The University of British Columbia

CTO at HAILO

Skills: Google Cloud Platform · TypeScript · Mobile Technology · Android · Kubernetes · Fundraising · Strategy · Mobile Devices · Mobile Applications · Software Development · Artificial Intelligence (AI) · Project Management · Prefect · Payment Systems · Strategic Planning · Python (Programming Language) · Leadership · Amazon Web Services (AWS) · Business Strategy · Cloud Computing · Start-ups · Product Management · Machine Learning · SQL · Entrepreneurship · JavaScript

Hailo Data

Skills: Google Cloud Platform · Kubernetes · Large Language Models (LLM) · Deep Learning · Software Development · Artificial Intelligence (AI) · Project Management · Strategic Planning · Business Strategy · Cloud Computing · Start-ups · Product Management · Machine Learning · SQL · Entrepreneurship · Model Training · JavaScript

Sellbit

Founder

Element Tech is my vehicle for consulting projects and client work.

Element Tech

Principal

Skills: Google Cloud Platform · Kubernetes · Software Development · Project Management · Strategic Planning · Python (Programming Language) · Leadership · Business Strategy · Cloud Computing · Start-ups · SQL · Entrepreneurship · JavaScript

Kobalt.io

Responsible for E-xact's engineering and QA groups. E-xact Transactions is a payment gateway provider providing development and operations behind both Chase Paymentech Hosted Checkout E-commerce and Retail products, and First Data Clover Gateway.

Product:
* Lead development of Hosted Checkout Retail, Exact's EMV (chip & tap) card-present payment platform, the company's first new product in 10 years (and first to launch on "X2" platform, see below).
* Lead development of the "X2" services platform, a from-scratch rewrite of the company's core tech.
* Defined product strategy and led development of WebEMV, an EMV engine packaged as a pure-JS web component, offering simplified EMV (chip & tap) payment device integration targeted at web platform developers. Think stripe.js for EMV chip & tap integration.

Team:
* Built X2 new platform development team
* Rebuilt Exact's QA group, focusing on:
  - transitioning the team to an automation-first strategy from prior manual practices
  - introducing the use of quality metrics including code coverage
  - use of quality metrics to guide development of new test suites

Platform / Tech:
* X2 Tech Platform:
  - Node.js microservices, MongoDB, Redis, ELK, Docker, Buildroot, CoreOS, Vagrant, Artifactory
  - Chrome Ext/Apps on Chrome platforms, providing no-plugin integration with EMV pinpad hardware
* Legacy app platform:
  - Rails, Ruby, MySQL, Capistrano, SaltStack, RHEL, RHEV

E-xact Transactions (now Exact Payments)

VP Engineering

RewardLoop has created the first universal, cross-POS scalable mechanism for extracting transaction data from point-of-sale systems and deploying cloud-based applications including Mobile Loyalty and Retail Analytics on top of this data. RewardLoop's patent-pending transactional data platform supports over 85% of today's installed base of point-of-sale systems. RewardLoop is an EPSON Envision Software Partner.

Flagship products:
* RewardLoop Loyalty:  Mobile Loyalty platform that rewards customers of retail and hospitality merchants for what they actually spend, not for low-value checkins.
* RewardLoop Analytics:  SKU-level retail and hospitality data analytics enabling next-generation business reporting and direct customer marketing.

Tech Platform:
* Core: Rails, Ruby, Ubuntu, Cloud-init, AWS EC2,VPC,ELB,S3,IAM,Route53, MySQL, Redis, Vagrant, Puppet, Capistrano
* Analytics pipeline: Python, Pandas, numpy
* Hardware platform: TI AM335x ARMv8, uBoot, TI DaVinci Linux (Openembedded),  Python embedded app

RewardLoop

CEO & CTO

* Introduced lean startup MVP processes and AARRR product metrics
* Introduced first product roadmap process
* Introduced first product use-case specification process
* Led introduction of a software and deployment quality process culminating in the company's first commercial deployment
* Defined and led technical development of new deals-nearby widget product served into standard IAB ad units
* Produced multi-currency funds accounting model for two-sided deal ad exchange, supporting publisher revenue audit capability
* Created platform for location-aware deal scraping from Twitter, provide inventory-fill while bootstrapping deal network
* Led product and operations requirements effort with first commercially deployed customer, a top-3 US media conglomerate
* Led customer technical due diligence effort

Wantsa

Director of Product Management & Strategy

Produced during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, VX 2010 by DigiBC was a showcase of Vancouver's world-class wireless and new media industries.

I co-authored the VX2010 business plan, and lead technical partnerships with 65+ BC technology firms providing services and content for the showcase. Showcase production and integration of project components including: Online B2B matchmaking directory for trade delegates, mobile app and web versions of the directory for iPhone/Blackberry/feature phones, breaking Olympic news text alert services for the BC Intl Media Centre, and multi-screen VX digital interactive content at the BC Showcase at Robson Square.

DigiBC

Technology Director

Skills: Mobile Technology · Mobile Devices · Mobile Applications · Strategic Planning · Business Strategy · Start-ups

MOBIFY

Board of Advisors

Skills: C (Programming Language) · Mobile Devices · Software Development · Project Management

Holley Communications (formerly Philips Semiconductors CDMA)

Software Design Consultant

EQO was the first Skype-like calling service for mobile phones.

Launched in Feb 2006, EQO grew to support over 2MM users in over 150 countries. The EQO mobile apps also featured multi-IM network interconnect and over-the-top texting (free in-network, prepaid off-network).

I led the development of EQO's technology and operations platform including:

* the EQO softswitch platform
* development of mobile apps for Symbian, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and J2ME
* Architected federated IM interconnect to MSN,Yahoo,AIM,ICQ,QQ,GTalk
* Architected VoIP backbone and in-house softswitch
* Integration with IXC vendors for call transit
* Prepaid and postpaid call charging models
* Master reseller and agent reseller affiliate models
* Multiple payment network integrations to support worldwide footprint
* Deployed mobile payments support in 2007
* Grew to 2MM+ users in 150+ countries @20K signups per day

In July 2008 I published the first open data on world IM network market share based on EQO's instant messaging traffic data.
  http://billionsconnected.com/blog/2008/08/global-im-market-share-im-usage/

Tech platform:
* In-house SIP softswitch (C++/Boost), SER (Sip Express Router), Convedia SIP media server, MySQL, Custom rating/billing engine, in-house IM gateway based on libgaim/libpurple
* Web commerce components in PHP, with payments via Paypal, Global Collect, Moneybookers
* Mobile Apps: Symbian S60, Windows Mobile, J2ME: Blackberry, S40, Sony Ericsson, etc.
* IXC/CLEC integrations: MCI/Verizon, China Motion Telecom, Voxbone

Jeff LaPorte