Jacob Veal
Iowa City,IA
Summary
Possessing an extensive background in the full software development life cycle, I am a proactive individual continuously expanding my skillset. Adaptable and versatile, I take on multiple roles and responsibilities with ease. Committed to learning and delivering high-quality software, I am a technical leader who thrives on promoting collaboration and driving successful outcomes with laser sharp focus on delivering real client value.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Founding Engineer
Drosera, Inc
03.2023 - Current
- Architected and built the entire backend infrastructure for Drosera, a decentralized security protocol, enabling scalable, real-time monitoring and automated incident response for EVM-based dApps using Rust for high-performance execution.
- Led the design of the user experience flows for creating and deploying smart contracts (Traps) that define security and monitoring intents that mitigate exploits proactively.
- Contributed upstream to key open-source projects including Alloy, REVM, and Libp2p, directly advancing Drosera's decentralized architecture and benefiting the broader Web3 ecosystem.
- Attended and represented Drosera in high-stakes venture capital (VC) calls and investor meetings, articulating technical vision to secure $4.75M in funding and foster strategic partnerships for protocol growth.
- Led a cross-functional team of engineers in building and iterating on the protocol's mainnet launch, mentoring on best practices for blockchain security and automation while scaling from prototype to production deployment.
- Demonstrated deep expertise in the EVM and Revm/Alloy stack by designing and building the off-chain execution of Drosera nodes to be completely verifiable by leveraging Ethereum proofs and a custom ZKEVM.
- Optimized execution performance by using rust benchmarking and profiling tools to identify bottlenecks.
- Attended various crypto conferences to network with other developers and security researchers in the ecosystem and successfully onboarded them onto Drosera.
Software Engineer III / Full Stack
BitGo, Inc
08.2021 - 04.2023
- Played a pivotal role in the development and enhancement of BitGo's main product offering, focusing on the integration of cutting-edge Web3 technologies.
- Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams, including product management, design, and marketing, to deliver innovative solutions tailored to the evolving needs of the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry.
- Contributed to the development of new APIs and SDKs, enabling seamless interaction with Web3 applications and enhancing the user experience for BitGo's customer base.
- Actively participated in code reviews and provided constructive feedback to peers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and high-quality software development.
- Researched emerging trends and technologies in the blockchain and Web3 ecosystem, including TSS/MPC crypto wallets, blockchain transaction simulation, and decoding, to maintain BitGo's competitive edge in the crypto industry.
- Mentored junior engineers on the team, providing guidance and support in their professional development.
- Wrote peer-reviewed technical design documentation, outlining the problem statement, assumptions, scope, and estimations for significant software development projects.
- Coordinated and oversaw project tasks using Jira, while effectively leading Agile/Scrum meetings to ensure efficient team collaboration and progress.
- Established monitoring and alerting parameters for microservices, defining criteria and thresholds to maintain compliance with SLA requirements.
- Successfully developed and launched the Metamask Institutional and BitGo wallet integration product offering, resulting in Institutional Investors using BitGo's secure wallets to participate in DeFi protocols.
- Successfully developed and launched Harbor Crypto Wallet, an innovative single signature web3 wallet application for browsers and mobile devices, expanding BitGo's product offerings for retail users.
- Independently developed and launched 'Sign In with BitGo,' an OpenID Connect-based authentication and authorization system, enabling BitGo users to securely access a wide range of client applications previously unsupported by the legacy authentication system.
- Designed and implemented an efficient build system that streamlined the developer experience, facilitating rapid iteration and timely achievement of project milestones for the team.
Lead Software Engineer / Full Stack
Trimble Transportation
10.2018 - 07.2021
- Guided key architectural design decisions, ensuring the application's successful performance in production environments.
- Defined and collected metrics to monitor application health, quality, and performance, supporting critical functionalities.
- Developed and maintained REST API endpoints for data collection and aggregation, with comprehensive error handling and clear documentation for reporting dashboards.
- Designed and optimized database schemas and aggregation queries, enhancing API endpoint performance.
- Created an end-to-end testing framework to validate the application's critical functional behavior.
- Organized and empowered a developer community focused on establishing and maintaining high-quality assurance standards.
- Participated in an elective leadership program to enhance leadership effectiveness.
- Optimized the continuous integration pipeline, minimizing the time required for building, deploying, and testing code changes.
- Successfully improved API endpoint performance by 400% through the implementation of optimized database schemas and aggregation queries.
- Won the Ace of Initiative award for leading the creation and support of a developer community focused on high-quality assurance standards.
- Significantly enhanced overall leadership effectiveness through participation in an elective leadership program.
Education
Bachelor's - Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA05.2017
Skills
- Rust
- Typescript
- Python
- React
- Ethereum (EVM)
- Flexible/Adaptable
- Leadership
- Craftsmanship
- Product development
- Critical thinking
Certification
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Associate - AWS
- Machine Learning - Coursera
Timeline
Founding Engineer
Drosera, Inc
03.2023 - Current
Software Engineer III / Full Stack
BitGo, Inc
08.2021 - 04.2023
Lead Software Engineer / Full Stack
Trimble Transportation
10.2018 - 07.2021
Bachelor's - Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering
University of Iowa