Why did you decide to become a mentor?
Mentorship was a natural next step for me. As my consultancy grew, friends and startup founders regularly reached out for help on how to prepare for big-client demos, whether to hire someone with a heavy corporate background, or how to push back on scope creep.
Over time, the questions got more strategic. I’ve seen firsthand how early-stage teams can overextend themselves by giving enterprise clients too much access. And there’s often not enough guidance on how to avoid that.
After years of mentoring unofficially, I realized I could offer structured, reliable support. I also found myself helping more people transitioning from corporate roles, people who were smart and capable but needed help understanding the startup rhythm, mindset, and risks. Helping people bridge the gap between corporate environments and early-stage startup culture is a space I’ve come to know well.
How did you get your career start?
I started out with a BA in archaeological conservation and an MSc in computer science. I initially considered pursuing a PhD on expert systems in conservation, but a mentor convinced me otherwise, explaining the limitations of the tech at the time and the lack of real career paths in that field.
That honest feedback changed my life. I shifted into tech and never looked back. It was some of the best advice I’ve ever received, and a powerful reminder that sometimes what you need most is someone to redirect you, not encourage you blindly.
Early in my tech career, I worked at startups where I saw how useful it would have been to have a mentor, someone who could step in and help a team avoid common pitfalls, especially when managing their first big clients. That early experience working at the intersection of product delivery and enterprise integration helped shape my current approach.
What do mentees usually come to you for?
Most of my mentees are early-stage SaaS founders or professionals making the leap from corporate roles into startups.
Founders usually come to me for guidance around managing enterprise relationships, team structure, demo strategy, or refining their roadmap. I’ve helped teams figure out how to balance client requests with product focus and how to keep big customers from hijacking their entire dev cycle.
Corporate professionals often want help repositioning their experience. Together, we work on translating their skills into startup-native strengths like iterative thinking, ambiguity tolerance, and full ownership. These conversations are often part of a larger career pivot strategy, where we figure out how to align old strengths with new work models.
I also receive requests from people curious about immersive tech, especially after seeing my work with ArchaeoXR, the VR reconstruction project I founded. That’s been a great way to connect with founders experimenting with Unity, VRChat, and other real-time 3D tools, but unsure how to approach them from a product and business standpoint.
What's been your favourite mentorship success story so far?
One of my favorites is from before I officially joined MentorCruise. A friend of mine was a talented machine learning engineer working in a large retail company, but he was burned out, frustrated, and losing interest in programming altogether. At the same time, he loved working on personal game development projects with his brother, and we began exploring how he might turn that passion into something more. We worked together to help him transition smoothly out of his corporate job, while maintaining good relationships and financial runway. He eventually co-founded a small indie game studio, and just recently they sent out the alpha version of their first game to testers.
That moment, helping someone pivot from frustration to creative momentum, is more fulfilling to me than launching any large-scale system. It’s why I mentor.
What are you getting out of being a mentor?
At first, mentoring was just a way to help friends avoid the hard lessons I’d learned. But over time, it became something more.
It’s now one of my favorite ways to stay sharp, especially when I get to work with people outside my niche. It challenges me to communicate clearly, consider new angles, and grow alongside my mentees.
And of course, seeing someone take a step forward, whether that’s launching their MVP, handling a difficult client, or feeling confident in a major career shift, is incredibly fulfilling.
Mentorship is a two-way street. I’ve been lucky to work with people who inspire me with their ambition, their creativity, and their willingness to ask the tough questions. It’s helped me grow, too.