Sasha Selipanov, our Founder and CEO, has been obsessed with sports cars from a very young age. Combined with a rebellious non-conformist spirit, this led to a fruitful career in automotive design spanning over 2 decades. Working for some of the industry’s giants and learning directly from leading experts, Sasha’s work has made a tremendous impact in areas of car design, engineering and manufacturing.
Starting a car company is no easy feat, and being an industry insider, this was not lost on Sasha. But seeing the industry’s pivot towards electrification and digitalization left an unfulfilled urge in him. Sasha has always had a vision for a back-to-the-roots all analog hypercar, with a ‘holy shit’ factor. And we’re thrilled to bring that vision into reality.
Nilu27 is based on one man’s vision, but it certainly isn’t a one-man show. Through his 20+ years in the industry, Sasha has managed to secure the expertise of hypercar experts from around the world, all under one proverbial roof.
Nilu is a word that doesn't exist in the languages we speak so it's a great opportunity to fill it with new meanings and associations. For those curious about its origins, Nilu is a combination of the founders' daughters' names, Nica and Lucia.
Nilu27 is based on one man’s vision, but it certainly isn’t a one-man show. Through his 20+ years in the industry, Sasha has managed to secure the expertise of hypercar experts from around the world, all under one proverbial roof.
When Sasha was a small child, he saw a magazine clipping of Gilles Villenueve power sliding an F1 car with the number 27 on it. Thinking this is one of the most breathtaking things he had ever seen, this single moment sparked an interest in Sasha that would define the rest of his life. 27 is a racing number that was worn by a few legendary F1 drivers in the 80s and 90s.
But for us, it is a lucky number that captures the essence of automotive beauty and drama; it also reminds us of where this all really began.
During two decades of designing for the leading automotive OEMs, Sasha’s had the opportunity to learn directly from the top legends. After completing his degree in Transportation Design from the ArtCenter College of Design in California, Sasha embarked on what became an 11-year journey with the Volkswagen Group. Following a multitude of internal projects for VW, Audi, Bugatti and Lamborghini, his efforts finally paid off with the release of the Lamborghini Huracán. Shortly after, Sasha was appointed Head of Exterior Design at Bugatti, where he led exterior design development of the Bugatti Vision GT and the Bugatti Chiron.
His career advancement took him to Genesis as Head of Advanced Design, where his team was responsible for the Genesis Essentia and Mint concept cars. Sasha’s next move was the coveted role of Head of Design at Koenigsegg Automotive, where he played a leading role in the design of Koenigsegg Gemera and Koenigsegg CC850. Sasha’s pursuit of ultimate beauty and his own creative ambition has led him to found Nilu27.
During her 15 years of professional work, Inna has held a wide range of roles across multiple industries. With a Bachelor's Degree in literature from UCLA, Inna accidentally found herself in PR and marketing, and decided that was exactly where she needed to be. Supplementing her real-life experience with an MBA from the Berlin School of Economics, Inna's career took off initially in the tech industry. Making a professional transition to the automotive world in 2017, Inna played an important role in bringing Hyundai's Genesis to the European market, where she was responsible for the company's first 6 showrooms in 3 European markets.
Following the stint at Genesis, Inna went on to serve the marketing team at Koenigsegg, working alongside the founders directly. Inna is thrilled to build Nilu27 together with Sasha, an organic decision for the power couple who have spent most of their lives together. Complementing Sasha's visionary thinking, Inna brings the ideas to life.
