Nicolas Cava
I'm a software engineering manager, entrepreneur, dad, traveler, gamer, and yogi. You can find me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or write me an email.
Software engineering manager
As a manager of software engineers and an experienced technical leader, I've specialized for many years in managing multi-disciplinary product development teams.
I've contributed to renowned products such as Crakrevenue (adtech and big data), PetalMD (healthtech), and Swile (fintech). I've led successful teams in bootstrapped companies such as Maple Inside (which I co-founded) and VC-funded companies such as Swile (30 million in series B, 70 million in series C) in Canada and France.
A deep respect for people combined with leadership by example is the core of my approach to management. I'm committed to providing the best possible work experience to the teams I'm responsible for by relying on simple, customized, and scalable organization systems. I love software, but I'm a systems nerd. I invite you to read my personal manifesto illustrating my comprehensive vision of businesses and organizations.
Even though my focus today is on organizations and people, I stay informed about software design and the latest product trends.
You can also find my contributions to the Open Source community on my GitHub.
Entrepreneur
Strongly entrepreneurial, I've founded several companies during my career, including Maple Inside, a startup studio born in Quebec City, Canada. It was founded in 2015 with former colleagues from Crakmedia. The studio saw the birth of several products in the adtech, sharing economy, and fintech (blockchain) industries.
After suffering a major failure on one of our flagship products, we had to eventually close operations in 2018. It was a demanding but vibrant experience, where I matured much from a business perspective and experienced rich human experiences that resulted in deep friendships. The startup studio's business model offers an exceptionally creative environment, but it is quite challenging to execute. Thought, some of the companies that emerged from the studio are still in business, such as MovingWaldo or Picks. I'm proud to have directly contributed to the success of these platforms.
Today, I'm involved in the decentralization of human organizations and the challenges that come with it.
Dad
I'm the father of two children, and that's my biggest pride. They are the backbone that brings balance and inspiration in my personal life and professional career. Being a parent has changed me profoundly. I learned to invest myself differently in my projects because I wanted to remain productive while spending as much time as possible with my family. Over the years, I've learned to organize and focus on minimizing wasted time and keeping my flow phases as long as possible. I'm now convinced that the key to fulfillment is knowing what is important to you and having the self-discipline to maintain it. I try to keep time with my family incompressible and seek full optimization of my professional time. I'm convinced that we can achieve a lot by organizing ourselves in consequence.
I work into my personal growth, and I such, I'm glad to share who I am and what I do know about myself, such as my strengths and weaknesses.
I'm heavily inspired by several authors and entrepreneurs, such as DHH, Leo Babauta, Tiago Forte, or Atul Gawande.
Traveler
I love to travel and immerse myself in other cultures, especially if I go exploring with my family so that my children can enjoy the open-mindedness and adventures coming from it. This passion translates as well by my investment into a remote-first lifestyle. However, remote-first doesn't mean remote-only but rather adapting for independent-location organizations where everyone can flourish no matter where they work (be it at home or with other colleagues). This vision of life and work leads me to be an advocate of flexibility in business and the decentralization of employment. I'm delighted to help anyone who wants to transform the approach to their profession or organization.
Gamer
A passion for many years, video games allow me to escape from the tech industry once in a while. It's a way for me to disconnect from my job and enjoy my friends remotely. Gaming is also a way for me to get inspired and get more creative, and I think that's because taking a step back from the professional world is vital to see things from a different perspective. I'm also a competitive person, and this hobby brings its share of challenges.
You can find me on Twitch and YouTube.
Yogi
I've always loved sports, especially when I was younger. Recently I discovered a new practice: yoga. I find that this discipline balances well with the sometimes fast-paced rhythm of my job by offering a profoundly patient experience, based on concentration and agility. It improves the body and mind in one collective piece. This practice of seeking the optimization of each movement is particularly appealing to me.