I’m Victoria, and I help developer tools companies figure out go-to-market, positioning, and how to get from zero to their first real customers. As Head of New Business at Evil Martians, I work with 40+ early-stage startups a year — mostly seed to Series B, mostly in SF, mostly building for developers.
I host Dev Propulsion Labs, a podcast where I interview the founders behind Sentry, Cursor, Supabase, PlanetScale, WorkOS, Neon, Chroma, Resend, and many others on what actually makes developer-focused businesses work. I’ve sat down with 30+ founders and I still can’t quite believe this is my job.
I drove Evil Martians’ repositioning from a Rails consultancy to the go-to design and engineering partner for developer tools, AI, and cybersecurity startups. I’m interested in how AI is changing the way developers discover and adopt tools, and what that means for the companies building them.
Mom, wife, women-in-tech advocate, and a self-described Russian Ipanema girl based in San Francisco.
Paul Copplestone, Supabase
Scaling to 5M developers with no meetings
Paul Copplestone, CEO of Supabase, on how Launch Weeks became a movement, why he hires ex-founders with beaten-down egos, and how vibe coding tools like Bolt.new chose Supabase as their default database. He breaks down multiple stages of product-market fit, scaling a remote team across 40 countries, and why he’s building for a 30-year timeline.
DHH, Ruby on Rails
20 years of Rails and why one developer can build everything
DHH (David Heinemeier Hansson), creator of Ruby on Rails and co-founder of Basecamp and HEY, on 20 years of building Rails, the Renaissance Developer concept, and why single developers with the right framework can build entire products. He shares how Rails spawned Shopify, GitHub, and Airbnb, and how he’s changed his mind on everything from TypeScript to overwork culture.
Harjot Gill, CodeRabbit
From viral in Japan to $60M Series B
Harjot Gill, CEO and co-founder of CodeRabbit, on how CodeRabbit went viral in Japan before anywhere else, why AI code generation makes code review more important not less, and running PLG and enterprise sales at the same time. He shares why old startup playbooks don’t work anymore, how open source became their best GTM channel, and why the next Amazon is already being founded right now.
José Valim, Elixir
13 years of Elixir and the future of AI tooling
José Valim, creator of Elixir and founder of Dashbit, on how following curiosity over market trends led him to build one of the most loved programming languages. He shares why technical decisions should come before adoption, how radical decentralization let Elixir compete without Google’s resources, and what he’s building with Tidewave — higher-level AI tools that understand web frameworks, not just code.
Posts
- Solving the Nebraska problem with the Open Source Endowment
Solving the Nebraska problem with the Open Source Endowment
![Cover for Solving the Nebraska problem with the Open Source Endowment]()
- What devtools founders making $100M+ ARR told me in San Francisco
What devtools founders making $100M+ ARR told me in San Francisco
![Cover for What devtools founders making $100M+ ARR told me in San Francisco]()
- Why Evil Martians hosted a Ruby conference in San Francisco
Why Evil Martians hosted a Ruby conference in San Francisco
![Cover for Why Evil Martians hosted a Ruby conference in San Francisco]()
- How AI startups use changelogs to win developer trust
How AI startups use changelogs to win developer trust
![Cover for How AI startups use changelogs to win developer trust]()
- How Recraft's lean team is challenging the AI image generation giants
How Recraft's lean team is challenging the AI image generation giants
![Cover for How Recraft's lean team is challenging the AI image generation giants]()
- How to kill conversions on your developer tool's landing page
How to kill conversions on your developer tool's landing page
![Cover for How to kill conversions on your developer tool's landing page]()
- How Doximity brought real-time Go power to their Rails app
How Doximity brought real-time Go power to their Rails app
![Cover for How Doximity brought real-time Go power to their Rails app]()
- Hire better, 10X faster: how we screen 50 engineers weekly with no HR
Hire better, 10X faster: how we screen 50 engineers weekly with no HR
![Cover for Hire better, 10X faster: how we screen 50 engineers weekly with no HR]()
- bolt.new from StackBlitz: how they surfed the AI wave—with no wipeouts
bolt.new from StackBlitz: how they surfed the AI wave—with no wipeouts
![Cover for bolt.new from StackBlitz: how they surfed the AI wave—with no wipeouts]()
- Founders, if you want A+ startup success, do the homework first!
Founders, if you want A+ startup success, do the homework first!
![Cover for Founders, if you want A+ startup success, do the homework first!]()
- A letter to founders: join the local-first movement!
A letter to founders: join the local-first movement!
![Cover for A letter to founders: join the local-first movement!]()
- The SDK Imperative: why developer tools live or die by their SDKs
The SDK Imperative: why developer tools live or die by their SDKs
![Cover for The SDK Imperative: why developer tools live or die by their SDKs]()
- How to cultivate capital: 6 tips from developer tools founders and VCs
How to cultivate capital: 6 tips from developer tools founders and VCs
![Cover for How to cultivate capital: 6 tips from developer tools founders and VCs]()
- How to turn an open source project into a profitable business
How to turn an open source project into a profitable business
![Cover for How to turn an open source project into a profitable business]()
- Web Summit 2022: what you missed and how to be ready for next year
Web Summit 2022: what you missed and how to be ready for next year
Past events
- Anuraag Gutgutia, co-founder of TrueFoundry: trust closes enterprise deals
Anuraag Gutgutia, co-founder of TrueFoundry: trust closes enterprise deals
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Anuraag Gutgutia, co-founder of TrueFoundry: trust closes enterprise deals]()
- Stas Kelvich: from quantum physics to Neon's $1B Databricks acquisition
Stas Kelvich: from quantum physics to Neon's $1B Databricks acquisition
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Stas Kelvich: from quantum physics to Neon's $1B Databricks acquisition]()
- Harjot Gill: how CodeRabbit went from viral in Japan to $60M Series B
Harjot Gill: how CodeRabbit went from viral in Japan to $60M Series B
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Harjot Gill: how CodeRabbit went from viral in Japan to $60M Series B]()
- David Gomes of Cursor: why half of developers still aren't using AI
David Gomes of Cursor: why half of developers still aren't using AI
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for David Gomes of Cursor: why half of developers still aren't using AI]()
- Monica Sarbu of Xata: rebuilding a Postgres platform and why diverse teams win
Monica Sarbu of Xata: rebuilding a Postgres platform and why diverse teams win
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Monica Sarbu of Xata: rebuilding a Postgres platform and why diverse teams win]()
- Piyush Agarwal of Reo.dev: intent signals and devtool GTM
Piyush Agarwal of Reo.dev: intent signals and devtool GTM
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Piyush Agarwal of Reo.dev: intent signals and devtool GTM]()
- David Cramer, founder of Sentry: building for the Fortune 500,000
David Cramer, founder of Sentry: building for the Fortune 500,000
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for David Cramer, founder of Sentry: building for the Fortune 500,000]()
- Abhi Aiyer, co-founder of Mastra: TypeScript for AI agents and making moves
Abhi Aiyer, co-founder of Mastra: TypeScript for AI agents and making moves
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Abhi Aiyer, co-founder of Mastra: TypeScript for AI agents and making moves]()
- Michael Grinich, founder of WorkOS: the plumbing behind OpenAI and Cursor
Michael Grinich, founder of WorkOS: the plumbing behind OpenAI and Cursor
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Michael Grinich, founder of WorkOS: the plumbing behind OpenAI and Cursor]()
- Ivan Burazin, CEO of Daytona: walking from $300K ARR to build for agents
Ivan Burazin, CEO of Daytona: walking from $300K ARR to build for agents
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Ivan Burazin, CEO of Daytona: walking from $300K ARR to build for agents]()
- Paul Copplestone: scaling to 5M developers with no meetings
Paul Copplestone: scaling to 5M developers with no meetings
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Paul Copplestone: scaling to 5M developers with no meetings]()
- Sam Lambert, CEO of PlanetScale: databases that never go down
Sam Lambert, CEO of PlanetScale: databases that never go down
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Sam Lambert, CEO of PlanetScale: databases that never go down]()
- Zeno Rocha, founder of Resend: $18M Series A by obsessing over every detail
Zeno Rocha, founder of Resend: $18M Series A by obsessing over every detail
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Zeno Rocha, founder of Resend: $18M Series A by obsessing over every detail]()
- Devtool founder picnic | Seed, series A - #SFTechWeek
Devtool founder picnic | Seed, series A - #SFTechWeek
Devtool founder picnic![Cover for Devtool founder picnic | Seed, series A - #SFTechWeek]()
- Jeff Huber, co-founder of Chroma: context engineering and modern AI search
Jeff Huber, co-founder of Chroma: context engineering and modern AI search
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Jeff Huber, co-founder of Chroma: context engineering and modern AI search]()
- Sarah Wooders: on why LLMs are like Memento
Sarah Wooders: on why LLMs are like Memento
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Sarah Wooders: on why LLMs are like Memento]()
- Jason Bosco: serving billions searches monthly without VC funding
Jason Bosco: serving billions searches monthly without VC funding
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Jason Bosco: serving billions searches monthly without VC funding]()
- Anna Veronika Dorogush: my team makes me proud
Anna Veronika Dorogush: my team makes me proud
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Anna Veronika Dorogush: my team makes me proud]()
- LaunchKit pitch: devtool landing page template
LaunchKit pitch: devtool landing page template
SF Awesome AI Dev Tools![Cover for LaunchKit pitch: devtool landing page template]()
- Michael Magán: time to build user-centric software
Michael Magán: time to build user-centric software
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Michael Magán: time to build user-centric software]()
- José Valim: 13 years of Elixir and the future of AI tooling
José Valim: 13 years of Elixir and the future of AI tooling
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for José Valim: 13 years of Elixir and the future of AI tooling]()
- Adam Wenchel, founder and CEO at Arthur: developer empathy, last mile problem in AI deployment and open source
Adam Wenchel, founder and CEO at Arthur: developer empathy, last mile problem in AI deployment and open source
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Adam Wenchel, founder and CEO at Arthur: developer empathy, last mile problem in AI deployment and open source]()
- Why Bolt.new Won and Most DevTools AI Pivots Failed
Why Bolt.new Won and Most DevTools AI Pivots Failed
AI Engineer World's Fair 2025![Cover for Why Bolt.new Won and Most DevTools AI Pivots Failed]()
- DHH: 20 years of Rails and why one developer can build everything
DHH: 20 years of Rails and why one developer can build everything
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for DHH: 20 years of Rails and why one developer can build everything]()
- Navigating success: business strategies for design & web development services
Navigating success: business strategies for design & web development services
JAMstack Porto - Commercializing Open Source with Victoria Melnikova
Commercializing Open Source with Victoria Melnikova
.NET Rocks! - Commercializing Open Source with Victoria Melnikova of Evil Martians
Commercializing Open Source with Victoria Melnikova of Evil Martians
Jamstack Radio![Cover for Commercializing Open Source with Victoria Melnikova of Evil Martians]()
- Season 1, Episode 4: Bootstrapping & Fundraising
Season 1, Episode 4: Bootstrapping & Fundraising
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Season 1, Episode 4: Bootstrapping & Fundraising]()
- Season 1, Episode 3: Developer Tools & Product Design
Season 1, Episode 3: Developer Tools & Product Design
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Season 1, Episode 3: Developer Tools & Product Design]()
- Season 1, Episode 2: Tech marketing done right
Season 1, Episode 2: Tech marketing done right
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Season 1, Episode 2: Tech marketing done right]()
- Visiting the Startup Grind conference
Visiting the Startup Grind conference
Startup Grind Global Conference 2023 - Season 1, Episode 1: Building communities around products
Season 1, Episode 1: Building communities around products
Dev Propulsion Labs![Cover for Season 1, Episode 1: Building communities around products]()
- Bites and Bytes founder gathering: dev tools & open source
Bites and Bytes founder gathering: dev tools & open source
Bites and Bytes founder gathering
