Journey Towards Test Automation in a SaaS Scale-Up | Calgary Meetup
The Test Tribe Calgary Meetup – Journey Towards Test Automation in a SaaS Scale-Up
Test automation sounds like a must-have - until reality hits.
Fast-growing startups often prioritize delivery speed over long-term quality investments. Deadlines pile up, manual testing becomes the bottleneck, and automation keeps getting pushed “just a little later”… until it becomes unavoidable.
At the Calgary Meetup, we dive into a real-world journey of building test automation from scratch under pressure - what it takes, what goes wrong, and what finally works.
Event Details
Date: 15th April 2026
Time: 5:45 PM – 8:00 PM
Venue: InceptionU - 800 3 St SE, 3rd Floor, Calgary, AB T2G 0E7
Talk: Journey Towards Test Automation in a SaaS Based Scale-Up: Challenges and Lessons Learned
Speaker: Minaoar, Software Development Manager @ IMDEX (formerly Krux Analytics Inc.)
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaoar/
About the Talk
A strong test automation strategy is a cornerstone of continuous integration and delivery at scale - but in fast-moving startups, building it is rarely straightforward.
In this session, Minaoar shares the journey of Krux Analytics, where rapid business growth exposed the limits of manual testing and forced a shift toward automation - despite limited time, resources, and expertise.
You’ll hear how the team:
Transitioned from manual testing to building automation capabilities
Upskilled themselves while continuing to deliver under pressure
Built a stable automation framework over several years
Reduced release cycles from two months to just two weeks
This is a candid, experience-driven session about real challenges, practical trade-offs, and long-term transformation - not theory.
Key Takeaways
The real challenges of introducing automation in a fast-scaling startup
How teams can upskill from manual to automation testing
Strategies for building automation with limited time and resources
Lessons learned from scaling QA alongside business growth
How automation contributes to faster, more reliable release cycles
About the Speaker
Minaoar is a technology leader with nearly 20 years of global experience working at the intersection of people, software, and business.
Currently a Software Development Manager at IMDEX (formerly Krux Analytics Inc.), he leads engineering efforts in a rapidly growing Calgary-based tech company serving mining and drilling organizations worldwide.
Previously, Minaoar led the Bangladesh operations of Kona I, managing a team of 150+ engineers and delivering a large-scale banking-as-a-service platform processing over $2 billion in monthly transactions across Asia.
He holds a Master’s degree in Software Engineering from the University of Calgary, with research focused on AI tools like ChatGPT, along with a background in Computer Science and an MBA.
Minaoar is passionate about building high-performing teams, scalable systems, and technology-driven business growth.
Why You Should Attend
Learn from a real-world automation journey - not theory
Understand how to introduce automation in resource-constrained environments
Gain insights into scaling QA in a fast-growing SaaS company
Discover practical strategies for team upskilling
Connect with Calgary’s QA, engineering, and tech community
Be part of The Test Tribe’s Calgary Meetup
About The Test Tribe
The Test Tribe is the world’s largest software testing community, empowering testers globally since 2018. With 700+ events and 150K+ members across 130+ countries, we bring testers together to learn, grow, and connect through meetups, conferences, cohorts, masterclasses, and more.
By RSVPing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and consent to be contacted by The Test Tribe and our event partners.