Building things
that matter.
I'm a Senior Software Engineer with 8+ years building mobile and web products across startups, scale-ups, and my own ventures. I've held roles as engineer, product owner, and CTO — which means I think about what ships, not just how it's built.
My focus is React Native and full-stack JavaScript. I care about performance, architecture, and the small details that make a product feel right — things like a 90% faster load time, a seamless offline sync, or a checkout flow that just works.
Outside of code, I'm a photographer — all types, though mostly collecting past work for a dedicated portfolio. That eye for composition bleeds into how I think about UI: every pixel intentional, every interaction considered.
Carlos Yanes
What I'm up to.
Two personal apps targeting public release: a personal finance / expense tracker and a domino pot platform. Both React Native. Also deep in React Native architecture at Firstleaf.
Nikon Z6 III. Mostly street, travel, and portraits — not as active as I'd like. Curating past work for a dedicated photo portfolio and planning to shoot more consistently.
Floating Points and Four Tet for deep work. Whatever's dominating the charts for everything else.
Latin America — working remotely with global teams across the US and beyond.
Where I've worked.
Senior Software Engineer
Firstleaf
Owned end-to-end Shopify platform migration using Remix and React Native, completing the 8-month initiative on schedule with zero downtime. Reduced app load time by 90% and bundle size by 65% through performance optimization and architectural improvements. Designed state-management architecture integrating GraphQL and REST APIs, reducing data-fetch latency by 50%. Established code review processes and automated testing with Jest and Detox.
Senior Software Engineer
Standard AI
Architected and shipped 4 production applications as sole engineer, deployed across 500+ retail locations serving 200K+ monthly active users. Built a consumer-facing checkout-free shopping app with NFC capabilities and an iPad POS integrated via QR code scanning. Engineered a real-time store monitoring app with WebSocket and Redis — surfacing theft detection, inventory alerts, shelf heatmaps, and customer analytics. Contributed to the pivot from autonomous checkout to Vision OS, a SaaS-scale AI analytics platform.
Product Owner
FoodWize
Transitioned into the Product Owner role — defining the roadmap, writing epics and user stories, and serving as the bridge between stakeholders, UX, and engineering across mobile and web platforms.
CTO / Tech Lead
La Wawa
Built a waitlist application that captured 100,000+ user entries, collecting location data to map demand and generate optimized transit routes. Defined the full technical architecture across React Native, React, Next.js, Express, and PostgreSQL. Owned the product roadmap and engineering backlog — aligning business goals with technical execution across all platforms.
Software Engineer
Fancision
Contributed to a 12-person team building a React Native cross-platform app, growing the user base from hundreds to thousands across iOS and Android. Integrated native Unity SDK enabling in-app gameplay, points, and rewards system — increasing monetization and user engagement. Defined app architecture including state management, TypeScript adoption, and API communication patterns.
Software Engineer
FoodWize
Built a React Native application enabling contactless smart fridge access via QR code scanning. Developed the mobile client, integrated with backend APIs, and delivered a smooth in-store experience for end users.
Full Stack Engineer
Teravision Technologies
Developed two client-facing React Native applications — a classic car auction platform and a logistics management app. Implemented multi-language support, managed product backlog priorities, and delivered consistent builds across mobile and web.
Software Engineer
The Genie Consult
Built web, API, and app for a beauty consultation platform enabling photo submissions and personalized treatment recommendations from certified injectors.
Tools I reach for.
Let's work together.
Have a project in mind or just want to say hello? Fill out the form and I'll get back to you.