I shipped product for US startups before AI was a thing..
Now I leverage those skills and knowledge to
build faster, scalable and better, with AI.
Hundreds of thousands of lines of production code for US and German startups, before AI was a thing. Now I bring that judgment to AI-first development, and I've already shipped a live AI product solo.
Proof, not promises
From idea, over POC, to MVP and Launch, in under 2 months
I recently built a desktop app that rents you a cloud GPU and configures everything in a couple of clicks - so you can run open-source AI video models at the provider's own rate.
Testimonials
From people who've actually worked with me
Real colleagues. Real teams. Startups, scale-ups, and everything in between. These aren't endorsements, they're from people who watched me ship.
Ji Tae Kim
Product Designer · Uber
March 2023 · Worked with Darjan on the same team
“Darjan is an engineer who thinks like a designer. He can turn any design into a flawless and stunning feature that delights your end users.”
Warren Lebovics
Co-Founder · Pequity
March 2023 · Managed Darjan directly
“Darjan is a designer's dream frontend partner. Any team is lucky to have him.”
Seena Mojahedi
Director
May 2024 · Managed Darjan directly
“Simply put, Darjan is EXCELLENT. He shows up with poise and positive energy, is self-motivated, and gets stuff done.”
Jeff Auston
Engineering Lead
March 2023 · Managed Darjan directly
“Darjan worked with our team for more than 2 years. I would hire Darjan again - highly recommend him for any team looking for a strong engineer.”
Harsh Patel
Product Manager
April 2023 · Worked with Darjan on the same team
“Darjan is a PM's engineer. Right from backlog grooming to product launch he was a terrific partner, customer centric and delivered big time.”
Mohamed Anwer
Senior Software Engineer · Pequity
April 2023 · Worked with Darjan on the same team
“I was consistently impressed by his productivity and speed. His ability to solve complex problems in a timely manner is truly exceptional.”
Colby Dugger
Marketing Lead
May 2023 · Worked with Darjan on the same team
“The turnaround time and cross-functional collaboration were unmatched. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a top-tier developer.”
Joseph Lee
Senior Full Stack Engineer · BetterComp
March 2023 · Worked with Darjan on the same team
“Darjan fearlessly took on difficult frontend assignments and skillfully translated detailed Figma designs into functioning code.”
Ioana Manoliu
Senior Software Engineer · ADP
March 2023 · Senior to Darjan
“If anyone is searching for the absolute frontend rockstar, I have to recommend Darjan! He makes frontends look pixel perfect in the most efficient manner.”
Giannis Koutsaftakis
Staff Frontend Engineer
March 2023 · Senior to Darjan
“He is an exceptional front-end developer with excellent proficiency in Python too. He has delivered high-quality projects that have exceeded our clients' expectations.”
Petar Ćevriz
Software Engineer
March 2023 · Worked with Darjan on the same team
“Darjan was instrumental in delivering complex frontend projects and his work exceeded expectations.”
Milos Glendza
Software Developer · ServalIT
March 2023 · Worked with Darjan on the same team
“He was the go-to guy when things needed to be perfect on the UI side, but had no fear when things needed to be done outside his expertise as well.”
Why work with me
A developer you can actually rely on
I'm Darjan, a freelance developer contractor building clean, fast, and maintainable web products. Here's what that means in practice.
Full-Stack, End to End
From pixel-perfect frontends to robust backends and databases. I handle the full stack so you never have to juggle multiple contractors.
6+ Years in the Trenches
Half a decade building production apps for startups and scale-ups. I've seen what breaks at scale, and how to avoid it from day one.
Ship Fast, Break Nothing
Speed without chaos. I move quickly and ship working software by keeping codebases clean, tested, and easy to iterate on. Your deadline is real, I treat it that way.
You'll Always Know Where Things Stand
No disappearing acts. Async-first updates, clear timelines, and honest feedback when something needs to change.
Built to Last, Not Just to Launch
I write code I'd be happy to maintain a year from now. Good architecture, sensible abstractions, and zero cowboy deployments.
PREVIOUS WORK
Client Work
- Selected projects I've designed and built for startups and teams
Work With Me
Three things I'm actually good at.
Not a commodity hire. I bring product thinking, AI integration experience, and a track record of shipping at startups. Here's what that looks like in practice.
AI-First Development
I don't bolt AI on at the end. I build AI-first, shipping products faster with AI in the loop, automating real workflows with Claude, and building the tooling that makes AI development actually work.
Full-Stack Product Builds
From design to deployment. I handle frontend, backend, database, and infrastructure, so you're not juggling multiple contractors who don't talk to each other.
- React / Next.js frontends
- Node.js backends and REST APIs
- Database design (Postgres, Supabase)
- Auth, payments, third-party integrations
- Vercel / AWS deployment
Senior Contract Work
Ongoing capacity for complex features, codebase rescue, or design-to-production frontend. I work well inside existing teams and messy codebases.
- Design-to-React, pixel-perfect implementation
- Legacy codebase features & refactoring
- SaaS product frontend development
- Design system architecture
- Performance audits and improvements
Trusted by Companies around the globe
Get in Touch
Have a project in mind? Fill out the form and I'll get back to you within 24 hours.
Nice to meet you
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