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DakotaKronberger

Portrait of Dakota Kronberger

Full-stack engineer &technical delivery lead

Available now

Senior engineer for AI integrations, web apps, and mobile products. From hands-on development to technical delivery leadership, now working independently with clients who need one person to scope, build, and own the result.

Independent2023–nowSoftware Engineer & Technical Consultant

3 products

designed and built solo

Velum (AI, iOS beta) · Varilead (AI) · Goods Operator

Fortune 500 automaker2021–2023Managing Consultant · Pariveda

95 → 600+

dealerships during my tenure

~20 people across 2 teams · $3M renewal won · release staffing 10+ → 3 engineers

PwC2017–2021Tech Lead → Development Manager

1,000+

users on the platform I led

2-week POC won the rewrite · 5x faster queries · 15 engineers

“Dakota, thank you. It sounds like you have really gone the extra mile and I want you to know how much that means. This client is very important to us and the firm… without your effort we wouldn't even be able to get to that step.”

Scott · Partner, Asset & Wealth Management · PwC

Selected work

AI product

TestFlight beta

A private dream archive and AI-guided dream work app, designed and shipped end to end by one person.

Founder & sole engineerReact Native, Claude API, Firebase

Relevant to: Mobile apps with AI features

  • A custom orchestration layer over the Claude API that enriches every entry by extracting symbols, emotions, people, places, and themes, and categorizes the archive automatically.
  • Multi-step AI workflows for six structured dream work methods, including Amplification, Re-entry, and Gestalt Dialogue, run as guided, stateful sessions.
  • A privacy-first architecture: Firebase handles only auth and user claims, while all dream content is stored privately and never used as training data.
Visit siteJoin beta
Velum archive screen in the dark theme, grouped by week
Velum dream detail screen with an AI summary of the entry
Velum dream work screen listing guided methods such as Re-entry and Gestalt Dialogue
Read the full caseClose the case

Problem

Dreams fade within minutes of waking. The goal was one private tool that combines fast capture, a searchable archive, pattern exploration across months of entries, and structured, guided dream work.

Also built

  • A React Native iOS app with custom native modules, built using an AI-assisted development workflow with Claude Code.
  • Pattern-visualization “Boards” (recurring motifs, emotional patterns, frequency over time), a searchable archive, voice capture, and three visual themes.
  • The full launch surface: marketing site and published privacy, AI, and data retention policies.

Outcome

In public TestFlight beta, ahead of App Store release.

Delivered

Managing Consultant, Pariveda2021–2023Next.js, React, TypeScript, Node.js

95+

dealerships

M

renewal I authored and won

10+

engineers needed per release

Delivery leadership for a Fortune 500 global auto manufacturer's digital retailing solution for new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicles in the U.S.

~20 people across 2 teams

Relevant to: Delivery leadership at scale

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Problem

The manufacturer needed dealers nationwide to adopt its digital retailing experience, with a delivery operation that could scale with that adoption.

What I did

  • Led a 15-person engineering team and a 5-person dealer operations team.
  • Owned client stakeholder relationships, backlog, and roadmap.
  • Hardened the CI/CD pipeline, moved the release process in-house, and worked directly with dealership franchises to drive adoption.

Outcome

During my tenure leading delivery, participating dealerships grew from 95 to 600+. I also authored the $3M proposal that funded the team's continuation.

PwC Engagement Plan

Delivered

Tech Lead → Development Manager2017–2021React, Vue, .NET Core, MongoDB

300+

users

x

faster queries & page loads

8 hrsmin

ETL imports

  1. Shared spreadsheetMaintained by hundreds of people
  2. Engagement PlanSystem of record for the AWM, PCS, and PFS tax practices
  3. Client portalLimited view: entity tracking and return status

Replaced a spreadsheet maintained by hundreds of people with the system of record for PwC's AWM, PCS, and PFS tax practices.

5 major markets

Relevant to: Platform rewrites, performance, internal tools

Read the full caseClose the case

Problem

Tax teams tracked entities, filings, and return status in a massive shared spreadsheet, which was slow, messy, and error-prone at scale.

What I did

  • Maintained the original tool (BPM), then led its full rewrite.
  • Grew into managing a 15-person team across 3 sub-teams on a platform with a $2M annual team budget.
  • Re-architected core components for performance and added a client-facing portal.

Outcome

Adopted by 1,000+ tax professionals across Dallas, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston, with 5x faster key queries and page loads, tens of thousands of dollars in annual data-transfer savings, and a promotion to Development Manager.

In use

Founder & engineerWeb app (mobile-first), LLM integration

A lead intelligence platform that turns raw local business data into qualified, outreach-ready leads.

Built to power Future Built Digital, my go-to-market venture for Chicagoland contractors.

  1. Public data80+ verified sources
  2. Website quality auditsProgrammatic scoring and fast manual review
  3. Contact enrichmentDecision-makers, phone numbers, emails
  4. Personalized outreachLLM-generated, configurable for brand voice
  5. Gmail and Apple MailBuilt for deliverability

Relevant to: Data enrichment and LLM-generated outreach

Read the full caseClose the case

Problem

Tools like Clay are powerful but expensive and generic. Selling to local service businesses requires knowing which ones have weak websites, who to contact, and what to say, quickly and from a phone.

What I built

  • A pipeline aggregating public data from 80+ verified sources, starting with Chicagoland businesses.
  • Website quality audits that combine automated programmatic scoring with a fast manual review tool.
  • Contact enrichment for key decision-makers, phone numbers, and emails.
  • LLM-generated personalized outreach, configurable for brand voice, tone, writing style, and signatures.
  • Gmail and Apple Mail integrations built for deliverability rather than spam volume.
  • A mobile-first interface designed for working leads quickly from a phone.

Outcome

In active use as the engine behind Future Built Digital's outreach.

Goods Operator

Early beta

Founder & engineerNext.js, Node.js, Vercel, iOS companion app

A creator commerce platform for selling digital goods, with built-in product pages, Stripe checkout, file delivery, and buyer accounts.

  1. Product pagesBuilt in, for each digital good
  2. Stripe checkout
  3. File delivery
  4. Buyer accounts

Relevant to: Commerce, payments, and digital delivery

Earlier work

2019

Fragments OCR

An iPhone OCR scanner with real-time cloud sync to any browser and tiered subscription pricing.

Solo developer · React Native, AWS

ShippedApp Store

Services

  1. A

    • LLM-powered features, agents, and custom orchestration (Claude, OpenAI)
    • Business process automation and data enrichment pipelines
    • Model evaluation and prompt testing

    Start here

    A working prototype of one AI feature or automation, with notes on cost, quality, and what it takes to ship.

    To estimate, I need: What it should do, the systems it touches, and sample data.

    Proof: Velum, Varilead, 2 years of LLM evaluation for Outlier

  2. B

    • MVPs and production web apps with payments, auth, and integrations (Next.js, Node.js)
    • iOS and cross-platform mobile apps (React Native)
    • AI-accelerated delivery with Claude Code and Codex

    Start here

    One well-defined feature or MVP milestone, deployed to a staging environment you can test.

    To estimate, I need: The feature, your current stack (if any), and your target date.

    Proof: Velum, Goods Operator, Fragments OCR

  3. C

    • Scoping, estimates, and technical roadmaps
    • Architecture and code reviews
    • Performance and cost optimization

    Start here

    An architecture or codebase review, delivered as a written report with prioritized recommendations.

    To estimate, I need: Repo or system access and the decision you're facing.

    Proof: 5x faster queries and page loads, 8-hours-to-15-minutes ETL, $50K/yr licensing savings

  4. D

    • Backlog, sprint, and release management
    • Team leadership and stakeholder management
    • Budget, staffing, and velocity forecasting

    Start here

    A delivery plan covering scope, backlog, milestones, and staffing assumptions. Ongoing coordination with weekly progress, cost, and risk reporting can follow. It can be combined with hands-on engineering.

    To estimate, I need: Your goal, team, and timeline.

    Proof: Digital retailing solution (95 → 600+ dealerships), PwC Engagement Plan, $3M renewal proposal (won)

Available for hourly and fixed-scope engagements. Small, well-defined projects welcome.

  1. Scope

    Agree on the goal, what “done” means, and acceptance criteria before any code.

  2. First milestone

    A small, estimated first milestone, so you see working software early.

  3. Review as I build

    Working software at every milestone, with progress updates through Upwork.

  4. Handover

    You get the source, deployment details, and documentation, and nothing is locked to me.

Discuss your project

Experience

Independent

Software Engineer & Technical Consultant

Aug 2023 – PresentRemote

  • Designed, built, and shipped my own AI-powered products end to end, including Velum, Varilead, and Goods Operator.
  • Two years of AI model evaluation for Outlier: comparative assessment and prompt testing of frontier large language models, documenting model behavior and failure cases.

Pariveda Solutions

Managing Consultant

May 2021 – Aug 2023Chicago, IL & Dallas, TX

Led delivery of a digital retailing solution for new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicles in the U.S., built for a Fortune 500 global auto manufacturer.

  • Promoted 4 consultants and formally mentored 6.
  • Presented staffing models, hour forecasts, team velocity, and epic-level roadmap options with tradeoffs directly to client leadership.
  • Hardened the CI/CD pipeline and rebuilt the release process in-house, eliminating a costly third-party Jira plugin.
View case study

PwC

Development Manager

Nov 2019 – Apr 2021Dallas, TX

Ran engineering for Engagement Plan, the firm's system of record for its AWM, PCS, and PFS tax practices.

  • Coached and developed engineers through requirements clarification and career mentoring.
  • Shipped a limited-view client-facing portal on top of the new system of record for entity tracking and return status.
  • Won PwC Tax Technology hackathons twice (2019, 2021), out of 17 and 16 teams, with automated time tracking for Engagement Plan and Idea Lab, an internal venture platform that spun up real, funded product teams.
View case study

Senior Software Developer → Tech Lead

Nov 2017 – Nov 2019Dallas, TX

Maintained BPM, the firm's return and extension tracking tool, then was selected to lead its full rewrite.

  • Delivered a working proof of concept in two weeks, which secured the rewrite and led to promotion to Development Manager.
  • Automated deployments with Azure DevOps (VSTS) CI pipelines.
View case study

Data Axle (formerly Infogroup)

Software Engineer

Jul 2016 – Nov 2017Marshfield, WI

  • Built .NET applications that interfaced with mainframe data via JCL for marketing teams.
  • Replaced proprietary reporting software with an in-house SSRS solution, saving $50K a year in licensing.

Education

Northcentral Technical College

A.A.S., Software Development, 2016

Frank & Mary Walters Award of Excellence

Certifications

  • 2022AWS Partner: Cloud Economics Accreditation
  • 2020PwC Human-Centered Design
  • 2019PwC Digital Acumen
  • 2018Nielsen Norman Group UX Certificate

Recognition

LinkedInPwC Tax Technology Welcome Back Hack 2021

View on LinkedIn

LinkedInPwC Hacktoberfest 2019 first-place post

View on LinkedIn

Tech stack

AI
  • Claude API
  • OpenAI API
  • Claude Code
  • Codex
  • LLM evaluation
Frontend & mobile
  • React
  • Next.js
  • React Native
  • TypeScript
  • Vue
Backend
  • Node.js
  • .NET / C#
  • Python
  • REST APIs
  • GraphQL
Data
  • SQL Server
  • MongoDB
  • Firebase
  • ETL / SSIS
Cloud & DevOps
  • AWS
  • Azure
  • Vercel
  • CI/CD
Delivery
  • Agile / Scrum
  • Jira
  • Roadmapping
  • Estimation
Portrait of Dakota Kronberger

About

I'm a software engineer who spent a decade moving from writing the code to running the teams that ship it, first at PwC and then as a Managing Consultant leading delivery for a Fortune 500 global auto manufacturer.

Since 2023, I've focused on building AI-powered products, web and mobile apps, and automation that makes complex workflows easier to run. I bring architecture, product judgment, and delivery leadership to hands-on engineering, taking projects from an initial plan through implementation, launch, and handover.

Chicago, IL · Working with clients worldwide

Contact

Tell me what you're building.

Share a few details about the project and I'll come back with questions, a rough plan, and next steps.

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