Holla, I'm Mostofa 👋

I was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with a knack for reverse-engineering. In 2nd grade, I built a makeshift antenna out of scrap wires and tapped into the signal from a nearby cable provider to watch Swat Kats, since cable TV wasn't allowed in our home.

By high school, that same instinct met necessity. I had dreamed of studying in the U.S. ever since 4th grade, but the cost was far beyond our means, and part-time jobs weren't even an option in Bangladesh. All I had was $5 saved from skipping lunch. One night, I noticed digital items were priced differently across regions. First I flipped them manually; then I used software to trade while I was in class. Over two years, it became Bangladesh's largest eSports marketplace, and that $5 grew into more than $30,000 (600,000% ROI). It was my first real taste of entrepreneurship and my ticket to the U.S. That journey led me to earn bachelor's degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Electrical Engineering. Later, I opted out of Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Science graduate program to build things people want

🏆 Awards

Princeton University Hackathon
Princeton University Hackathon Winner
Mathematics Achievement
Country Highest in Mathematics
Rice University Hackathon
Rice University Hackathon Winner

About Me

Holla, I'm Mostofa Shakib 👋

I was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with a knack for reverse-engineering. In 2nd grade, I built a makeshift antenna using scrap wires and tapped into the signal from a nearby cable provider to watch Swat Kats since cable TV wasn't allowed in our home.

In high school, that same instinct led me to an untapped opportunity in eSports arbitrage on Steam, turning $5 into $30k (6000,000% ROI). Combined with scholarships, this helped fund my education in the US, where I earned bachelor's degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Electrical Engineering.

Later, I opted out of Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Science grad school to build things people want.

Experiences

Entrepreneurship

Founder at CSB

An AI talent marketplace that sourced, vetted, and matched technical talent from developing countries with US startups. Scaled to 60k developers and featured in Microsoft, and the Financial Express.

Founder at Kurt's Steam Store

Built one of the largest eSports marketplaces for virtual cosmetic items, using software-driven arbitrage models to track market trends across regions, and generated 600,000% ROI from $5.

Industry

Software Engineer at ZipRecruiter

Led the automation infrastructure initiative to handle complex manual testing workflows, and co-led the development of ZipIntro, a video-screening platform that uses AI matching and scheduling to connect employers and candidates in minutes.

Software Engineer at Snapchat

Refactored the core identity stack to support username changes across Snapchat for 950M+ monthly active users.

Software Engineer at CDK Global

Built a billing system using asynchronous messaging queue to process invoices for 40K+ enterprise customers, and improved data retrieval performance by 30% using sharding strategy.

Non-Profit

Founder & President at HackCSB

Transformed Bangladesh's CS education ecosystem through hackathons by uniting top universities, creators with 1M+ followers, and judges from Harvard, Stanford, Google, and Apple that shifted theory-based learning toward hands-on innovation, earning recognition from UNICEF, Dhaka Tribune, and The Financial Express

Co-Founder & President at RaiderHacks

Created Texas's first hackathon organization that competed at different hackathons and won awards from Danielle Strachman (Thiel fellowship co-founder), UC Berkeley, and Caltech.

📰 Media

I've been featured in media outlets for my work:

🎙️ Podcasts

I've been on podcasts discussing tech, entrepreneurship, and career development:

🚀 Projects

AutoFlow

Developed a Python-based NLP parser that converts text into if-then-else syntax using conditional keyword matching and advanced pattern recognition techniques. Designed a tree module to construct a parse tree from relevant instructions, comprising instructions, targets, and messages, enabling efficient parsing. Built an API module that performs depth-first parsing on the structured parse tree, executing required tasks by invoking APIs

Portal

Developed a smart door system using TensorFlow and OpenCV to identify pets through advanced image recognition technology with real-time processing capabilities. Trained a convolutional neural network for accurate real-time classification of different pet types with high precision and low latency. Automated door access by integrating recognition results with a motor control module, enabling hands-free entry for authorized pets

Promethium

Built a cryptographic wallet using Shamir's Secret Sharing algorithm that enables secure digital asset inheritance upon death. Designed a distributed key management system that splits cryptographic keys across multiple parties, ensuring assets can only be accessed by authorized beneficiaries. Participated in the NSF Startup Incubator and received funding from the US Government and Danielle Strachman (Thiel Fellowship co-founder)

ViralVisionAI

Engineered a serverless Next.js application on Vercel, automating affiliate marketing tasks. Crafted a user-friendly UI with TailwindCSS, providing tailored brand recommendations that cater to individual needs and preferences. Integrated AI-powered analytics to track performance metrics and optimize marketing strategies, enabling users to maximize their affiliate marketing revenue effectively.

ResumeGPT

An AI resume optimization tool that analyzes and enhances resumes using advanced natural language processing to improve job application success rates. Provides personalized recommendations to improve formatting, keyword optimization, and content structure, helping job seekers create more effective resumes. Leverages machine learning algorithms to ensure resumes stand out to recruiters and ATS systems

SnapListen

Developed a Next.js application that transforms articles and PDFs into audio content with AI-powered summarization, enabling users to consume information on the go. Built intelligent text extraction and processing capabilities using OpenAI's TTS API, converting written content into natural-sounding speech with customizable playback speeds. Designed progressive loading and chunking mechanisms to handle large documents

✍️ Writings & Publications

I write about technology, career development, and entrepreneurship: