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Nikita Sivakov

About Me

Nikita Sivakov — embedded systems engineer

I’m an embedded systems engineer based in Belgrade, Serbia. My work covers the full stack: PCB design, firmware, and the software around the device.

I started out in electronics, working at a manufacturing plant producing components for the shipbuilding industry. From there I moved into software — first in outsourcing on embedded and web projects, then as a full-stack engineer and tech lead at a startup. Eventually I joined a large tech company, where I led backend teams across several projects, including embedded work in mapping and food-tech products.

Alongside the corporate work, I consulted early-stage startups — helping them shape architecture, hire and onboard engineering teams, and unblock scaling problems before they became critical. That side of the work taught me how engineering decisions connect to business outcomes, team dynamics, and what actually ships versus what stays on a roadmap.

After years of running both tracks in parallel, I went fully independent to focus on embedded systems and microelectronics — the work I’m most interested in and most useful at. Today I take on freelance projects and consulting engagements, working directly with clients from first conversation to working hardware.

My stack:

  • PCB design: KiCad, 2–6 layer stackups, production files for JLCPCB
  • Firmware: ESP-IDF (ESP32), Zephyr (nRF52), bare metal C/C++ (STM32)
  • Protocols: BLE, WiFi, Zigbee, Thread, Matter, HomeKit, NFC, 433MHz, LTE/GSM, Ethernet, CAN, I2C, SPI, UART
  • Languages: C, C++, Python, Rust, Go

Have a Device to Build?

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