Dave Clark

LoyaltyLion is a social loyalty framework for e-commerce stores. We were one of ten teams selected from over 300 applicants to participate in Startupbootcamp Berlin.

I head up development of our front and backend services and manage our server infrastructure on AWS. Our technology stack includes: Chef for server automation, Node.js for our API, Ruby on Rails for our web application and Backbone.js for our front-end.

Aside from technical duties, I am also involved in a variety of general startup tasks, such as hiring, video editing, pitching to investors, and, of course, living on a shoestring budget.

Streetvite was a platform that encouraged people to be social and spontaneous. I built a mobile web app using Backbone.js, which allowed Android and iOS users to create and join events, in addition to discovering those nearby. The application was heavily optimised for mobile devices, with offline support and high-DPI graphics.

The mobile web app was coupled with a full desktop site - both backed by the same Ruby on Rails backend - which allowed promoters to create and manage their events and reward fans with discounts or free entry.

Working in the Learning and Research department my role included the support, development and optimisation of critical student support systems and the design of bespoke systems for research services.

In particular, I was at the forefront of a national effort to design and implement a higher-education research standard. This involved the use of enterprise service buses, message queues, schema design and workflow engines such as Activiti.

As part of these developments I introduced new tools and development practices such as Backbone.js for rapid development of responsive, client-side applications backed by server-side APIs written in Java and Groovy.

As a lead developer at the University's web team, my responsibilities included the development of central web applications, recruitment, training and consultation.

Specific activities:

• Development of a system using Node.js to facilitate conversion of older websites to a newer content management system. This system had an asynchronous UI using WebSockets to simulate a responsive desktop application.
• Bespoke time management software built using Java and the Play Framework. This was designed with specific requirements, used an agile methodology and applied test-driven development to ensure complete specification compliance at all times.

I worked within 'Web Data Engineering', the technical team behind the majority of sun.com websites. Though my initial role was to develop internal applications, in 2010, after the Oracle takeover, my responsibilities shifted and I played a key role in the maintenance of several important systems and their transitions to Oracle's infrastructure.

My responsibilities included:

• Developing a monitoring system for our team and others; this involved building a set of APIs, designing a robust XML schema (using RelaxNG) and a lightweight front end powered by MooTools and GWT.
• Building in and around the custom CMS powering Sun's online presence.
• Development and support of docs.sun.com. Following Oracle restructuring, I was placed a key engineer in charge of the complex legacy application containing the entirity of Sun's product documentation. Alongside the progression of the existing system to EOL, I prototyped solutions to aid in the migration of content to Oracle's Technology Network.

Working in the University's web team, my primary role was the support and development of internal websites and applications. However, my biggest contribution was to design and engineer a PHP-based content management system which is still in use today and powers hundreds of websites and over 20,000 pages.

This system relied on Dreamweaver to deliver content which leveraged the existing skills of web publishers. A large part of the CMS is focused on providing publishers with a means to use complicated and dynamic features without any technical expertise. Aggressive caching of dynamic content and a good relationship with nginx ensured the system would hold-up under the heavy load of millions of hits each month.

I have worked on a variety of projects, using plenty of languages and platforms. Some of these projects are described in more detail on my portfolio, above.