Hello, I'm Andriy Zhylenko.
I am a software developer, who progressed all the way up to CEO, and tries to balance the human communication with learning technology and occasionally still writing code. You can read the longer version of my story here.
I'm the co-founder of PortaOne - a telecom software company that's been quietly powering telcos (we supply telecom billing and VoIP switch) in 90+ countries for over 20 years. We didn't raise VC money. We didn't chase headlines. Since early 2000 (before it became trendy) we adopted a "radical openness" policy by giving our customers access to the source code and providing public access to our documentation. We solved problems, shipped products, and stuck around long enough to outlive the hype cycles.
We live in amazing times from the software development perspective (well not so amazing if you look at the broader context, for example the war in Ukraine still going on!) - when AI-powered tools give power to a single individual (or a really small team) to launch a full-scale product! You still need to make many decisions about the architecture, business model, strategy, and marketing correctly. Also, besides the brilliant engineering, you need to communicate what is it you created and how it helps your potential customers (so they actually find you and buy). And you know yourself, that most of the time you end up either with an incomprehensive “memory dump” of an engineer's brain - or empty blah-blah about “great software providing synergy and dynamics”.
This is why I am open to advising / mentoring founders who are building new products. Whether you're knee-deep in infrastructure, struggling to get your first paying customers, creating a product brochure that does not scare your prospects, or trying to stop your dev team from building a spaceship when a bicycle would do-I’ve probably seen it, fixed it, or at least stepped in it before.
If you're looking for honest advice, sharp questions, and the occasional “wait, but why are you doing it that way?” - I’d love to help.