Gaia Lens
ESG Analytics Platform
Challenge & Solution
GaiaLens is a FinTech group providing institutional investors with a data-driven, transparent, real-time ESG analytics platform. The platform combines cutting-edge technology with the latest thinking in ESG investing, offering a suite of tools for portfolio reporting, investment screening, and deep-dive research. Code & Pepper embedded a dedicated team of 4 engineers, 1 product designer, and 1 scrum master who worked directly with GaiaLens' CTO and PMs and 3 internal devs from client side, taking ownership of key product areas. The engagement began with migrating the entire frontend codebase to TypeScript and React 19, followed by implementing Next.js 15 for server-side rendering and better performance at scale. The platform has won 7 major industry awards and helped GaiaLens raise £2 million in funding.
Challenge
GaiaLens came with a working product and a growing user base, but the platform needed to evolve quickly in both functionality and performance. The existing JavaScript codebase was becoming hard to scale — new features were complex and required rapid iteration. The UI needed a full redesign to meet the expectations of institutional clients, and as the platform started integrating AI, the frontend had to accommodate real-time interactions and dynamic data visualisation without sacrificing usability. Meanwhile, GaiaLens wanted to avoid hiring a large in-house team — they needed senior engineers who could work independently, deliver fast, and integrate tightly with their product organisation.
My Role
I joined Gaia Lens as the first Code & Pepper engineer on the project, working from August 2022 through November 2024. As one of four engineers alongside a product designer and scrum master, I worked directly with the CTO to build key features end-to-end from scratch — from whiteboarding architecture to production deployment. My focus was on the most technically challenging systems: the AI-powered ChatPDF interface, the PDF reporting engine, a granular permission system, and a complete whitelabel solution for institutional clients.
Solution
- Full frontend migration from JavaScript to TypeScript and React 19, improving reliability and developer productivity
- Next.js 15 implementation with server-side rendering for better performance and SEO at scale
- AI-powered ChatPDF interface using LangChain and OpenAI API — users upload ESG documents and interact via conversational AI
- Real-time ESG alert module surfacing risk signals and PR-sensitive events for portfolio companies
- PDF report generation system built from scratch using React-to-PDF and Bun-based JSX templates for SFDR, TCFD, UN SDG, and Greenwashing reports
- Portfolio and benchmark management with sharing workflows, permission systems, and role-based access control
- Greenwashing Risk Score calculation comparing Science-Based Targets (SBTi) against forecasted emissions to flag misleading ESG claims
- Real-time controversy monitoring using LLMs to process news for 20,000+ companies across hundreds of news sources, social media, and NGOs
- Complete UI redesign with Tailwind CSS and Radix UI, optimised for professional investor workflows
- Flexible whitelabel system and comprehensive permission system — per page, per component, per endpoint
See it in action
Technologies
Key Features
AI ChatPDF
Upload ESG documents and interact via conversational AI — analyze up to 5 files at once with page references and highlighted key passages
Built from scratch by Łukasz
Greenwashing Risk Score
Compares Science-Based Targets (SBTi) against forecasted emissions — the greater the gap, the higher the greenwashing score. Highlights whether a company is likely to meet its climate commitments
Real-time Controversy Monitoring
LLM-based analysis of 20,000+ companies across hundreds of news sources, social media, and NGOs. Tracks SASB themes, UN SDGs, Modern Slavery, and Gender Equality. Refreshed daily
PDF Report Generation
Built from scratch using React-to-PDF and Bun-based JSX templates. Generates SFDR, TCFD, UN SDG, and Greenwashing reports with investment-grade data visualisations
Built from scratch by Łukasz
Portfolio & Benchmark Management
Create portfolios and compare against benchmarks to understand ESG score differences. Includes sharing workflows, permission systems, and role-based access control
Real-time ESG Alerts
Surface risk signals and PR-sensitive events for portfolio companies. Notifications for controversies related to companies in investor portfolios
Flexible Permission System
Permissions assigned to groups, groups assigned to brands. Granular control per page, per component, per endpoint — built entirely from scratch
Built from scratch by Łukasz
Whitelabel System
Complete whitelabel capability enabling institutional clients to brand the platform as their own — built from scratch
Built from scratch by Łukasz
Chrome Extension
Browser extension for transaction tracking and seamless data capture, integrating with the main platform
Excel Upload & Data Processing
Portfolio upload and replacement via XLSX files with improved data processing pipelines
“Code & Pepper's team integrated seamlessly with our organisation from day one. They brought senior engineering expertise that significantly accelerated our product development — the AI chat interface, PDF reporting system, and full UI redesign were delivered with impressive quality and speed. Their ability to take ownership of complex features and deliver independently was exactly what we needed to scale our platform without building a large in-house team.”
Awards & Recognition
Platform & Technology Awards
Best ESG & Sustainability Analytics Platform
2025ESG Investing Awards
TechRound100 Winner
2024TechRound
Most Innovative Financial AI Workflow Platform
2025SME Finance Awards
RegTech & Compliance Innovation Award
2025SME Finance Awards
Winner — Fintech Scotland Innovation Call
2024Fintech Scotland
Industry Listings & Rankings
Top 10 ESG Solution Providers
2024GRC Outlook
ESGFinTech100
2024FinTech Global
Results
Since partnering with Code & Pepper, GaiaLens has raised £2 million in funding to accelerate product development and client acquisition. The platform acquired 10 new institutional clients — including asset managers and pension funds — and reduced feature delivery times by 35% thanks to improved velocity and better architecture. The AI-powered report builder reduced report-building time by 60%, significantly improving investor engagement and usability. The platform won 7 major awards including ESG Investing Awards 2025 (Best ESG & Sustainability Analytics Platform), TechRound100 2024 (Winner), GRC Outlook (Top 10 ESG Solution Providers), and FinTech Global's ESGFinTech100 (listed three years running).
Future plans
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