Your AI Growth Partner

Helping Startups and SMBs turn AI from a buzzword into a business advantage.

Unlock the value of AI through strategic consulting, lean MVP, or custom AI solution.

Nikola Dakic

(Founder of Otterlab)

About me

I’m a Sr. Software/AI Engineer helping startups and SMBs turn AI from a buzzword into a business advantage. Whether you need a lean MVP to impress investors, smart chatbot, or custom AI tool, I’m your go-to AI partner.

Tech Stack 🛠️

Python, Java, Spring, Django, Flask, FastAPI, AWS, Typescript, Angular, Docker, Postgres, MySQL, DynamoDB, Jenkins, ELK, LangChain, OpenAI

Work Experience 👨🏻‍💻

Sr. Software Engineer @ SugarCRM
Sr. Software Engineer @ Brame
Software Engineer @ Referrizer

Education 🎓

MSc in Software Engineering, Intelligent Systems, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
BSc in Software Engineering, University of Novi Sad, Serbia

What I do

AI Strategy & Consulting

Understand how AI can (and can’t) help your business.
Feasibility analysis, architecture planning, and execution roadmaps.

MVP Development

Build a working prototype in 4–6 weeks to validate your AI-powered product idea.
Great for fundraising, pilot launches, or getting user feedback fast.

AI Integration

Integrate AI into your existing products or workflows.
Automated support agents, document Q&A, content summarizers, workflow assistants

Business Process Automation

Use AI to extract insights, process documents, or streamline sales/marketing workflows.
Ideal for companies looking to reduce manual work.

Why work with me?

🌱 Experience

I worked for two startups and one enterprise company for years (7+ years in total), so I know what it takes to build and scale AI products.

🎓 Education

I hold a bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, a master's degree in Intelligent Systems, and have years of real-world experience in the AI industry.

🧠 Mindset

I have my own micro-saas product, so I understand a founder's perspective. Check out my micro-saas product: Pencilo.

📈 Real-world focus

I prioritize business value, not just flashy tech.

💻 Hands-on

I don’t just advise, I build.

🤝 Partnership

I’m not just a vendor, I’m your AI partner.

Strategy packs

AI Discovery/Consulting

A 60-minute workshop + 3-day follow-up to explore how AI can help your business.

Use-case discovery
Technical feasibility analysis
High-level architecture recommendation
Roadmap with estimated timelines and costs

MVP Development

Build your AI product idea into a working prototype.

Scope refinement workshop
High-level architecture recommendation
Backend/Frontend development
MVP Hosting & Deployment
Documentation + handoff
Support for 2 weeks post-launch

Custom AI Solution

Add AI to your existing software or workflow.

Scope refinement workshop
High-level architecture recommendation
Backend/Frontend development
Hosting & Deployment
Documentation + handoff
Support for 2 weeks post-launch

Explore my case studies

AI-Enhanced Meeting Room Booking System for Coworking Space

To enhance the productivity and coordination of a local coworking community, I designed and implemented an intelligent meeting room booking system fully integrated with Slack and capable of understanding text and voice commands.