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Available for new work
Philippines · Remote
DAVID
LOPENA.
Senior Software Engineer·AI & Agentic Engineering
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12 years building production software across mobile, web, and AI — from UK wholesale platforms to US AI startups. I care most about the gap between what engineers build and what the business actually needed.

[email protected]
TypeScript·React Native·React·Next.js·Expo·GraphQL·Node.js·Python·FastAPI·Django·AWS Lambda·AWS Amplify·DynamoDB·NestJS·Tailwind CSS·LLM Integrations·RAG Pipelines·Agentic Engineering·Stripe·RevenueCat·WatermelonDB·Firebase·Playwright·Detox·Maestro·Dart·TypeScript·React Native·React·Next.js·Expo·GraphQL·Node.js·Python·FastAPI·Django·AWS Lambda·AWS Amplify·DynamoDB·NestJS·Tailwind CSS·LLM Integrations·RAG Pipelines·Agentic Engineering·Stripe·RevenueCat·WatermelonDB·Firebase·Playwright·Detox·Maestro·Dart·
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Years experience
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Apps shipped to prod
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Enterprise clients
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Countries worked in

Selected Work

Products I've helped ship and scale.

Paiv

Senior SWE · Product Engineer

2023 – Present

AI-powered roofing inspection and claims platform. Built intake AI agent for automated damage assessments, led V2 redesign across 20+ screens, real-time LLM streaming, self-service Stripe billing, and cross-platform field tools.

ReactReact NativeGraphQLAWSFastAPILLM
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Makenai

Solo · Indie

2025

Designed, built, and shipped solo. Japanese SRS app with AI-generated content, spaced repetition engine, Duolingo-style gameplay, and TTS audio — mobile to backend, zero team.

ExpoDjangoPostgresWatermelonDBClaude AI
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Valari Solutions

Front-End Lead

2021 – 2022

5+ web and mobile products from initial architecture through production release. Owned CI/CD, frontend standards, and architecture decisions across every project.

ReactReact NativeNestJSFirebase
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Bridgestone AG Tyres

Fullstack · Mobile

2020

Agricultural tyre pressure management app shipped to App Store and Google Play for UK field technicians.

React NativeTypeScriptiOSAndroid
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DroneAdair

Front-End Lead · Valari

2021 – 2022

AI automation platform for drone operators — flight logging, inspection reporting, FAA compliance, and computer vision for defect detection. Bootstrapped from zero.

ReactTypeScriptAIComputer Vision
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UltiStay

Front-End Lead · Valari

2021 – 2022

Airbnb-style rental marketplace — full-stack web and mobile product from initial architecture through production release.

ReactReact NativeNestJSFirebase
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Bestway

B2B Commerce

2018 – 2021

Production web and mobile apps for one of the UK's largest cash-and-carry wholesale distributors, serving thousands of independent retailers.

ReactReact NativeGraphQLApollo
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Blakemore

Distribution Platform

2018 – 2021

Cross-platform apps for the AF Blakemore wholesale distribution ecosystem — one of the UK's largest family-owned businesses.

TypeScriptReact NativeNode.jsRedux
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Experience

Senior Software Engineer / Product Engineer

Jan 2023 – Present
Paiv (GoGamify)· Remote, US
  • Led engineering team: PR reviews, mentorship, and multi-initiative delivery
  • Built intake AI agent for roofing — automated damage assessment from photos through to claim generation
  • Drove V2 redesign — migrated 20+ screens from Material UI to shadcn/ui + Tailwind
  • Built AI features: real-time LLM streaming, RAG pipelines, context-aware agentic responses
  • Delivered self-service Stripe billing; eliminated engineering bottleneck for new orgs

Front-End Lead

Jun 2021 – Dec 2022
Valari Solutions· Minnesota, US
  • Led frontend for DroneAdair (AI drone ops platform), KilterRewards (gamified rewards + Strava), UltiStay (rental marketplace), and rTurn (Flutter + hardware scanner API)
  • Bootstrapped DroneAdair from zero — project setup, architecture, and full delivery as front-end lead
  • Established CI/CD pipelines and frontend architecture standards across all projects
  • Built backend services using NestJS, Django, FastAPI; leveraged Firebase and GCP

Fullstack Engineer

Jun 2018 – Jun 2021
Prosource / B2BStore· Leamington Spa, United Kingdom
  • ~8 production apps for UK wholesale clients: Blakemore, Bestway, Sugro
  • Shipped Bridgestone AG Tyres app to App Store and Google Play
  • TypeScript, React, React Native, GraphQL, Apollo, Redux, MobX, Node.js

Senior Fullstack Engineer / Front-End Lead

May 2017 – May 2018
Scoutedby· Remote
  • Led school, student, admin, and quiz management platform development
  • Migrated the platform from MeteorJS to React, Node.js, and GraphQL

Web Application Developer

Mar 2016 – Dec 2016
Veuta· Remote
  • Built frontend for an AI-driven social media platform with sentiment analysis and Automated Intelligent Response — an early conversational AI predating mainstream chatbots

Earlier Roles

2014 – 2016
Freelance · MobileAds · Mesh Motion · Cynder· Global
  • Fleet management platforms, e-commerce, advertising microsites, and web app prototypes across SF Bay Area, Penang, and the Philippines

Skills

The full stack, end to end.

Languages

TypeScriptJavaScriptPythonDart

Mobile

React NativeExpoiOSAndroidDetoxMaestro

Frontend

ReactNext.jsTailwind CSSshadcn/uiFramer Motion

Backend

Node.jsGraphQLNestJSExpressJSDjangoFastAPI

Cloud & Infra

AWS AmplifyDynamoDBLambdaSAMS3CognitoGCPFirebaseVercel

AI / ML

LLM IntegrationsRAG PipelinesAgentic EngineeringFastAPI AI Services

Get in touch

Open to senior and lead roles in
product-minded teams.

Looking for a senior engineer or team lead who delivers? I'm open to full-time roles, fractional engagements, and the right contract work.

[email protected]linkedin.com/in/david-lopena ↗github/davidlopena ↗github/deejayxd07 ↗