Evals and environments for computer use and software engineering work
Building RL environments for the next generation of capabilities in frontier models
Key people at Refresh.
Refresh was founded in 2025 by Erik Quintanilla (Founder) and Christopher Settles (Founder).
Refresh in the context of software engineering and computer use typically refers to the process of updating or reloading evaluation environments (evals) and development environments to ensure they reflect the latest code, dependencies, or configurations. This is critical for maintaining productivity and accuracy in software development workflows.
For an investment firm focused on this space, the mission would likely center on accelerating innovation in developer tools and environments that improve software engineering efficiency. Their investment philosophy might emphasize backing startups that create AI-driven coding assistants, cloud-based development environments, or tools that streamline code evaluation and deployment. Key sectors would include AI-powered developer tools, cloud infrastructure, and software automation. Their impact on the startup ecosystem involves enabling faster product iterations and reducing developer friction, thus fostering a more dynamic and productive software development landscape.
For a portfolio company specializing in evals and environments, the product typically involves integrated development environments (IDEs), AI coding assistants, or automated testing and deployment platforms. They serve software developers, engineering teams, and enterprises aiming to optimize their software development lifecycle. The problem solved is reducing manual coding effort, minimizing bugs, and accelerating delivery cycles. Growth momentum is often driven by adoption of AI technologies, integration with popular code repositories, and increasing demand for remote and collaborative development tools.
For firms investing in this domain, founding years often align with the rise of cloud computing and AI in software development (mid-2010s onward). Key partners usually include technologists and investors with deep experience in software engineering and AI. Their focus evolves from traditional software tools to AI-enhanced environments and autonomous coding agents.
For companies, founders often come from software engineering backgrounds, motivated by firsthand experience with the inefficiencies of manual coding and testing. The idea emerges from the need to automate repetitive tasks and improve code quality. Early traction is typically marked by successful pilot programs with developer teams or integration with major platforms like GitHub.
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The trend they ride is the automation and AI augmentation of software development, which is critical as software complexity grows and demand for rapid delivery increases. Timing matters because AI models and cloud infrastructure have matured enough to enable practical, scalable solutions. Market forces include the rise of remote work, the need for continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), and the explosion of open-source software. Their influence extends to democratizing software development, reducing entry barriers, and accelerating innovation cycles.
Next steps involve deeper AI integration, such as autonomous coding agents that can independently handle complex tasks, improve test coverage, and manage technical debt. Trends shaping their journey include advances in large language models, improved developer tooling, and tighter integration with cloud platforms. Their influence will likely grow as they become indispensable collaborators in software engineering, shifting the role of developers toward higher-level problem solving and design.
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High-Level Overview: GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant developed by GitHub and OpenAI that provides real-time code suggestions and autonomous coding agents to accelerate software development. It serves developers and engineering teams by reducing repetitive coding tasks and improving code quality, enabling faster delivery and learning.
Origin Story: Launched in 2021, GitHub Copilot was created by GitHub and OpenAI to leverage AI for code generation, inspired by the need to boost developer productivity and reduce context switching. Early traction came from widespread adoption by developers and integration into popular IDEs.
Role in the Broader Tech Landscape: Copilot rides the AI augmentation trend in software engineering, capitalizing on advances in language models and cloud computing. It addresses the growing complexity of software and the need for rapid iteration, influencing how developers write and review code.
Quick Take & Future Outlook: GitHub Copilot is evolving toward more autonomous coding capabilities and deeper integration with developer workflows. Future trends include enhanced AI collaboration, broader language support, and expanded roles in code review and security auditing, solidifying its role as a key enabler in modern software development[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8].
Refresh was founded in 2025 by Erik Quintanilla (Founder) and Christopher Settles (Founder).
Key people at Refresh.
