Borut Balazek · Corco Labs
Corco Labs is the company I contract through.
I'm Borut Balazek, a senior software engineer working on AI and LLM systems. I take on selected projects alongside long-term B2B engagements. My full background is on bobalazek.com.
One person, so the engineer you talk to is the one writing the code. You keep the code and the repository.
Companies I've built software for, directly or through partner agencies
What I do
Four kinds of work, one engineer
Most projects start in one of these and pull in a second. I do all of it myself; the four headings only describe the kind of work.
Build
The feature or product your roadmap keeps deferring
Full-stack work on customer-facing software. I scope it tightly, build it with tests and a release pipeline, and get it into production.
- Full-stack products
- Product features
- APIs
- Integrations
- Mobile apps (React Native)
- Testing and safe releases
AI features
LLM features running for real users, with the cost under control
Adding AI to a product that already has users. I build the feature and the controls around it: what each request costs, what an agent may touch, and which provider sits behind it.
- LLM features in your product
- Retrieval over your data (RAG)
- MCP servers for AI clients
- Classification and summarization
- Usage metering and cost limits
- Provider-portable model calls
Modernize
A system that is safe to change again
When every change feels risky, the cause is usually the architecture. I modernize in slices, in production, instead of a big-bang rewrite.
- Legacy modernization
- Architecture improvements
- Performance
- Reliability
- Cloud and infrastructure
- CI/CD
Automate
Less manual work, measured against your own baseline
Data copied between spreadsheets, status chased by hand, reports assembled manually. I replace that with systems you can trust and see into.
- Workflow automation
- Internal tools
- Data processing
- Reporting
- AI-assisted workflows
- System integrations
I also build B2B websites and fix the technical SEO, speed and tracking under them, usually alongside one of the four above. Web development and SEO and growth.
Where projects usually start
A release that keeps slipping. A system nobody wants to touch. A process running on spreadsheets and goodwill. Tell me which one it is and I will say what the smallest useful first step looks like, including when I am the wrong person for it.
How it runs
One person, on purpose
Corco Labs is one person, me. My clients have mostly been abroad, so since 2012 every engagement, long-term contracts included, has been a B2B contract through it.
The person you talk to writes the code
I scope the work and I build it, so architecture calls are made by someone who has read your codebase. Nothing agreed on a call gets passed to someone you never met.
A queue you can see
I take on a few projects at a time next to long-term contracts. That can mean a start date a few weeks out, and I will tell you the date before you commit.
How I work
From first call to release
The same four steps whether it is a two-week fix or the first month of a long contract.
Find the constraint
You tell me what is blocked. I read the context, ask the questions that matter, and find the smallest release worth shipping.
Scope the first release
I write down what's in, what's out, what done looks like and how it gets measured, before any work starts.
Ship in short cycles
Working software every week or two, with a demo and a written update. You steer from what is actually running.
Run it, then hand over
After launch I watch it in production and fix what real usage turns up. If you move on, you get documentation and a clean handover.
Case studies
Work I've done
Each one says how I was engaged. Most were contracts inside someone else's team or through an agency, and they are labelled that way.
ClassCharts
From hundreds of thousands to more than ten million users
B2B contractor in Edukey's team, 2015-2023
Eight years, full-time, inside Edukey Education's own team on its UK school behaviour and seating platform, while it grew to more than ten million pupils, parents and teachers across thousands of schools.
A full-time B2B contract with Edukey Education, and with TES Global directly from 2021 after it acquired Edukey. Never a Corco Labs project; I was one engineer in their team.
Metis
Financial news intelligence at scale
My own platform
My own platform. It takes in around 100,000 financial news articles a day, classifies them, and makes them searchable by keyword and by meaning.
My own product, which I build and run.
Enterprise energy platforms
Philips, RWE and Innogy digital products
Subcontractor via Cuibono Media Network
Interactive products for energy and technology brands, built as a subcontractor for the German agency Cuibono Media Network: an LED lighting configurator for Philips, a real-time energy management platform, a campaign voting app for RWE, and a room survey tool for Innogy.
I built these for Philips, RWE, Axxerion and Innogy as a subcontractor through Cuibono Media Network, the agency that held the accounts.
Start with the constraint, then ship the first fix
Bring the feature, workflow or integration that keeps costing you time. I'll turn it into a first step small enough to check quickly.
What it's like
Working with me
I scope the work and do the work, and you see all of it as it happens.
What you can count on
Nothing hidden
You own the code from the first commit. I work in your GitHub, your chat and your tracker.
Honest about what I can't do
If something is out of scope or will take longer, I say so before it reaches an invoice.
How I keep you in the loop
In their words
People I've worked with
"Borut delivered immediate value after joining our team. He brought clarity to complex problems and significantly increased throughput. He quickly identified mission-critical technical debt and resolved it on schedule. Borut communicates clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders and consistently connects technical concepts to practical business goals. We were fortunate to have him on board and would gladly collaborate with him again or recommend him for any project."
Vito Martin
CEO @ ZeroSigma Capital
"I worked with Borut for 7 years, he was our longest serving developer and he was an excellent person to work with. Borut always feels & displays a high level of responsibility to the project and the team and brought immense value to what we were trying to achieve, he understood our vision & grew with our codebase to become a hugely valued developer who you could rely on & would always deliver. I have zero hesitation in recommending Borut as he is an intelligent & hard working individual, he was a huge asset!"
Duncan Wilson
CEO @ Edukey Education Ltd
About
I'm the one doing the work.
I'm Borut Balazek, a senior software engineer with 15+ years of building and scaling software. My longest engagement was eight years full-time in Edukey's team on ClassCharts, as a B2B contractor. Most recently I was the founding engineer at MarketAlerts, an AI investment-intelligence startup.
Corco Labs, called Corcosoft until 2025, is the company I have contracted through since 2012. It is one person and has no other engineers. When I'm on a long-term engagement, that engagement comes first and the projects I take on here fit around it.
Is Corco Labs an agency?
No. Corco Labs is the company I, Borut Balazek, contract through, and it is one person. Every engagement is me doing the work under a B2B contract. My full background is on bobalazek.com.
How do you charge?
Either a long-term B2B contract or a scoped project. Rates are on request, and you get the scope and assumptions in writing before anything starts. The first call is free.
Are you available for a long-term contract?
Yes. Most of my working life has been long-term B2B contracts inside a client team, the longest eight years full-time. That kind of engagement comes first, and smaller projects fit around it.
How long does a typical project take?
It depends on the scope, so I agree a first release that can ship in a few weeks and plan larger work as milestones, with something shippable every week or two so you can steer.
What technologies do you work with?
TypeScript and Node.js, React and React Native, Python and FastAPI for data and AI work, PostgreSQL and Redis, Docker and Kubernetes on AWS or GCP, and the CI/CD and monitoring around them. I pick what fits the constraints of the project.
Can you add AI features to an existing product?
Yes, and that is most of the AI work I take on. I start with one workflow, prove the quality on your own data, then add the metering, logging and limits a model call needs in production. Retrieval over your data, tool-calling agents and MCP servers are all in scope.
Can you work inside an existing team?
Yes, that is how I have worked for most of my career. I use your tools and your process, take part in standups and reviews, and leave documentation behind.
Do you offer ongoing support and maintenance?
Yes, either as part of a long-term contract or agreed with a project. If you prefer to take it over, I document it and hand it over so your team can carry on.
How do you handle data privacy and security?
Least privilege, managed secrets, secure headers, logging you can audit and encryption in transit by default. If you have compliance requirements, I map them into the plan early.
Still have questions? Email me
Engagements
Two ways to work with me
A long-term B2B contract or a scoped project. Rates are on request, and the first call is free.
Long-term B2B contract
I join your team as a senior engineer on a B2B contract through Corco Labs, for months or years.
How I have worked for most of my career, the longest for eight years full-time. Best when you own the roadmap and need senior hands and judgment in your own tools and process.
- Works in your tools, standups and reviews
- Architecture and delivery
- Mentoring and knowledge transfer
- Full-time or agreed days a week
Scoped project
A defined piece of work with a written scope, timeline and price.
Best when the target is clear: a blocked feature, an AI feature, an integration, or one slice of a modernization. It ends with something shipped and handed over.
- Written scope and success criteria
- Weekly demos
- You own the code and the repository
- Documentation and a clean handover
Prefer to talk first? Book a free 30-minute call. You get the scope and assumptions in writing before anything starts.
Get in Touch
Tell me what you're working on
Describe your project or problem and I'll come back with honest feedback and a clear next
step.
Prefer to talk live?
Book a free 30-min call
.