8th Light

8th Light builds custom software and AI agents for organizations, combining product strategy, design and platform engineering. Its services help clients validate product ideas, modernize infrastructure and put automated workflows into production. Agentic AI Studio focuses on deploying workflows in clients’ own environments with governance, observability and evaluation. Its platform work supplies modular, API-first infrastructure for agents, while projects span applications such as recruiting, marketplace pricing and operational workflows.

Founded in 2006 by Paul Pagel and Micah Martin, the company is now led by CEO Jenny Farver. Its software craftsmanship approach grew from apprenticeship: consultants work alongside client developers, teaching practices through implementation. That approach also informs its AI-assisted development. For a client project, 8th Light built a Claude Code harness combining project conventions, rules scoped to particular files and separate test-writing agents, with developer approval before implementation. The workflow connects product and design tools through MCP to bring requirements into the coding process.

Headquartered in Chicago, 8th Light reported 140+ team members across its global team as of August 2026. Its client work includes DevSecOps for Pfizer, platform modernization for Cars.com and a genomic resource for GeneDx. These engagements illustrate its focus on tailored digital products for organizations operating in regulated industries and on modernizing existing systems.