I build things with AI.
Subscribe for honest notes on building with AI, tech independence, and creating opportunities for junior devs.
Builder, founder, educator.
I've spent 20 years building things at the edge of technology and social impact. I founded Enspiral in 2010 and co-founded Dev Academy Aotearoa in 2013 as tech lead, spending a decade training developers.
In 2023 I stepped back from full-time teaching to build again. AI was impossible to ignore and I wanted a front row seat. Three years later I'm running a dev team, working as fractional CTO at Fundsorter, and mentoring junior devs into their first paid work.
I also run courses and a learning community through Code With JV. But mostly I just build things. A lot of things.
I'm looking for experienced operators who want to build products together, and projects that can create paid opportunities for junior developers.
CODE WITH JV
A dev team and learning community building with AI.
I founded Code With JV in 2023 to go deep on AI and build. The team now includes four Dev Academy alumni doing client work and building products. I also run courses, publish a weekly newsletter, and facilitate a learning community for anyone who wants to learn programming or keep up with AI.
Dev Academy Aotearoa
Help Kiwis get access to high paying tech jobs.
I co-founded Dev Academy Aotearoa, NZ's premier programming bootcamp, as tech lead. Led fundraising, recruitment, sales, and initial teaching team. Trained hundreds of students, launching their developer careers. Now serving on the board to support the next generation of tech talent.
ENSPIRAL
Help more people work on stuff that matters.
In 2010 I turned my personal consulting company into a freelancers cooperative to help more people work on stuff that matters. Enspiral grew into a global network of entrepreneurs and changemakers.
I pioneered distributed leadership and facilitated the launch of numerous initiatives, including a co-working space and freelancing cooperative. Today, I continue to be an active member of the Enspiral community.
FUNDSORTER
Help charities find and win the right funding faster.
Fundsorter is an AI-powered platform that helps New Zealand community organisations find aligned grant funding and generate high-quality draft applications in minutes. The database covers over 2,500 contestable funding opportunities.
I co-founded Fundsorter in 2024 as CTO, leading the tech team through proof of concept, launch and now working on version two.
BETTER WORK TOGETHER
Share practical patterns for collaborative, high-trust organizations.
I contributed a chapter to Better Work Together after a decade of experiments in ownership, governance, and organizational design inside the Enspiral ecosystem.
WANT TO COLLABORATE?
Partner on meaningful work in education, AI, and social impact.
I have limited space for some new projects, and am on the look out for folks to work with.
My ideal collaborators know their sector inside and out and have the ability to promote and sell. I don't mind a bit of sales and marketing, but I'm at my best when I can focus on the product.
I'm particularly focused on opportunities that can provide paid work to junior developers breaking into the industry.
get in touch