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About
Built by engineers
Protocoding was founded by Ryan and Jordan Lesson in 2017. What started as a technical education platform evolved into a full-service software studio serving clients from startups to enterprise.
April 23
Founded
2017
Year
Brothers
Founders
8+ yrs
Running
The Founders
Ryan & Jordan Lesson
Ryan spent over a decade at Microsoft and Walmart Global Tech, leading teams and shipping enterprise software. Jordan started coding young and sold his first app in high school. They saw the same gap from different angles: too many agencies delivering mediocre work at premium prices. They started Protocoding to do it better.
Timeline
How it happened
2008The Beginning
The Beginning
Ryan saw the opportunity in tech early. He got his younger brother Jordan into coding, and Jordan took to it fast. Really fast. By high school, Jordan had already sold his first app. Ryan was grinding through college and eventually landed at Microsoft, then Walmart Global Tech. Both brothers were building, just on different paths.
2017Tutorials
Tutorials
While Ryan was getting enterprise experience at big tech, we noticed a gap. People wanted to learn to code, but most tutorials out there were either way too basic or assumed you already knew everything. So we started making our own. No fluff, no filler. Just practical content that treated viewers like adults who wanted to actually build something.
2018The Response
The Response
The response caught us off guard. Thousands of developers were watching, sharing, and actually building stuff from what they learned. Turns out, people appreciate content that doesn't waste their time. That's when viewers started reaching out with a different question: "Can you build this for us?"
2019First Clients
First Clients
We had already proven we understood both the technical side and how to communicate it. The jump from teaching to shipping products felt natural. First client project was a healthcare dashboard. It's still running today. Word spread. More clients came in. We realized this could be something real.
2020+Building the Team
Building the Team
Good work attracts good people. Mitch came on as founding engineer. Then Raymond and Riya. Each brought something different: backend expertise, creative development, data engineering. The studio grew, but the approach stayed the same. Do excellent work, treat clients like partners, keep learning.
Philosophy
People first
We've built strong connections in venture capital and private equity over the years. Not because we were chasing deals, but because we prioritize relationships and growth that helps every party involved. That's how you build something that lasts.
Every project we take on, we treat as a chance to leave the client better equipped than before. We actually explain the decisions, document the systems, and make sure teams can maintain what we build. The tech industry moves fast enough without people hoarding information.
“We started Protocoding because we wanted to build things we were proud of, for people who actually cared about the outcome. Eight years later, that's still the filter for every project we take.”
— Ryan Lesson
Today
Full-service, still personal
We've grown from two people making tutorials to a team that handles everything from AI integration to enterprise platforms. The services expanded. UI/UX design, full-stack engineering, SEO, technical consulting. But the approach stayed the same. Expert work, direct communication, no bloated processes or surprise invoices. Just people who know what they're doing, working on problems that matter.
AI IntegrationFull-Stack DevUI/UX DesignSEO & GrowthTechnical Consulting