Hi, I'm DJ!
I thrive in the gap between people and
the value they seek from software.
I'm a serial entrepreneur with multiple exits and a full stack software engineer in Oklahoma City.
In my spare time I like to walk my dog Monkey and host InterIntellect Salons.
About me
I'm a digital strategist, real estate investor, fractional CTO and full stack developer who excels at solving problems with code. I have multiple eight-figure exits and tons of learning experiences along the way. I love to work and expect to never stop building things.
- Location:Oklahoma City, OK
- Age:57
- Nationality:USA
- Interests:Writing, Music, Social Sciences
- Study:Northwestern University
- Employment:Entrepreneur
Personality
Predictive Index — Behavioral Profile
Altruist
Congenial and cooperative with an efficient, precise work ethic. Unassuming, genuinely interested in people, and a strong intuitive understanding of them.
- Works at a faster-than-average pace, producing results in accordance with schedules
- Detail-oriented; makes and follows a plan, follows up to ensure completion
- Focused on operational efficiencies — getting things done quickly without losing quality
- Builds and leverages relationships to get work done
- Fluent, enthusiastic communicator; motivates others and attends to their points of view
- Collaborative; focused on team cohesion, dynamics, and interpersonal relations
Work
Managing Partner & Technology Lead
Led the purchase, management and sale of 330 multifamily apartments while personally building and maintaining a turnkey investor communication platform. Raised $5 million in equity capital, delivered 7% annual cash flow, and architected the full technology stack for investor reporting and deal management.
Independent Product Engineer
- Cardless ID — A nonprofit age verification platform to age-gate websites in compliance with local laws. The website uses React Router V7 and Firebase, while the backend leverages the Algorand blockchain for decentralized identity. The mobile app in development is built on Expo with a custom Algorand wallet providing verifiable credentials without centralized identity storage.
- Blockchain Rangers — A full-stack blockchain scam detection system with multi-factor risk scoring and real-time smart contract analysis across EtherScan, SolScan, Helius, and TON Center APIs. Vanilla JavaScript front end with Flask backend. Uses DeepSeek LLM to analyze scraped token/project data and generate structured risk assessments. Also features a comprehensive llms.txt interface to take advantage of LLMs and x402 payments.
- TRYBE — A full-stack PWA in React/Remix with Prisma/Supabase as the backend and Fly.io for deployment. Currently in alpha testing, serving more than a thousand paying customers and tens of thousands free users.
- Penelope Trunk — Built a new email marketing platform and migrated her blog from WP Engine to a VPS on DigitalOcean. Migrated off Hubspot to a custom version of Mailster, lowering cost from $25,000/year to less than $1,500. Rewrote the Mailster automation component to scale to 200,000 messages/day via Amazon SES.
- Automated Penetration Testing Reporting System — Built an entirely new React/Vite/Tailwind front end for an outdated Python app, now serving more than 2,000 security professionals.
- Nikozi Music (FWB/Worldcoin hackathon) — A Worldcoin mini-app providing Spotify-style music functions integrated with the Worldcoin proof-of-humanity Mini App ecosystem.
Chief Technology Officer
Led all technical development — frontend, backend, infrastructure, and API integrations — of a SaaS providing custom analytics integrated with third-party reporting tools such as Google Analytics, Stripe, Mailchimp, and more than 30 others. Core technology included Ruby on Rails, MySQL, jQuery, Highcharts, and 30+ web APIs.
Senior Software Engineer
Joined as employee number five and third technical employee. Helped convert a PHP app running on a single server into a Zend Framework app running on clusters on two continents, serving customers in 80 countries as the company scaled to 50+ employees. Built integrations with Salesforce and ExactTarget, supported the API, and rebuilt the payment system to support complex billing for enterprise customers.
Chief Technology Officer
Stepped in to rescue a stalled influencer marketplace after two prior CTOs failed. Rather than discarding the existing codebase, salvaged the Node-based API and built an entirely new front end encompassing multiple market-driven changes. Successfully launched within five months, serving more than ten thousand users. Node and PostgreSQL backend with Mithril/CoffeeScript front end, deployed on Heroku.
Technical Lead
Stepped in to rescue a stalled project for a US client by rebuilding the agile process and managing distributed developers in South America and Europe. Translated complex requirements across language and timezone barriers to deliver a working product. Primary tech stack was Ruby on Rails with MySQL and PostgreSQL backends.
Chief Technology Officer
Led a complex technical conversion from on-premises software to a multi-tenant SaaS architecture compliant with HIPAA and related regulations for medical environments. Underlying technology included Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, Cisco IP Phones, and Twilio.
Chief Privacy Officer
Devised and enforced spam-prevention policies for one of the first email marketing companies. Led a PR and marketing initiative to highlight the company's thought leadership in permission marketing, winning major enterprise accounts such as Cisco Systems and Dell Computer.
CEO & Co-Founder
Created the industry's first email customer service platform, landing major clients such as Consumer Reports and the Chicago Board Options Exchange. The company was acquired by MessageMedia, providing a 700% return to investors in two years.
Skills
25 years of experience with software development in high-pressure, resource-constrained startups
Education
Bachelor of Science, Music Education
I decided by my senior year that I didn't want to teach, but NU is expensive so I took the degree and became one of those classic liberal arts major who had no idea what he wanted to do. Luckily I discovered I have an entrepreneurial instinct and a knack for computers.
Submarine Sales Methodology
Innovative sales method that trained me to, above all, not act like a salesman. See this post on my blog about one key concept, the Up Front Contract.
DJ is smart, patient and a great executor. I'm constantly shocked by how quickly he gets things done and how much his input improves the original idea.
- Penelope Trunk
DJ has been a fantastic asset to our startup as we build towards an MVP. He's fully led the development of our web app, helping us productize our online community into a service we can scale and offer to others. I appreciate the tools he's implemented for us to help make the iterative process easy and manageable, and being able to adapt to new ideas and point out holes in our design. We're eager to see the final MVP come to life and are very happy with having DJ lead its development. Not to mention, he's a great human to chat and work with, which always makes the process even better. Thanks DJ!
- Tameem Rahal, founder of TRYBE
Working with DJ on APTRS was such a fantastic experience! He took the lead on building the entire frontend from the ground up and wowed us all with his amazing skills while adding great features. DJ's technical know-how and knack for solving problems made a huge difference in tackling the challenges we faced, and thanks to his hard work, we got the project out on time. It was truly a joy to collaborate with DJ on this project!
- Sourav Kalal, Engineering lead on APTRS
DJ is a great asset to any software development team. He's a bonafide team player, and commits himself 110%. My team and I were lucky to have someone of his caliber on board at Content BLVD. And I'd be honored to work with DJ in the future.
- Dan Ripoll, CEO, ContentBLVD
During my time working closely with DJ at BlueSpruce, I had the opportunity to witness his exceptional leadership and organizational skills firsthand. His ability to effectively lead and inspire a team was truly commendable. DJ consistently demonstrated a strong vision for the company and effectively communicated it to the entire team, fostering a sense of purpose and motivation among employees.
- Robin Diebel
DJ had a wide breadth of knowledge, and kept us focused on the technical tasks that drove the product forward.
- Peter Klipfel, direct report at StatsMix
RATES
I offer three multiple levels of engagement. Rates are based on the number of hours per month and and the nature of the work. These rates are adjustable based on the exact scope of your project.
- Strategist$200 per hourI serve as your technical advisor, focusing on high-level technology decisions and roadmapping. I help your business evaluate its tech stack, identify opportunities for innovation, and make informed decisions about technology investments without getting involved in day-to-day implementation
- CTO$150 per hourI provide comprehensive technology leadership that combines strategic planning with operational oversight. I manage technology budgets, lead technical teams, establish technology governance, and align technical initiatives with business objectives. I act as a bridge between your technical teams and executive leadership while ensuring your company's technical vision is executed effectively.
- Senior Developer$100 per hourI work directly with your development teams as a hands-on technical leader to improve code quality, implement best practices, and solve complex technical challenges. I provide technical mentorship and help establish coding standards while actively participating in development tasks.
- Hired Gun$70 per hourI dive in and crank out code. I'm a great fit for projects that need a quick turnaround or specific technical expertise.
Get in touch.
I'm always interested in hearing about new projects, so if you'd like to chat please get in touch.
- me@djscruggs.com
- Phone
- 303-808-6614
- Location
- Fayetteville AR, USA
- Github
- djscruggs
- Connect on LinkedIn