Hi, i'm Marko
Family Guy
Analytical + Critical
Prod | Data&AI | Psych | Med
Academic Roots
I originally planned to become a medical doctor, but left med school with top grades to pursue a degree in developmental psychology. I later shifted into experimental psychology and language acquisition theories, focusing on NLP. I began PhD studies, but transitioned to the private sector to be able to support myself financially.
Career Evolution
Researcher → Data Scientist → Product Manager → Product Leadership & Business Development → Entrepreneur →My background in IT outsourcing spans startups to enterprise clients, technical to strategic leadership roles, and a wide range of business domains.I’ve worked across both ends of the tech spectrum, an enterprise firm handling large-scale systems and contracts (Comtrade System Integration), and a specialized data & AI/ML agency guiding startups and SMEs from 0 to 1 (SmartCat).Check my SELECTED WORK →
Entrepreneurship
Eventually, I invested into couple of business and founded my own. Being invested into business gave me a far sharper, practical perspective on setting priorities, managing risk and costs, and balancing "must-haves" against "nice-to-haves."However, things rarely work out the way they do in theory. As a former colleague of mine loved to say: In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
Life Perspective
These days, my priorities are naturally centred on family, health, and building what comes next for my kids.Continuous learning is at my core, but every day, I appreciate simplicity just a little bit more.I'm genuinely looking forward to diving into first-grade materials now that my oldest child has started primary school.
SELECTED WORK
The Flagship Project (4-Year Initiative)
Role
Product & Delivery Lead, 34 Person Team Lead, Executive LiaisonScope
A 24/7 distributed microservices system supporting millions of active web/mobile sessions and processing billions of backend events under strict regulatory constraints. AI-ready Lakehouse for heterogeneous big data, enabling rapid data experimentation and ML deployment. Hybrid architecture spans both private data centers and the cloud.Impact
The reengineered platform handles 10x its original capacity, allowing the client to seamlessly scale markets, accelerate feature delivery, and increase YoY revenue. Built a €2.5M direct annual revenue stream for SmartCat company.
Discovery & Strategy Workshops
Role
Business Analyst and Strategy LeadScope
Led 200+ discovery sessions and 35+ deep-dive strategy workshops, bridging complex business models with practical engineering to help founders and executives build viable product roadmaps before burning capital.Impact
Helped dozens of clients design resilient product roadmaps, align tech specifications with business strategy, and unlock new project revenue streams.
Data Warehouse & Predictive Analytics in Banking
Role
Data Scientist, Data Product StrategistScope
Hands-on development of Data Warehouse, Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics models using big vendor tech stack. Guiding clients Product Managers and Owners how to utilise data into valuable insights and reports.Impact
Extensive reports with never used before KPIs and predictive models, which increased customer retention and satisfaction.
Smart Energy Systems
Role
Product LeadScope
Testing Product-Market fit while leading small team to build central system for predicting and reducing energy consumption in a commercial buildings, consequently reducing the costs and CO2 emissions. Creating and managing partnerships with various vendors and companies.Impact
Product failed due to problems with integration points and lack of funding.
Some other interesing projects
Pilot algorithm for optimising energy production and utilisation from solar panels to big energy spenders such as EVs, HVACs, and more. Scaling Boston startup, short project, small team, but interesting and sweet.Building Digital Media for the Behavioral Sciences (The 0 → 0.1 Stage). Leading user research, market analysis, and early product validation. Navigating high ambiguity and turning initial hurdles into actionable insights for the next iteration
Words from my ex-CEO
"He was instrumental in leading a strategically important project for our key customers, and delivered high-quality results on time and within budget. He also improved the project's transparency and reporting."
"He took on the responsibility of conducting workshops with potential clients, where he applied his data science background and analytical thinking to design solutions that met their needs and expectations."
"He worked closely with me on developing and executing marketing and sales strategies for our company. He helped us identify and target new markets and verticals, strategize on campaigns, and created plans of execution."
SHORT POSTS
I don't sell courses.
I wright my short thoughts and findings about building digital products.
Book inspiration: Santiago
Old Man and The Sea | 08-2026
A man can be destroyed but not defeated.
Just as Santiago refused to succumb to defeat, we too must adopt his tenacity. Our aspirations and dreams, regardless of how distant they may seem, are within reach when we persist with courage and faith. Each sunrise brings with it the promise of a new beginning, an invitation to continue our quest despite the odds. Santiago’s journey teaches us that true victory lies not in the immediate catch but in the relentless pursuit of our dreams, the acceptance of our own shortcomings, and the courage to continue, regardless of the odds.
Movie inspiration: Ray Kinsella
Field of Dreams | 08-2026
If you build it, he will come.
Ray followed his vision, driven by love for the sport and a mysterious voice. He risked everything—his home, his livelihood. In the end, it all worked out. But that’s Hollywood. Unless you’re building something truly groundbreaking—or you're Kevin Costner in a baseball film—things rarely go that way.I started with market research, potential user research, and cool buzzwords like product-market fit. I knew this was the best approach, I have consulted many others before. Basic essence is to answer the question: Am I creating a product or service for which I have convincing evidence that someone will pay to use it?But damn, this is hard. Every day I felt the urge to skip the research and start building—anything—to avoid hearing more flaws in my plan.