My name is Mark Valdez and I'm a builder. I'm a Computer Scientist with an extremely diverse skill-set and a passion for adopting emerging technologies to solve early stage startup problems. I've been building software solutions for over 15 years, starting as an instructor developing Computer Science curriculum, and working my way through startups, enterprise companies, and now as a founder.

I currently lead GoodBruce.com as Founder & CTO, where I'm building an AI-native marketplace platform that enables users to sell items via SMS or chat—everything is done completely using AI. Prior to this, I spent time at Upright Labs and Advekit, where I worked on API integrations for recommerce platforms and greenfield projects in Mental Healthcare respectively.

I'm passionate about developing software solutions from the ground up that are forward-looking and optimize for rapid delivery to market. I have worked with cross-functional teams as an Independent Contributor (IC) and within Agile Scrum as a Technical Lead. My commitment to empathy and servant leadership, combined with my technical expertise and track record of driving results, make me excited about tackling complex problems.

I've worn many hats throughout my career, but the common threads have always been technology, innovation, and a desire to build things that matter.

• Founder & CTO at GoodBruce.com - Building an AI-native marketplace platform with multi-cloud AI infrastructure (March 2025-Present)
• Senior Software Engineer at Upright Labs - Led API integrations with eBay, Shopify, and 5+ marketplaces; built price recommendation system (August 2023-2025)
• Senior Software Engineer at Advekit - Developed greenfield projects on mature monolithic platform in Mental Healthcare; First to be awarded Employee of the Month (September 2021-2023)
• Software Architect / Consultant at ValdezM.com - Partnered with Google Engineers for Smart Home API optimization; built management system for largest US recycling dataset (July 2019-August 2020)
• Faculty Member at Clover Park Technical College - Developed curriculum and taught 15 technical/university-transferable Computer Science courses; Led Database and Web Programming certifications (2008-2010)

At GoodBruce.com, I architected and developed a comprehensive full-stack marketplace platform from concept to production:

• Built sophisticated AI pipeline using Langflow on Google Cloud VMs with OpenAI models, AWS Bedrock Claude models for image-to-product mapping via LangChain, and custom HuggingFace models for image processing
• Developed Cloudflare Workers with Hono-based AI agents using Llama models for chat-based product listing edits via MCP (Model Control Protocol) tools
• Created backend API with Rails 8, PostgreSQL, Redis, ActionCable WebSockets, background job processing with GoodJob/Sidekiq, and comprehensive test suite with RSpec
• Built modern frontend with Next.js 15, TypeScript, React 19, TanStack Query, and shadcn/ui components
• Deployed multi-cloud production infrastructure with GitHub Actions CI/CD spanning AWS EC2/RDS, Google Cloud VMs, and Cloudflare Workers

Languages & Frameworks: Ruby/Rails, JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Next.js, Node.js, Python, Java, PHP

AI & Emerging Tech: LangChain, Langflow, OpenAI APIs, AWS Bedrock (Claude), HuggingFace Models, Model Control Protocol (MCP), AI Agents

Cloud & DevOps: AWS (EC2, RDS, S3, CloudFront, Bedrock), Google Cloud (VMs), Cloudflare Workers, GitHub Actions, Docker, Heroku

Databases & Caching: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, Apache Cassandra

Frontend: React 19, Next.js 15, TypeScript, TanStack Query, shadcn/ui, Material UI, Blueprint, ChakraUI

Backend & APIs: Ruby on Rails, Node.js, REST APIs, GraphQL, WebSockets (ActionCable), Background Jobs (Sidekiq, GoodJob)

I believe in giving back to the developer community and building things that help others:

• Shared Founders - Exclusive network of entrepreneurs offering part-time expertise while building their startups. Generate income through meaningful collaboration with fellow founders
• Awesome Communication - Community-driven collection of developer-focused communication resources to better your soft-skills and make you a greater technologist

Throughout my career, I've architected and built a diverse range of products:

• GoodBruce.com - AI-native marketplace with SMS/chat-based listing creation
• Price Recommendation System at Upright Labs - ML-powered pricing optimization for e-commerce
• AMZLB - SaaS marketing platform for thousands of Amazon sellers with custom email server and micro-service cluster
• Geosite - SaaS product for satellite imagery analysis supporting real-time cross-functional collaboration
• US Recycling Dataset Manager - Management system for the largest US listings recycling dataset
• Quantum-Safe Encryption Platform - Built SaaS prototypes for quantum-safe encryption services
• DataThor - Social-media information analytics and data-visualization web application
• Deal-of-the-day Startup - Localized deal-of-the-day website (Co-founder, CTO, 2010-2011)

I write about the cutting-edge intersection of artificial intelligence and software engineering at valdezm.com/ai-engineering. The blog explores:

• Spec-driven development methodologies for AI applications
• AI tool integration and practical implementation strategies
• Modern software architecture for AI-powered systems
• Building and scaling AI applications in production

Each post provides practical, actionable knowledge for engineers working at the forefront of AI technology.

University of Washington - Computer Science

• Advanced coursework in Algorithms, Data Structures, and OO Development
• Graduate studies in Formal Models of Computation, Concurrency, and Data Compression
• Research focus on Functional and Dynamic Language Comparison

I'm constantly learning and experimenting with emerging technologies, especially in the AI/ML space with LangChain, Model Control Protocol (MCP), and conversational AI.

• Emerging Technologies - Passionate about adopting cutting-edge technologies to solve early stage startup problems
• Rapid Delivery - Focused on fast, iterative development and getting products to market quickly
• Open Source - Employing open-source solutions that are forward-looking and market-focused
• Servant Leadership - Commitment to empathy and servant leadership combined with technical expertise
• Building from Scratch - Love developing solutions from the ground up that optimize for rapid market delivery

I'm always open to interesting conversations about technology, startups, and building great products.

• Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
• Website: valdezm.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markavaldez
• Twitter/X: @valdezm_com
• GitHub: You're already here! 👋

"Computer Scientist with extremely diverse skill-set and passion for adopting emerging technologies to solve early stage startup problems."