I am Vitaliy Podoba, an entrepreneur, software solutions designer, and founder of SoftFormance, a Python-focused development agency established in 2011. My career spans over 20 years, starting as a backend Python developer before transitioning into technical leadership and business strategy.

I started working with Plone CMS in 2006 and remained active in the community until around 2015, when our agency shifted focus towards Django and other Python-based frameworks and CMSs. During that time, I contributed to migration tools, presented at Plone conferences – including my talk in Washington DC on quantum leaps in content migration – and supported multiple enterprise Plone projects.

Today, although my team primarily works with Django, we continue to maintain and build Plone CMS solutions for several clients. I am now returning to the Plone community with a fresh perspective – this time as a marketer eager to help move the needle, increase Plone’s visibility, and grow its community.

Beyond Plone, I am engaged in the broader Python and Django communities, author of a book for developers learning Django, and a mentor for first-time software founders building their own ERPs, CRMs, and SaaS products. My mission is to empower open-source projects and businesses to build robust, user-friendly software while ensuring their technical efforts are matched with effective marketing and growth strategies.