Deeper was founded on March 21, 2012. That makes us 10 years old this year! It’s been quite the journey. The waters have been stormy at times. We faced many challenges when we set out to make the world’s first castable sonar. Figuring out the technology and getting the funds, dealing with logistics and production issues, and getting marketing right are some of them. Of course, there were many victories as well.
Our success is the product of hard work and passion for not only fishing itself but for everything that each Deeper team member brings to the table. Their skills, knowledge, experience, talent, and passion allow us to make quality products that take fishing experiences to the next level for anglers across the globe. We’d love to introduce all of them to you and share their passions inside and outside of work. However, our team has grown quite a bit throughout the years, so we’ve picked out some of the most exciting and interesting stories to share with you.
Donatas – the one who made it real
Donatas has been with us the longest. He’s one of the founders, and he joined the team in November 2012. At the time, Donatas was working for a company commissioned to create an app for Deeper sonars. While working on this project, he truly believed in the idea of a castable sonar. “I could see that this is a unique idea, and by realising it, we would improve the fishing experiences for anglers who fish from shore, kayaks, small boats, and on ice.” So, when Donatas was asked to join the other two founders and help them make it all real, he had zero doubts.
A month after joining, he took it upon himself to create the Research & Development department and got into the development of the sonar itself. Later the Innovations department was founded, responsible for the creation of new products and their success. Donatas took care of this department’s development. This is also where the bathymetric (depth) maps’ service was born, and new sonar models came to life.
In 2020, Donatas then took on the role of CEO. “Every day, I work with colleagues who have a bunch of ideas, knowledge, and talent to make it all a reality.” Donatas is also inspired by anglers who share their experiences. “I am inspired by the stories anglers tell about how their experiences and fishing results have changed after they started using Deeper sonars and bathymetric (depth) maps.”
Moses – the creative mind and talent behind Deeper product designs
Moses has been with Deeper for 5 years now. The product design ideas are first born in his head and then come to life on paper. After they are perfected, products then come to life and eventually reach the hands of anglers.
During the time spent with us, Moses has formed a vision for his designs. He calls it „Utilitarian Simplicity”. Utilitarian – things that communicate function such as work tools, for example. Simplicity – minimalism without unnecessary elements. In the context of utilitarianism, Deeper designs seek simplicity.
“In this industry, it’s also important to create unique-looking things without getting attached to some sort of standards. That way we dictate what fishing gear should look like on our own terms, what we imagine would be the best. Glance at the product category and create our own unique product.”
Saulius – the musician with doctorate degree in electronics engineering
Saulius creates music and does live performances. Mostly electronic music such EBM, house, disco, dark disco. He takes part in events organised by Play4n4 (an arts organisation in Vilnius, Lithuania) and creates music together with Evaldas Mikalauskas (The Sneekers). Their duo is called Mike & The Sun. They’ve released an EP “Discow” (available on Spotify) and have done several remixes of pieces by other artists.
Since a young age, Saulius has been into funk, RnB, disco, house, and French house music. He’s constantly trying to create music that he himself would like to listen to and dance to. Music is also the reason why he’s doing what he’s doing at work. “I discovered electronics through music – in order to design and manufacture electronic musical instruments and controllers for myself – I completed a doctorate in electronics engineering for that purpose.”
Laurynas – the most dedicated angler
Laurynas has been with Deeper for a long time now. He’s certainly not the only angler in the company, but he’s the most dedicated. Laurynas started his fishing career when he was around 11-12 years old. He went fishing to mostly local spots that he could reach by cycling. He’d go fishing with his friends who also shared his passion or simply enjoyed riding bikes. Fishing is one of Laurynas most favourite pastimes.
As he got older and gained more fishing experience, Laurynas realised that his favourite way of fishing is spinning. It’s not the only way he likes to fish, but it’s the main one. “Spin fishing is also a walk along the riverbank in search of perch, and a boat trip in search of zander and pike, as well as wandering in small streams in search of hidden colourful trout. The fishing process is thrilling.”
Fishing brings joy to Laurynas heart. But it also requires good preparation and planning. Before every fishing trip, Laurynas tries to check what kind of weather to expect, as well as wind direction and strength. Then he gets his fishing gear ready depending on how long he’s planning to fish and what kind of fish he wants to catch. Laurynas practices catch and release. “Catching the biggest fish has never been my main goal, so I don’t really have anything to brag about.” But anyone could argue that he can brag about his love and dedication to the fishing process itself.
Jūratė – the marketer with passion for travelling
Jūratė doesn‘t know what it means not to travel. She doesn‘t remember a time when she wasn‘t travelling. “I know very well that those moments when I am strong, tough, and energetic, are built on the experiences of discovering different cultures and the people of the world. And my greatest ideas and projects, best relationships with people, and the loudest laughter are filled with so much of everything from nearly 60 visited countries and the adventures I’ve experienced in more than 400 cities. Journeys teach me to live differently. Somehow more fully and freely. They train to balance energy.”
That’s why Jūratė can keep on growing with Deeper, and keep on travelling, and in her blog (Juralionės), keep on sharing her world discoveries.
Vinh – the adventurous cook who loves sharing
Vinh’s love for food goes back to his childhood when his mother would spend hours in the kitchen cooking delicious food. Plenty of it. So that they would always have leftovers for several days after. Vinh took these habits with him. He loves to host. Vinh loves when people discover his food and his culture. “I would say this is how my food and cooking adventure started. I think I love eating more than cooking but to cook decent food you need to taste it, right?”
Vinh grew up in France, but his mother is Vietnamese, and his dad is Chinese. That’s the foundation of his cooking. “A strange mix of soup pho, spring rolls, roast duck, foie gras and cheese are amongst my favourites. However, when it comes to cooking, it’s definitely leaning towards Asian food. Pho (Vietnamese national soup) is a must and almost a weekly requirement, made from flavoursome bones broth, rice noodles, lots of fresh herbs and spices. It’s just so comforting, refreshing, and mega delicious.” Vinh also has a bad habit of cooking some fried dishes as crispy food is always a crowd-pleaser, quite a contrast with the healthy, herby, and fresh feeling that Vietnamese food usually provides.
Food and cooking are Vinh’s ways not just to share but also to help others. Every year around his birthday, he cooks for his colleagues and collects money to donate to a chosen charity. “I use this passion to cook for my colleagues, make them discover new horizons, new taste, new flavours (you should have seen faces of my colleagues when they tried and smelled fish sauce for the first time).”
Vinh also often thinks of having his own restaurant or food truck. “It’s kind of a dream but at the same time, I think I want to keep cooking and sharing my food with passion and sparkles. But we never know where the next dish can transport us. Food is life.”
Matas – the unbeatable cyclist
Matas owns 3 bicycles and cycling has been his passion since his early teenage years. However, he seriously got into the cycling sport around 5-6 years ago. Before this, he used to play soccer. Matas was pushed into cycling after he experience a knee injury.
In the last few years, Matas has achieved around 12-14 thousand kilometres every year! Deeper had a cycling challenge last year and in just three weeks, he cycled 910 km and, of course, won the challenge. Yet, he wasn’t too pleased for not hitting 1000 km. The longest distance Matas has covered in one run was 400 km, going from Klaipėda to Vilnius during “Baika Tour” competition. During the season, he participates in all sorts of mountain bike competitions both short distances (2-3 hours) and marathons (6-8 hours).
Matas regularly likes to cycle to his hometown Panevėžys from Vilnius and back. Just for fun. And he can‘t wait for the next Deeper cycling challenge where he hopes to achieve even greater results.
Eimantas – the haute cuisine ex-chef who now codes
Eimantas made the switch from flipping pans to declaring variables as an iOS developer. He used to be an haute cuisine chef. The reason why he did it is the impact he feels he makes. “One of the aspects I enjoyed the most in the kitchen is the ability to create and bring some joy to people. But at the end of the day, your work is fleeting and affects a small number of people. As a developer, if you write good enough code, your work could stand the test of time, not to mention your work gets to affect a lot more people.”
It may seem that cooking and coding don’t mix, but that’s not true for Eimantas. He applies his past experiences in his current work. “Working in haute cuisine, you have no choice but to be obsessed with detail and always keep in mind potential pitfalls – the amount of mise en place, the amount of people you might expect during service, is the system you have for producing the dishes optimal enough etc., which all naturally transfer to good professionalism and soft skills.”
Evaldas – the teacher and leader on rollerblades
When Evaldas isn’t coding for Deeper, you can find him skating on his rollerblades. “I chose rollerblading probably for two main reasons: the special feeling of freedom when skating, where with a fairly simple invention, shoes with wheels, you can go at high speeds and travel long distances, and a special community where I meet a lot of positive, free, and unrestrained people.”
Currently, Evaldas leads an organisation called Riedek.Lt, where they have 8 instructors and teach a wide range of disciplines (beginners, city skating, roller skating, speed skating, retro roller skating). They also organise city skating, trips, go camping. Most of their students are already adults averaging 30-40 years old and are mostly women. Evaldas himself trains more advanced skaters in the city and shares the secrets on how to beat all sorts of obstacles, slopes, and especially their fears.
Robertas – the one who’ll sell you anything
Robertas is absolutely in love with sales. He lives and breathes sales. That must be why he’s so good at selling our products. Robertas believes that the ability to see the big picture and long-term strategic planning are the keys to results. He also believes that teamwork makes the dream work as they say. “Success is only a consequence of your own and your team's work. Thanks to my team, without whom such results would not have been possible. Never doubt your team.”
“Impossible” and “very difficult” are just someone’s opinions that motivate Robertas the most. “Think out of the box and you will always find a room at the top.”
