8th Light is an employee-owned technology solutions provider founded in 2006 that helps organizations build AI-native products and agentic systems. With over 140 team members across offices in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, and Austin, the firm offers integrated strategy, design, and engineering services where these disciplines operate as a single team rather than in sequence.
The company works with clients ranging from early-stage startups to global enterprises. Its approach emphasizes hands-on collaboration, with engineers and designers working alongside client teams to implement sustainable, performant solutions and embed better practices directly into codebases. Human-centered design thinking underpins this methodology.
8th Light's apprenticeship program, which has graduated over 300 apprentices since the company's founding, remains central to its identity and operations. Rather than simply delivering code, the firm prioritizes mentoring and developer education, treating knowledge transfer as integral to every engagement. This commitment to education and continuous learning reflects the company's origins - it was founded by Paul Pagel and his apprentice - and shapes its collaborative culture across all client relationships.
