Kubegrade

Kubegrade helps enterprises tame Kubernetes sprawl.
We automate upgrades, maintenance, and compliance across clusters, so platform teams stay in control while developers move faster.
Unlike dashboards that only observe issues, Kubegrade turns raw cluster data into actionable pull requests—reducing toil, cutting costs, and giving enterprises a safer, more scalable way to run Kubernetes.

Founder and CEO

Next Big Wave

A podcast for founders, by founders in Southeast Asia

Podcast Host

TendoPay

TendoPay is the leading employee benefits provider in the Philippines
I manage the growth teams including a digital marketing team for our B2C user base and a sales team for our B2B users.

Co-Founder / CCO [Acquired - Tonik Bank]

Buko Ventures

Value-add angel funding for Philippines startup founders.

Investor

DotYeti.com

Investor [Acquired]

Iterative

Venture Partner

500 Startups

I advise startups in SEA on their growth strategy with a focus on building and scaling their sales process ass well a hone in on their digital marketing strategy.

Mentor

Candy Banners

Acquired by Native Touch. 
Candy Banners is a digital production studio that builds awesome online ads.

Co-founder / CEO [Acquired - Native Touch]

Stinson Design

Acquired by Vimont Holdings.
Stinson Design is a presentation design agency that services clients around the world from startups to global brands.

Founder / CEO [Acquired]

Centre Financier International Montréal

Financial Analyst

3x Exit Founder • I help B2B founders in Southeast Asia • Book a free growth consultation with me • Grew last company to $5m+ ARR • 15+ years of growth leadership 🚀

Hey there! I’m a serial entrepreneur with 3 exits under my belt. 

I’m currently working on Kubegrade, a Kubernetes cluster upgrade tool.

Through all my ventures the key to success has always been to bring maximum value to my clients and building long lasting relationships. 

My passion for client success is equally matched with my love for travel and extreme sports. 

You can find me playing chess, riding motorcycles, diving or kitesurfing the beautiful beaches of Southeast Asia.

Tim Grassin

KubeCon ATL just wrapped, and my notebook is full.

Not from vendor pitches. From the conversations that restored my faith in this community.

After years of complexity complaints and burnout stories, something shifted at KubeCon 2025.

The energy was different. Electric, even.

What actually stood out:
The Agentic Revolution Nobody Saw Coming

Twelve months ago, we launched Kubegrade with AI agents managing clusters. People called us crazy. "You can't automate that level of decision-making."

This week? Every third conversation was about agentic workflows. Teams are finally realizing that senior engineers shouldn't be babysitting YAML files.

One platform lead from a Fortune 500: "We went from 3-week upgrade cycles to 3 hours with agents handling the grunt work."

Community Over Competition

Met a competitor's engineering team at the afterparty. Instead of awkward silence, we spent 2 hours sharing horror stories and solutions. Their lead engineer: "Rising tide lifts all boats, right?"

That's the Kubernetes community I fell in love with.

The Validation We Didn't Expect

Being first movers in agentic cluster management felt lonely. We questioned ourselves constantly. Were we too early? Too ambitious?

Walking the expo floor, I counted 12 companies now building agent-based solutions. Not copycats - genuine innovation from teams who get it.

One CTO pulled me aside: "You guys showed us this was possible. We're all following your lead."

That made me smile.

Real Engineers, Real Solutions

The best part? Engineers are done with bandaid fixes. They want fundamental change. Agentic workflows aren't just trendy - they're becoming the standard.

Teams are deploying agents for:
• Automated compatibility checking
• Intelligent resource optimization  
• Predictive failure prevention
• Self-healing clusters

This isn't AI hype. It's engineers taking their weekends back.

The Human Element Remains

Despite all the automation talk, the community spirit was stronger than ever. Late-night debugging sessions turned into impromptu meetups. Vendor booths became collaboration hubs.

Technology evolves, but the Kubernetes community's willingness to help each other? That's the real superpower.

My biggest takeaway:

We're not just building better tools. We're building a movement.

The shift to agentic workflows isn't about replacing engineers. It's about unleashing them to do what they do best - innovate.

Seeing the entire community embrace what we pioneered? That's worth more than any booth or keynote.

To everyone who stopped by to share their agentic journey - thank you. You reminded me why we started Kubegrade.

The future of Kubernetes isn't just automated. It's collaborative, innovative, and more human than ever.

I also enjoyed being able to work and hang out with my co-founder Caleb Fornari whom I had not seen in person since we embarked on this Kubegrade journey!

#KubeCon #Kubernetes #CNCF

Kubernetes without the complexity. Developer visibility, platform guardrails. Works with EKS, AKS, GKS, Rancher and more.

KubeCon ATL update: Our sweaters are apparently too good.

Multiple people have stopped me asking where to get our Kubegrade swag. Problem is, we don't have a booth this year.

But I hate saying no to engineers who appreciate good merch.

So here's the deal:

Find me wandering around the exhibition center

OR

Comment "swag" below and connect with me here.

I'll ship you one of hoodies directly. No booth needed.

Yes, I'm literally taking swag requests on LinkedIn and shipping from our Singapore office. My co-founder thinks I'm insane.

But honestly? Meeting engineers who get excited about developer tools is worth the shipping costs.

Plus, our hoodies are ridiculously comfortable. Ask anyone who's grabbed one.

If you're at KubeCon, come say hi. I'm the guy frantically taking notes on every Kubernetes horror story I hear.

If you're not here, drop "swag" below. First 50 get priority shipping.

Who's ready for some actually comfortable conference merch? 👇

#kubecon

Mortgage Architects

A CPA with decades of finance experience; I help homeowners and soon to be homeowners find the right mortgage for them. Whether you are buying a home or simply renewing your mortgage I can offer you alternatives, so you choose your rate and terms. 

I also help folks consolidate debt into lower payments and give them cash flow certainty. I pride myself on excellent service. I respond to all emails, phone calls, and texts as promptly as possible. I provide free consultations by phone and zoom. I am always available at unsociable hours. 

Contact me to discuss your current and future mortgage needs.

Call or text 519-403-5020

Schedule a free consultation by zoom: https://calendly.com/david-qhu

https://linktr.ee/davidsimmonds

Mortgage Agent

David Simmonds CPA Professional Corporation

I work with incorporated business owners providing corporate tax services and financial statement preparation. My clients include business owners that own corporations, real estate investors, and private mortgage investors.

Chartered Professional Accountant

Exhibition Capital

As Vice President Finance & Operations (Remote) at Exhibition Capital Inc., I provided hands-on leadership and support to the owner in buying operating companies. I manage all aspects of taxation and legal work to support successful acquisition. 

I critically analyze legal and tax requirements, conduct extensive research, and interact with brokers and other stakeholders. I plan and execute due diligence on potential targets to ensure seamless acquisition of new businesses.

Vice President of Finance And Operations

Thin Air Labs

I directed all aspects of finance function of fee-for-service start-up company. Led a complete “equity roll in” of 18 entities into the fund in a highly complex transaction. I designed and developed legal structure of two limited partnerships and two corporations for establishing a venture capital fund and fund management companies.

Highlights of accomplishment in this role include:

•	I spearheaded the development and implementation of finance function from the ground up, as well as set up accounts receivable and payable, which supported smooth workflow of operations and reduced friction.
•	I established Thin Air Labs Fund, including designing the legal structure and framework to collect funds from investors and invest the same in start-up companies. I successfully launched the fund and on boarded new investors by working with legal and accounting partners, conducting detailed due diligence processes, and depicting the integrity of the company. I secured $4 million from The City of Calgary as well as $6 million from another investor, aggregating to $18 million in funds from 25 investors, including Opportunities Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF).

Financial Business Consultant

Wave HQ

I delivered consulting services to online accounting software start-up, positioning the company as fee-for-service accounting space.

Senior Project Manager

Fanshawe College

Non-full time faculty member at the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business at Fanshawe College. Taught Business Processes as well as Economics.

NFT Faculty

FBC, Canada's Farm & Small Business Tax Specialist

•	I played a key role in providing contracted services to more than 9k customers in the province of Ontario. I ensured the delivery of exceptional quality assurance services to all branches in Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan serving more than 15k customers. 
•	I led 15 direct and 150 indirect reports, including supervisors and branch managers, prepared schedules, assigned duties and targets, identified underperforming individuals, and created and maintained a productive working ambiance to retain top talent. I formulated budgets, monitored expenditures, and implemented strict controls to minimize budget variances and deviations. I hired best-fit individuals for leadership positions, while providing effective training and development opportunities to catapult performances. 
•	I identified process inefficiencies, eliminated redundancies, and implemented improvement initiatives to achieve cost efficiencies and operational excellence, which resulted in increase in bottom line by $700k
•	I was chosen by management team to lead overall Ontario operations for achieving desirable results. 
•	I implemented best practices in quality assurance, which resulted in enhancing quality, expediting product delivery, and boosting customer satisfaction and retention. I helped the branch in securing stewardship of centralized quality assurance processing for all Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.
•	I decreased new hire attrition from 25% to less than 5% with no additional costs by restructuring the entire recruitment process for seasonal and full-time field representatives. 
•	I spearheaded the development and successful execution of sales projects, from conception to completion and final delivery, while staying within budgets and stringent deadlines.
•	I led career progression of team members and successfully enabled them to get promoted from supervisory to managerial roles.

Senior Territory Operations Manager

Responsible for the London Operations group serving 5,000 plus customers in South-Western Ontario.
Manage several accounting departments to ensure every customer got their T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 forms, EHT, HST, GST, PST, WSIB, Financial Statements, and other products and services in a high quality and timely manner.
Implement continuous improvement initiatives to expand market share, share of wallet, gain efficiencies and reduce costs.

Operations Manager

A CPA with decades of finance experience; I help homeowners and soon to be homeowners find the right mortgage for them. Whether you are buying a home or simply renewing your mortgage I can offer you alternatives, so you choose your rate and terms. 

I also help folks consolidate debt into lower payments and give them cash flow certainty. I pride myself on excellent personal service. I respond to all emails, phone calls, and texts as promptly as possible. I provide free consultations by phone and zoom. I am always available at unsociable hours. 

Contact me to discuss your current and future mortgage needs.

taplio

The Battle

Tim Grassin

David Simmonds MBA CPA CGA

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taplio

The Battle

Tim Grassin

David Simmonds MBA CPA CGA

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Tim Grassin's LinkedIn Performance

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