From Coding to Co-CEO: Ingus Rūķis on Building Mapon

With over two decades of experience, Ingus Rūķis's career has been an inspiring evolution from a developer in the early 2000s to the co-CEO of Mapon, a global fleet management software provider. In a recent interview, he shared his story, detailing the unique challenges of scaling a tech company and his philosophy on continuous learning and a life well-lived.

The wild ride: From early web to modern tech

Ingus's career began in 2003, a time when the tech industry was just starting to boom. Working as a young developer at Latvian Television and later at the social network draugiem.lv, he navigated a vastly different landscape from today. "You had to build everything by yourself," he recalls, noting the lack of cloud solutions and open-source tools. This era, however, came with a hidden advantage: a more forgiving customer base, lenient with the technical glitches of a growing industry.

In 2014, he transitioned to Mapon, a company that was stable but lacked the ambition for rapid growth. He became a co-CEO, tasked with accelerating the company's year-over-year growth from 10% to over 30%. This shift proved to be a "wild ride" as the team grew from 26 to over 200 employees. This rapid expansion brought with it a different kind of challenge: the integration of hardware. Unlike a pure software business, Mapon's devices are installed in vehicles that travel long distances. This creates unpredictable "race conditions" that are nearly impossible to replicate in a lab. Ingus shared a striking example of a device burning out on a ferry due to weak mobile signals and the device’s attempt to boost its signal output—a failure that could only be discovered and fixed in the real world.

The power of trust: Why ISO certification is essential

For a company that manages sensitive data—such as a fleet's movements, cargo pickup and delivery times, and driving behavior—trust is the ultimate currency. As Mapon began to target larger corporate and enterprise clients, they were consistently asked to prove their data security. The solution was to pursue ISO 27001 certification, an international standard for information security management.

The certification process was a year-long project that forced the company to formalize policies and disaster recovery plans. It wasn't just about checking a box; it fundamentally improved internal processes. This was dramatically proven during a proper disaster recovery test where the infrastructure team was sent to a remote location and successfully recovered the entire system without access to the main data center. Ingus also recounted a critical database failure on New Year's Eve that their on-call procedures managed to resolve without any data loss.

The company is now working on two more certifications: ISO 9001 for quality management and ISO 14001 for environmental management. Ingus notes the efficiency of this approach: once you have one certification, it's easier to add more as the internal processes and documentation are already in place. This not only builds trust with partners but also provides a sense of security for the entire company. "I can sleep well partly because of that," he says.

Leadership and learning: A mindset for success

Ingus’s journey from a developer to a people manager was one of his most difficult transitions. He notes that the skills required are entirely different—you can tell a computer exactly what to do, but you must learn how to inspire and guide people. His core philosophy is rooted in a "learning mindset." He believes that stagnation is the death of a career and that one must be open to continuous learning.

He practices what he preaches, applying lessons from books like James Clear's Atomic Habits to his personal life. To learn to play the guitar, he simply made the good habit as easy as possible by placing the instrument on a stand right next to his couch. He also stays grounded by spending time with his kids, a commitment that led him to get on a BMX bike for the first time at 41 to ride with his son. This blend of personal discipline, professional growth, and a focus on family underpins his approach to life.

The future of fleet management

Looking ahead, Ingus sees AI as the most exciting trend on the horizon. He believes the industry needs to move beyond simple reports and charts to provide customers with genuine insights and signals. Mapon is already experimenting with AI for its video telematics solutions, using models to monitor driver behavior and detect issues like distracted driving. He also revealed that the company is actively working on AI-driven fuel management solutions.

Mapon's immediate growth strategy is focused on expanding into more European countries where they already have a presence and a strong understanding of the regulations. He acknowledges the complexity of navigating Europe's myriad languages and regulations, but views it as an opportunity to build a robust, globally scalable solution.

On success, gratitude, and mentorship

When asked to define success, Ingus offered a simple but profound answer: "You have to be happy with the result, whatever that is." For him, it’s about finding contentment in both personal and professional achievements, whether that's learning a new hobby or seeing the company grow.

Ingus expressed deep gratitude for the teachers and mentors who influenced him from a young age, particularly a physics teacher who pushed him into competitions and helped him discover his career path early on. From a professional perspective, he credits a computer science teacher who challenged him with competitions, instilling in him the drive to continuously improve. This led him to adopt his favorite quote, one he attributes to Ernest Hemingway: "The first draft of anything is shit." Ingus applies this to his work, emphasizing the need to continuously review and refine every project until it’s ready.

Speakers in the episode

Guest: Ingus Rūķis

CTO (Former Co-CEO) of Mapon

With over two decades of experience in product development and technology, Ingus Rūķis has played a key role in the growth of Mapon since 2014. Starting his career at Latvia's leading social network, Draugiem.lv, Ingus has developed strong skills in product portfolio management, business strategy, and process optimization. As Co-CEO, he has guided Mapon through significant evolution, including the implementation of ISO certifications.

Host: Adrians Miņins

A/V Technical Project Manager

Adrians Miņins is a certified Project Manager who has worked at TestDevLab for several years now. With experience in the industry and a strong passion for software quality, Adrians is the perfect person to lead discussions with industry experts and delve deeper into exciting and thought-provoking topics.