One builder. Full-stack. Zero overhead.
Architecture built to last, delivered at solo speed. I replace your early-stage dev team — from design to deployment, with senior CTO-level rigor.
What I've Built
Faktus — Construction Neobank
Faktus raised €9M in 2024 then €56M in 2025. I built v1 of their neobank from a legacy MVP — the challenge: enable commercial launch and first key client acquisitions while laying the architecture to scale. KYC, card issuing, credit checks, loan management, everyday banking — every building block of a neobank, delivered by a single engineer.
J'ai eu le plaisir de travailler avec Sam chez Faktus. À son arrivée en tant que CTO, Sam a su stabiliser l'application et réduire drastiquement les bugs en production. Il a également mené un complet re-design de l'app tout en continuant de lancer de nouvelles fonctionnalités. Sam sait gérer les priorités et les équipes de manière efficace, sans faire redescendre le stress sur les équipes, ce qui est extrêmement précieux et permet de maintenir un environnement de travail positif. En résumé, travailler avec Sam a été un véritable plaisir !
What I Do
MVP & SaaS Builds
From idea to production-ready product. I architect, build, and deploy full-stack applications with proper testing, CI/CD, and infrastructure — engineered to scale from day one.
“Built a payment orchestration platform for a FinTech startup in 8 weeks, handling 10k+ transactions on launch day — with full test coverage and automated deployments.”
Legacy Rescue
Dropped into a codebase you're afraid to touch? I audit the architecture, introduce tests and CI pipelines, stabilize critical paths, and ship features — without the full rewrite.
“Took over a 7-year-old Ruby monolith with zero tests. Added test coverage on critical payment flows, set up CI/CD, and shipped 3 features in the first month.”
CTO Advisory
Strategic technical leadership without the full-time hire. I define your architecture, set up engineering standards, design your CI/CD and review processes, and help you build a team that ships with confidence.
“Advised a seed-stage startup on stack selection, defined coding standards and code review workflows, then built the first 3 hires' interview process and onboarding.”
Automations & System Integration
Connect your systems with robust, well-tested pipelines. APIs, webhooks, queues, monitoring — engineered for reliability, not just wired together.
“Integrated a lending platform with 4 banking APIs and a KYC provider, with retry logic, monitoring, and alerting — reducing onboarding time from 3 days to 15 minutes.”
Need Something Else?
15+ years of engineering across stacks and domains means I can tackle challenges well beyond the core offerings above.
- AWS infrastructure & DevOps pipelines
- Mobile app development
- Database architecture & optimization (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, Kafka)
- Engineering team building & technical recruitment
AI
Custom AI Agents
I build AI agents tailored to your product — from intelligent onboarding copilots to autonomous workflows that automate complex decision-making inside your app.
- An AI copilot embedded in a B2B SaaS that guides users through complex onboarding flows, reducing time-to-value by 60%
- An internal compliance agent that reviews transactions and flags anomalies in real time
- A document analysis agent that extracts, cross-references, and validates data from contracts and invoices — replacing hours of manual review
AI-Accelerated Development
I use AI-powered tools and workflows to ship faster without cutting corners. Code generation, automated testing, intelligent refactoring — all supervised by 15+ years of engineering judgment.
- Shipped an MVP 3x faster using AI-assisted code generation with human review at every step
- Automated test suite generation for a legacy codebase, reaching 80% coverage in days instead of weeks
- AI-powered code review pipeline that catches bugs and suggests improvements before merge
Process Optimization
I audit your internal workflows and identify where AI can eliminate bottlenecks, reduce manual work, and make your team more efficient — without replacing people.
- Automated invoice processing that cut accounts payable time from 2 hours to 10 minutes daily
- AI-powered document classification that replaced a 3-person manual triage process
- Smart scheduling system that reduced meeting coordination overhead by 60%
AI Training & Workshops
I train your developers and product owners to use AI tools effectively in their daily work. Practical, hands-on sessions — from theory to implementation.
- 2-day workshop for a 15-person dev team on integrating AI coding assistants into their workflow
- Product owner training on writing effective prompts for AI tools and evaluating AI-generated outputs
- Custom AI toolkit setup and training tailored to your team's specific tech stack and processes
About
Sam Ettahiri
I'm Sam — a full-stack engineer with 15+ years of experience shipping software across FinTech, HealthTech, and crowdfunding platforms. I've been CTO three times, led teams of up to 30 developers, and built systems handling everything from payment orchestration to carbon footprint calculations.
I call myself a MacGyver. Drop me into a 7-year-old monolith with zero tests, a team that needs restructuring, or an architecture that's falling apart — I'll figure it out, stabilize it, and start shipping. I've done it at startups, scale-ups, and everything in between.
Today I run Baijobu, where I combine that battle-tested experience with AI-powered workflows to help startups build fast, make the right technical decisions, and grow their teams when the time is right.
The Journey
Led technical strategy and development in Paris.
Managed a Ruby development team of 4. Built a Ruby on Rails infrastructure and M2M data transfer application.
Led a team of 4 developers on a Ruby on Rails carbon footprint calculation platform.
Recruited and managed a team of 10. Built mobile APIs, set up AWS infrastructure and CI/CD with GitHub Actions.
6 years leading a team of 30 developers and 10 project managers. Built crowdfunding platforms, managed 200+ servers on AWS, and established engineering standards.
Built a crowdfunding platform and ticketing system from scratch.
HealthTech — built billing systems, APIs, and calendar sync integrations for dental software.
Built e-commerce and showcase websites. The beginning of the solo builder journey.
Pricing
Three ways to work together. Pick the one that fits.
Project
“You know what you want”
You have a clear scope — a PRD, a cahier des charges, or a solid idea. If not yet, we can build one together. Then I build it.
- PRD / specification co-creation
- Full-stack development (web, mobile, SaaS)
- AI agent & automation integration
- Deployment & infrastructure setup
- Delivered ready to launch
Time
“You need my time”
You need a senior full-stack engineer embedded in your team. Daily or weekly, for as long as you need.
- Drop into your existing codebase
- Legacy rescue & modernization
- Automations & third-party integrations
- AI-accelerated development
- Flexible engagement duration
Partner
“Let's build together”
You need a CTO, a technical co-founder, or your budget is tight but you're ready to share equity. Let's talk.
- CTO-as-a-service advisory
- Technical recruitment & team building
- Architecture & stack decisions
- AI strategy & training for your team
- Equity-based arrangements possible
Get in Touch
Book a 30-minute discovery call. No pitch, no pressure — just a conversation about what you're building.
Prefer email?
sam@baijobu.com