Why I Built IndigiCoder
This is the first post on my Substack, where I write about building technology with intention, Indigenous representation in software, AI-assisted development, and lessons from building products in public.
I did not set out to build an AI coding assistant.
I have spent most of my career building real software used by real people for real organizations. I have worked with small businesses, startups, tribal organizations, and Fortune level companies. I have been a founding engineer, a CTO, and the person responsible for decisions that actually ship.
Along the way, I learned how powerful technology can be when it is used to open doors and how limiting it can be when it is built without context, care, or community in mind.
As AI tools for software development exploded over the last couple of years, I paid attention. Like most developers, I experimented with them. Some were impressive. Some were frustrating. Most were built with one goal in mind: speed.
What I did not see were tools designed for understanding, learning, or long-term empowerment, especially for developers who do not come from traditional pipelines.
That gap is why IndigiCoder exists.
The problem I kept running into
AI coding tools today are optimized to generate code as fast as possible. That is not inherently bad, but it comes with tradeoffs.
Many of these tools treat developers as prompt operators instead of builders. They encourage copy and paste workflows without comprehension. They centralize intelligence and decision-making. They abstract away so much context that learning stalls. They ignore questions of data ownership, authorship, and sovereignty.
If you already have years of experience, you can work around these issues.
If you are learning, coming from a nontraditional background, or building something meaningful for your community, those gaps matter.
I have seen firsthand how technology can either empower people or quietly exclude them.
Why another AI coder was not the goal
IndigiCoder is not about replacing developers.
It is not about one-click apps or magical outputs.
It is about working alongside builders in a way that respects how people actually learn and create.
From the beginning, my goal was to create something that fosters understanding rather than dependency. Something that helps users reason about architecture and decisions. Something that supports real projects, not toy demos. Something that respects creators and their data. Something that reflects the values of community, responsibility, and stewardship.
Building our own AI coding assistant allows us to design with intention. It allows us to explore ways of supporting Indigenous languages and culturally specific contexts that are rarely considered in mainstream AI tools. Those possibilities matter to me, not as a marketing feature, but as part of a broader responsibility to ensure technology does not continue to erase or overlook the communities it touches. These are decisions you cannot make when you are limited to generic, one-size-fits-all systems.
As an Indigenous technologist, I am deeply aware that technology is not neutral. The way tools are designed shapes who benefits from them and who does not.
IndigiCoder is intentionally built with that awareness.
Who IndigiCoder is for
IndigiCoder is for builders who want to learn while they build.
It is for developers launching real products, not just experiments.
It is for founders wearing multiple hats.
It is for Indigenous and underrepresented technologists who do not see themselves reflected in mainstream tools.
It is for anyone tired of software that feels extractive instead of supportive.
You do not need to be an expert.
You do need to be curious and committed.
Building this in public
IndigiCoder is currently in beta.
That is intentional.
I believe in building in public and sharing not just wins, but decisions, tradeoffs, and lessons learned along the way. This space will be where I document that process, what is working, what is not, and how the product is evolving based on real use.
Some posts will be technical.
Some will be philosophical.
Some will be practical lessons from building software and companies.
All of them will be honest.
Where this is going
At its core, IndigiCoder is about access.
Access to tools.
Access to understanding.
Access to the ability to create without having to ask permission.
I believe AI can lower barriers, but only if we design it responsibly and intentionally.
This publication is part of that work.
If you are interested in following along, I invite you to subscribe, try the beta, and be part of the conversation as this evolves.
Thanks for being here.
Richard Chance
Founder and CTO, IndigiCoder
Proud enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation
If you’re curious to learn more about IndigiCoder or try the beta, you can find it here: