Entrepreneurial Product Leader and Technology Architect
Hello! My name is Marian Veteanu, and I’m a technologist with a passion for software development, architecture, and product management. I lead teams in building innovative technology platforms that align with business goals to solve real-world challenges. In the evenings and late at night, you can find me working on side projects or exploring cutting-edge frameworks, architectures, and technologies.
My Journey in Tech
My journey in tech began at 13 when I got hooked on coding with a ZX-Spectrum 48K clone. Like many 8-bit computers of that generation, it came with built-in BASIC, a language I quickly outgrew as I pursued the dream of coding in “machine language”. That dream came true when I learned Z80 assembly, spending countless nights coding with Gens or disassembling games using Mons. I recently recovered one of my early games, Atomix, a platform scroller written in BASIC with Z80 assembly subroutines—some of which I created, others I reverse-engineered from commercial games.
Parallel to my ZX-Spectrum explorations, I gained access to an early PC, which marked the start of my DOS journey. I spent countless hours delving into low-level programming, exploring executable file formats, FAT table structures, and INT 21h functions. During this period, I launched my bedroom coding enterprise (VMASOFT), creating DOS programs using Pascal and x86 assembly, some of which are now available in my legacy GitHub repository. If you're curious, you’ll find libraries like MCGA and VMAWin there, and if you’re bold, you can explore my DOS computer virus experiments.
From DOS, I moved to Windows programming, using Delphi extensively. One of my key projects during this time was PowerTests Desktop, a test assessment suite that I successfully sold to several schools.
As the web app era emerged, I was thrilled to work with the classic Microsoft ASP framework and the Microsoft IE 4.0 DOM model, which allowed me to build PowerTests.NET (the continuation of the previously mentioned PowerTests Desktop), a feature-rich web application that I launched as a solo entrepreneur. During this time, I also published technical articles about IE 4.0 technologies and their applications in a prestigious magazine.
My entrepreneurial focus shifted when I took on full-time roles at STARLIMS and later Abbott Corporation (the guys with Similar and other testing instruments). I became an early adopter of .NET 1.0 and Microsoft’s WSDL implementation, and played a key role in creating the XFD Technology Platform. Inspired by Microsoft’s RAD environments and XAML technology, this platform enabled the rapid development of complex business workflows. Over my years there, I served in various roles, including architect, product manager, principal programmer, security SME and researcher. Please get in touch with me via LinkedIn to see how I can help your organization!
Despite years of full-time employment, I’ve always kept a hand in personal tech projects. One of my recent endeavors is codeguppy.com, a platform designed to give young coders a simplified, seamless coding experience. Beyond developing the platform, I also created educational content and helped users adopt the platform. You can find the platform’s presence on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube (yes – I'm also a part-time youtuber!).
I’m passionate about tech at all levels. I enjoy diving deep into assembly language and lower-level systems just as much as I enjoy architecting scalable cloud solutions. In the cloud space, Azure is my platform of choice, and I greatly admire Microsoft’s PaaS-first approach to cloud development, later expanding toward IaaS.
Throughout my career, Microsoft products have been a constant, shaping my professional journey. I’ve drawn inspiration from leaders like Scott Hanselman, Scott Guthrie, Mark Russinovich, Anders Hejlsberg, and Bill Gates, and I continue to be motivated by their vision and work.
You can download some of my recent papers here:
- Harness Proprietary Data with Foundational Models and RAG
- A Visual Presentation of Leading AI Studios
- A Tour of Azure AI Services
- OWASP Top 10 for LLMs
- Core Services Across Azure, AWS, and GCP
- Select the Right Cloud-Based DB for Your Project
- 21 Tips for Designing Web APIs
- Power Presenter: An OBS and PowerPoint Clicker
- Stay Active: An AI Solution for Controlling TV Time
- Coral Micro: A Dedicated Coding Computer