Yuhua "Gavin" Wu
Full-Stack Software Engineer
I build real products end-to-end — from architecture through polished UI. Startup-minded and execution-focused, I’m comfortable owning entire features from day one. I ship fast without cutting corners, and I work best alongside designers, founders, and stakeholders who value autonomy, clear thinking, and getting things into users’ hands.
About
Who I Am
Based in the Bay Area and open to remote collaboration worldwide. I’ve spent my career working across startups, contract engagements, and early-stage teams — environments where clarity, speed, and ownership aren’t optional. As an independent contractor I’m used to stepping into unfamiliar codebases, earning trust quickly, and delivering real results without hand-holding. I lead through execution: I scope the work, build the thing, and communicate clearly along the way.
Tech Stack
Frontend
Backend
Infrastructure
Product
Experience
Independent Contractor — Software Engineer
Ongoing · Multiple concurrent engagements
Over the course of overlapping contract engagements, I’ve shipped production features across multiple codebases and industries. I work directly with founders, product leads, and non-technical stakeholders to turn loose requirements into working software.
I own the full lifecycle — architecture decisions, data modeling, implementation, testing, and deployment. My work balances speed with maintainability: I move fast when the situation calls for it, and I push back when shortcuts would create real cost down the line.
- Ship production-ready features across React, Next.js, and Node.js stacks
- Architect data layers with PostgreSQL, REST, and GraphQL
- Integrate payments, auth, and third-party services end-to-end
- Collaborate directly with founders, designers, and cross-functional stakeholders
- Own projects from scoping through deployment on AWS and Vercel
Projects
Contract
San Francisco International Art Festival
Built a content-rich, public-facing web experience for a major arts organization. Worked closely with stakeholders to translate complex programming schedules, artist profiles, and event logistics into a clear, accessible interface — designed for high traffic and diverse audiences.
Contract
Smith Enterprise
Delivered a business-driven engineering solution focused on reliability and clarity. Translated operational requirements into clean, maintainable code with an emphasis on long-term stability — built to be handed off and extended by future teams.
Personal / Prototype
iShareBook
A product-thinking exercise built from scratch — end-to-end ownership from concept through implementation. Focused on rapid iteration, user-facing polish, and experimenting with ideas before committing to full architecture.
Stealth / Upcoming
Stealth Startup
Early-stage startup project currently in development. More details coming soon.
Coming soonApproach
When I encounter a vague problem, I start by breaking it into concrete, testable pieces. I think in systems — how data flows, where failure points live, what the user actually needs versus what was requested.
I optimize for user experience first and long-term maintainability second, because the two almost always align. I’m comfortable making tradeoffs and explaining them plainly. And when I don’t know something, I learn fast — not by reading docs in isolation, but by building small experiments and iterating toward the right answer.
Clarity over complexity
Break ambiguity into concrete steps before writing code.
Systems thinking
See the whole picture — data flow, edge cases, user impact — not just the feature.
Pragmatic tradeoffs
Ship the right amount of quality for the stage of the product.
Fast learner
Pick up new tools, domains, and codebases through hands-on experimentation.
Let’s work together
I’m open to startup, contract, and full-time opportunities — short-term or long-term. Based in the Bay Area, remote-friendly worldwide.
Reach Out
- Email: yuhua21223@gmail.com
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yuhuagavinwu
- GitHub: github.com/yuhua21223
Get in Touch
Whether you’re building a founding team, looking for a contract engineer, or exploring a collaboration — I’d love to hear about what you’re working on.