Michael Schilonka Tech Leader. Maker. Speaker.

About Michael

Michael Schilonka

Hello there, I am Michael - a business director and software engineer. I have a passion for technology and for great teamwork. As a tech leader, I strive to inspire and motivate my teams, fostering an environment of collaboration, innovation, psychological safety, and continuous improvement. I value excellence and attention to detail in order to consistently deliver top-notch software products and services.

You can find me at conferences where I speak about tech and startup topics. Besides my work, I love to spend time with my family. I like to craft beer, do all kinds of sports, go camping, play the keyboard and ukulele and develop new ideas. I post my opinions on LinkedIn.


Tech Skills

Software
Engineering

I have a variety of complementary coding technologies and frameworks under my belt with a strong affinity for backend and database applications.


Cloud Computing
& DevOps

Automatically building byte-perfect software container images in CI/CD and rolling them out in Kubernetes using GitOps: that is my passion.


Project
Management

I successfully managed software projects with high budgets, heterogeneous teams, technical challenges and many stakeholders.


Featured Projects

Getdeck

A Virtual Kubernetes for Development and Testing - Getdeck

Professional Complex
  • Kubernetes operator, custom extensions, webhooks
  • Tauri UI, Rust, Python, REST API, Docker, mTLS
  • Open Source Software

Since 2023, together with my team at Blueshoe, I develop a virtual Kubernetes solutions with a graphical user interface for developers. This project is open source and available on GitHub.

Check it out

Gefyra

A Developer Tool for Local Containers and Kubernetes - Gefyra

Professional Complex
  • Python, Docker, Wireguard (VPN)
  • Kubernetes operator, custom extensions, webhooks
  • Networking
  • Open Source Software

Since 2020, together with my team at Blueshoe, I work on a development tool that runs Docker containers locally while having them connected to any Kubernetes environment. This project is open source and available on GitHub.

Check it out

A converted motorhome

A Campervan Conversion

Personal Complex
  • Hardware, CAD, concept working
  • Electrical engineering
  • Crafting
  • Material mix

In 2021/22, I converted a panel van into a motorhome. This ambitious project combined a wide range of hard skills and passion.

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a bodyscanner

A Body Scanner for Medical Stocking

Professional Complex
  • Hardware, design, concept working
  • 3D depth data acquisition and processing
  • Touch UI, progressive web app
  • Medical data regulations and privacy enforcement
  • Advanced project & rollout management

In 2019, my team and I completed the development of a body scanner to capture patients' lower bodies for compression stockings. This project covered almost all disciplines of technology development.

Read the story

Glowing Bottles

Glowing Bottles

Personal Easy
  • Concrete molding
  • Glas cutting, crafting
  • Electric wiring
  • Material mix

In 2020, I started to craft different objects from concrete. These lamps, made from upcycled bottles, are eyecather in every liqueur cabinet and practial.

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A Django Stack for Kubernetes

Hurricane: A Django Stack for Kubernetes

Professional Medium

In 2020, I developed a new app server for the Django framework. It is based on the Tornado web server and provides advanced features for Kubernetes deployments. This project is open source and available on GitHub.

Check it out

A digital shopping window

A Digital Shopping Window

Professional Complex
  • 3D depth data acquisition and processing
  • Body motion detection, gesture control
  • Browser-based 3D content presentation
  • Dynamic Wifi portal pages, app integration

In 2015, I worked with my team to create a gesture-controlled digital shopping window that allows users to explore a fictional 3D world with product placement and combined smartphone checkout.