Available now · full-time remote roles · select projects

I ship products in weeks, not quarters

I'm Samir Maikap, a senior product engineer. Since 2017 I've shipped 49 web, mobile and AI products for US founders, from Laravel platforms and React Native apps to Next.js products with LLM features. I use AI coding agents where they save time, and I review, test and own everything that ships.

Role
Senior Product Engineer
Experience
9 years · 49 projects
Core stack
Laravel · React · Flutter · Next.js
Location
Kolkata · 9am–1pm ET overlap
Samir Maikap smiling on a Kolkata street at night, wearing a pink checked shirt
Samir Maikap9am–1pm ET overlap
8 yrs
Repeat client3 product generations for MCS Media
49
Projects shippedWeb, mobile and AI, 2017 to now
3 wks
Solo platform buildA live 8-network publishing platform
100%
Faithful AI debriefsDecize, fresh 36-case holdout. Old prompt: 89.6%
Results

Selected projects

Three projects that show my range: AI on mobile, an eight-year SaaS line for one client, and a product I built and run. Code walkthrough on request.

01 · Catalog Digital · 2025–2026

Catalog: AI fashion with virtual try-on

Try-on clips rendered on the shopper's own selfie, with a one-shot fallback when a model refuses. The catalog grows from what shoppers search for.

4 brandsonboarded through the Shopify portal
  • Claude
  • Gemini
  • Seedance
  • Flutter
  • Shopify
02 · MCS Media · 2018–now

FITT platform: LeanFITT to FITTWorks

Lean tools in 2018, then LeadershipFITT with an AI coach grounded in each user's results, now FITTWorks.

8 years3 product generations, same client
  • Next.js
  • React Native
  • OpenAI RAG
  • Laravel
03 · Own product · 2025–2026

Decize: a decision ledger for teams

Capture decisions from web, email and Slack, frame and forecast them, follow up on outcomes and review.

91.6% → 100%faithful debrief lines, 57-case stress set
  • Next.js
  • Supabase
  • Claude
  • Gemini

More projects

Live products and client work
For recruiters

Experience

Nine years of owning products end to end for US founders: spec, data model, API, web and mobile apps, and the deploy.

  • Available now
  • Full-time remote
  • 9am–1pm ET overlap
  • Code walkthrough on request

Career at a glance

2017 to now
Own productsDecize, Tovo, SpawnSweep · 2025–now
Catalog Digital · AIMar 2025 – Oct 2026
MCS Media · repeat clientLeanFITT → LeadershipFITT → FITTWorks · 2018–now
Freelance clientsConsumer IoT, travel, e-commerce, health, marketplaces · 2017–2025

Catalog Digital Inc.

Senior Product Engineer · contract · remote US
Mar 2025 – Oct 2026

Three products with the founders: Catalog, Feather and The Quest.

  • AIAI stylist with virtual try-on. Selfie check, video render, automatic fallback.
  • AIA catalog that stocks itself. Built from shopper searches; 4 brands onboarded.
  • RAGFeather knowledge base. Shipped in 5 weeks.
  • Platform8-network publishing. Built solo in 3 weeks.
  • MobileCatalog Flutter app. Sole engineer, approved on the App Store.

MCS Media Inc.

Lead Engineer, FITT product line · contract · Michigan US
2018 – present

Three generations of one product line, same client.

2018 · Web SaaSLeanFITTLean tools and KPI dashboards. Laravel.
2024–25 · Mobile + AILeadershipFITT360° reviews and an AI coach. React Native.
2026 · CurrentFITTWorks3 companies on board before launch. Next.js.

Freelance lead developer

US founders and agencies
2017 – 2025
Bartesian · cocktail machine, web and IoT Waywego · travel, Gemini Slick-Rx · led 5 devs UpkeepSkin · Shopify Vitrine · collectibles Africa One Stop · directory The Biggest Ask · family journeys

Own products

Founder and sole engineer
2025 – now
Decize13LLM modes, one edge function
Tovo12 daysto Slack Marketplace
SpawnSweep6AI agents tracked

B.Tech, Computer ScienceWest Bengal University of Technology · 2016

For recruiters

Skills

Nine years of tools, with the year I started using each one and the projects where I used it.

Web and backend

5
  • PHP and Laravel since 2017LeanFITTKorean B2BSlick-Rx
  • Vue since 2018LeanFITTProbstack
  • React and Next.js since 2021Korean B2BDecizeFITTWorks
  • Node.js and NestJS since 2023VenturesFeather
  • TypeScript since 2023VenturesDecizeTovo

Mobile

4
  • React Native since 2022The Biggest AskBartesianLeadershipFITT
  • Flutter since 2022AOAWildTrackCatalog
  • Expo since 2023Africa One StopClinical Notes
  • SwiftUI since 2026SpawnSweep

Data and cloud

6
  • MySQL and PostgreSQL since 2018LeanFITTVenturesFeather
  • Firebase since 2021Korean B2BThe Biggest Ask
  • AWS since 2022A9 PDFManagementFITTVentures
  • Stripe since 2018LeanFITTThe KitchenBoysenberry
  • Supabase since 2025DecizeTovoCatalog
  • Vitest, Playwright, pgTAP since 2025BFO GTMPublishing platform

AI

6
  • OpenAI since 2024LeadershipFITTFeather
  • Gemini since 2024SotoFitCatalog
  • Claude since 2025CatalogTovoDecize
  • RAG and pgvector since 2025Feather
  • LLM evals since 2025Decize
  • MCP servers since 2026Publishing platformBFO GTM
Case study · Decize my favourite bug hunt

How I made AI debriefs a team can trust

A debrief sums up what happened after a decision. If the model invents a single line, nobody trusts the ledger again. This is how I measured that risk and fixed it.

  1. 1
    Extractive by designEvery debrief line must be a word-for-word phrase from its source. Code drops any line that isn't.
  2. 2
    Blind judges, not vibesThe production function ran 3 times per case. Three blind LLM judges scored every line: 2 of 3 to pass, plus a tie-break judge.
  3. 3
    A stress set built from failure modes57 cases covering 19 ways a debrief goes wrong. First run: 391 of 427 lines faithful.
  4. 4
    Two prompt rules fixed itKeep both sides of a mixed answer. Plans, advice to others and sarcasm never count as "Next time".
  5. 5
    Proven on fresh dataThe bar was set before scoring: 97%. A new 36-case holdout, written after the fix, passed 221 of 221.
Stress set · 57 cases, 19 failure modes
91.6%100%
Fresh holdout · 36 cases, written after the fix
Old prompt 89.6%221 / 221
3blind judges per line
97%pass bar, set before scoring
2providers: Gemini first, Claude fallback

Scores count the debrief lines the model showed. Read the full write-up →

Process

How I ship

  1. 1
    Spec firstWe agree in writing what done means.
  2. 2
    Build in small slicesI write the core; AI agents speed up the repetitive parts. I review every diff.
  3. 3
    Test what mattersUnit, end-to-end and database tests, plus evals for AI features.
  4. 4
    Ship every weekWeekly planning with you, small PRs to production.
For clients

Services

Three ways to work together. Each starts with a written scope, so you know what you're getting before any code.

How it works

Tap a pin

Your ideaOne paragraph is enough to get started.

A deadlineA real date lets me plan the scope around it.

A budget rangeA rough range is fine. I'll tell you what fits inside it.

Weekly planningOne call a week with you. I own the rest, all the way to production.

A live productWeb, iOS or Android, live on your domain or in the App Store.

All the source codeIn your GitHub account from the very first commit.

Automated testsLint, type checks and tests run in CI on every change.

AI evalsAI output is scored against a bar set before the run.

SM-BUILD

New product

A web or mobile product from idea to launch, with AI where it earns its place.

12 daysTovo, idea to Slack Marketplace
  • Weekly planning with you
  • Spec first, small PRs
  • You own the code from day one
Start a project
SM-AI

AI features for your app

RAG search, agents, MCP servers and vision, added to what you have.

5 weeksFeather knowledge base
  • Answers grounded in your data
  • Evals before every prompt change
  • Fallbacks when a model refuses
Add AI to my app
SM-LEAD

Long-term lead engineer

One engineer who owns your product line for years.

8 yearswith my longest client
  • Lead a small team from Figma
  • Founder-facing, every week
  • Own it to production
Book a call
Previously we had worked unsuccessfully with 8 other app developers… Samir took the initiative with many of the UX issues… [and] was available any time we needed him.
Owner, MCS Media Inc.Verified client testimonial

Have an idea?
Ship it in weeks.

I work US hours from Kolkata
KolkataIST
New YorkET
San FranciscoPT
For clients

Start a project

Send your idea, your deadline and a rough budget.

Open mail app

For recruiters

Hiring for a role?

Available now for full-time remote roles, with 9am–1pm ET overlap. Code walkthrough on request.