Farzin Shifat
farzinshifat@gmail.com · GitHub · LinkedIn · farzinbuilds.com
Summary
Full-stack Software Engineer and founding-stage CTO experienced in building and scaling production systems. Lead architect across a 15-engineer team, owning system design, infrastructure, and deployment. Strong at translating product requirements into scalable, reliable software with hands-on execution across the stack. Currently pursuing an M.Sc. in Computer Science (AI Optimization), applying machine learning concepts to production systems.
Technical Skills
Languages / Databases: Node.js, TypeScript, Python, SQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB
Backend & Systems: System Design, REST APIs, Authentication (JWT, OAuth, RLS), Payments, CI/CD, Monitoring & Logging
Frameworks / Tools: Next.js, React, NestJS, AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda, SageMaker, Bedrock), Supabase, Docker, Nginx, Linux
AI / ML: PyTorch, scikit-learn, RAG pipelines, ML inference systems, model deployment (SageMaker)
Experience
CTO / Lead Software Engineer
Sports Excitement — New York, NY (Remote) · Jan 2025 to Present
- Architect and lead development of multiple web and mobile platforms, including production systems actively used by end users.
- Serve as technical authority across a 15-engineer team, defining system architecture, enforcing engineering standards, and guiding implementation decisions.
- Architected the production backend platform serving web and mobile clients end-to-end: PostgreSQL data models, REST API design, payment integrations, and authentication, unified across both surfaces under a single service contract.
- Built secure authentication and authorization systems using JWT, OAuth, and database-level RLS for fine-grained data access control.
- Designed and managed a hybrid infrastructure combining VPS and cloud services, leveraging containerization and load balancing for scalable, reliable deployments.
- Built and maintained CI/CD pipelines to streamline deployments across staging and production environments.
- Implemented centralized logging, monitoring, and observability across services, improving system reliability and debugging efficiency.
- Translate product requirements into scalable, maintainable systems while contributing across backend, frontend, and infrastructure.
Full-Stack Software Engineer (Contract)
StrictlySurf LLC — New York, NY (Remote) · Jan 2026 to Present
- Sole engineer responsible for building and launching a full-stack e-commerce and marketplace platform.
- Architected backend systems for product catalogs, order processing, payments, user accounts, and marketplace workflows supporting end-to-end commerce functionality.
- Developed REST APIs and relational data models to support scalable product, transaction, and content flows.
- Built responsive frontend interfaces using Next.js and React, working closely with UX design to deliver a functional and cohesive user experience.
- Integrated authentication, authorization, and secure payment processing for both customers and vendors.
- Managed deployment, hosting, and infrastructure, continuously iterating on the platform as product requirements evolved.
Lead Software Engineering Fellow
Headstarter Fellowship — Remote · Jul 2024 to Sep 2024
- Led development of full-stack applications and AI-powered features using LLMs, vector search, and REST APIs.
Education & Certifications
- M.Sc. in Computer Science, Western Governors University (in progress, expected May 2026)
- B.Sc. in Computer Science, Western Governors University (2025)
- AI Optimization Developer Certificate, WGU (2025)
- AWS Machine Learning Associate, AWS (2026)
- Backend Developer Certifications, Boot.dev (2024), WGU (2025)
- IBM AI Developer Professional Certificate, IBM (2024)
