Portland App Development Studio Germinate Names Douglas Gastich CEO


Germinate, a Portland, Ore app development studio has named Douglas Gastich its new CEO. Michael Krol, who founded Germinate in 2008, moves to the CTO position and will continue to lead the design and development teams. Gastich will bring go-to-market and business development services to help Germinate’s client and portfolio companies see greater results from their products and services.

“Bringing an app into the world doesn’t need to be painful” says Gastich. “It should be fun, an adventure in expression. When you combine technical know-how with business know-how, everything gets simpler and faster for entrepreneurs. It thrills me to join a team that gets this, at its core.”

Germinates’s unique approach to the world of app development follows in the footsteps of ‘technology in service’ pioneers like 37 Signals (now Basecamp). Germinate fills the role of ‘app incubator’ for entrepreneurs looking to go from the seed of an idea to the sprout of an MVP, and on to market success.

“It keeps us sharp,” says Krol, “Working with innovative and thoughtful clients, helping them to bring their app ideas into the world, we love it so much. Doug brings years of experience taking technology products to market, solving tough business problems- something I know our clients and partners will love.”

“It’s been really fun to watch,” says Torri Wright, BEHCA CEO and Germinate client-partner. “I know Michael and Doug personally, and honestly I’m surprised it’s taken them this long to partner up. The benefit to BEHCA was immediate, they push each other to be better, and I get even more from our partnership.”

Gastich brings decades of experience in business development, product development and organizational leadership. “I love ideas. But they are not precious. Ideas are meant to be batted around. Molded. Tested. And perhaps best of all, made real.”

About Germinate: Germinate is an app innovation studio. Founded in 2008, the Portland, Oregon based firm works with enterprise companies and startups to build and launch great apps.

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