Vancouver-based startup Unblocked has raised $27.5 million CAD ($20 million USD) in a Series A round to address a growing challenge in modern software development: the disconnect between AI-generated code and developer understanding.
The funding round was led by B Capital, with participation from Radical Ventures, Artisanal Ventures, and angel investors including Clio CEO Jack Newton.
From writing to curating: The evolving role of developers
Unblocked was built to preserve the “why” behind software decisions—an increasingly urgent need as AI-generated code becomes more prevalent. CEO Dennis Pilarinos explains that while AI tools like Copilot and ChatGPT can write functional code, they often omit the underlying reasoning, architecture choices, or trade-offs made.
“Developers are shifting from writing code to curating it,” said Pilarinos. “That shift makes context even more essential—because they’re still accountable for maintaining it.”
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How Unblocked works
The platform integrates with development tools like Slack and GitHub to track conversations and decisions surrounding code. It then uses this historical context to help developers understand, debug, and build on existing systems—especially when AI-generated code lacks explanation. Users can query the platform to understand the intent behind specific implementations or components.
Founded by Pilarinos, who previously sold his startup Buddybuild to Apple in 2018, Unblocked exited stealth in late 2023 and now employs 18 people.
Plans for expansion and product growth
With the new capital, Unblocked plans to:
- Scale its contextual intelligence engine
- Deepen tool integrations where developers spend time
- Expand the team by 40 to 50 hires across engineering, marketing, and sales
B Capital General Partner Yan-david Erlich will join Unblocked’s board following the investment.
As AI becomes standard in software creation, the company positions itself as a key enabler of responsible, understandable, and maintainable code.
