Created on: December 12, 2025 at 19:32

Modified on: December 12, 2025 at 19:32

Torrin Leonard | Full Stack Software Developer

AI & UI Specialist • Web App Architect • Open-Source Contributor

Located Waterloo, Ontario, Canada · 8+ years professional experience Email: torrin@torrin.me · Website: https://torrin.me LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torrin-leonard-8343a1154/ · GitHub: https://github.com/torrinworx · GitLab: https://gitlab.com/torrin1

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Summary

Full-stack developer with 8+ years of professional experience spanning startups, contract work, and open-source contributions. Mentored by senior engineers and experienced in working on larger codebases, code review, and collaborative product development. Skilled in building production-grade web apps, automation pipelines, and custom UI frameworks with a focus on performance, accessibility, and scalability. Thrives in environments where design and technical decisions intersect, driving projects from concept to deployment.

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Skills

  • Frontend: React, Three.js, WebGL, Vite, Custom UI libraries, Accessibility (WCAG)

  • Backend: Node.js, Express, Django, FastAPI, Go, Rust

  • Databases: MongoDB, MariaDB, CockroachDB, Arweave

  • DevOps: GitHub Actions, Docker, GitLab CI/CD, NGINX, Linux (Ubuntu/Arch), DigitalOcean, AWS

  • Testing: TestCafe, manual + cross-browser QA, accessibility audits

  • AI/ML: OpenAI API, Hugging Face, Qdrant, Whisper, Ollama

  • Other: Bash scripting, Blockchain dev (Ethereum, Polygon, Cardano), sprint planning, mentorship

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Highlights

  • OpenGig.org (Open Source, from scratch) – Architected and launched a full-stack cooperative gig platform in pure JavaScript (frontend + backend) with MongoDB. Custom Vite + Bash build system, GitHub Actions CI, and bare-metal deployment to a DigitalOcean Droplet connected to a managed DigitalOcean MongoDB. Integrated my destam-web-core and destamatic-ui libraries; runs without Docker for lean, fast deploys.

  • AI-Driven Proposal Product – Built from scratch and deployed a full stack AI proposal product that automated client proposals creation.

  • Open-Source Plugins – Creator of BlendMyNFTs (1,000+ GitHub stars), used by dozens of NFT projects and studios worldwide. Engauged with users and created YouTube tutorials with 200,000+ channel views.

  • Reusable UI Frameworks – Developed UI components that significantly reduced feature delivery time across Equator Studios' GIS and AI interfaces.

  • Mentorship & Collaboration – Mentored junior engineers, improved onboarding workflows, and participated in peer code reviews to raise team code quality.

  • Startup & Client Experience – Co-founded a creative engineering studio, shipped multiple NFT collections, and worked with clients across Web3 and SaaS.

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Experience

Full Stack Software Developer — Equator Studios March 2023 – Present | Hybrid / Waterloo, ON

  • Led development of an AI-driven proposal generation tool; integrated ChatGPT and vector search, reducing manual proposal work.

  • Designed and deployed internal and production infrastructure (CI/CD pipelines, Dockerized services, GitLab CI/CD) to ensure reliable deployments.

  • Built a reusable UI framework for GIS mapping and AI apps, cutting frontend development time and improving reactivity, performance, and load times.

  • Collaborated with senior devs, participated in code reviews, and mentored junior engineers to raise overall code quality and process maturity.

  • Implemented Stripe payments and managed server/domain configuration, uptime monitoring, and security compliance.

Co-Founder, CEO, Lead Developer — This Cozy Studio Inc. October 2021 – January 2025 | Waterloo, ON

  • Built and maintained NFT generation pipelines (rendering, storage, minting); used in 5+ large-scale NFT drops.

  • Created BlendMyNFTs (1,000+ GitHub stars), adopted by creators and Web3 teams worldwide.

  • Managed product roadmaps, client communications, and automated production workflows with Python, reducing manual work.

  • Led a small engineering and 3D modeling team and directed technical architecture decisions.

QA, Accessibility & Automation Tester — League March 2021 – May 2022 | Remote

  • Wrote and maintained TestCafe automation suites (TypeScript/JS) to support CI pipelines, reducing regression bugs between releases.

  • Partnered with product managers and engineers to prioritize fixes and ship accessible (WCAG-compliant) releases.

  • Improved team velocity by automating repetitive regression testing and triaging defects.

Founder & CEO — Pivot Careers August 2020 – October 2021 | Waterloo, ON

  • Designed and validated an employee onboarding and training platform via user interviews and prototyping.

  • Automated early course creation flows and built wireframes, laying groundwork for MVP development.

Software QA Tester — TunnelBear April 2017 – February 2021 | Remote / Toronto

  • Tested VPN and password manager products across platforms; authored clear bug reports and verified security/UX issues pre-release.

  • Collaborated with engineers and PMs to ensure smooth, high-quality releases.

Software Assurance Engineer — worX4you Inc. June 2013 – June 2025 | Contract / Various Clients

  • Delivered QA and automation services to startups (THRILLWORKS, League, TunnelBear, Hubba, Hopscotch).

  • Gained early exposure to startup operations, product lifecycles, and agile methodologies while performing test automation and accessibility audits.

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Education

University of Waterloo — Honours Co-op, Astronomy & Physics Expected Jun 2026

Laurel Heights Secondary School (formerly Sir John A. Macdonald) Graduated Jun 2021

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Extras

Notable Open-Source & Personal Projects

  • OpenGig.org — Open-source cooperative service platform for gig workers and customers

  • Repo: https://github.com/torrinworx/OpenGig.org · Live: https://OpenGig.org

  • Built from scratch as a full-stack pure JavaScript app (frontend + backend) backed by MongoDB.

  • Architecture: custom Bash build script using Vite; runs on bare metal without Docker for lean, fast deploys.

  • CI/CD: GitHub Actions workflow builds and deploys via custom scripts.

  • Infra: Deployed to a DigitalOcean Droplet and linked to a managed DigitalOcean MongoDB instance; served behind NGINX.

  • Codebase integrates my libraries: destam-web-core (state sync, websocket auth, backend routing) and destamatic-ui (custom UI + DOM reactivity).

  • Project embodies Open Source Service principles (open code, transparent costs/metrics, and community-driven governance).

  • BlendMyNFTs (Blender add-on) — Blender plugin to procedurally generate and pipeline 3D NFTs (1,000+ stars on GitHub).

  • destam web core — Full-stack state syncing, websocket auth, and backend routing core library.

  • destamatic-ui — Custom UI + DOM reactivity libraries used across portfolio and projects.

  • MangoSync — Local music player with Whisper-based auto-lyrics transcription and enhanced metadata.

  • torrin.me — Custom UI + WebGL portfolio site with real-time theming and blogging engine.

  • Bitorch — Open Source Distributed AI Inference Network; developed and tested FastAPI backend components, inference endpoints, and env config scripts. Set up and managed local Docker instances to run AI models for proof-of-concept distributed inference.

Certifications & Courses

  • Harverd CS50 Introduction to Computer Science

  • W3Cx Web Accessibility

  • MIT 16.00x Intro to Aerospace

  • ANU-ASTRO1x Mysteries of the Universe

  • St. John Ambulance Emergency First Aid + CPR

© Torrin Leonard 2025 🇨🇦