Ryan Bruels

People-first engineering leadership. Building great things for great people.

Ryan Bruels is a seasoned technology leader and entrepreneur based in Seattle, Washington. He currently serves as the Head of Engineering at Atypical AI, an education-focused artificial intelligence startup that aims to develop innovative tools for tutoring, teaching, and grading. Bruels joined Atypical AI in June 2023 after a diverse career in technology and engineering roles across various companies.

Career Overview

Early Career: Bruels began his career at Apple, where he spent six years in software engineering roles. This experience laid the foundation for his future endeavors in tech.
Entrepreneurial Ventures: He co-founded several startups, including DevToaster and Assemble, and developed Dunno, an app designed to help users compile information from online sources based on their notes.
Starbucks: From November 2017 to November 2019, Bruels served as the Director of Emerging Technology at Starbucks. In this role, he led efforts to innovate technology solutions that enhanced customer and partner experiences as part of the company's digital transformation strategy. He also held the position of Director of Digital Product Engineering at Starbucks, overseeing the engineering teams for mobile and web applications that significantly contributed to the company's global transactions.1 2 3

Recent Role

At Atypical AI, Bruels is focused on building a small engineering team in Seattle to support the startup's mission of creating personalized educational tools. His work involves leveraging his extensive experience in technology leadership to foster innovation and collaboration within the team.1 3

Education

Ryan Bruels graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he developed a strong foundation in engineering and technology.2 3

Personal Philosophy

Bruels emphasizes creating human-centered technological experiences and aims to build diverse, engaged teams that prioritize customer empathy and innovation. His recent move to Atypical AI reflects his commitment to addressing educational challenges through advanced technology.3