From Facebook Friends to AI Pioneers: Charting Valere Margins’ Deepening Focus in Machine Learning

The Beginning

^{Andelo is the CEO and Founder of Valere’s Croatian team, Valere Margins}

Andelo Brzoja is the CEO and founder of Valere Margins. He has always possessed an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for software development. After exiting a company he co-founded, and scaled, he ventured into different startups. One of the startups, Preporukica, is a Croatian service marketplace similar to Thumbtack that is still generating revenue today. Another startup was a SaaS web app, Adwhistle that monitored competitors’ ads on social media and provided insights into competitor ad strategies. Although AdWhistle had potential and received paying customers organically within six months of launch, Andelo ultimately decided to shut down Adwhistle as he already had a lot going on with Preporukica, which he focused on and scaled.

Following the success of Preporukica, Andelo founded his software development agency, at the time named Bebabit. Having assembled an exceptional team of software developers who delivered excellent work for various smaller clients, word-of-mouth spread which led to securing several important projects and clients in Croatia. As business was thriving, Andelo wanted to create an even bigger impact. His idea was to create impact by growing the agency to the point where it can tackle even the most complex engineering challenges and do it on scale. Remembering that he had made a friend in Guy Pistone the founder of Valere and a career entrepreneur through Facebook, Andelo reconnected with Guy in hopes of learning more about the secrets of demand generation for his own agency. It was then that they sparked a conversation that led to a partnership and the beginnings of Valere Margins.

We recently interviewed Andelo to gain insight into his unique partnership with Guy and how he was able to rapidly position the Croatia team as an emerging force in AI and ML development.

Q. I know that both of you met on a Facebook group. Can you tell us what the initial conversation and interaction was like?

Andelo: I shared my dilemma of selling Adwhistle, my startup in the Facebook Trends group, where I met Guy. After a couple of meetings, we discussed a potential partnership with Adwhistle, and it was a hit from the start. Guy asked all the right questions, and I immediately knew he was the real deal. He understood the vision of Adwhistle and its potential, and it was evident that he was very smart. I remember thinking that he was a resourceful person, and it would be easy to work with him. However, for better or for worse, we did not end up partnering back then.

Q. How did the Valere Partnership come about? What made you choose to partner with Valere?

Andelo: I wanted to expand our sales and marketing efforts and realized that many agencies excel in marketing but fall short in production. As we were a young software development agency it did not make sense to reinvent the marketing and sales wheel, so I was searching for a partner who could deliver new clients at scale to accelerate our growth. I thought of Guy, who had remarkable strides in sales and marketing, amassing a substantial client base and a wealth of leads.

We talked for a while, and at one point, Guy even expressed interest in acquiring my business. However, selling the business was not my goal. I was looking for a trustworthy partner who shared my values and with whom I could build a long-term business. I wanted a partner who would handle lead generation and sales while I focused on building and expanding a skilled and talented team that could tackle complex engineering challenges. Interestingly, Guy and I shared this vision. We decided to try a partnership on a few projects that he brought in, and we did what we did best.

Q. What are some shared values that you and Guy both share that solidify this partnership?

Andelo: Our partnership proved to be a natural fit. Very soon after we began working together, he confirmed my first impression of him: he was trustworthy, great to work with, reasonable, intelligent, and effective. Working with Guy exceeded my expectations. Needless to say, he earned my trust and respect. After a couple of trial projects, it was a no-brainer for both of us. Our partnership was born.

Q. We understand that Valere Margins has a very rigorous hiring process. Could you provide more information about the process and explain why it has been successful in aligning with your combined vision?

^{Valere Margins’ developers go through a rigorous hiring process, ensuring they are able to produce the best products available}

Andelo: At Valere Margins, only about 4% of all applicants make the cut. Although this means our hiring progresses at a measured pace, such selectivity ensures exceptional culture, quality, and productivity of our teams. The specifics of our hiring process can vary based on the role and its unique requirements. However, the crux is an evaluation of both the candidate’s expertise and their fit with our company culture. Our HR Ana conducts the first interviews with candidates and leads the whole hiring process. Successful candidates then undergo a detailed technical evaluation. Those who excel in this step proceed to a final interview, conducted either by me or our CTO, Antonio. Thanks to this comprehensive procedure, we’ve managed to bring on board some of the best talent in Croatia.

Q. Today, Valere Margins puts more emphasis on AI, IoT, and large SaaS apps. How did this path come about, and what made Valere Margins double down on AI-related projects?

Andelo: The evolution of this path was both organic and strategic. It’s evident that machine learning models and AI systems are at the forefront of automating tasks, deriving insights, and adding value across a myriad of business applications and industries. AI’s capacity to make systems more intelligent, predictive, and responsive, coupled with the vast interconnectivity of IoT devices, presented a compelling frontier for innovation. Large SaaS applications, on the other hand, represent a consolidation of various services, tools, and functionalities that businesses and individuals rely upon in the modern digital age. As these platforms grow in size and complexity, there’s a significant demand for building advanced ML models and various AI integrations to optimize, personalize, and enhance the user experience.

At the very core, the organic shift toward this direction stemmed from our deeply ingrained engineering culture. This culture has not only positioned us to take on the most complex challenges but has also driven us to consistently seek excellence. Antonio, our CTO, has been instrumental in this journey. With a robust background in embedded software engineering, Antonio’s profound passion for delving into the intricacies of AI has been nothing short of inspirational. Always pushing boundaries and challenging norms, Antonio has meticulously honed our methodologies, uplifted our engineering paradigms, and benchmarked our quality standards. His unyielding commitment to excellence resonates throughout our organization and teams, fostering an environment where continuous growth, curiosity, and the highest quality of work are the norms. Given this context, our team predominantly zeroes in on projects steeped in complexity and rooted in emerging technologies. Such ventures not only provide a canvas for our talent to manifest their brilliance but also empower us to offer unmatched value to our clients.

I’m proud to say that today we boast a dedicated team comprised not only of exceptional software and machine learning engineers but also talented UX/UI designers, dedicated project managers, and other professionals, all of whom are equipped to tackle even the most challenging problems.

Q. Could you tell us more about Antonio’s role in Valere Margins?

Andelo: Antonio is both our CTO and a partner in the company. He has been the driving force behind our culture and technical excellence. His leadership, remarkable talent, dedication, and innovation have been instrumental in getting us where we are now. His credibility is not just in his title but in every piece of software we develop, every complex engineering challenge we tackle, every client we serve, and every goal we achieve as a company.

Q. How did the move to the new office help to further expand Valere Margins? What does this expansion in the office mean to you and the team?

^{Valere Margins team’s newly furnished office in Zagreb, Croatia}

Andelo: The move to the new office was a strategic decision that has greatly contributed to the expansion of Valere Margins. As a software development company, our greatest asset is our team. The new office space is not only 5x larger than the previous one, allowing us to recruit additional talent and grow our team, but it also allows us to foster a collaborative, innovative, and supportive work environment enhancing productivity and creativity. For me, and for the entire team, this expansion is more than just a physical move; it signifies our growth as a company and our commitment to providing the best possible environment for our team. We believe that a happy, healthy, and motivated team is essential for delivering the highest quality work to our clients, and this new office is a reflection of that belief. It represents an investment in our most valuable resource — our people — and underscores our commitment to their development, and success.

Meeting in Person

^{After three years, Guy and Andelo are finally able to meet each other and the team in real life.}

After three years since their first interaction on Facebook, Guy and Andelo were finally able to meet in person. Guy along with some of the U.S. office leaders went to Croatia and met up with their Croatian counterparts whom they have been working alongside every day for the past few years. Together, they were able to visit the newly furnished office that housed the team of developers and Valere Margins employees. They finally had the chance to meet the people they had been sending emails and Slack messages to in real life.

Andelo described the recent meeting with Guy and Alex in Croatia as an amazing experience that strengthened their bond both on a personal and business level.

Andelo also mentioned that the recent meeting with Guy and Alex, Valere’s CGO, in Croatia allowed them to discuss future plans and strategies for Valere Margins. They were able to brainstorm new ideas and come up with a plan to expand the company’s reach and success in AI and Machine Learning. The meeting provided an opportunity for them to reflect on the challenges they faced as a team, celebrate their successes, and further solidify Guy and Andelo’s partnership, which had blossomed from a message sent on Facebook one fateful night 5314.87 miles away.

Work With Valere

Interested in partnering with Valere and Valere Margins for your AI and Machine Learning development needs? Experience what is it like to work with the best AI developers and experts who are passionate about helping you create meaningful products. With a proven track record of success and an award-winning team, Valere and Valere Margins can help you harness the power of AI to achieve your business goals! Contact them today to unlock the potential of AI for your business!

If you’re interested in working with Guy Pistone and his team at Valere, you can visit their website at valere.io to learn more about their services and how they can help you achieve the level of success they did.

With a proven track record of success and an award-winning team, Valere can help your company achieve its goals and drive innovation in your industry. Contact them today to get your dream app started!

Valere is an award-winning digital transformation, innovation, and software development company. As an expert-vetted, top 1% agency on Upwork, Valere has re-invented the way software design and development agencies operate — mitigating issues related to communication and process inefficiencies while partnering with clients to architect the right solution for the right problem.

Valere utilizes emerging technology in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to enable startups and enterprise businesses alike to execute, launch, and scale their vision, transform organizations, and build something meaningful.

Valere has built over 300 successfully launched applications –ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies! Valere has experience developing for both consumer and B2B audiences across a myriad of verticals such as healthcare, finance, sports, fitness, education, and more!

Valere has a successful track record of building applications that have yielded millions in revenue, downloads, and Venture Capital — while also getting apps featured by the New York Times, Apple App Store top featured apps, TechRadar and Google Play Store top featured apps!

The Valere team consists of expert engineers, project managers, designers, and quality assurance specialists, with offices in the United States, India, Croatia, Peru, and Uruguay.

Schedule a call with us today to learn how we can help your team create the perfect software or application that can Accelerate Your Business Goals!