Start-ups were my first love. I vividly remember the excitement back in 2008, stepping into a dusty basement in the outskirts of Bucharest for one of my first design interviews. I was as prepared as one could be: wearing my freshly ironed shirt, with a portfolio showcasing my best work, and my responses to potential questions rehearsed to perfection.

Little did I know, I was about to step into a world where traditional rules didn't apply. No portfolio review. No 'Where do you see yourself in 5 years?'. Not even a hint of corporate slang. Just a casual conversation about a big and daunting question: 'How can we make this work?'.

What followed was endless days and nights spent in front of the computer, hundreds of screens designed in Adobe Fireworks (remember that?), passionate debates about how things should function, and an overarching ambition to change the world as we knew it back then.

That rush—the uncertainty, the possibility, the thrill of building something from nothing—made me the designer I am today. It's the feeling of sketching the first wireframe, shipping the V1, seeing the first real customers, and watching an idea transform into something tangible.

Since then, I've helped launch numerous start-ups that became leaders in their field, seen companies evolve from idea to IPO, and navigated every stage of a builder's journey.

The industry has changed, but my excitement stayed the same. I'm still chasing that same rush.

Whenever I have a conversation with a founder, I'm back in that dusty basement, ready to get to work.