Nicolas Lair - Co-Founder & CTO

Q: Where is Nicolas based?

Nicolas is based in Lisbon, Belgium and can operate in on-site , hybrid , and remote work models.

Q: What languages does Nicolas speak?

Nicolas speaks the following languages: Dutch (Native), English (Intermediate) .

Q: How many years of experience does Nicolas have?

Nicolas has at least 24 years of experience. During this time, Nicolas has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 9 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 8 months . Note that Nicolas may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Nicolas's latest experience?

Nicolas's most recent position is Co-Founder & CTO at Wellnest .

Q: What companies has Nicolas worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Nicolas has worked for Wellnest and Above The Clouds .

Q: Which industries is Nicolas most experienced in?

Nicolas is most experienced in industries like Information Technology (IT) , Healthcare , Media, and Entertainment and Publishing . Nicolas also has some experience in Advertising , Education , and Transportation and Logistics .

Q: Which business areas is Nicolas most experienced in?

Nicolas is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology (IT) , Product Development , and Strategy and Planning . Nicolas also has some experience in Sales , Marketing , and Project Management .

Q: Which industries has Nicolas worked in recently?

Nicolas has recently worked in industries like Information Technology (IT) and Healthcare .

Q: Which business areas has Nicolas worked in recently?

Nicolas has recently worked in business areas like Product Development , Information Technology (IT) , and Strategy and Planning .

Recommended expert

Lisbon, Belgium

Experience

Apr 2018 - Jan 2025

6 years 10 months

Co-Founder & CTO

Wellnest

Co-founded a B2B SaaS platform to organize workplace wellbeing activities (yoga, meditation, HIIT) and employee-led programs
Architected the platform and led a small development team through multiple pivots
Launched MVP in March 2020 with GSK, adjusted strategy during COVID-19 office closures
Evolved product into marketplace for wellbeing providers, provider SaaS platform, employer audit tools, and Wellbeing Ambassador features
Enabled B2B2B and B2B2C sales through Decathlon integration
Took platform offline in January 2025 to simplify and shift to an AI-first relaunch in 2026

Jan 2013 - Present

13 years 1 month

Remote

Co-Founder & CTO

Above The Clouds

Co-founded and built a remote-first collective of 50+ senior technologists and product-focused engineers
Acted as analyst to ensure project estimates tied to clear business goals
Served as solution architect to establish solid technical foundations
Created autonomous, outcome-driven teams and applied a lean, pragmatic Agile approach
Developed internal frameworks and reusable components for faster value delivery
Provided fractional CTO services for startups and scale-ups, including team building, product scaling, and investment preparation
Delivered workshops on scaling teams, aligning vision and roadmap, and transitioning from startup to scale-up

Jan 2012 - Jul 2013

1 year 7 months

Australia

Tech Lead / Full-Stack Developer

Microsoft / NineMSN

Specialized in interactive development, building Flash and HTML5 campaigns for Toyota, Australian Government, Channel 9, The Block, Rimmel, WeightWatchers, Huawei
Led development of a competition engine framework with customizable Flash and HTML5 sites, reducing launch time from 5 days to 2 days
Implemented Test-Driven Development using Backbone.js, Require.js, Underscore.js, Node.js, jQuery, and Jasmine with TeamCity continuous integration
Developed an award-winning interactive video campaign with Facebook API integration and After Effects video mapping

Apr 2010 - Jan 2012

1 year 10 months

Australia

Tech Lead / Senior Flash Developer

Captiv8

Launched the Digital division of a broadcast and digital media production company
Created immersive Flash and Flex websites, campaigns, and games using Papervision 3D, SWFAddress, Away 3D, Gaia Framework, and Push Button Engine Framework
Developed an open-source CMS in Flex 4 with RobotLegs and a reusable AS3 web framework
Managed multiple creative projects and deepened expertise in full-stack interactive development

Dec 2009 - Apr 2010

5 months

Flex Developer / Architect

NMBS

Served as Adobe Certified Expert, creating Flex and AIR proofs-of-concept
Provided PureMVC training and best practice sharing as Adobe Instructor
Worked in a 12-person Scrum team using Cairngorm, PureMVC, Spring ActionScript, Maven, SVN, and Hudson continuous integration

Jun 2009 - Apr 2010

11 months

RIA Consultant / Adobe Expert

iDA MediaFoundry

Specialized in Flex 3 & 4, Flash, Flash Catalyst, and BlazeDS at an Adobe Silver Solution Partner and Authorized Training Centre
Instructed one-week Flash CS4 & ActionScript 3 courses to students and professionals
Developed an AIR application for Philips showcased in Singapore with socket-based remote control configuration and custom smiley component
Co-launched BandGeek, an Adobe AIR case study aggregating band and song info via LastFm, Yahoo Music, YouTube, Flickr, and Google Maps

Jun 2005 - May 2009

4 years

Flash / Flex Analyst, RIA & Game Developer

Taatu

Built a Flash-based 3D isometric virtual world with real-time chat, video, music, events, and user-designed spaces
Developed custom virtual worlds for TF1, Universal, Endemol, and France 3 (Star Academy World 2007 & 2008, Plus Belle La Vie)
Implemented MVC, Observer, and Iterator patterns with XML, AMFPHP, Flash Communication Server, ActionScript 2 & 3, Flex, and Flash Media Server
Created reusable frameworks for communication between AS2/AS3/Flex, dynamic world skinning, content delivery personalization, and user/room rights management

Jan 2004 - Jun 2005

1 year 6 months

Flash Consultant, Web Developer

Freelance

Developed a multi-language, multi-product e-learning application using ActionScript 2, XML, and AMFPHP for offline and online use
Applied MVC principles, built movie, test, dictionary, course, search, and print tools with MD5 encryption and local/shared object synchronization
Created custom Flash components with JSFL
Developed guidelines, dynamic recursive JavaScript menus, and PHP scripts to generate 1000+ HTML pages nightly for University of Mons-Hainaut
Built a multimedia promotional application for Native Instruments plugins and a custom CMS using PHP, SQL, and MySQL

Jan 2002 - Dec 2003

2 years

Webmaster / Web Designer

Syntech

Designed and coded multiple websites, handling graphic design, front-end PHP/HTML/CSS, and content management system development

Summary

I’m the co-founder and CTO of Above The Clouds, a remote-first collective of 50+ senior technologists, CTOs, and product-focused engineers. We build high-impact, on-demand teams that take real ownership of delivering and scaling products.

I work closely with VCs and founders worldwide, assessing technology, guiding product strategy, and helping build high-performing teams. My expertise spans SaaS, B2B and multi-sided platforms, Music Tech, and AI-driven systems. Recently, I’ve helped several companies design and deploy tailored AI agents that automate operations, customer support, and internal workflows.

As founders ourselves, we take an outcome-first approach: clear goals, transparent delivery, and strong alignment between business, product, and technology. Products we’ve built or led have reached over a million users, with multiple acquisitions. We’re now expanding into post–due diligence support and wellbeing & coaching services to help teams scale sustainably.

Skills

Since 2013, We’ve Run 80+ Tech Due Diligences, Launched 60+ Products, And Supported Two Successful Exits.
Technical Due Diligence
Vc & Founder Advisory
Technical / Product Strategy & Roadmapping
Architecture & Scalable Systems Design
Product Leadership & Mvp Definition
Ai Systems & Workflow
Engineering Team Leadership & Scaling
Full-stack Development
Startup → Scale-up Transition Coaching
Technical Hiring & Team Organisation

Languages

Dutch

Native

English

Intermediate

Education

Oct 2003 - Jun 2004

Syntech

Audio Engineering · Brussels, Belgium

Oct 1997 - Jun 2002

University of Mons Hainaut

Master in Computer Sciences · Computer Sciences · Mons, Belgium · Distinction

Oct 1992 - Jun 1997

Syntech

Secondary School Diploma · Math & Sciences · Brussels, Belgium

Certifications & licenses

Adobe Certified Consultant

Captiv8

Adobe Certified Expert

NMBS

Profile

Created

December 2025

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Nicolas based?

Nicolas is based in Lisbon, Belgium and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.

What languages does Nicolas speak?

Nicolas speaks the following languages: Dutch (Native), English (Intermediate).

How many years of experience does Nicolas have?

Nicolas has at least 24 years of experience. During this time, Nicolas has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 9 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 8 months. Note that Nicolas may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Nicolas be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Nicolas would be well-suited for roles such as: Co-Founder & CTO, Tech Lead / Full-Stack Developer, Tech Lead / Senior Flash Developer.

What is Nicolas's latest experience?

Nicolas's most recent position is Co-Founder & CTO at Wellnest.

What companies has Nicolas worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Nicolas has worked for Wellnest and Above The Clouds.

Which industries is Nicolas most experienced in?

Nicolas is most experienced in industries like Information Technology (IT), Healthcare, Media, and Entertainment and Publishing. Nicolas also has some experience in Advertising, Education, and Transportation and Logistics.

Which business areas is Nicolas most experienced in?

Nicolas is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology (IT), Product Development, and Strategy and Planning. Nicolas also has some experience in Sales, Marketing, and Project Management.

Which industries has Nicolas worked in recently?

Nicolas has recently worked in industries like Information Technology (IT) and Healthcare.

Which business areas has Nicolas worked in recently?

Nicolas has recently worked in business areas like Product Development, Information Technology (IT), and Strategy and Planning.

What is Nicolas's education?

Nicolas holds a Master in Computer Sciences from University of Mons Hainaut and a Bachelor in Audio Engineering from Syntech.

Does Nicolas have any certificates?

Nicolas has 2 certificates. These include: Adobe Certified Consultant and Adobe Certified Expert.

What is the availability of Nicolas?

Nicolas is immediately available part-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Nicolas?

Nicolas's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.