Meet the Team: David Beinhauer, Backend Developer

David Beinhauer is a backend developer and one of the founding members of our engineering team.

He joined the company in 2014 after working on an early iteration of the zkipster app. David is based in Ostrava in the Czech Republic, and speaks Czech, Slovak, Polish, and English.

David, tell us about your career before you arrived at zkipster.

"I studied software development at VSB Technical University of Ostrava. Microsoft ran a student programme at the university, and becoming a student partner on this program was a big part of my university experience: I made lots of connections, wrote articles and gave speeches. I also joined an additional program with a select number of students, and we were invited to visit Microsoft HQ.

"On the Microsoft program we learnt about new and emerging technologies, some of which no longer exist, given how dynamic the tech industry is. One was Azure Cloud Computing - a colleague and I entered and won a competition to come up with an innovative new idea utilizing the technology - and another was .NET, which I decided to follow in my career.

"I had already started working for Tieto, a big tech company in Ostrava, during my studies, and when I graduated I began working there full-time. I worked as a UX/UI designer, a front and backend engineer and as a Java developer – back then Nokia was the industry leader for mobile. Backend engineering was the best fit for me, but I still like working on the frontend and learning new technologies: my aim is to become a full stack developer.

"Next I joined a cool young agency in Prague called STRV, and one of the first projects I was assigned to was zkipster. At that very early stage, zkipster existed only as a simple application for guest list management, with an old tech stack and no features besides guest pictures: nothing like what it is today and what it continues to evolve to be.

"The agency project involved carrying out some maintenance and starting to integrate Salesforce and Hubspot, and I found I really liked zkipster as a company and the people I was working with. I preferred to focus on the project full-time so I asked to work directly with zkipster, rather than via the agency, and luckily they agreed!"

As our first full-time developer, David has been with zkipster from the very beginning. His loyalty and willingness to grow with the company inspires and sets a great example for us all.

Daniel Dessauges | CEO | zkipster

Tell us about your role at zkipster.

"I am a backend engineer for zkipster, which in simple terms means that I am responsible for the data. However the role is anything but simple – security is paramount at zkipster and there is a huge focus on data validation and syncs, and keeping our clients’ data both safe and accessible."

What’s the best thing about working at zkipster?

"The people - I would be lying if I said otherwise! zkipster brings together top notch experts from different areas, and I learn new things from them every day. I work with great people on the development team and the fact that our team is so stable, with zero fluctuation in terms of people leaving, is meaningful.

"Covid obviously had a huge impact on the event industry, but it demonstrated how strong the zkipster team is: thanks to management we were all thinking of ways to support our customers through such difficult times. We quickly set up a Zoom integration and began supporting virtual and hybrid events."

Not many tech companies can pride themselves on having their very first developer still on the team after a decade. Such top talent, devotion and incredible loyalty are hard to find, and I couldn’t be more proud to have David on our team!

Décio Sousa | CTO | zkipster 

"I also appreciate the fact that we listen to our customers and really focus on their needs: it means that we don’t waste time developing a feature that won’t be used. The first feature I worked on when I joined zkipster was guest picture sourcing, and I’ve been part of every feature that has launched since then. Shaping new features from the very first version right through to launch is a great experience, and knowing that code I have written is used by customers is a great feeling."

What are the most memorable events you’ve been part of, whether for work or in your personal life?

"For work, it would have to be the trip to Portugal when I first met the development team in person, as we work remotely. I’ve already made four work trips to Portugal, and as I love to travel I’ll often combine them with a family road trip. Last time we drove through France and Spain before spending a month in Portugal: I love it there.

"Personally, it would be the birth of my son. Working remotely means I have the possibility to be at home with my son, spend time with him and see all his important milestones – zkipster has given me a great balance between work and family life."