About

I'm Dario Ristić — a technology and business executive with over two decades of experience building digital products, cloud platforms, and companies from the ground up. My career has been dedicated to connecting cutting-edge technology with genuine business value — creating systems that enable sustainable growth, organizational adaptability, and measurable long-term impact.

My journey started early. In my teens, I began advocating for Linux and teaching others to use open-source systems. This ignited a lifelong passion for open-source software and modern infrastructure that would define my entire professional path. What began as sharing knowledge in my local community evolved into a career building some of the first cloud platforms in Southeast Europe.

Today, as co-founder and CEO of Cloud Native d.o.o., I lead a team focused on helping organizations modernize their infrastructure and embrace open, automated, and scalable cloud-native technologies. What sets my work apart is the fusion of deep technical expertise with strategic business leadership — I don't just build systems; I build systems that drive real business outcomes.

I'm deeply involved in the cloud and open-source community beyond my day-to-day work. Over the years, I've contributed extensively to growing regional tech ecosystems, supported countless developer communities, and spoken at major conferences about cloud-native architecture, DevOps culture, and the transformative power of open collaboration. My core belief: knowledge must circulate freely. Innovation doesn't happen in isolation — it thrives when brilliant minds share ideas and build together.

My leadership experience spans critical roles at major organizations. I led innovation and business development at Comtrade System Integration, where I worked on groundbreaking projects involving artificial intelligence, event-driven architectures, and cutting-edge technologies that pushed the boundaries of what was possible. Before that, I directed the Regional Cloud Department at SBB – United Group, where we engineered one of the first comprehensive regional cloud platforms spanning Serbia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina — a project that demonstrated the real-world potential of cloud infrastructure at scale.

The foundation of my expertise comes from co-founding several pioneering cloud ventures, including SezamPro Hosting and Ehost. As early leaders in managed hosting and OpenStack-based cloud infrastructure across Southeast Europe, these companies proved that open-source technology could compete with — and often outpace — proprietary solutions when built with passion and community support. These formative experiences solidified my conviction that technology must remain open, transparent, and community-driven.

Whether I'm consulting enterprise leaders on cloud strategy, speaking at international tech conferences, or writing about the intersection of technology and organizational transformation, my mission remains consistent: empowering teams and companies to reach their full potential through better technology choices and smarter infrastructure decisions.

The future of technology is collaborative, open, and built on principles of innovation that serve both businesses and communities.

Experience

Current Role

CEO & Co-Founder — Cloud Native d.o.o.
Leading cloud-native transformation strategies and infrastructure solutions.

Leadership & Innovation

Head of Innovation — Comtrade System Integration
Spearheaded innovation initiatives and business development across AI and event-driven architectures.

Business Development Manager — Comtrade System Integration
Drove strategic partnerships and growth initiatives.

Head of Product Development — Propulsion App d.o.o.
Built and scaled digital products from concept to market.

Cloud Department Director — SBB – United Group A.B
Engineered one of the first regional cloud platforms across multiple countries.

Business Consultant — Orion Telekom d.o.o.
Strategic technology advisory and digital transformation consulting.

Founding Experience

Co-Founder & CEO — CloudEx d.o.o.
Pioneered OpenStack-based cloud infrastructure in the region.

Co-Founder & CEO — SezamPro Hosting
Built managed hosting solutions for Southeast Europe.

Co-Founder & CEO — Ehost d.o.o.
Launched early cloud infrastructure and hosting services.

Founder — Platforma Agency
Early entrepreneurial venture in digital solutions.