Future Founder Promise Future Founder Promise Podcast

Show Notes



Maria Constantine, an educator turned startup generalist, is driven by a commitment to human-centric business practices. Presently, as the Executive Operations Manager at Stellate, she plays a pivotal role in achieving scalability through comprehensive strategies encompassing sales, marketing, operations, and client support.



Maria's extensive background in executive operations management, business development, and marketing equips her with a multifaceted perspective. She adeptly oversees critical areas of sales operations, executive management, and marketing strategies, ensuring cohesive and effective approaches.



During her leisure time, Maria channels her passion for reading into developing an app dedicated to enhancing the digital reading experience.



Links:

Twitter

LinedIn

Stellate

My Bookstory app

Show Notes:

In this podcast episode, Andreas Heiberg hosts Brian Walters from Nearform (Formidable Labs) and Viktor Tortolero from Stellate. The discussion revolves around accessibility in web development. Brian, a seasoned software engineer with over 15 years of experience, emphasizes that accessibility isn't solely about making adjustments for specific disabilities; rather, it contributes to an enhanced experience for all users. Viktor, a front-end engineer based in Guadalajara, shares insights into the importance of inclusive design, highlighting the necessity to accommodate diverse use cases and cater to different ways people interact with websites.

This conversation delves into Stellate's recent accessibility audit, a proactive measure taken during a recent redesign. Viktor provides key learnings from the process, emphasizing the ongoing effort required to maintain accessibility. Brian echoes these sentiments, underscoring the challenges posed when introducing JavaScript widgets and the importance of making content decisions collaboratively within the team. The discussion illuminates accessibility as a continuous commitment, enriching the development lifecycle for a more robust and inclusive user experience.



Topics Discussed:


Accessibility
"Normal People"
Better For Everyone
Inclusive Design
Accessibility Audit
Success Criteria
Content Decisions
Semantically Understood
Team Effort
Accessibility By Default
Focus Issues
HTML Order
Accessibility Libraries
Infinite Scrolling
Scrolljacking
Progressive Enhancement
JS Interactivity
W3C Accessibility Standards
Valuable Resources
axe
Accessibility DevTools
Proactivity vs Reactivity
Accessibility Advocacy
Pagination
Navigation
Screen Readers
Growing Importance
MVP Accessibility
Limiting Customers
Hooks
Pro Tips
Blind Power Users



Links:

Nearform

Brian Walters

Andreas Heiberg

Victor Tortolero

Stellate

Show Notes:

Andreas Heiberg is an experienced entrepreneur and a software engineering leader with a passion for product development, space exploration, and nuclear energy. From shaping healthcare solutions at Babylon to optimizing global logistics at Gelato, Andreas brings a wealth of experience. He has co-founded and worked at a handful of venture-backed tech companies; ranging from startups to large enterprises across a diverse set of industries. In this interview Andreas shares many insights from his dynamic career.



Topics Discussed:




U.K. and U.S. Appeal
Graphic Design and University
Early Website Building
Career Trajectory
Becoming a Manager
Consulting
First Startups
Startup Advice
Working at Stellate
Creating Culture
Favourite Jobs
Peace Time Leadership
Moving Mountains
Distributed Work
Decompressing
Influential Mentors
Approximation of Progress
AI
Societal Changes
Questioning Norms
U.S. Startup Ecosystem
Access to Capital
Intense Workplace
Fields of Interest
Nuclear Energy
Sailing
Education in Denmark
Question Everything



Links:

GitHub

Website

X

LinkedIn

Show Notes:

Victor Tortolero is a dedicated Senior Software Engineer at Stellate. He is specializing in front-end development, and has experience in open source. While his expertise lies in front-end development, Victor has also demonstrated proficiency in back-end tasks; consistently delivering end-to-end solutions with precision and care.

During his time at Stellate, Victor has been instrumental in developing groundbreaking new features around GraphQL caching, and his work reflects his meticulous approach and deep technical understanding. Victor is currently based in Guadalajara and enjoys the local culture and food.



Topics Discussed:


Mexico
Being Self-Taught
Stellate
CLI5
Startups
Company Culture
Becoming A Developer
Math
Remote Work
AI
Open Source
Mentors
Hotspot Mexico



Links:

Website

Twitter

GitHub

LinkedIn

Show Notes:

Hello. I'm Bogdan from Romania. I'm known for designing scalable digital systems, and my expertise is rooted in HTML/CSS/JS architecture. I’m driven by the pursuit of maintainable and reusable solutions and advocate for web apps that are both accessible and adaptable in our ever-changing digital landscape.

I’ve always been drawn to the dynamic nature of sports: the thrill of chasing a ball on the tennis court, the rapid exchanges in a game of padel, or the strategic maneuvering of squash. The precision and focus required in these sports mirror my approach to life and work. When I’m not indulging in these adrenaline-packed activities, you’ll find me immersed in the rhythmic world of movie soundtracks, which provide the perfect backdrop for my coding sessions.



Topics Discussed:


Origins
Romania
Early Tech Exposure
First "Web Dollars"
University Experience
People Skills Development
Early Tech Jobs
Ruby on Rails
Shopify
E-Commerce Complexity
Startup Experiences
Deloitte Experience
Growing A Team
Freelancer Marketplace
Startup Learnings
Travel and Remote Work
Coffee Shop Stimulus
Nomad or Not
Career Highs and Lows
McDonald's Experience
Taking Chances
Passion for UI
Designing for Developers
Remote Work Experiences
Asynchronous Collaboration
Oversharing
Racket Sports
Hobbies
GraphQL Experience
Frontend Trends
tRPC
Open Source Work
A.I. Trends
A.I. Issues
Stellate Experience
Making Connections
Future Outlook



Links:

http://bogdansoare.com/

Medium

Twitter

GitHub

LinkedIn

Show Notes:

In this “Meet The Team” episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Van Riper, a seasoned professional who brings a wealth of experience and passion for community work to the table. Van was the steward in the early days of a new developer community program that he helped start at Google, Google Developer Groups (Originally, Google Technology User Groups). Van worked as a global meta-community manager there. With two decades in community work, coupled with an impressive three decades in UX design and development, our guest and new team member's expertise is hard to match. We are grateful to work with someone who has dedicated himself so much to shaping vibrant developer communities with an eye for “win-win-wins” on all sides.



Van’s community adventure began in 2003 when volunteer work as a global community builder among developers ignited his passion. This led him to seize the opportunity to join Google as a full-time developer relations professional in 2010; marking a significant milestone in their career with many remarkable contributions. A deep passion for well-being practices adds a unique perspective to his work. At Stellate Van will build a strong foundation for the GraphQL community to thrive and grow.



Hear Van Riper's perspective on:


Community Liaison Work
Getting Into Tech
Studying At MIT
Growing Up
First Community Efforts
Hewlett Packard Experience
Career High Points
User Interface Design
Early UI Communities
Career Low Points
Google Legal Battles
Representing Google
Switching To DevRel
Fostering Remote Communities
Desire For Connection
Unconferences' Strengths
Self Care
"Still Better Together"
Sense Of Belonging
GraphQL Community
GraphQL Adoption Curve
GraphQL At Scale
Community Advocates
Developer Evangelists
Win-Win-Wins
Early Community Building
Community Tree
Minimum Viable Communities
Open Source Communities
Starting Community Work
Google vs AWS
Community Competitive Advantages
VC's Community Focus
Community Volunteering



Links:

Van Riper on LinkedIn

Van Riper on Medium

Van Riper on Twitter



We are currently hiring at ⁠Stellate⁠. If you got interested in potentially working with us, please take a look at our ⁠hiring page⁠.