SYED ZEESHAN AKHTAR

I build software
from silicon to cloud.

Senior software engineer with 10+ years across the full stack — from C/C++ on microcontrollers in Italy, up through .NET and React, to architecting a self-hostable SaaS platform of my own.

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scroll to climb the stack
01

The journey up the stack

I started where the electrons are — an electrical engineering degree, then embedded systems work at STMicroelectronics in Italy, running JavaScript on bare microcontrollers. Over a decade I climbed upward: firmware, backends, front-ends, and finally building entire platforms.

CLOUDAzure · AWS · managed SaaS
PLATFORMHorizech Workspace · plugin architecture
BACKENDC# · .NET · SQL Server · APIs
FRONTENDReact · TypeScript · Angular
FIRMWAREC/C++ · ARM mbed · sensors
SILICONElectrical engineering · embedded
02

Where I’ve worked

2020 — Present · Italy · Remote

Senior Software Developer

Quantyx Advisors
  • ·Core developer on QuantyxRM, an enterprise risk-management platform spanning real estate, private equity, venture capital, private debt and more.
  • ·Backend in C#/ASP.NET Core, React/TypeScript front-end, SQL Server with T-SQL, stored procedures, and dacpac-based CI/CD pipelines.
  • ·Built Azure Functions, Windows GUI tools, and an Excel VSTO add-in for live data integration.
2022 — Present · UK & Pakistan

Founder & Lead Engineer

Horizech
  • ·Architected Horizech Workspace — a modular, self-hostable SaaS platform with a Provider/Plugin/App component model.
  • ·19 provider interfaces, 20+ swappable plugins, a package registry, and a JWT-based licensing system for managed and self-hosted instances.
  • ·Lead a team of four; shipped products including Wiscademy and CaptainPassword on the platform.
2020 — Present · Italy · Remote

Part-time Consultant

Audit Financial Team
  • ·Develop OneCompliance, a configurable corporate-controls and audit platform.
  • ·Angular front-end with AWS backend (Lambda, CloudWatch, S3, EC2).
2019 — 2020 · Lahore, Pakistan

Senior Software Developer

TowerTech
  • ·Led architecture and development of document & media archive systems with automated text-extraction and keyword indexing.
  • ·Angular, .NET Core, PostgreSQL.
2018 — 2019 · Lahore, Pakistan

Software Engineer Lead

Indigost
  • ·Lead developer and designer of Drizlet; built a single Ionic/Angular codebase shipping to both Android and iOS.
  • ·Built mobile titles in Unity and Godot.
2017 — 2018 · Agrate Brianza, Italy

Thesis Stage — Embedded / IoT

STMicroelectronics
  • ·Brought JavaScript to ARM mbed boards by running JerryScript on-device, partitioning flash for firmware and interpreted code.
  • ·Wrote a layered C++ driver stack exposing ST sensors to JavaScript, with MQTT networking for remote code deployment.
03

Selected projects

ARCHITECTURE

Horizech Workspace

Platform · .NET Core + React

A modular, self-hostable SaaS platform built from the ground up. Provider/Plugin/App architecture, a package registry, and runtime-installable components.

COMMERCIAL

QuantyxRM

Enterprise · Fintech

Production risk-management platform for Italian financial firms, covering a wide range of asset classes with complex reporting and data workflows.

PRODUCT

Wiscademy

EdTech · Built on Workspace

Learning platform for Canadian engineering licensing exams. Built in weeks on Horizech Workspace, with Stripe payments and a Next.js front-end.

SYSTEMS

JerryScript on ARM mbed

Embedded · C/C++

Ran a JavaScript engine on microcontrollers, with a layered sensor-driver stack and MQTT for remote program deployment. Open-sourced as npm packages.

ENTERPRISE

OneCompliance

Audit · Angular + AWS

Configurable corporate-controls platform supporting everything from line controls to third-level internal audit.

SECURITY

CaptainPassword

Security · Workspace App

Self-hostable password manager built in days on Workspace, leveraging the platform's AES/RSA encryption and auth providers.

04

The toolkit

Backend

C#.NET / .NET CoreASP.NET Core / MVCEntity FrameworkLINQREST APIs

Frontend

ReactTypeScriptAngularNext.jsNode.js

Data

SQL ServerT-SQLPostgreSQLdacpac / RedGate

Cloud & DevOps

AzureAWSDockerKubernetesCI/CD

Craft

MicroservicesPlugin architectureNUnitPlaywrightClaude Code

Roots

C / C++ARM mbedUnityGodotMQTT
05

Away from the keyboard

CREATIVE

Tunes on the Moon

I create children's educational content and games — a creative outlet that grew into a brand spanning videos, 3D worlds, and learning games for kids.

TINKERING

Building for builders

I'm fascinated by developer tools and platforms. Horizech Workspace started as the thing I wished existed when building products quickly.

REMOTE LIFE

From Lahore, for the world

Based in Pakistan, working with teams across Italy, the UK and beyond — proof that great engineering has no borders.

06

Writing

Notes on building platforms, shipping products from Pakistan, and going from embedded C to cloud SaaS. Coming soon.

Let’s build something.

Open to senior engineering roles, contract work, and interesting collaborations. Like this site? I build them too.

[email protected]GitHub