Marko Nieminen

I designed and built a prototype for a service that ingests educational videos, automatically segments the lesson, and generates quizzes, which can then be viewed using a mobile application. Students also have the capability of asking questions using natural language.

I designed and set up an HTTP live-streaming infrastructure from scratch.

The project included leading outsourced and in-house development, evaluating existing customizable SaaS and open-source platforms for the UI parts and design, and architecture and implementation for delivering infrastructure and metrics.

After designing and participating in developing the core routing software, I focused on managing a team of developers working on customer-specific adaptations and related software development. The most interesting client was from the US, who at the time sold related products for military and industrial applications and wanted to develop devices for wireless communication.

I collaborated with the client from the very beginning. We defined the product and found a hardware manufacturer. I led the team that developed software for the product, including porting and testing the routing module for their custom embedded platform and a few different network monitoring tools. We also integrated it with third-party equipment such as an audio distribution system for alerts like fire on campus or other announcements.

As a result, I gained visibility into mission-critical areas, planned the testing, looked at the required certifications and applicable standards, and communicated with the client to achieve a successful product.

I managed various developers and participated in the development, particularly on the embedded hardware side. I evaluated different existing hardware platforms, negotiated with the manufacturers, and sourced hardware for the local content server. I also contributed to developing and setting the lower-level software on these devices (four different hardware versions, on ARM, i386, and ia64 architectures) and contracted, hired, and managed developers for different versions of user-interface video portals for navigation and content management systems.

With another co-founder, we acquired funding from TED Talks and Mindset Learn for the operations and development, for which I managed the budget. Throughout the operations, I also set up the client-facing support staff and their tools and processes.

I closely collaborated with clients and partners from insurance, primary education, government, and nonprofit areas, who sometimes had custom requirements and needed to be convinced the technology was a good fit for their needs.