*This story was originally published by Pipedrive’s engineering team as part of their spotlight series on developers driving AI and ML innovation.
Since Pipedrive is a proud Gold Sponsor of PyCon Estonia 2025 (powered by Thorgate) and an active collaborator in our community events, we’re happy to share inspiring stories like Pavlo’s with our audience as well.
For more information regarding PyCon Estonia, check out pycon.ee.
Pavlo Pyvovar spends his days writing code at Pipedrive’s Tartu office, improving machine learning (ML) systems and helping internal teams make smarter decisions, but he spends his early mornings jumping into ice-cold water with colleagues. His work and his winter swimming hobby have more in common than you might expect. It’s a combination that says a lot about his spirit: disciplined, adventurous and always learning.
Pavlo is a junior Machine Learning engineer based in Pipedrive’s Tartu office, but his journey to Estonia – and eventually to Pipedrive – feels like a mix of determination, curiosity and a touch of fate. Although he has been with Pipedrive for less than a year, his story already reflects a passion for machine learning, countless cold plunges and a mindset shaped by continuous learning.
Curiosity didn’t kill the cat (and drove it to Estonia instead)
Pavlo first learned about Estonia back in 2020 when he was a Bachelor’s student at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. He was studying computer science and considering continuing his studies abroad. By a stroke of luck, two graduates from his university hosted a webinar and shared their experiences of the computer science studies Master’s course at the University of Tartu. With Estonia now on his radar, what caught Pavlo’s attention wasn’t just the opportunity to study abroad, but the idea of a digital-first country, open to innovation and possibilities.
“I was actually not aware of how digitalized Estonia is, so hearing about its tech landscape and all the companies founded there truly inspired me. At first, I decided to focus on finishing my Bachelor’s studies and didn’t explore studying in Estonia further. My studies were quite complicated and I wasn’t even sure what exactly I wanted to do in the future – or if continuing my studies right away was the best idea. But the thought of doing it in Estonia stayed in my mind, especially since the Delta Centre – a newly built study, research and business building at the University of Tartu – seemed like the perfect spot to continue my education. That’s how I made up my mind and started preparing the documents for studying in Estonia,” recalls Pavlo.
A passion for machine learning
In 2022, Pavlo arrived in Estonia and began pursuing his Master’s degree in computer science, specializing in artificial intelligence. There was nothing accidental about his choice – it was a growing passion long before machine learning became a formal part of his university curriculum.
In Ukraine, Pavlo and his friends regularly attended meetups, participated in hackathons and devoured online courses like the famous Stanford University machine learning online course by Andrew Ng. From early experiments like building models to detect obfuscated code to internships where he analyzed real-world data, Pavlo’s foundation in machine learning was built through a combination of formal education and self-driven learning. “I was just so curious and I wanted to learn by doing, attending events, working on side projects and taking every opportunity to apply new skills in real-life situations. The more I explored, the more machine learning grew on me and became something I genuinely wanted to build my future around,” explains Pavlo.
He's fascinated by machine learning and how it can be used to build transformative digital products. Technologies like recommender systems, generative AI and travel time predictions for ride-hailing deeply astonish him. “This motivates me to create useful digital products and provide magical online experiences for people,” says Pavlo.
Photo credit: Evgeny Goroshko (Pipedrive)
The power of a second chance
Plot twist: when Pavlo first applied to Pipedrive, he didn’t land the job he went for. But that didn’t stop him – and shouldn’t! It’s always about the right fit for the right position. A few weeks after receiving feedback, a new opportunity opened up – junior machine learning engineer, a position exactly aligned with his skills and passion. With encouragement from a friend working at Pipedrive and a strong referral, Pavlo went through the interview process and secured the role. He started in October 2024, stepping into a fast-growing, AI-focused environment.
In his day-to-day role, Pavlo ensures that Pipedrive’s internal machine learning systems run smoothly and reliably. “I focus on maintaining, improving and building tools around machine learning systems, supporting internal teams and helping them do their jobs more efficiently. One of the stakeholders is our Customer Intelligence team and I help them to build systems to analyze customer behavior, predict churn and improve the overall customer experience,” explains Pavlo what it’s like to work as a ML engineer at Pipedrive.
Python is Pavlo's go-to language for his work as it’s readable, supported by a huge community and you can practically build anything with it. One of Pavlo's proudest achievements so far has been contributing to automation improvements, making the deployment and maintenance of ML models easier and more robust.
Building friendships one swim at a time
Outside of coding, Pavlo is actively involved in Pipedrive’s Tartu office community. From giving his first 5-minute lightning talk during an internal event on how physical activity impacts the health of our brains, to enjoying lunch with colleagues, to even joining a winter swimming club with colleagues, Pavlo brings the same curiosity and enthusiasm to building friendships as he does to building systems.
“In Tartu, it feels like working with friends. The office culture is easygoing and supportive, and activities like lightning talks and game hours help people connect beyond work. I couldn’t imagine anything better – the culture here is even greater than I ever expected. And I’ve joined the company at the perfect time: it’s exciting to see how much focus there is now on AI and machine learning projects. The company is growing and so am I,” says Pavlo.
Winter swimming, in particular, has become a regular ritual for Pavlo and some of his colleagues in Tartu. No matter the weather conditions (or the mood upon waking up), one thing is for sure: a quick, cold-braving plunge helps kickstart the day, build discipline and recharge before the workday begins
Pavlo highlights the need for balance. “I love coding. But if you want to work in this field for many years, you must take care of yourself. Physical activity, socializing with colleagues and hobbies outside screens are crucial. And even small team activities can build culture and connections,” explains Pavlo.
Pavlo’s advice to aspiring engineers
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions – you’re not expected to know everything. Being proactive, reaching out and collaborating – that’s how you grow!
- Get involved outside your immediate tasks. Pipedrive, for example, is a great place where you can sharpen your technical skills, grow personally and build connections. In addition to participating in fun internal events, I’ve already had the chance to talk about my work and machine learning at public meetups held in our offices – once in Tartu and once in Tallinn. It’s a great way to share your passion and practice your public speaking skills.
- Take care of yourself physically and mentally. Work and great results are important, but so is making sure you have the energy and balance to sustain your growth.
Article written by Maie-Liisa Sildnik (Senior PR Manager at Pipedrive). Read more stories from Pipedrive on their R&D blog.
More about PyCon:
