17: Aleksandr Volodarsky (Lemon)

Revenue: Real Startup Stories

English - February 03, 2021 13:00 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MB - ★★★★★ - 12 ratings
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Previous Episode: 16: Declan Schweitzer (Albert)

Next Episode: 18: Karen Danudjaja (Blume)

Aleksandr Volodarsky is Co-Founder & CEO of Lemon.io, a marketplace for vetted software developers. This episode centers on building a startup and finding the right technical talent, whether that's a co-founder, a CTO, or an engineer. In particular, we talk about how to prioritize the right attribute when hiring developers.

Lemon is a unique company, with a strong brand and a willingness to experiment out in the open. Aleksandr and his team share financials, wins, losses, and more. I hope you enjoy our conversation!

GUEST

Aleksandr Volodarsky LinkedIn
Aleksandr Volodarsky Blog
Lemon.io Website

PODCAST

Safa Mahzari
Patreon
Alluxo Website

TERMS

CV = curriculum vitae, similar to a résumé
CTO = chief technology officer
GMV = gross merchandise value
UI = user interface
UX = user experience
Backend = the code running on servers, processing your requests
Frontend = what you see on your mobile device or in your web browser

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Episode intro
0:49 - Aleksandr's background
6:20 - How did you end up in tech?
9:31 - What is Lemon.io?
14:25 - Building a two-sided marketplace
19:23 - Are people vetting developers correctly?
26:15 - Finding a partner vs. hiring a developer
30:58 - Being transparent on social media
35:08 - Experimenting with everything
42:45 - Fear about being judged
48:22 - Goals for 2021
50:38 - Wrap up and final thoughts