The Unicorn CTO Podcast #3 — Stéphane Derosiaux (Co-founder & CPTO at Conduktor)

In this episode of the Unicorn CTO Podcast, I sit down with Stéphane Derosiaux, Co-founder & CPTO of Conduktor, to unpack what it really takes to build, scale, and operate a real-time data platform at enterprise scale. We go deep into Stéphane’s journey, from retail and adtech, to discovering Kafka early, freelancing as a streaming expert, and eventually turning an open-source side project into a company that has raised $50M+ and serves some of the largest enterprises in Europe and the US. This conversation is a masterclass for CTOs, founders, and engineering leaders navigating Kafka, data streaming, product leadership, remote teams, and US expansion. What we cover: Why data is the real moat for modern companies How Stéphane fell in love with Kafka, and why it’s “a Ferrari you must learn to drive” The transition from freelancer → founder → CTPO Turning an open-source tool into an enterprise product Raising money after reaching six-figure revenue Why Conduktor was incorporated in the US from day one Scaling a fully remote and hybrid engineering organization What broke when Stéphane tried to manage engineers himself, and how hiring a VP Engineering changed everything Written culture, AI, and why documentation now beats meetings The real differences between Europe and the US when building and selling enterprise software What investors actually expect from a CTPO in a $50M+ company Conduktor’s next chapter: US expansion, focus, and leveraging AI across the business