Hi, my name is

Konstantin Laptev.

Projection Mapping • disguise • xR • LED

Dynamic and versatile Video Technical Manager with over 18 years in live production, corporate events and broadcast. Expertise in projection mapping, disguise (d3), Pixera, xR technologies and large-scale events (Formula 1, Soundstorm 600k+, ONE Zabeel world record).

Konstantin Laptev

About me

Entrepreneur, Operator, and Builder of Systems

I am an entrepreneur focused on building products, platforms, and companies that compound over time. My work sits at the intersection of technology, product, and business strategy, with a bias toward ownership, long-term thinking, and execution.

I started my career deep in software engineering, where I learned how systems fail, scale, and succeed in the real world. Over time, my role expanded beyond code into product design, infrastructure, analytics, and ultimately company building. That progression shapes how I operate today: I think in systems, but I act through products.

I currently build and operate multiple ventures, including Inflection Studio, while advising founders and leadership teams on critical product and technology decisions. I am selective about where I spend time and energy, preferring problems that require judgment, not just effort.

I am interested in businesses that value trust, clarity, and durability over speed for its own sake. I optimise for leverage, learning and compounding outcomes rather than short-term wins.

What I Do

Venture Building

I design, build, and operate digital products from concept to market. This includes defining product strategy, assembling teams, shipping platforms, and iterating based on real-world usage.

View Projects ↗

Advisory & Strategy

I work with founders and leadership teams navigating product, technology, and growth decisions. Engagements are selective and focused on clarity rather than execution volume.

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Writing & Thought Work

Through essays and my newsletter, I explore edge cases in technology, business, and human decision-making. Writing is a tool for thinking clearly and sharing patterns learned through building.

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Where I've Worked

Senior Software Engineer @ Neal Street Technology

November 2024 - Present

  • Member of the core platform team responsible for system reliability, scalability, and cost efficiency across AWS-hosted services.
  • Contributed to initiatives to optimize cloud infrastructure and reduce AWS spend, implementing monitoring and right-sizing strategies that improved performance and operational efficiency.
  • Designed and maintained internal tooling and shared libraries that accelerated product development and improved engineering consistency across teams.
  • Primary maintainer of the merchant dashboard, delivering critical analytics and operational insights for a multi-vendor loyalty and e-commerce platform.
  • Led the migration of legacy data pipelines to a modular, production-grade workflow using MWAA (Apache Airflow), improving reliability and observability of data jobs.
  • Partnered with data engineers to implement dbt-based data transformations, enabling high-value business metrics and actionable insights for operations and merchant teams.

Senior Software Engineer @ Teya

January 2023 - November 2024

  • Transitioned to Teya following the acquisition of Yoyo Group and led the migration of Yoyo’s legacy systems to Teya’s AWS cloud platform.
  • Designed Kubernetes infrastructure code using Helm charts, Tilt, Tekton, and ArgoCD (CI/CD), delivering a resilient, high-performing cloud-based system.
  • Built and integrated Python libraries for cloud observability, enhancing applications with telemetry data, alert mechanisms, and Prometheus-powered Grafana dashboards for comprehensive monitoring.
  • Integrated the company’s centralized merchant database with loyalty domain apps, fostering an interconnected ecosystem for improved customer experience.
  • Spearheaded the integration of the company’s transaction processor with loyalty apps, utilizing Kafka and Kubernetes autoscaling to handle up to 2 million transactions daily.

Platform Engineer @ Yoyo Group

October 2021 - March 2023

  • Developed and maintained high-load APIs as part of the Payments and Integrations team, ensuring scalability and reliability for enterprise applications.
  • Integrated with major payment service providers including Checkout, Judopay, and Adyen.
  • Streamlined checkout processes by integrating third-party gateways such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Stripe.
  • Engineered Python Django backend services powering payments and card-linked loyalty programs for Yoyo’s extensive enterprise ecosystem.

Founding Senior Software Engineer @ Acquicent

April 2021 - July 2023

  • Engineered the organization’s MVP, integrating key financial services like Opensea and Circle Financial Services to enable zero-blockchain payment processing with USDC, Plaid, and Templum APIs.
  • Delivered the MVP rapidly, attracting VC and investor attention, culminating in a successful $1 million pre-seed funding round.
  • Spearheaded the research and development of blockchain infrastructure using ethers.js, Hardhat, OpenZeppelin, and Solidity.

Software Engineer @ Skye Tech Group

October 2019 - October 2021

  • Delivered tailored software solutions across education, healthcare, eCommerce, and postal services by collaborating with a cross-functional development team.
  • Introduced Docker workflows, significantly enhancing operational efficiency and deployment processes.
  • Established comprehensive documentation practices, fostering project clarity and continuity.
  • Engineered backend systems leveraging Django for scalable web applications, REST and GraphQL APIs for seamless data exchange, React.js and Vue.js for dynamic user interfaces, and Docker and Kubernetes for containerized deployments.

Featured Projects

A selection of my recent work

Amiccii

Amiccii

Made at Inflection Studio

Next.js Tailwind CSS Beehiv
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Eleven Motors Kenya

Eleven Motors Kenya

Made at Inflection Studio

Django Next.js Docker
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Hoteles & Hogares Travel

Hoteles & Hogares Travel

Made at Inflection Studio

ShadCN Next.js Directus
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Kimani and Michuki Advocates

Kimani and Michuki Advocates

Made at Inflection Studio

Django ShadCN Figma +1
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BridgeLab Africa

BridgeLab Africa

Made at Inflection Studio

Next.js Tailwind CSS Django
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Kai and Karo

Kai and Karo

Made at Inflection Studio

django nextjs docker
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Parklands sports club app

Parklands sports club app

Made at skyetech

Django jquery flutter
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Muthaiga golf club app

Muthaiga golf club app

Made at skyetech

Django Vue.js flutter
View Details

Latest Articles

Thoughts on software development, technology, and personal growth

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artificial intelligence software engineering ai agents

AI Is Not Replacing You. It’s Reshaping How You Think.

A software engineer reflects on how AI agents are reshaping engineering work, job expectations, and the definition of leverage in the age of AI.

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From Gridsome to Astro: Rebuilding My Personal Site for the Next Phase
astro personal-website performance

From Gridsome to Astro: Rebuilding My Personal Site for the Next Phase

Why I migrated my personal site from Gridsome to Astro, moved from Netlify to Cloudflare, and open-sourced the entire codebase.

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personal reflection year in review building

Building Better: Looking Back on 2025

A reflective review of my 2025. Lessons from building businesses, teaching, writing, training and navigating a rapidly changing technological landscape shaped by AI.

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Career Transitions Leadership

On Graceful Exits

Learning how to leave well — preserving dignity, relationships and future possibility.

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Writing Learning Clarity

Why I Write

Writing helps me think clearly, learn better and communicate with intention. It is a way to teach, connect with strangers, grow in my career and let loose ideas that deserve to be shared.

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python django posthog

Smarter Apps with PostHog: Feature Flags & Analytics

Learn how to integrate PostHog into a production Django application. This tutorial covers setting up a robust singleton client, identifying users and groups via middleware, and implementing robust, plan-based feature flags for a multi-tenant SaaS.

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