Mike Castro

CV

World-Class Full Stack Developer with 10+ years of experience

Preview

Summary

Seasoned Developer with over 10 years of experience. Highly skilled in building scalable, cloud-native web platforms across fintech, marketing, and enterprise SaaS. Well-known for transforming complex business requirements into production-ready systems. Renowned for leading world-class engineering teams in delivering robust backends, intuitive frontends, and resilient infrastructure.

Work Experience

Spike Up Media, LLC

Los Angeles, CA, USANov 2024 Present

Lead Full Stack Developer

Nov 2024Present

  • Designed and built track.bankrolls.tools (event-tracker) from scratch using event-driven architecture, PostgreSQL, Elasticache, Redis, and AWS SQS
  • Led all project management efforts including estimation, technical scoping, business requirement alignment, stakeholder communication, and documentation
  • Defined a normalized, polymorphic database schema in collaboration with the CTO, translating evolving business goals into scalable data models
  • Guided the CTO through key decisions by presenting concise solutions or tradeoffs, reducing ambiguity across product direction and delivery
  • Rewrote seeders and job workers to batch ElastiCache operations, reducing execution time from 1 minute to near-instant
  • Architected a pub/sub model with planned support for AWS SNS and systemd-managed consumers
  • Developed a high-performance API capable of handling 300 concurrent requests per second with sub-200ms average response times
  • Built CI/CD workflows and Dockerized environments with GitHub Actions, supporting zero-downtime deployments
  • Authored robust infrastructure setup scripts and internal tooling for Redis, SQS, PostgreSQL, S3, and CloudWatch
  • Delivered feature enhancements to bankrolls.tools, including Net Gaming Revenue (NGR) projection APIs, Slack integrations, and permissioned access controls

Asuene Inc.

Tokyo, JapanApr 2024 Nov 2024

Senior Full Stack Developer

Apr 2024Nov 2024

  • Water & Waste Emission Approval System: Led frontend and backend development for water and waste rejection workflows, including creation of reusable composables and end-to-end integration of rejection APIs
  • AI OCR Platform Enhancements: Spearheaded Gen 1 & Gen 2 AI OCR API integrations, implemented error handling with Slack notifications, file validation, retry logic
  • GHG & Designated Substance Emissions: Built repository layers and REST endpoints to handle polymorphic relationships for emission types, CSV generation, manual input, and bulk upload
  • Approval Group Management: Architected emission approval group and approver models, services, and controller endpoints with strict typing and custom enums
  • CI Integration & Stability Improvements: Removed deprecated components, addressed type issues, and merged complex multi-branch features during high-volume releases

tsikot.com Inc.

Baguio, Benguet, PHDec 2023 May 2024

CTO and Co-founder

Dec 2023May 2024

  • Modernized a legacy automotive marketplace by upgrading Laravel from 4.2 to 10, and bringing WordPress and vBulletin components up to date
  • Containerized three core applications using Docker, streamlining deployment workflows and improving system maintainability
  • Implemented CI/CD via Bitbucket Pipelines and enforced code quality through PHPStan static analysis integration
  • Restructured a dated monolith into clearer service boundaries, improving maintainability and scalability
  • Designed and executed a comprehensive backup strategy covering code, databases, and server images
  • Enhanced customer listing workflows by integrating competitive insights and real-time data scraping
  • Managed AWS-based infrastructure, optimizing instance sizing and system behavior to handle traffic rebound after relaunch
  • Led product direction by analyzing behavioral data, conducting user interviews, and influencing the roadmap
  • Integrated Google Analytics and Mailchimp to enable meaningful user segmentation and performance tracking
  • Delivered full-stack Laravel development across infrastructure, backend services, and frontend UX through a Kanban-driven process

Xawnatech

Minneapolis, MN, USAJun 2022 Sep 2022

Head of IT

Jul 2022Sep 2022

  • Deployed front-end infrastructure on Vercel
  • Managed team of developers
  • Balanced stakeholder demands with team capabilities

Lead Developer

Jun 2022Jul 2022

  • Implemented SDLC and developed SRS
  • Created architectural plans for front-end, back-end, and mobile
  • Managed back-end deployment and server configurations

Lindytech Inc.

Makati, NCR, PHOct 2021 Apr 2022

Interim CTO

Nov 2021Apr 2022

  • Stakeholder and head of technology
  • Orchestrated n-tier architecture with fail-safe mechanisms
  • Implemented PCI DSS-compliant security measures
  • Coordinated with BSP for compliance
  • Led automation of compliance and internal operations

Lead Developer

Oct 2021Nov 2021

  • Oversaw company-wide and application security (primary systems architect)
  • Enforced coding standards
  • Coordinated interdepartmental projects
  • Managed servers across multiple environments

Casting Calls America LLC

Roseville, CA, USAApr 2018 Oct 2021

Lead Developer

Mar 2019Oct 2021

  • Took charge of project management responsibilities, including timeline estimation, task delegation, and cross-functional coordination with stakeholders
  • Played a key role in hiring, onboarding, and training developers, helping junior engineers ramp up quickly and standardize across the stack
  • Participated in compensation discussions and team structuring during periods of organizational growth and contraction
  • Oversaw technical direction and resource allocation for Heartbeat
  • Authored and maintained development documentation and engineering best practices across the team
  • Coordinated multiple projects, liaising with CEO and CTO
  • Managed team compensation, task assignment, project estimation
  • Oversaw staging server configurations and microservice integration

Senior Web Developer

Jan 2019Mar 2019

  • Led the hiring and training of a diverse development team
  • Standardized code formatting practices and improved test performance through optimized use of PHPUnit and Paratest
  • Managed and executed four major projects from inception to deployment
  • More architecture decisions as team gained pace

Full Stack Web Developer

Apr 2018Jan 2019

  • Led the architecture and development of CrewCalls, a Laravel + Vue.js platform built from the ground up to automate call sheet creation for film production teams
  • Contributed to the ongoing modernization of CastingCallsAmerica.com, working closely with the CTO to implement Laravel upgrades and feature enhancements
  • Resolved deployment-related conflicts and server issues directly via SSH
  • Assisted in employee management and project development
  • Heads-down coding, building features
  • Merging PRs

Milkyway Distribution Ltd.

Kowloon, Hong KongApr 2016 Apr 2018

Web Developer

Apr 2016Apr 2018

  • Introduced and implemented Laravel MVC framework
  • Administered production and staging databases
  • Integrated Google Services through OAuth API
  • Developed automated product translation schema
  • Built dashboards, analytics, and reporting features
  • Managed 74 Shopify stores with CLI tool for batch theme changes

Education

Master of Science in Information Technology (PSM Track)

University of the Cordilleras

Jan 2020Jan 2022

Led multiple graduate-level research initiatives, including topics in Human Behavior in Organizations, Supply Chain Management, IT Security, and Advanced Information Management. Developed a time-series product demand predictor using an LSTM neural network. Designed and built a scalable IoT solution integrated with an online monitoring dashboard. Authored a capstone on IT Innovation and Emerging Technologies.

Bachelor of Science in Aircraft Maintenance Technology

PATTS College of Aeronautics

Jan 2011Jan 2015

Founder & President, Basic-Engineering Pioneers of Innovative Construction. Technical Head, Alliance of Aircraft Mechanics and Troubleshooters. Elected Student Government Representative, Basic Engineering. Academic scholar throughout the program. Built CRUD systems for automating aircraft reports and school event forms.

Skills

Projects

bankrolls.tools

Spike Up Media, LLC

Production SaaS

Legacy client platform

Role: Senior DeveloperTeam: 4-6 developers

cryptoback.club

Spike Up Media, LLC

Production SaaS

Cashback on affiliated casinos

Role: Lead DeveloperTeam: 4-6 developers

track.bankrolls.tools

Spike Up Media, LLC

Production SaaS

High-performance affiliate tracking system

Role: Senior → Lead DeveloperTeam: 4-6 developers

chessprep.club

Spike Up Media, LLC

Startup MVP

Chess Opening Trainer with Spaced Repetition

Role: Solo DeveloperTeam: Solo

mini-draft.com

Spike Up Media, LLC

Startup MVP

Mini Daily Fantasy Sports Platform

Role: Solo DeveloperTeam: Solo

rummy-it.com

Spike Up Media, LLC

Startup MVP

Indian rummy for global market

Role: Lead DeveloperTeam: 2-3 developers

rummytreasure.com

Spike Up Media, LLC

Startup MVP

Indian Rummy for Indian market

Role: Lead DeveloperTeam: 2-3 developers

casinofinderfrance.com

Spike Up Media, LLC

Startup MVP

ANJ-licensed gambling affiliate comparison (France)

Role: Solo DeveloperTeam: Solo

rushlitegame.com

Spike Up Media, LLC

Startup MVP

Neon arcade runner game website

Role: Solo DeveloperTeam: Solo

Asuene Platform

Asuene Inc.

Enterprise SaaS

Environmental compliance platform (feature contributions)

Role: Senior DeveloperTeam: 10+ developers

Listing System

tsikot.com Inc.

Startup Relaunch

Main automotive marketplace (Laravel 4.2→10 upgrade)

Role: CTO & Co-founderTeam: 4-6 developers

Blog

tsikot.com Inc.

Startup Relaunch

WordPress blog (updated to latest)

Role: CTO & Co-founderTeam: 4-6 developers

Forum

tsikot.com Inc.

Startup Relaunch

vBulletin forum (updated to latest)

Role: CTO & Co-founderTeam: 4-6 developers
Startup

Main platform

Role: Lead → Head of ITTeam: 4-6 developers

Mobile App

Xawnatech

Startup

React Native prototype

Role: Lead → Head of ITTeam: 4-6 developers

xswap

Lindytech Inc.

Fintech/Regulated

Payroll disbursement platform for SMEs (batch salary payments via GCash-like service)

Role: Lead → Interim CTOTeam: 7+ developers

Heartbeat

Casting Calls America LLC

Internal Tool

Internal uptime monitoring (mostly led/merged PRs, foundation code)

Role: Full Stack → Senior → LeadTeam: 7-10 developers

CastingCallsAmerica.com

Casting Calls America LLC

Production SaaS

Main platform - hire/manage talent, collaboration, find jobs

Role: Full Stack → Senior → LeadTeam: 7-10 developers

CrewCalls

Casting Calls America LLC

Production SaaS

Actor management (nudity openness, age, typical actor info)

Role: Full Stack → Senior → LeadTeam: 7-10 developers

CallSheets

Casting Calls America LLC

Production SaaS

Crew scheduling automation (grip, camera, scene scheduling) - has real-time messaging

Role: Full Stack → Senior → LeadTeam: 7-10 developers

Milkyway E-commerce

Milkyway Distribution Ltd.

Enterprise E-commerce

E-commerce platform (bags, watches, typical Chinese goods)

Role: Full Stack DeveloperTeam: 4-6 developers

Shopify Stores

Milkyway Distribution Ltd.

Enterprise E-commerce

74 stores selling refurbished phones

Role: Full Stack DeveloperTeam: 4-6 developers

Languages

English (Fluent)Filipino (Native)

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