BinarCode 2025: Our Year of Growth, AI Innovation, and Team Evolution

Looking Back at a Transformative Year in Software Development

What a year 2025 has been for us at BinarCode! As we sit down together to reflect on the past twelve months, we're filled with gratitude, pride, and excitement for what's ahead. We spoke to BinarCode leaders Eduard Lupacescu (CEO and Co-Founder) and Cristi Jora (CTO and Co-Founder) to gather their perspectives on this transformative year. This has been a year of significant growth, technical breakthroughs, and meaningful partnerships that have shaped who we are as a team and as a company.

Our Biggest Wins This Year

New Partnerships That Pushed Our Boundaries

This year brought incredible opportunities that challenged us in the best ways possible. We welcomed a new client from Switzerland in the manufacturing industry, where our team had the chance to completely rewrite and implement their logistics software. The complexity of this project pushed us to new heights, and seeing the impact of our work on their operations has been incredibly rewarding.

We also started working with a client from Los Angeles on an AI and automation project focused on TikTok and social media. It's exciting to be working at the intersection of AI and social media, helping to shape how content creators and businesses leverage automation.

Launching RestifyTemplates: Our Own Product

One of our proudest moments was launching RestifyTemplates. This highly professional set of tools and templates built on Laravel is specifically designed for AI development and new SaaS applications. It represents years of our collective knowledge and experience distilled into something we can share with the broader developer community.

"We launched a new product - RestifyTemplates - a highly professional suite of tools and templates on Laravel for AI development and new SaaS applications." - Eduard

Taking a Leap with Digital Marketing

For one of our telecom clients, we made what felt like a bold decision at the time. We decided to handle their entire digital product marketing internally, including SEO, advertising, and copywriting. This was completely new territory for us.

"A service we never did before but having the opportunity, we truly believed that doing it internally as a unified team with the development team together rather than doing it separately with someone external would be more efficient and would lead to better results." - Cristi

And you know what? It worked! We reached 700+ organic signups from companies. Yes, there were challenges, and we had people coming and going as we figured out the right format, but we proved that our instinct was right. Having marketing and development working together as one unified team created something special.

How Our Team Evolved

Growing from 17 to 29 People

When we started 2025, we were 17 full-time team members. By the end of the year, we'd grown to 24 full-time members and 5 part-time contributors. That's significant growth, and it's changed the way we work together.

Finding Our New Rhythm

We've always grown organically, but this year the pace accelerated. Keeping everyone motivated and connected became more challenging as our numbers increased. We evolved our structure, with Team Leads and Project Managers taking on more responsibilities. 

"This year core, long term people such as Team Leads, PMs got more responsibilities and communication started to shift away from Co-Founders to everyone (like before), more towards Co-Founders → Team Leads → Team members." - Eduard

Still, we hold on to what matters most. We meet physically whenever possible and maintain our weekly team meetings where we share company progress, discuss projects, and most importantly, learn from each other.

The Technical Breakthroughs That Define Our Year

AI Became Real for Us

This year, AI stopped being just a buzzword or a prototype feature we demo to clients. It became real, production-ready technology that we've woven into our daily work and client projects. Our teams became 10 to 40% more productive by leveraging AI solutions and the research we've been doing internally. We've built Slack bots, n8n automations, custom tools, and GitHub-specific automations that genuinely make our lives easier.

The Hardest Technical Problem We Solved

The most challenging technical problem we tackled? Creating an AI chatbot that can safely and accurately use a custom existing REST API to actually do things, not just chat. When you give the chatbot the right information, it can actually do that.

"Having an AI chatbot that can use a custom existing REST API safely and accurately to actually do stuff (not just respond with messages) and interact with an existing application. Analogy: delegating to a human to do a certain task in a certain app (e.g configure your account)." - Eduard

Technologies That Became Central to Our Work

MCP server development started becoming increasingly important this year. React and Node.js gained more prominence alongside our core Laravel and Vue stack. But here's something interesting we've realized: the specific technologies are slowly becoming less defining than they once were.

"We still use primarily the same tech stack: Laravel and Vue but with the recent developments of AI, we feel that the technologies slowly fade away and become less relevant. What becomes important are the actual high level technical skills, concepts and understanding about web, mobile, servers, infrastructure and the industry specific knowledge." - Cristi

With the AI tools we now have at our fingertips, you can build almost anything with nearly any technology, as long as you have strong fundamental technical skills and deep industry understanding.

The Projects We're Proud Of

Real Numbers, Real Impact

Looking at what we accomplished across our client projects this year fills us with pride. For our Swiss manufacturing client, we went from initial discussions about a V2 rewrite of their entire backend and frontend to actual launch and the first company migration in just six months.

On one of our most complex long-term projects, we reached 12,000 pull requests across backend and frontend. That number represents five years of hard work, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

We successfully onboarded 20 new customers and migrated 10 companies from an older platform for a client in the accounting industry. We launched three major projects into production this year, each one a testament to our team's dedication and skill.

And we're particularly excited about a document archiving solution we developed for the Romanian market. It's one of the most complex systems of its kind, with full legal compliance and very high security standards. We'll be launching it with the client next year.

AI Features That Made a Difference

We didn't just talk about AI, we built real features that solve real problems. Job classification systems powered by AI, document parsing solutions that handle messy, unstructured data, onboarding automations that save our clients countless hours, AI chatbots connected to MCP servers, intelligent recommendation features, and smart auto-complete functionality.

Having a unified tech stack on the backend and using our Laravel-Restify framework helped us move faster. The ability to transform any API on any of our projects into an MCP server quite easily? That's powerful.

The Challenges That Taught Us

Team Changes and Learning About Fit

Honestly, our biggest challenge this year was team changes. We hired some people and contractors who weren't the right fit, either because we identified it or because they realized it themselves. This caused more transitions than we had in previous years.

“On the surface, it might look like instability, but the real lesson was about identifying needs and project fit before hiring. It's taught us to be more thoughtful and deliberate in our hiring process going forward.” - Eduard

The Opportunity We Missed

We had a situation with a long-term client where we didn't react quickly enough to their needs on something outside the main project. They ended up giving that opportunity to another company.

"The biggest fail I would say is that for a long term client we didn't react quick enough to some needs which were outside the main project. This led to us not capitalizing on that opportunity which was given to another company." - Cristi

Even though the project had a relatively small scope, we consider this a failure on our end. It's a reminder that responsiveness and attentiveness matter just as much as technical excellence.

Client Challenges That Pushed Us to Grow

We faced challenges around scope changes, budget adjustments, and technical complexities. But here's the silver lining: we didn't lose any clients. In fact, we gained new ones. Many of the challenges we encountered were actually growth challenges, both for us and our clients. Onboarding surges, support needs for new users, technical scaling issues. These are the kinds of problems you want to have because they mean things are working and growing.

The biggest lesson? We need to identify client needs earlier and deliver on them with prototypes and discussions. 

"Identify client needs early on and try to deliver on them with prototypes/discussions. We lost some opportunities because of that in 2025." - Eduard

How the Market Shaped Our Year

AI Changed Everything (In a Good Way)

AI had a massive impact on our business, and we think it's been entirely positive. We embraced it quickly, became more productive, and passed those benefits on to our clients. They're getting more value for the same budgets.

"AI had a big impact of course but we think in a good way. We were able to embrace it, be more productive and let our clients benefit more for the same budgets." - Cristi

The market has been strange these past few years, moving fast and shifting directions rapidly. But adaptability has always been one of our strengths. We've made internal changes, run experiments, and stayed focused on identifying real long-term trends versus fleeting hype.

Staying Connected with Our Community

Events and Conferences That Shaped Our Year

This year was packed with incredible events and conferences that kept us connected to the broader tech community. Each event brought its own energy, insights, and connections that enriched our work and perspective.

• Laracon US in Denver (July)

We made it to Laracon US 2025 in Denver! For some of us, this was a dream come true. We still remember the inspiration from Vue.js Amsterdam back in 2018 and the multiple Laracon EU events through 2024. Walking out of those venues, full of ideas and energy, never imagining we'd make it to Laracon US one day. And there we were.

It was the perfect moment to share what we've been building. Over five years ago, we created Laravel Restify at BinarCode to simplify API development in Laravel. This year, we launched RestifyTemplates.com, our API Starter Kits powered by Restify, designed to help developers launch production-ready APIs faster than ever. The conversations we had there validated everything we've been working toward.

• Swiss IT Forum Geneva (October)

Autumn brought us to Swiss IT Forum Geneva on October 1st and 2nd at Palexpo. We set up at Stand IT51, ready to exchange ideas and explore collaborations. This leading event brings together visionaries, innovators, and solution providers shaping the future of IT and digital transformation. Meeting people face-to-face, discussing how technology can create real impact, reminded us why we do what we do.

• MES San Antonio (The Biggest Event of Our Year)

When we think about the pivotal moments of 2025, Midsize Enterprise Summit (MES) Fall in San Antonio stands out as the most significant. This wasn't just another conference for us, it was a strategic milestone that elevated BinarCode to an entirely new level.

MES Fall brought together the world's leading manufacturing technology providers, industrial automation experts, and decision-makers from Fortune 500 companies. The scale was unlike anything we'd experienced before.

What made this event particularly special was the opportunity to present our services in two exclusive Board Room sessions. These weren't casual booth conversations. These were formal presentations to key industry stakeholders who wanted to understand how we approach custom software development, AI integration, and manufacturing automation solutions. Having the chance to showcase BinarCode's capabilities in this intimate, high-level setting validated our expertise and positioned us as serious players in the industrial software space.

• MWC Barcelona (Mobile World Congress)

Three exciting days at MWC 2025 in Barcelona, filled with ideas and conversations. You could find us at Hall 6, Booth 6A60, having great conversations about AI, automation, and custom software solutions. There's something special about speaking live with people. When we speak face-to-face, our brains sync, ideas flow, and creativity sparks. Nothing beats human connection.

We shared our philosophy: AI and new technology are powerful, but only when integrated thoughtfully to drive real impact. We're not about flashy demos; we're about building smart, scalable software that solves real problems.

• Techsylvania 2025

We spent a day at Techsylvania 2025 with part of the BinarCode crew and fellow founders. It was refreshing to step out of the day-to-day grind and connect with other people building cool things. We enjoyed solid talks, good conversations, and even discovered unexpected corners like the mindful cacao space and the robot greeter.

The exchange of ideas, from AI breakthroughs to future-looking startups, was a powerful reminder of why we love building at BinarCode. Sometimes you need to step back to see the bigger picture.

• IT Days and DevTalks

We also participated in IT Days and DevTalks, maintaining our presence in the local tech community. These events might be closer to home, but they're just as valuable for staying connected with the Romanian tech ecosystem and sharing knowledge with the next generation of developers.

Client Workshops: The Heart of Our Work

One of the most memorable moments happened in early December when we held extensive AI workshops and brainstorming sessions with our long-term clients from the Netherlands. We've been building together for over seven years now, evolving from simple if/else logic to full AI-powered workflows.

What we loved most about these sessions was seeing people treat AI as a helpful tool, not some magic solution to trust blindly. After seven years of partnership, we've built deep trust and understanding. These weren't just client meetings; they were collaborative sessions between partners who've grown together, tackled challenges together, and continuously pushed the boundaries of what's possible.

These workshops represent everything we value: long-term relationships, continuous innovation, and practical AI implementation that drives real business value.

The Technologies We're Most Excited About in 2026

We're genuinely excited about several emerging opportunities. AI developer-oriented tools like Claude Code and Gemini CLI are changing how we write code. MCP Servers and Clients are opening up new possibilities for connected AI systems. Automations of any kind continue to be fertile ground for innovation.

But what excites us most is this: we now have the opportunity to help clients execute projects that were never possible or feasible before, either from a financial or technical perspective.

What We're Grateful For

As we close out 2025, three things stand out:

• Having talented people nearby. Our team is everything, and we're grateful for each person who brings their skills, passion, and dedication to work every day.
• Stability. In a fast-moving industry and uncertain market, having a stable foundation has allowed us to take risks and grow confidently.
• Making a real impact. Being able to help other businesses succeed and grow through our work is what drives us. It's not just about writing code; it's about enabling possibilities.

"To have talented people nearby. Stability. Be able to have a real impact in other business by helping them. The fact that we can leverage new AI tools to open possibilities that were never possible before." - Eduard

What's Next: Our Vision for 2026

As we look forward, we're energized by the possibilities ahead. We've learned valuable lessons about responsiveness, hiring, and seizing opportunities. We've grown as a team and pushed the boundaries of what we can build with AI and modern development practices.

Thank you to our clients who trust us with their most important projects, to our team members who bring creativity and excellence every day, and to everyone who's been part of the BinarCode journey this year.

The future of software development is being written right now, and we're excited to be part of it. Here's to growth, innovation, and making 2026 even better.