DEV.BG @ SumUp: Office Tech Talks

Office Tech Talks is DEV.BG’s event series that brings the tech community together at the offices of leading technology companies. Each event features practical talks, real-world industry experience, Q&A sessions, and opportunities to connect with fellow professionals.

On 17 November 2026, join us at SumUp in Sofia for an evening dedicated to product management, data-driven decision-making, and building products that deliver real value to customers.

As AI transforms how product teams gather and interpret information, sound product judgement becomes increasingly important. At the same time, validating assumptions before development begins can help teams make better decisions about what to build, how to prioritise requirements, and where to focus their efforts.

Through two talks led by SumUp’s product leaders, we will explore how to make informed product decisions in an AI-enabled world and how to use prototypes and stakeholder feedback to validate data-related use cases before they reach production.

The event will feature two presentations, followed by a Q&A session and networking with the tech community.

The event will be held in English. Registration is required, and places are limited.

Program:

18:30 – 19:00 – Registration
19:00 – 19:30 – Talk 1: Beyond the Data: Product Judgement in an AI-Enabled World – Aneta Petkova
19:30 – 20:00 – Talk 2: Prototype Before Production: A Practical Approach to Data Validation – Yanislava Ilieva
20:00 – 20:20 — Q&A session with the speakers
20:20 – 21:20 — Networking with catering and drinks provided by the host

Talk 1: Beyond the Data: Product Judgement in an AI-Enabled World

As AI takes on more of the work of gathering and interpreting information, the key question for product teams is who makes the decision. AI can identify patterns and generate options, but people still need to determine what matters, which signals to trust, what level of risk is acceptable, and when additional measurement is unlikely to change the outcome.

In this talk, Aneta Petkova will explore product judgement in an AI-enabled world, drawing on examples from payments and reporting. She will examine the decisions behind the data, including how to turn customer feedback into priorities, determine whether an experiment provides sufficient evidence to scale, and verify that an initiative has delivered value without unintended consequences.

The talk will also consider when further instrumentation or optimisation is unnecessary. Not every decision needs a dashboard; knowing how much certainty is enough is itself an important product decision.

Talk 2: Prototype Before Production: A Practical Approach to Data Validation

As data-driven products become more complex, product teams need to consider not only whether the data is correct, but also whether people can understand it and act on it with confidence.

Prototypes can help make assumptions visible early in the development process. However, stakeholder input is essential to understanding which information matters, which workflows feel natural, and what is actually necessary to build.

In this talk, Yanislava Ilieva will share a case study on how prototype-based stakeholder validation helped turn assumptions into actionable product decisions. Using a case study involving data-related use cases and a new fee-change option, she will explore how task-based focus groups revealed unknowns, challenged assumptions about stakeholder familiarity, and helped simplify the proposed experience before engineering work began.

The talk will also examine how validation can improve prioritisation beyond usability testing. By testing critical user journeys early, product teams can distinguish essential requirements from unnecessary complexity, reassess use cases, and use stakeholder knowledge to inform both what gets built and when.