BRIAN IGADWA
Software Engineer · AI & Full-Stack
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I build AI-driven, production-grade apps and communities.

From starting student-run platforms at Murang'a University to shipping global-scale systems at Big Kitty Labs — I turn ideas into shipped products.

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Key outcomes
Shipped 4+ production AI systemsLed student community & won hackathonDeployed self-hosted K3s homelab
Brian
Brian Igadwa
Software Engineer • Full-Stack • AI

Hackathons & Team Moments

Tinkering with hardware.

Tinkering with hardware.

Been building esp32 and arduino kits to give my code a feel for the real physical world.

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Achievements & Highlights

2024
Whisper Transcriber / AI Experiments
Built Whisper Transcriber App, BREE (Behavioral Recommendation Engine), Vque-AI, and Ovie-AI — blending AI/ML into production systems.
2023
Big Kitty Labs
Joined as Software Engineer. Shipped AI-powered client systems like Lyceum, Dressit.ai, and Dexter. Led frontend and mobile development.
2024
Wens
Began building flagship events app that taught me React Native, Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, K3s, DevOps, UI/UX in Figma, and CI/CD.
2023
Wastie (Berlin collaboration)
Collaborated remotely with AiTrec Berlin team to design and build an e-waste management system (React + Tailwind dashboards).
2023
University Partnership
Negotiated deal with Murang’a University dean to establish a coding community in exchange for staying on campus to build products. Secured a remote internship with a cybersec expert in Germany.
2022
Kikuyu Translator & E-Lecture
Built a bilingual Kikuyu ↔ English translation system and a blockchain-based election system for campus elections.
2022
Nilete
Launched full-featured delivery app for underserved regions (Murang’a) — Kotlin + MERN backend + Cloudinary integration.
2022
Secondhand Sellers App
Led Code-Challenge team to build Android + web marketplace for students to resell campus items.
2021
Founded Code-Challenge
Created coding community at Murang’a University, mentored 50+ students, organised workshops, and won JKUAT Hackathon.
2020
Started Nifixie
Built a student bug-fixing app — React Native frontend & Node.js backend, shipped to Play Store (20+ downloads, first monetization experiment).

Selected Projects

Dexter

Dexter

IoT voice assistant for farmers

Developed iOS app with Swift (UIKit), leveraging Bluetooth ring for voice-activated farm management. Integrated Whisper AI for real-time voice-to-text processing.

Swift (UIKit)BluetoothWhisper AI
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Dressit.ai

Dressit.ai

AI-enhanced mobile app for designer boutiques

Cross-platform apps (iOS & Android) using React Native and Redux, integrated AI services for boutique recommendations and analytics.

React NativeReduxAI Services
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Lyceum Learning

Lyceum Learning

AI-powered learning system

Built entire frontend with Next.js, React, MUI, Redux and integrated LLM backend for real-time educational interactions.

Next.jsReactMUIRedux
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Ovie-AI

Ovie-AI

Context-aware AI for movies

Tracks and explains character mentions in movies using Python and LLaMA backend.

PythonLLaMAReact.js
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Vque-AI

Vque-AI

Query any video with natural language

App to query any video with natural language and cite evidence from clips using Whisper and LLaMA.

WhisperLLaMAFastAPIReact.js
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BREE

BREE

Behavioral Recommendation Engine

Event-driven system observing subconscious user behavior to drive content recommendations.

KafkaMongoDBNode.jsPython
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Whisper Transcriber App

Whisper Transcriber App

Live transcription with OpenAI Whisper

Mobile app (React Native + FastAPI) using Whisper for live and file-based transcription.

React NativeFastAPIWhisper API
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Wens

Wens

Events management app

Flagship personal app for events, learned React Native, Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, K3s, DevOps, Figma UI/UX, CI/CD, and more while building.

React NativeKotlinJetpack ComposeK3sCI/CDFigma
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Wastie

Wastie

E-waste management platform (Berlin collab)

Admin dashboards, waste categorization and role management built with React & Tailwind. Collaborated remotely with AiTrec Berlin team.

React.jsTailwindCSSNode.js
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E-Lecture

E-Lecture

Blockchain-based election system

Created an electronic lecture/election system using blockchain to secure campus elections and streamline processes.

BlockchainReact.jsNode.js
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Kikuyu Translator

Kikuyu Translator

English–Kikuyu translation system

Developed a system to translate Kikuyu to English and vice versa to preserve local language and make content accessible.

PythonNLPFastAPI
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Secondhand Sellers

Secondhand Sellers

Marketplace for student reselling

Built with Code-Challenge core team to allow students to resell items after campus. Android app + web frontend + backend collaboration.

AndroidNode.jsMongoDBFigma UI
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Nilete

Nilete

Local delivery app for Murang’a and beyond

Full-featured delivery app focusing on underserved regions. Kotlin Jetpack Compose frontend with MERN backend, Cloudinary for images, email verification, Google Sign-In, and onboarding flow.

KotlinJetpack ComposeNode.jsMongoDBCloudinary
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Code-Challenge

Code-Challenge

Student-led coding community

Founded a coding community at Murang’a University, mentored 50+ students, organised hackathons, and integrated Nifixie for bug-fixing gigs. Won JKUAT Hackathon.

LeadershipCommunity BuildingWorkshops
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Nifixie

Nifixie

Bug-fixing on demand for students

Built to help students fix code issues quickly. React Native frontend, Node.js backend. First monetization experiment (50 KES, 20+ downloads on Play Store before policy changes).

React NativeNode.jsMongoDB
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Work Experience

Big Kitty Labs — Software Engineer
Jul 2023 - Present
  • Built AI-powered client apps (Next.js, React Native, Whisper).
  • Led frontend for Lyceum; shipped Dressit.ai and Dexter.

Community & Leadership

Created Code-Challenge community; mentored students; organised hackathons; partnered with university to create internships.

Contact

igadwabrian.work@gmail.com
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