This #FoundersFriday we will meet another founder through our Split Founders series. Mladen Macanović is a software engineer with more than 16 years of experience in analyzing, designing, and implementing software solutions in Microsoft .NET technologies for various industries such as travel agencies, banking, transportation, and logistics.

When asked to describe his company, this is what Mladen had to say: “Megabit d.o.o. is an IT company that I founded in 2010 when I started developing an ERP product for the HR market. However, due to various circumstances, it has been dormant for a long time and has been active again since 2020.

Let’s say that it achieved the greatest success during this time with its main product Blazorise – a library of components with more than 80 UI components built on top of Blazor.”

If he didn’t do what he does now, Mladen would be… the same. He was very honest with us and admitted that he truly, no matter how hard he tries, couldn’t imagine himself doing anything else but what he does now with Blazorise.

So, let’s hear what else Mladen had to share with us!

How do you measure your own success?

“I think I have achieved a lot in the last few years. First of all, working on the Blazorise product is something that completely fulfills me.

There is still a lot of room for development and I firmly state that I am only halfway to what I would consider my own success. Therefore, if I can measure it with an imaginary 1-10 scale, I would be at five at the moment.”

What does your usual workday look like?

“My work day lasts at least 15 hours. So you can imagine all that gets done in that amount of time.” 🙂

What do you do when you’re not working?

“I start every working day with a workout, followed by a nice coffee in the sun. I like to spend my free time with my wife Tanja and our three-year-old son Pablo.”

What makes you unique?

“People around me often say that I am filled with positivity, although I think that is not always the case. But let’s take their word for it!” 😀

What inspires you?

“I find the greatest inspiration in my family. This is what pushes me forward and gives me the impetus for further growth in both private and business terms.”

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own company?

“Have lots of patience!

Every beginning is difficult but with the right amount of effort and work you put in, will come to guaranteed success!”

Why is now the best time for Blazorise to exist?

“I can say that now is generally the time when developers have finally begun to recognize the power of Blazor. And Blazorise is a product that helps them a lot to ease and speed up the process of making the web, mobile, and desktop applications.”

What is the most interesting thing about Blazorise?

“I think the most interesting thing is that Blazorise is a relatively new product, so new things are constantly developing and evolving.”

What do you love about your team?

“There are currently three of us on the team. I can say that there is always a positive atmosphere present.

Apart from the fact that we work hard, there is always room for a good joke or two.”

What are your expectations when it comes to the people you work with?

“Responsibility towards work first and foremost! And then the willingness to drink some coffee.” 🙂

What kind of people would you avoid working with?

“Obviously irresponsible ones. I am a person who likes to have everything in order and under control, so I don’t like when too much of a backlog is created.”

What is the only thing you would change about Blazorise?

“I would like to strengthen and enlarge the team so that the development goes faster than it does now. And thus improve product quality as well as increase sales.”

What are you the proudest of when it comes to Blazorise?

“I am proud that Blazorise exists in the first place but I’m also proud of the whole community of users who have developed around it and who are helping me to develop this product further and make it even better.”

What makes Blazorise unique?

“I think the fact that we are the only company in the region that owns a product like Blazorise.”

What were the reasons behind the fact that Blazorise was founded right here in Split?

“I live in Split and my whole life is centered around Split. So it made sense my work was, too.” 🙂

As a city, what does Split do well and what can be improved?

“The good thing is that a lot of young programmers are slowly emerging in the market.

Who knows, maybe one of them will become a member of our team!

The things that can be improved are ways to encourage young people to develop faster and better in this particular field.”

How important is the local tech community for you?

“Not so long ago, the tech community was something that this city lacked. Nowadays I’m continually impressed by how active the community is and I’m always delighted with the diversity of the events that it offers.”

Where do you see Split in the future?

“I see it as a city that realized its potential to have even more companies that have their own product in the market.”

Photos are from Mladen’s personal archive.