austin samsel | builder

start with the human, not the ticket. craft the interface. write the missing API. aim for the number at the end of the funnel. learn. repeat.

## work

leveraging AI to work across the full product stack: from the user experience and backend, to data analytics and market research.
2018-present
- R&D on CryptoKitties after it broke Ethereum
- frontend lead on NBA Top Shot ($1B+ trading volume)
- lead engineer on launch of NFL ALL DAY (~200K paying customers in beta)
- more recently focused on new user growth
before: consulted as engineering partner for design agencies and embedded directly into software teams.
in the mix: also been a yoga teacher, co-founded an events space, and a walking companion app, started a chocolate company, and more.

Cache Run: exploring game dev with AI… dodge asteroids, collect coins, and fly solo through the cache with no backup.
more later

Spring 2026 - Cache Run v0.1.0