected and sent for recycling an incredible amount of materials:
- 715 kg of paper;
- 140 kg of tetra pack;
- 29 kg of plastic.
This idea was adopted by the team so well that some team members began to bring waste from home for recycling. I think that’s how the new culture is born: when you not only follow the rules, but make them part of your daily life even outside the office.
We have also taken care of our cycling fans: there is a designated parking space and shower rooms that we designed already at the office construction stage. Our employees can safely leave their bikes, take a shower and not worry about anything”.
Social events in the company
“I’ll tell you about my favorite — a Dog day! Once a year the doors of our office open for our little friends: on this day, everyone can bring their dogs to the office and even take them to the stand-up meetings”.
Charity work
When we asked if the company did the charity work, Anna said:
“We do of course, but I can’t say this is a part of our CSR implementation plan. It’s rather a display of initiative of the team to help those in trouble.
During the quarantine, we donated more than a ton of various cereals to the “Depaul Ukraine” charity fund. Some products were used for providing hot meals for the homeless, and some were sent to the Mother and Child Center.
We also have another good tradition — reuse old things!
On New Year’s Eve, we usually collect different things for shelters. Last year, our team brought so many things that we started thinking about installing a “box of goodness” in the office. Unfortunately, the quarantine interrupted our plans, but we will definitely implement them as soon as we return to normal office life”.
Internships in the company: trainee and junior
“At the moment, we hire Trainee and Junior specialists: every newcomer gets a mentor who helps to master the profession”.
Why did JustCoded decide to join Kharkiv IT Cluster
“We are proactive in any undertaking and Kharkiv IT cluster is not an exception. If there is an organisation that helps develop the IT ecosystem in the city, why not join it?
Together with Kharkiv IT Cluster, we want to create an enabling environment for IT business, support the IT community and education in our city.
Moreover, Kharkiv IT Cluster is cool for networking”.
Anna also shared how exactly Kharkiv IT Cluster helps JustCoded:
“Our PR departments work closely together. For example, JC experts take part in educational events from Kharkiv IT Cluster. And even now, when it’s a work-from-home for many people around the world, we meet at webinars and share experience.
Kharkiv IT Cluster also has a huge contact base. This is a good channel for distributing news and job opportunities”.
We would like to thank Anna for an interesting report about the company. In addition, we are grateful to JustCoded for participating in our projects, initiatives and improving Kharkiv and the environment for a technology business with us! 🙂
