DevTools Brew #49: Founding a Startup as Developer: Spacelift CEO's Journey
Hey folks, welcome to DevTools Brew #49!
If you're new here, my name is Morgan Perry, co-founder of Qovery, and every Saturday, I share the stories, strategies, and insights behind the most successful devtool companies.
In this Issue #49:
📈 Founding a Startup as Developer: Spacelift CEO's Journey
🍭 Bonus: How PlanetScale got 100,000 developers to care about a database feature launch
⭐ Star History Weekly Pick
I hope you will enjoy this new edition.
Let's dive in!
📈 Founding a Startup as Developer: Spacelift CEO's Journey
In today's deep dive, I’m thrilled to share Marcin Wyszyński’s journey, co-founder and CEO* of Spacelift. This fast-growing devtool startup is revolutionizing the CI/CD industry with its terraform-compatible approach to infrastructure as code. Let’s dive into the intricacies of starting a startup as a developer, exploring Marcin's lessons on remote work, recruitment strategies, team development, and the challenges of building Spacelift👇
Evolution of Marcin's Career
Marcin embarked on a career at Google, initially in customer support and swiftly transitioning to a Site Reliability Engineer (SRE), a precursor to the modern-day DevOps role.
Subsequently, contributed to Facebook, managing cluster management software during the pivotal era of smartphone connectivity in developing countries.
Transition from Large Companies to Entrepreneurship
Marcin played a pivotal role in the growth of Deliveroo, evolving from a startup to a robust corporation.
After the Deliveroo mission concluded, Marcin, a seasoned consultant, found demand for the infrastructure management tool he developed, setting the stage for Spacelift's creation.
Starting Spacelift - Turning Consulting Into SaaS
The impetus for Spacelift came from the FinTech sector's interest, proving a strong social validation for the infrastructure management tool.
Marcin's transition from consulting to founding Spacelift was driven by the desire to create something significant and the joy of seeing others use what he had built.
Building Spacelift - Initial Challenges
An iterative approach marked Spacelift's development, with user feedback steering the ship before the beta release.
Initial assumptions about cost management shifted based on user feedback, leading to a focused approach on solving one critical problem - infrastructure management.
Challenges and Opportunities of Remote Work
Marcin's experience working remotely for clients, including Deliveroo, provided a foundation for Spacelift's remote-first approach.
Marcin emphasizes the challenges of maintaining communication and personal relationships between central office and remote teams.
Spacelift's remote-first strategy focuses on limiting time zone disparities for the core team while embracing a global approach for client-facing roles.
Remote Recruitment Strategy
Spacelift strategically limits the time zones considered for the core team, emphasizing daily collaboration on product functionalities.
Solutions Engineers and content-focused roles, dealing with clients, have a broader geographic scope, enhancing global coverage.
Marcin emphasizes an efficient recruitment process, lasting up to 5 hours, with a focus on collaboration and problem-solving.
Team Development and Challenges
Marcin challenges the traditional notion of scaling teams linearly, highlighting the exponential growth of communication with more people.
Marcin prioritizes hiring individuals who understand the product, possess varied skills, and can provide valuable insights into product direction.
He advocates for hiring experienced professionals over a large number of entry-level employees, emphasizing the value of expertise.
Collaborative Decision-Making
Unlike some partnerships, Marcin and Paweł respect each other's specialized skills, minimizing interference in areas where one has a better understanding.
Openness to not knowing everything, coupled with a desire for more data and humility, forms the foundation of collaborative decision-making.
Dogfooding - Building a Product You Use
Marcin highlights the advantage of building a product that the Spacelift team uses themselves, ensuring a personal connection and a unique perspective.
He prioritizes solving real problems for users and maintaining a product-market fit.
Funding and Its Purpose
Marcin views funding as a tool rather than an end in itself, emphasizing the importance of focusing on customer value.
He shares the Google motto: "Focus on the user, and the rest will follow," underscoring the significance of customer satisfaction.
Personal Development as a Developer
Humble about being considered a 10x developer, Marcin attributes his perceived proficiency to a passion for programming and working in areas he understands well.
He encourages individuals to find a niche they enjoy, as passion and expertise contribute to perceived excellence.
Tips for Aspiring Startup Founders
Marcin encourages founders not to fear investors or venture capitalists, emphasizing the value of feedback even in rejection.
He shares the transformative impact of listening to investor feedback, adapting strategies, and gradually addressing concerns raised by potential investors.
From collaborative decision-making, building user-centric products, remote work, and the purpose of funding; Marcin's wisdom and lessons offer a beacon for aspiring founders.
*Some time ago, Marcin stepped down as CEO and became CPO of Spacelift.
—> To explore more, listen to the full podcast episode here - published initially by Inovo
🍭 Bonus: How PlanetScale got 100,000 developers to care about a database feature launch
Discover the art of product-led storytelling as we delve into the success story of PlanetScale's database feature launch. It's not just about the technicalities; it's about crafting a narrative that resonates on an emotional level. Initially published by DevMarketing, let's explore the key insights and lessons learned from this transformative journey. 👇
1. Product-led Growth Demands Storytelling Prowess:
A feature like reverting schema changes may seem technical, but its potential impact deserves a spotlight.
Elevate technical specifications to real-world problem solvers through compelling storytelling.
2. Crafting the Narrative: Collaboration and Expertise
Engaging narratives requires a collaborative approach, blending design school principles and diverse perspectives.
Weeks of collaboration with engineers resulted in a technically accurate yet emotionally resonant script.
3. Emotional Connection as a Narrative Driver
Universal relatability is key; frame the feature as a solution to common challenges developers face.
The chosen narrative transcends professional context, connecting emotionally and sparking audience excitement.
4. Narrative Transformation: From Technical Tool to Lifesaver
Illustrate the feature's impact by weaving a story around a student programmer, Cami, and her robot creation, Ava.
The feature becomes a lifeline as it saves Ava from a potential tragedy, showcasing its pivotal role.
5. Beyond Professional Context: Broadening Narrative Horizons
Avoid the narrow focus on specific use cases; create narratives that resonate emotionally.
Engage the audience by allowing them to envision potential applications in their personal and professional lives.
⭐ Star History Weekly Pick
The Star History Weekly Pick is:
Netbird: “Connect your devices into a single secure private WireGuard®-based mesh network with SSO/MFA and simple access controls”.
⭐️ 7.7k stars reached
It’s already over! If you have any comments or feedback, you can reach out to me on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Thanks for reading,
Morgan
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