About

settings.ini

name

= David Levai

role

= Product Engineer & Fractional CTO

location

= Canada

experience

= 10+ years shipping digital products

focus

= Systems Architecture, product engineering, user experience, day to day AI-based workflows

Full-stack Product Engineer building modern, production-ready apps for companies and myself.

Over the past decade, I worked with small to mid sized companies as a full-stack product engineer and fractional CTO.

Since my teenage years, I’ve helped them craft and evolve their digital presence. What started as websites grew into native applications, and eventually into end-to-end product ownership.

As of now, I work at the overlap of product strategy and hands-on engineering. I operate at the architecture and technical leadership layer, then drop into implementation when delivery needs direct execution. In fact, I love building things as much as I love planning them.

Also in the last few years, I’ve been working extensively with AI tools to help me build things faster and better.

Most of my engagements are direct collaborations with founders and lean teams who need senior-level judgment without unneeded bureaucracy. The goal is to ship useful things quickly while keeping the system understandable, maintainable, and low complexity. Keeping the AI tools in check and using them extensively but with the right oversight.

Before going independent, I co-owned and ran operations at ScreamingBox, a ~50-contractor US product agency. Over two years as COO, we took margins from 18% to 48%. That’s where I learned how much delivery depends on the business around it.

how i work

• Hell yeah, or no. I take on work I’m genuinely excited about. That’s how I can commit to it fully.
• Architecture first, then hands on keyboard. I set the technical direction, write down the trade-offs, and then build the critical parts myself instead of handing over a diagram.
• Ship early, ship often. Small, reversible releases beat big launches. Each one should leave the product working and the system easier to change.
• Boring where possible, sharp where it matters. Managed platforms and proven tools for the commodity parts, so the time goes into what makes the product different.
• AI with oversight. I use AI agents every day to move faster, with tests, reviews, and confirmation steps in place so speed doesn’t turn into risk.
• Decisions in writing. Context, options, and consequences get documented, so the team can understand and challenge them later. Some are public in the decision log.
• Direct and async-friendly. I work best directly with founders and lean teams, with short feedback loops and clear ownership.