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

Nick Santora

CIP Cybersecurity Specialist

NovaSync

VP of Growth

aijobs.com

The world’s official free AI job board marketplace.

Founder

PEF Community

Private membership group for post exit founders.

Member

Figure

OpenAI

SpaceX

Infinite Giving

Investor & Advisor

Mercury

Copy.ai

Hi I'm Nick, currently the VP of Growth at NovaSync. I also advise and invest in cool startups doing cool things. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

I created a company named Curricula which I led to a $22M exit in 2022. Our small, resourceful animation studio produced a fun animated series of cyber security awareness training content delivered through our custom built cybersecurity focused e-learning SaaS platform. That platform includes a phishing simulation engine that actively engages with employees simulating real-world hacker defense training. 

Curricula is used by thousands of organizations across the globe to help their employees defend against hackers. Curricula supported over 70+ Million minutes of training watched in 2024.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Earlier in my career, I founded BCSL Brands, a startup studio focused on developing Internet advertising software and services. I sold that business in 2017.

GM - Security Awareness

Making fun cartoons that help employees defend themselves against hackers. I'm leading the former Curricula team during the transition into Huntress as we scale together.

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The Battle

Tim Grassin

Nick Santora

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taplio

The Battle

Tim Grassin

Nick Santora

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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