Not long after Orlando-based CodeFirm was founded in 2014, the custom software company bought a software development firm in Nepal for “next to nothing,” CodeFirm CEO Troy Parker told Orlando Inno.
That six-employee company was the start of CodeFirm’s Kathmandu-based team, but it scaled rapidly from there. CodeFirm, with employees in Orlando and Japan, now employs 350 people, and the vast majority of them live and work in Nepal, Parker said.
Why did CodeFirm decide to build a large tech team in a country slightly bigger than Arkansas nestled between China and India?
It started at Parker’s previous job before he co-founded CodeFirm, when he ran an outsourced development team in China. He worked with a Nepalese client manager named Guarav Pandey. Around the time Parker was starting CodeFirm, he got a call from Pandey, who today is the CEO of EKbana, CodeFirm’s brand in Nepal, Parker said.“Guarav reached out saying he was going back to Nepal. He needed access to U.S. clients, and I needed to get work done.”
CodeFirm’s footprint in Nepal has expanded tremendously, with more growth on the way. Here’s more from Parker on his experiences in Kathmandu and what’s next for CodeFirm.
How would you describe Kathmandu? The easiest way to describe Kathmandu is a fast-growing population, limited land and no restrictions on building and development. It’s common for families to knock down houses and sons will split the parcel and each build taller, skinnier buildings on the site. There’s a huge tax on cars, it’s not common to drive them. Motorbikes are common. People are zooming through the streets; it’s pure chaos. We’re moving our office right now because we can’t fit all the motorbikes.
How often do you travel to Nepal? I typically take 10-day trips once a year with five days of work. The flight to Nepal averages 30 hours each way.
Besides work, how do you spend your time while you’re in Nepal? I have 300-plus locals to hang out with in Kathmandu. I don’t stay in the Marriott or Hilton. The first time I went I was staying with a co-worker, and we rode on his motorbike around town. The first few days, I was holding on for dear life. There’s a big American and expat population. The bars we go to have lots of Americans.
Speaking of which, what do you drink and eat while you’re there? Nepalese dishes include a lot of bread, curry, meat and as much rice as you want. They don’t eat cows; they eat buffalo. The high-end meat is goat. The only American food is two KFCs and a Pizza Hut. We actually signed KFC Nepal as a customer. There’s a big drinking culture in Nepal. Tequila is popular but expensive.
What are CodeFirm’s growth plans in Nepal and Orlando? 2021 was our best year ever, and 2022 looks even better. We’re scheduled to be at 500 employees in June 2023. Without Covid, we’d be at 500 now.
Are there any upcoming projects that you’re excited about? We’ll start a program to bring people from Nepal to work in the U.S. and Japan for two months at a time. We want to start the first of the year in 2023. We want them to understand U.S. business culture to know what our clients want. Also, we’re working with South American country Suriname. We’re working with the private sector, it'll end up a public-use project. It could be used all over Latin American and the Caribbean.
Company: CodeFirm Solutions LLC
Headquarters: Orlando
Founded: 2014
Employees: 350
Central Florida employees: 10
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