Tech Unicorn Builders

Hands-on Growth Studio for Scaleups: automations, AI MVPs, product analytics, and insights, CPTO coaching. Short-term high-impact projects that help you grow your revenues and minimize chaos. Build faster, automate smarter, and grow with data. We help you scale product, team, and market with AI, analytics, and hands-on execution.

Co-Founder

EffizienzAgent

Automation specialist helping German SMEs eliminate manual processes. GDPR-compliant solutions delivering ROI within 1-2 months. Remote-first approach for cost-effective implementation across DACH region.

Automating what annoys you. 🤖

Founder, CEO, Consultant

Diving Nomads

Bridging the gap between deep focus and deep dives. I’m co-building a community for certified divers who work remotely — curating remote-work friendly dive spots, organizing colivings and pop-up divecations, and creating spaces for meaningful connection both online and in real life.

We're building a platform where freedom meets flow — for freelancers, founders, and creatives who live and dive differently.

🌍 divingnomads.club

unblocked.engineering by INOCEA Consulting Ltd.

Technical Leadership, Technical Advisory, and Lean Software Development for SaaS Startups from Seed to Series B.

Founder, Fractional / Interim Tech Lead, Tech Advisor, Trainer & Mentor

Seed-Stage Startup

Introducing Product Discovery and Sync processes, enabling the team to work on the most important things. Running product strategy workshops with the team to enable better decision-making on all levels. Product management for a mobile app. Technical coaching for dev teams, introduction and facilitation of retrospectives and continuous improvement of ways of working. Introducing infrastructure as code and increasing automation of the deploy process.

Interim/Fractional Senior Product Manager & Technical Agile Coach

The Mentoring Club

Helping young software professionals from around the world with their next step. Mentoring on topics like leadership, software engineering and architecture, agile & lean, remote work, SaaS/Cloud, developer experience and organizational design and culture.

https://www.mentoring-club.com/the-mentors/tobias-mende

Mentor

Stealth Startup

Technical Advisor and Technical Agile Coach

Supporting the founding team in technical and cultural questions and decisions to ensure quality, scalability and development speed. Coaching and mentoring the team in development (technologies: JavaScript, TypeScript, Node, Vue, Go, GCP, Mongo, Elastic). Architecture and code reviews and recommendations for action. Coaching of junior developers. Development of prototypes and proofs of concept. Increasing testability and reducing the complexity of architecture and code. Development of tech vision and strategy.

Fractional CTO and Technical Advisor

BRYTER

Founded and led a cross-functional platform team to improve developer experience and productivity, implementing continuous delivery, reducing the development lead time by 75%, and driving cultural and technical changes toward engineering excellence.

Developer Experience Engineer and Technical Lead

PAYONE

Development of payment connectors and fraud prevention systems. Refactoring of monolithic applications into independent services. Reduction of development lead time by 50%.

Senior Software Developer / Architect

Dräger

Application development for distributed gas detection systems. Teaching Git, Git workflows and TDD. Promoting awareness of software craft and introducing Continuous Integration in multiple teams and projects.

Software Engineer, Technical Lead, Coach and Trainer

I help SaaS companies with up to 250 employees build a high-performing engineering organization by utilizing my expertise in (technical) leadership and developer productivity.

🚀 Helping Founders Build Businesses That Run Smoothly — Without Becoming the Bottleneck

You started your business with passion and vision. But as it grows, new challenges emerge:

⚡ More and more decisions demand your input.
⚡ Your team hesitates to take full ownership.
⚡ Delegation feels impossible — things still land back on your plate.
⚡ The quality isn’t where you want it to be, and stepping away seems risky.

This is a natural stage of growth, but it doesn’t have to stay this way.

I help founders break free from being the bottleneck by building self-sustaining businesses — where teams take ownership, make smart decisions, and keep things running smoothly without constant oversight. The goal? A business that thrives, even when you step away.

👥 What I Do

I work as a sparring partner, advisor, and trainer for founders of growing startups and SMBs, helping them:

🔍 Uncover blind spots – Identify what’s slowing down decision-making and execution.
🛠 Enable smart leadership – Build structures that empower your team to take real responsibility.
📈 Streamline operations – Reduce complexity, eliminate bottlenecks, and free up your time for what truly matters.

The result? Less stress, fewer roadblocks, and a company that works — with or without you.

🌍 Who I Am

I’m Tobi — entrepreneur, leadership advisor, and sparring partner for founders who want high-performing businesses without unnecessary stress.

As a digital nomad, I’ve worked with founders worldwide and seen firsthand how different cultures approach leadership, decision-making, and collaboration. I know that “right and wrong” are often contextual, that true resilience comes from adaptability, and that great companies are built on trust and autonomy.

🌊 Home is wherever the ocean is. As a rebreather diver, I know that true freedom comes when you trust your system, stay calm under pressure, and let things run smoothly — just like in a well-functioning business.

Tobias Mende

Squarespace

Software Engineering Manager

Spotify

Led the development of Spotify's Music Insight for Creator, processing billions of records daily and reducing data costs by $2M annually. Transitioned Spotify's Data Out Infrastructure to Apache Druid for broader analysis and lower costs, managed two technical squads in the Music Vertical and oversaw teams handling data pipelines for KPI calculation.

Engineering Manager II

Blue Apron

Executed various engineering projects for the Consumer platform, including Web and iOS App development, and led two teams of software engineers and product managers. Also implemented best engineering practices, lean and agile methodologies, continuous integration and delivery, and conducted code reviews.

Engineering Manager

Obsess

Led the creation of the Obsess Mixed Reality Shopping Platform using various technologies. Alumnus of TechStars '17 and NY Fashion Tech Lab '17,. Contributed to company strategy and funding, and implemented best engineering practices. Notable projects include a VR mobile fashion show app, a VR mobile e-commerce app for Google Daydream, and several WebVR client experiences.

Co-Founder & VP of Engineering

Condé Nast

Led a team to create and deploy GQ's new web App, significantly improving site traffic and performance. Managed migrating digital content to a new CMS, fostering best practices, and building the tech team. Their efforts made GQ's website the fastest in Condé Nast

Director of Engineering at GQ

AHAlife

Led the creation of AHAlife's e-commerce platform, managed a global team of engineers, and established cloud-based IT architecture, maintaining a 99.98% service level agreement. Provided daily IT support, implemented continuous integration/delivery practices, managed various projects, and improved website performance by 62%.

Lead Engineer

Smartmatic Labs

Led improvements to the SEG Application for Venezuelan elections, Engineered Venezuela's first safety monitoring system, Helped roll out media analysis technology, and developed a national real estate registry program. Created various applications and managed technology platforms for both national and international projects.

Software Engineer

I have been working in the technology industry for 18 years, starting as a Software Engineer and eventually becoming an Engineering Manager. known for driving significant technological advancements and team development. My expertise lies in leading transformative projects, pioneering new technologies, and creating solutions that prioritize user experience and business impact.

As an Engineering Lead, I believe in empowering teams and individuals by fostering an environment of transparency, collaboration, and growth. This approach has consistently led to enhanced digital engagement, operational efficiencies, and significant cost savings in my projects.

Currently, my focus is on mastering Software Engineering Architecture and Leadership, with a goal of excelling in engineering management and scalable system architecture. My aim is to create impactful technology solutions that align with strategic business objectives and contribute meaningfully to progress in the tech sector.

taplio

The Battle

Tobias Mende

Daniel Chang

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