How to Build a Unicorn - The Oxylabs & Source.ai Story with Julius Černiauskas
Oxylabs builds technology that helps businesses access and use public web data. Its proxies and data-collection tools power everything from price comparisons and market research to AI systems that need fresh web information.
After a decade of bootstrapped growth, Oxylabs announced its first external investment: $130 million from Warburg Pincus, valuing the group at $3.6 billion and securing its place among Lithuania’s unicorns.
The next chapter is Source.ai: the group bringing together Oxylabs, Decodo, Webshare, Honeygain, and ScrapingBee. Launched in October 2026, Source.ai unites a global team of 800 people, including more than 350 developers and engineers, building the infrastructure behind the growing demand for web data and AI.
How do you build a business like this from Lithuania—and what comes next?
Join Vilnius Founders on December 9 for an evening with Julius Černiauskas, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board at Oxylabs, part of Source.ai. Having previously led Oxylabs as CEO, Julius will share the decisions behind its growth, the investment milestone, and the creation of Source.ai.
Interested in joining Source.ai?
Want to help build products used by businesses and AI teams worldwide? Explore open positions at Source.ai and join the conversation to learn about the products, people, and next stage of growth.
What we’ll discuss
The founding story: the original idea, first customers, and early decisions that shaped Oxylabs.
Building products for global demand: how web data became essential to businesses and AI—and how the team identifies what to build next.
From bootstrapping to unicorn: why the business chose to bring in its first external investor after a decade, and what the Warburg Pincus partnership makes possible.
The creation of Source: how product development and acquisitions grew into a group of specialist brands, and the ambition behind bringing them together.
Scaling the team: how leadership, ownership, and career opportunities evolve as a company grows—and what early-stage founders can learn from that journey.
Expect an open fireside chat, audience questions, and networking over drinks. Come with a question, meet fellow founders and technology professionals, and leave with practical ideas for your own business or career.
Moderator: Edmundas Balčikonis, CEO of Vilnius Founders and Such Much AI.
About 🚀 Vilnius Founders
Vilnius Founders brings together 4,000+ founders, investors, and technology professionals through monthly meetups and online groups. We’ve hosted 30+ events featuring founders of Vinted, TransferGo, Ovoko, Pulsetto, CoinGate, Ondato, and more.
No slides. No suits. Real examples, honest opinions, and meaningful connections.