Founder-led execution
Melkon has built and led technical teams as Co-founder and CTO of Direlli, with work spanning product delivery, automation, operations, and engineering leadership.
Updated June 18, 2026
Melkon Hovhannisyan, a Barcelona-based founder building AI and software systems
Melkon Hovhannisyan is a founder, CTO, senior software engineer, and AI builder based in Barcelona, Spain. He is the Co-founder and CTO of Direlli and works across production AI, LLM systems, backend architecture, cloud cost engineering, and technical leadership.
This page is a concise profile for people searching for a technical founder in Spain, an AI founder in Barcelona, or a senior engineering leader with international startup experience.
AI and software systems
His current focus is production AI, LLM workflows, agentic systems, backend architecture, and cloud cost engineering for startups and product teams.
International perspective from Spain
Based in Barcelona, he works with companies and founders across Spain, Europe, and remote international teams.
Current focus in 2026
- Building production AI systems that connect LLMs, backend services, product workflows, and measurable business outcomes.
- Helping founders decide where AI should become a real product capability instead of a fragile demo or one-off automation.
- Working from Barcelona with startup and product teams across Spain, Europe, and international remote environments.
- Writing and advising on AI engineering, agentic systems, cloud cost control, backend scaling, and practical developer workflows.
Startup founder, CTO, and AI builder in Barcelona
As a founder in Spain, Melkon sits at the intersection of product judgment, software architecture, and practical AI engineering. His work is useful for startups that need a technical leader who can reason about business constraints and still go deep into code, systems, infrastructure, and delivery.
From Barcelona, he works with founders and product teams that need help turning uncertainty into a buildable plan: what to prototype, what to avoid, which AI workflows are worth the cost, and how to design software that can survive real usage.
Founder profile
Melkon's path combines hands-on engineering and founder responsibility. He has worked across fintech, cybersecurity, logistics, e-commerce, and AI workflows, including companies and projects connected to Bridgewise, Datarails, Reddit, DHL, Vans, and SAP-related systems. At Bridgewise, a funded FinTech startup, he redesigned cloud infrastructure and reduced costs by 75%, saving more than $150,000 per year.
At Direlli, he helped lead a technical team of more than 20 engineers and built automation, data, and operations systems. His work today is especially focused on turning AI ideas into real software: useful workflows, reliable backends, measurable costs, and systems that can be maintained after launch.
He is also a WorldSkills Web Technologies Champion, served as WorldSkills Champions Trust Representative for Asia from 2023 to 2024, and was a Forbes Technology Council member from 2024 to 2025.
Startup and product verticals
AI startups and LLM products
Product teams use Melkon's experience when an AI idea needs architecture, evaluation, cost control, data boundaries, and production-grade backend systems.
SaaS and internal platforms
For SaaS products and operational platforms, the work often covers APIs, queues, databases, dashboards, automation, observability, and developer workflows.
Fintech and data-heavy products
Melkon has worked on financial and data-heavy systems, including backend workflows, reliability, infrastructure, and integrations where correctness matters.
Cybersecurity and engineering quality
His background includes security infrastructure, deployment workflows, vulnerability-aware engineering, and practical tradeoffs for teams shipping under pressure.
E-commerce, logistics, and operations
Earlier work across e-commerce, logistics, and enterprise projects informs how he thinks about process automation, integrations, and resilient business software.
Founder and CTO advisory
Founders can work with Melkon on technical roadmap decisions, hiring signals, architecture reviews, prototype-to-production planning, and engineering execution.
Brand signals
- Barcelona-based founder with international startup experience
- Co-founder and CTO of Direlli
- WorldSkills Web Technologies Champion
- Former Forbes Technology Council member
- AI, LLM, backend, cloud, and product engineering focus
- Works with startups, founders, product teams, and engineering leaders
Relevant searches this profile answers
- tech founder in Spain
- AI founder in Barcelona
- CTO based in Spain
- Armenian tech entrepreneur in Spain
- software founder Barcelona
- startup technical advisor Spain
- startup founder Spain AI
- technical cofounder Barcelona
Frequently asked questions
Who is Melkon Hovhannisyan?
Melkon Hovhannisyan is a Barcelona-based founder, CTO, senior software engineer, and AI builder. He is the Co-founder and CTO of Direlli, a WorldSkills Web Technologies Champion, and a former Forbes Technology Council member.
Is Melkon Hovhannisyan based in Spain?
Yes. Melkon Hovhannisyan is based in Barcelona, Spain, and works with teams in Spain, Europe, and internationally.
What kind of founder work does Melkon do?
Melkon works on AI products, backend architecture, automation, technical leadership, and founder-led software execution. His background includes fintech, cybersecurity, logistics, e-commerce, and developer workflows.
Can Melkon help startups in Spain?
Melkon can help startups and product teams with AI strategy, LLM implementation, backend architecture, technical audits, cloud cost engineering, and senior engineering execution.
What startup verticals does Melkon understand?
Melkon's experience spans AI products, SaaS platforms, fintech, cybersecurity, e-commerce, logistics, internal tools, and data-heavy software systems.
Why is Barcelona relevant to Melkon's founder profile?
Barcelona gives Melkon access to Spain's startup ecosystem, European product teams, international founders, and remote-first companies that need senior technical execution.
Work with Melkon
For AI products, founder technical advisory, backend architecture, or senior engineering execution from Barcelona.