Ben Thielker

Background

About Ben Thielker

I am a software engineer, product architect, and team leader. With that lens I design solutions from the ground up to meet any need presented, and can assemble a team capable of executing the necessary vision. Whatever the goal: I can come up with a roadmap to achieve it, or rapidly prove that it is either not viable or needs a different approach. My process includes rapid proof-of-concept prototyping to introduce as much insight from practice as possible into the theory of the product at frequent intervals. This increases obstacle awareness, and helps to keep priorities and expectations current, clear, and realistic. In the case of a ground-breaking product for which there is no present successful example, this process helps to ensure the goal is achievable. I prioritize focus on the considerations of performance and the experience offered by the product, along with maintainability to ensure it is a sustainable solution offering good quality of life for those who take it over in the future. I spent a decade as an independent contractor single handedly developing a wide range of custom websites and mobile applications to serve needs including: store fronts, video streaming platforms, and content management systems. As CTO of AppIt Ventures I lead development of a much wider range of products and solutions with the help of a globally distributed team of talented engineers and designers. As the Founding Architect of Valyant.ai I designed the system responsible for taking the first automated conversational fast-food drive-through order, and assembled the team that made that initial lofty goal a reality. From that seed sprung a team of passionate, talented, dedicated people. Together we have matured the product into a scalable solution responsible processing millions of dollars worth of orders for multiple brands at locations coast to coast.