Adam McQuilkin

Engineering Leader, Technical Founder

A technical leader specializing in AI infrastructure, web development, and embedded systems, with experience founding startups and leading engineering teams.

about me

my background

Technical leader and startup founder specializing in AI infrastructure and systems engineering.

I specialize in building complex technical systems, from AI infrastructure to embedded hardware. With experience founding startups and leading engineering teams at companies like Microsoft, I focus on creating scalable solutions to challenging technical problems. My work spans web development, AI systems, and low-level hardware engineering.

experience

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Track record of technical leadership and founding roles at startups and major tech companies.

achievements

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Patents, academic honors, and professional accomplishments in software and hardware engineering.

skills

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Technical expertise across AI infrastructure, web development, and embedded systems.

Open Source

Mesh Networking

Meshtastic Network Management Client

How can we give non-techincal users the confidence and ability to rapidly deploy and manage complex mesh network topologies in a low bandwidth and low reliability environment?

A mockup showing the network management client and a simulated mesh network.

about me

my passions

Engineer, founder, and outdoor enthusiast.

Beyond building technical systems, I'm passionate about exploring both technology and the outdoors. I enjoy hardware projects and 3D printing, and spend my free time hiking, mountain biking, and doing landscape photography. I've compiled some highlights from my adventures here!

resume

my experience

My employments and personal projects.

I pride myself on my ability to draw from my experiences to improve my work. Here is a selection of my previous and current positions, and what I brought to each of these roles.

experience

what I've done

Actionbase

June 2024 - October 2024

Co-Founder, CTO

Founded an AI infrastructure SaaS making the internet programmatically interactable for developers of web agents. Collaborated with YC mentors, investors, and early customers to refine product strategy and drive initial adoption. Reduced time for agents/applications to integrate with high-value sites (e.g., LinkedIn) from multiple days to hours.

Microsoft

September 2023 - June 2024

Software Engineer, Power BI Reach Team

Led team architecting and building next-generation integrations into Power BI, deployed to 100k+ users. Designed and implemented a novel side-effect management system, actively utilized by 50+ developer team for a 33x reduction in client bandwidth.

Meshtastic Project

September 2022 - June 2024

Business Development Lead, Core Contributor

Built a real-time network management client to detect and mitigate vulnerabilities in decentralized communications networks. Led business lead for the 25k member Meshtastic OSS project, deploying the management client with the Swiss government.

Dartmouth Applied Learning and Innovation Lab

January 2019 - March 2022

Senior Software Engineer, Development Mentor, Education Lead

Led team that developed Dartmouth College's artificial pre-selection interface used daily by 6,000+ students. Developed custom code templates for use in new projects which save 75+ development days per 10-week term. Planned and executed a technical education program with 700+ student applicants and 20 student educators.

DALI Lab

Jan 2019 - Present

Development Mentor, Developer, Product Designer

Worked on MVP-level contract work for business and non-profit partners. I both work as a full-stack developer and as a mentor. I regularly lead product teams in scoping and effective product development, as well as creating mentorship policy for new and returning lab members.

D-Planner, LLC

Sept 2018 - August 2020

Co-Founder, Product Designer, Full-Stack Developer

Founded a startup to improve academic planning for all students, winning two rounds of early-stage startup funding through Dartmouth College tech incubators. Designed, managed, and implemented a modern online suite of tools to give students control over their future within higher education.

Nextmove Technologies

Summer 2018, Summer 2019

Head of Web Development

Led complete redesign and implementation of company web platform with custom media production suite. Created comprehensive repository of corporate marketing materials including internal training suite and product imaging. Increased website traffic by 220%, lowered bounce rate by 60%, and increased page views per session by 70%.

resume

my achievements

What I've done that I'm proud of.

I strive to be the best I can be in all that I do, both personally and professionally. Here are my proudest achievements, and relevant background information on each.

acheivements

what I've earned

High Honors, Computer Science

May 2023

First Engineering Implementation Thesis to Receive High Honors

Developed a novel network management client for decentralized mesh networks, becoming the first Dartmouth Computer Science student to receive High Honors for an engineering implementation thesis. The client was then accepted as an official client by the Meshtastic open-source mesh networking project, which is the goto solution for open-source low-bandwidth mesh networking. I continued my work on this client as a project admin and core contributor.

United States Patent 9,632,952

Awarded Jan 2017

Inventor, Sole Patent Holder

Designed, developed, and patented a physical hardware macro device for use in data processing and gaming applications. This device was patented on research conducted during a high school independent study.

Wilderness First Responder

May 2019 - Present

Certified Wilderness Medical Provider (WFR)

Trained in advanced backcountry lifesaving, focused on immediate medical response and evacuation techniques. Finished top in my class, achieving a perfect score in the intensive 80-hour training course.

New England Hundred-Highest Club

Aug 2005 - Aug 2020

AMC Hunderd-Highest Award Recipient

Worked over the course of 15 years to summit the 100 tallest peaks within New England, many of which require advanced backcountry navigation and wayfinding training.

BSA Eagle Scout Rank

Awarded Jan 2017

Highest Rank Attainable in the Scouts BSA

Awarded the rank of Eagle Scout after 11 years of membership. Led a group of 30 volunteers rebuilding cabins for a local non-profit land trust, totaling over 250 person-hours and raising $1000 in the course of six hours.

resume

my skills

What I'm good at, and what I love doing.

Over the course of my professional life I've been exposed to many different fields. Here are my strongest fields, and information on what I can do within each.

skills

what I've learned

Business & Leadership

Experienced in startup founding and team leadership

Track record of founding and scaling technical ventures, from early-stage startups to large team management. Expertise in product strategy, business development, and technical team leadership.

Skills:

Entrepreneurship, Product Strategy, Business Development

Experience:

YC, Technical Team Leadership, Customer Management

AI and Agentic Development

Specializing in AI infrastructure and agent development

Experience building AI infrastructure and automation systems, with focus on web agents and programmatic interaction. Expertise in developing tools and frameworks for AI integration.

Technologies:

LLMs, Web Agents, Automation Frameworks, AI Infrastructure

Experience:

AI SaaS Development, Agent Integration, Web Automation

Frontend Web Development

Specializing in dataflow management and Jamstack applications

Deep experience with building efficient and highly maintainable user interfaces, using tools such as Redux and NextJS. Experience with both short-turnaround and maintenance-phase applications.

Languages:

TypeScript, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, SASS / SCSS

Frameworks:

Git, React, Redux, Next.js, Express.js, Node.js

Backend Web Development

Specializing in robust and efficient service development

Experience with building scalable and maintainable backend code, both with servers and serverless functions. Specializing in Node.js and Express.js, with professional experience in .NET and Linux systems.

Languages:

TypeScript, JavaScript, C#, Python, HTML/CSS, C/C++

Frameworks:

Node.js, Express.js, Deno, ASP.NET, Linux, SystemVerilog

Embedded Development

Experienced in IoT and web-enabled device development

Experienced in writing low-level application code and HDL, with background ranging from the USB protocol to embedded monitoring and IoT systems. Specialty in web/hardware interfacing via embedded UI and REST clients.

Languages:

C / C++, SystemVerilog, VHDL, Verilog, Python

Frameworks:

Xilinx Vivado / ISE, Visual Studio, Arduino, Fusion 360

Product Design

Experienced in creating coherent user experiences

Trained in UI/UX and product design. I work to ensure a lasting positive user experience, whether related to web interfaces or complete product flows. I often use my product design experience to improve the user interfaces I build.

Programs:

Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe CC