Michael Petrov

Time to appreciate Michael Petrov, this guy’s the real deal in the startup game. He’s a YC W12 alum, so he’s been in the trenches for a minute, and he’s crushed it across the board.

So, here’s the scoop, Michael’s not just some coder, he’s a straight-up tech junkie with a crazy versatile background. Started out in economics and psych at Waterloo, yeah, that’s a weird combo but it totally makes sense. It’s like he’s got the brains to understand people and the market, plus the tech skills to build shit.

He first got into the scene with PHP, even wrote a book about it, no cap. Then, he jumped into iOS, and that’s where things got interesting. He built one of the first iOS database apps, FMTouch, super ahead of its time. But the real big change was co-founding Couple back in YC W12. That was a messaging app for couples, think Tinder but for serious relationships. It blew up, millions of downloads, thousands of five-star reviews. No surprise, they caught the eye of Dropbox, who scooped it up in 2015.

Post-acquisition, Michael didn’t just fade into the background. Nah, he jumped into Dropbox’s iOS team and became a founding member of their Mobile Platform squad. Dude’s been a key player in building tools to speed up app releases, making shit better and faster. That’s some serious product engineering muscle.

But here’s the thing, Michael’s not just about business and coding. The guy’s super curious. In his spare time, he’s messing around with VR, TensorFlow, Intel Edison, even Amazon Echo. Basically, he’s always tinkering, always pushing the boundaries of what tech can do. That thirst for experimentation shows he’s all about innovation, not just following trends.

And he’s not just about startups. He’s worked at companies like Dropbox, Couple, Tenthbit, Maide, FMWebschool. All solid names, all about building cool shit. You can tell he’s got a real passion for creating products that actually matter, and he’s not afraid to jump into new tech to make it happen.

So, what does this say about him? Michael’s the kind of founder who doesn’t just want to build startups for the sake of it. He’s driven by curiosity, a love for tech, and a desire to solve real problems. His process from PHP books to founding a hit app, then joining Dropbox’s top team, shows he’s got grit, smarts, and a never-say-die attitude.

Bottom line, this guy’s the embodiment of what it means to be a modern builder. He’s constantly learning, experimenting, and pushing the limits. If you ask me, he’s one of those people you wanna watch, ’cause he’s just getting started.