A Builder’s Journey

Hi, I’m Larry Adames

Full-Stack Software Engineer & CPA

Full-stack software engineer and CPA with over 10 years building and scaling applications end to end — from Ruby on Rails and React / Next.js products to payment flows and data-heavy tools. My background in finance brings extra rigor to complex payment and reporting flows, and I build daily with AI tools like Claude Code and Cursor.

Keep scrolling to learn more

Chapter One

My Journey

After a decade in accounting, I realized I wanted to build again.

I was inspired by how apps like Amazon, Uber, and Netflix were making everyday life dramatically easier for millions of people — and by the internet’s power to raise living standards around the world.

So I took the leap, attended a full-stack bootcamp, and started shipping real products — donation platforms, payment flows, and data-heavy tools — mostly with Ruby on Rails and React.

Since then I’ve built across the stack for mission-driven startups, a music-tech company, and a blockchain company in the Cardano ecosystem. Today I lean on AI tools like Claude Code and Cursor as part of how I design, build, and ship.

Chapter Two

How I Build

I enjoy learning new technologies and stepping up to solve whatever problem the project needs. Whether it’s designing databases and data models, writing complex SQL and NoSQL queries, building admin dashboards, handling intricate front-end state, reconciling data, or creating detailed reports — I quickly learn the right tools for the job.

I work across the full stack, with the deepest roots in Ruby on Rails and React / Next.js, plus Node.js, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, and the payment and testing tools that keep products reliable. I also build with AI every day — using tools like Claude Code and Cursor to plan, pressure-test approaches, and move faster without cutting corners. This versatile, problem-first approach lets me deliver reliable, scalable systems end to end.

  • Ruby on Rails
  • React / Next.js
  • TypeScript
  • Node.js
  • Python
  • PostgreSQL
  • Neo4j
  • Stripe / Payments
  • Claude Code / Cursor
  • RSpec / Playwright
  • Svelte
  • Tailwind CSS

Chapter Three

Professional Experience

From greenfield donation platforms and payment systems to mission-driven products and developer tooling, here’s where I’ve made an impact across the stack.

  1. Feb 2025 – Present

    Doux.Work

    Co-Founder & Software Engineer

    Miami, FL

    • Co-founded a lead-generation business for contractors and built the first client’s site (Next.js, React, Vercel) with a Node.js back end (reCAPTCHA, Google Maps).
    • Wired the site to a JobNimbus CRM integration that creates a lead and notifies owners on every estimate request, fully automating lead entry the owner previously did by hand.
    • Optimized for SEO, AEO, and local search, translated Figma designs into responsive production code, and am building an SMS platform contractors use to request and follow up on Google reviews.

  2. Nov 2021 – April 2026

    Input Output Global (IOG / IOHK)

    Software Engineer

    Remote

    • Built front-end UI components in PureScript / React for the Marlowe “Contract Runner” dApp, letting developers upload any smart contract and run it on-chain (testnet).
    • Built high-visibility proof-of-concept apps (Vesting, Crypto-Withdrawal) with full wallet-connect flows.
    • Designed an end-to-end test framework from scratch (Playwright, TypeScript, Cucumber) verifying behavior on both the UI and on-chain, and co-owned a Python E2E suite for a long-running distributed network (block production, transaction submission, forks, node upgrades).
    • Built performance and log-aggregation tooling (Python, Grafana / Loki, Jupyter) for a 20-node test network — surfacing a transaction-latency bottleneck (~20% improvement) — and contributed to architecture work that reduced infrastructure cost; used Claude Code daily in an AI-forward org.

  3. April 2020 – Nov 2021

    United for Respect

    Software Engineer

    Remote

    • Built a workplace COVID-19 incident-reporting app (Ruby on Rails, Svelte, MongoDB, Google Maps API) in ~1 month that drew attention from Senator Elizabeth Warren; six map instances ran on one codebase, each showing hundreds of locations and thousands of reports.
    • Cut API response times from 6s to 1s (6× faster) as traffic grew by optimizing serialization, attribute scoping, and front-end data fetching.
    • Architected Neo4j data models mapping relationships across thousands of users, enabling organizers to identify and develop community leaders; built mobile social features in Flutter (iOS, Android, and web from one codebase).

  4. April 2017 – April 2020

    GiveLively LLC

    Senior Software Engineer

    New York, NY

    • Built a greenfield nonprofit donation platform (React, Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL) serving thousands of organizations with customizable campaign, fundraising, and event-ticketing pages.
    • Led implementation of Stripe Connect for direct nonprofit donations — connected accounts, webhooks, payment syncing — and integrated Plaid and PayPal.
    • Engineered a suite of reusable React components powering unlimited personalized donation pages, and cut donation-page load times from 7s to under 1s via optimized SQL and targeted PostgreSQL indexes.
    • Built the admin dashboard (Rails / Stimulus) and introduced the team’s first testing practice (RSpec / Capybara) with continuous deployment.

  5. April 2016 – March 2017

    TuneCore

    Software Engineer

    Brooklyn, NY

    • Integrated an AngularJS social-media-manager app into the main Ruby on Rails platform, exposing an API consumed by iOS and Android apps.
    • Fixed bugs across the Rails platform and a Django legal-review application; implemented performance and UI enhancements for a more streamlined process.

  6. October 2015 – April 2016

    Leest, Inc.

    Lead Web Developer

    New York, NY

    • Led back-end and core front-end development in Ruby on Rails (Bootstrap, jQuery); onboarded the company’s first four clients.
    • Built an experience-booking feature with in-app and Google Calendar integration and Google Maps directions.

Certified Public Accountant, NYS (Inactive)

Get in Touch

Let’s Connect

Thank you for visiting.

I’m currently open to full-time roles and freelance contracts where I can bring my full-stack expertise — Ruby on Rails, React / Next.js, and AI-assisted development — to ambitious, product-focused teams. My CPA background is a bonus for anything involving payments, data integrity, or financial reporting.

When I’m Not Coding

You’ll usually find me:

  • Playing bachata on my guitar — my favorite way to unwind.
  • In the kitchen cooking a good meal, usually paired with a glass of red wine.
  • Obsessing over my espresso machine — perfect espresso is non-negotiable.
  • At the gym or out for a run along the Miami beachfront.
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