Press | Cortex

Navigating the path from startup speed to enterprise scale

In the first episode of the Cortex podcast, co-founders Anish Dhar and Ganesh Datta pull back the curtain on the journey of building an internal developer portal from the ground up. They share the story of the early days, when the unproven market required moving at maximum velocity to find product-market fit and win critical first deals.

The conversation explores the key moments that forced a fundamental mindset shift from prioritizing speed to engineering for enterprise-grade reliability and scale. Anish and Ganesh discuss the cultural and architectural decisions that defined this transition and offer a playbook for engineering leaders navigating today's AI-driven landscape, where the pressure to move fast is greater than ever.

November 6, 2025

Canva's strategic approach to internal developer tools and why they should spark joy

In this episode of the Cortex podcast, Cortex co-founder and CTO Ganesh Datta sits down with Tyler Davis, a software engineer at Canva, for a deep dive into the often-overlooked world of internal tooling. They also unpack how Canva connects developer joy to business outcomes, measures ROI, and treats its internal platform as a product.

The discussion follows Canva’s multi-year journey of building out its internal developer platform. Tyler shares firsthand experience from the front lines, including the team's evolution from a homegrown catalog on Backstage to adopting Cortex. Ganesh and Tyler also have a candid chat about the build-versus-buy debate, the psychology of sunken costs, and how to decide when to invest in custom solutions versus buying off-the-shelf.

November 20, 2025

Cortex Media Coverage and Press Releases

Podcasts

Navigating the path from startup speed to enterprise scale

Canva's strategic approach to internal developer tools and why they should spark joy

Media Coverage

DevEx is at a Crossroads

AI Coding Assistants Can Be a Huge Help — Just Not Where You Might Think

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He Spent a Weekend Working on His Side Hustle in an Airbnb. Then a 'Big Breakthrough' Led to $53 Million — and Counting

Press Releases

Cortex joins Amazon Web Services (AWS), enhancing software engineering productivity for more teams

Stripe’s Collison brothers back developer start-up Cortex at €425 million valuation

Sequoia Backs Developer Startup Cortex at $470 Million Valuation

Global VC deals for September 5, 2024

Collison brothers invest in developer start-up Cortex

Cortex Raises $60M in Series C Funding

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Press Releases

Cortex joins Amazon Web Services (AWS), enhancing software engineering productivity for more teams

Stripe’s Collison brothers back developer start-up Cortex at €425 million valuation

Sequoia Backs Developer Startup Cortex at $470 Million Valuation

Global VC deals for September 5, 2024

Collison brothers invest in developer start-up Cortex

Cortex Raises $60M in Series C Funding

Podcasts

Navigating the path from startup speed to enterprise scale

Canva's strategic approach to internal developer tools and why they should spark joy