Emir Kurtovic
Verified Expert in Engineering
Software Architect and Developer
Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Toptal member since December 21, 2014
Emir is a talented software architect and developer with over 20 years of experience and is fully capable of everything from leading a team to working solo. He enjoys finding the potential in customer ideas and improving them as needed during the development process. Emir is especially adept at spotting potential design flaws and improving the UI until user's manuals are no longer needed.
Portfolio
Experience
- PHP - 18 years
- Data Scraping - 11 years
- Application Architecture - 10 years
- Information Architecture (IA) - 9 years
- Databases - 9 years
- Lean Startups - 6 years
- Product Management - 6 years
- User Experience (UX) - 5 years
Preferred Environment
Seashore, Mobile, Remote Work, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Proof of Concept (POC), Scraping, Startups, APIs, Scaling
The most amazing...
...system I've created is a 500+ website ring with content controlled from one place.
Work Experience
CEO, CTO, Software Architect
RapTToR agency
- Developed large-scale systems and provided support for horizontal and vertical scaling.
- Implemented UI/UX improvements on customer websites.
- Extended the use of frameworks, including CodeIgniter, Zend, and Yii.
- Handled the development and customer support for small, mid-range, and large companies creating accounting software in Serbia.
- Created web marketing software, including a webring of over 500 domains with centralized control of content (news, ads, and links) and distribution.
- Provided technical customer support and remote user support.
- Built general company internal operation management software using the YII PHP framework with a PostgreSQL database.
- Developed a general data scraper to be used as third-party software for social data research.
CTO, Software Architect
Dare2Play
- Developed a platform for online crypto multiplayer gaming.
- Managed several game development teams and developed custom crypto games for the platform.
- Architected and monitored CI/CD for the platform and games.
NFT Consultant
WakeUpWorld (via Toptal)
- Set up an OpenSea shop with a custom NFT collection. Advertised NFT collection. Set up a project Discord group. Created a custom discord bot to invite members of a Facebook group.
- Connected WordPress site with OpenSea to show collections and items. Developed custom WordPress plugins.
- Set up Printify, Zazzle, Shopify, Etsy, and Amazon shops and cross-site product management. Utilized Printify API and Shopify API to relate items to the NFT collections on OpenSea.
Image Tooling Expert
Goleudy Ventures, LLC
- Created a variety of POC for image processing tools related to customized wall decal company.
- Researched and improved image segmentation tools to match the available color sets for decals.
- Created a wizard-like POC for determining client needs. It has a machine learning algorithm to determine the next wizard steps and options.
Full-stack Senior Developer | Tech Lead
Shady.Club Ltd
- Created a custom scraper for the sustainable fashion industry to support a Google Chrome extension suggestion.
- Built a machine learning data scraping tool to monitor and update available data.
- Created a custom dashboard for the management of the scraping endpoints and data relations.
Full-stack Developer
Assefy AG
- Developed software for data assessment and management, a Collibra-like platform with collaboration and ownership on top of it.
- Contributed to software architecture, internal data organization, and back-end development.
- Created custom connectors to the local and online data lakes.
Web Developer
Cityblock Development AB
- Moved MySQL to the PostgreSQL database, adjusting queries and improving performance.
- Improved the back-end dashboard to manage customer data and system options.
- Developed new functionalities, integration with legacy code, and CI/CD patterns implementation.
Software Developer
Apollo Scheduling, Co.
- Moved and upgraded complex MVC structures within the Yii framework.
- Created new functionalities on top of a live working system to support easier scheduling.
- Created a Chrome extension interface for scheduling alignment and a CI/CD back end to support it.
Software Architect
ELI ident
- Scraped and analyzed more than 40 million accounts from social networks and dating sites. Extracting public data and images for building identity recognition software.
- Built custom-developed tagging software to asset and sort pictures related to person/identity.
- Assembled and managed a team for tagging the scraped data, training, and tracking the progress.
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) utilization in text generation, sentiment analysis, and language understanding.
Senior Web Architect Consultant
Boosted
- Created a system architecture including project and code structure and practices for the entire system.
- Worked with the client to align functionalities and scope of their product.
- Estimated development phases and created functionality dependencies to align client expectations and budget.
CTO
DataZup
- Managed an in-house project with a team of five developers.
- Developed the core system for a general data scraper.
- Led the team to develop a multi-language writing tool.
- Oversaw the education of newbies and junior developers.
- Served as a business analyst and lead for a custom landing page site creator.
Data Visualization Developer
IntelFlows (via Toptal)
- Created a custom dashboard for data management, data interpolations, and analytics.
- Utilized machine learning for data trending and history related to pollution/air quality data collected from moving objects.
- Visualized collected and calculated data on custom map layers.
WordPress Developer
MIT (via Toptal)
- Developed custom plugins for the WordPress platform to relate data to the custom company profile.
- Optimized WordPress installation for speed and image quality, adding custom fields through a developed plugin.
- Visualized calculated 3D data in custom and WordPress sites.
Software Architect
United Muslim Relief
- Created a POC for a donation platform where users can easily select the world region and cause of donations.
- Worked on back-end and front-end development integration into a WordPress site.
- Created custom maps with a selection ability based on open maps.
Back-end WordPress Developer
Worldwide Intelligence Network (via Toptal)
- Developed custom plugins for related posts regarding keywords and categories.
- Optimized website speed and caching, utilizing data from the external API.
- Developed a custom theme, following user experience collected from the heatmaps and feedback.
Software Architect
DevLogic
- Architected software for Accomplice, helping marketers deliver the most relevant message to the most receptive audience, analyzing data from multi-channel social networks and using machine learning.
- Developed a website for ODG VR glasses; the really interesting thing is when developers take full advantage of their AR capabilities.
- Architected software for The Orchard, a specialized webshop for jewelry. Complex data queries, multiple SDK integration, free items attribute definition, complex back end for interface, and usability configuration.
- Built an innovative 360° camera for CentrCam; it segmented and uploaded huge files from multiple computers.
- Developed the UI/UX for Achoo, created to give bloggers and news media websites a different approach to work together, and to better leverage the opportunity of influential marketing within the content.
Developer
Ekonomik
- Learned small, midsize, and large company accounting.
- Provided live accounting data management with customer reliability and confidentiality.
- Developed accounting workflow features according to customer requirements.
- Generated custom reports and optimized queries, Performed constant development and integration following country accounting law changes, and collaborated on customer support.
- Provided documentation and versioning with backward compatibility. The Holy Grail of accounting.
Lead Web Developer
EUTELNET
- Worked with a large number of customers, doing web development support for a hosting company and dealing with everyday server problems.
- Dealt with server load problems stemming from overuse of deprecated functions and an increasing number of visitors.
- Designed pixel-perfect responsive HTML/CSS sites, utilized and modified CMS frameworks, and developed custom extensions, plugins, and custom software for a webring with the centralized ad server, content server statistics, and analytics.
- Multitasked on several different fronts, from development and design to server maintenance.
- Worked on internet marketing, distributing the system with ads, links, and keyword-related content serving.
Web Development and Sales
BC Group computers
- Developed a custom eCommerce website, created custom modules, and scraped data from the competition.
- Integrated data and custom dropshipping, custom analytics and statistics software, and custom accounting modules related to the webshop.
- Integrated and utilized Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram SDKs.
- Mined data and tracked competition and customers, performing big data analytics.
- Optimized MySQL/SQL queries. Provided per-person optimizations. Built a custom URL shortener with a tracker.
CEO | Customer Support | Lead Developer
MIKS Computers (Prijepolje, Serbia)
- Worked as a computer reseller and provided maintenance, support, and desktop and web application development.
- Gained knowledge about user experience, web, consumer, UI/UX design, and design in general.
- Contributed to the development of accounting software now used by most of the companies in my hometown.
- Worked creatively to produce commercials for a local radio/TV station. Learned to use SoundForge and MultiTrack audio mixers.
- Developed for the web using VBScript, CGI, and PHP.
Experience
Biotillion ColdSIGHT™ System
My Contributions:
• The API to work with BeagleBone (BB)
• Implementing a TCP protocol for communication with BB
• The report generator
• The device simulator
• UI for managing freezers, the sample retrieval process
Custom Social Network
It included:
• Custom framework
• Data mining/data analytics
• Interactive front-end development
• Database performance optimization
• Big data handling
• Multi-tenant services
• Payment gateways implementation
• Custom eShop integration
• Web crawling for competition analysis
Speaker at WordCamp Split, Croatia, 2016
IronTracker for RoughneckRentals
http://iron.roughneckrentals.usI worked on enhanced filters, actions, multi-user accounts, user privileges, editing history, data protection, XML extraction, parsing, and exporting.
Technologies: PHP/Yii, JavaScript/jQuery, CSS/Bootstrap, and MySQL.
MCAT Exam Testing Service
Used tools include a PHP Yii framework, MySQL, Stripe, and PayPal payment system SDKs, custom reporting system, custom Bootstrap theme, and content copy protection.
CharterCross Funding Platform
Used tools include a PHP Yii framework, MySQL, MS SQL multi-layer credentials/roles and permissions configuration, a custom reporting system, and a custom Bootstrap theme.
Conference Speaker at Google Code Day
Keynote about discovering the Power of Yii: Revolutionize your web development journey with Yii, the cutting-edge PHP framework designed to elevate your projects to new heights. Unleash the potential of efficient coding through its component-based architecture and MVC paradigm. Experience unrivaled speed and extensibility while ensuring robustness and security at every step. From seamless integration with third-party tools to its comprehensive security features, Yii empowers developers to craft exceptional web applications confidently. Join us to explore how Yii's user-friendly approach, rich toolset, and active community support converge to streamline your development process and bring your digital visions to life like never before.
Speaker at WordCamp Switzerland
https://switzerland.wordcamp.org/2015/We revolutionized content discovery with our AI-powered plugin, unveiling the future of automatic relevant post matching. Our cutting-edge WordPress plugin is powered by AI technology, where users can say farewell to manual content searching and selection. The plugin employs advanced algorithms to scan an article database intuitively, instantly identifying and linking related posts based on context and relevance. This transformative tool can be seamlessly integrated into a website, and visitors can effortlessly navigate a web of interconnected content. Users can elevate user engagement, reduce bounce rates, and unlock the full potential of their content library with our AI plugin.
Embrace the future of content management today and watch your website thrive!
Co-founder of OpenWeb Meetup (Former PHP BH)
http://www.meetup.com/Sarajevo-PHP-Meetup/Accomplice
Accomplice is fast-growing, Series-A funded digital marketing software company based in San Francisco. We work with brands and agencies to make their marketing smarter by connecting the dots between digital marketing and business objectives.
• Machine learning
• Cost-driven automatization
• FB API
• Google AdWords API
• Twitter API
• Vanilla.js UI/UX
• Big data aggregation
ODG
• Vanilla JS
• Responsive web layout
Achoo
• UI/UX design
CentrCam
http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/28/centr-cam-is-a-gopro-competitor-that-captures-everything-around-you/https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1307511016/centr-interactive-panoramic-video-in-the-palm-of-y
• Web development
• Vanilla JS
• Embedded video player
• Large files segmented upload
æ URL Shortner
Improve Your Web Position (IYWP)
Technologies used: PHP/JavaScript, MySQL, server optimization.
Sub-projects: URL shortener, user tracker, ads server.
Raumkraft
Game Development, Unity
Features:
• Unity, Unity3D
• Instagram API
• Facebook API
• Web crawler
• Data mining
• Google Play Store administration
• Apple Store administration
• Digital product placement
• In-app purchases
• 3D modeling
• Graphic design
• Digital marketing
• Ad integration (Google Ads, Unity Ads, Appodeal, InMobi, and more)
WiFi 033/Co-founder
Strategic Pivot: From On-demand Delivery to Task Fulfillment Platform
I presented this project as a speaker at Bosnia Agile Day 2017, a leading conference of this type in the region.
Ticket analytics software
Clubhousen | Sports Community App
http://clubhousen.comThe app's tournament hosting capabilities include features like live leaderboards, custom gear, and streamlined schedules, making event organization effortless. With intuitive game tools such as live scoring, handicap tracking, and event management, golfers can enjoy a smooth and engaging experience. This community is a place where users can read stories from other golf enthusiasts, connect effortlessly with fellow golfers, and elevate their overall golfing experience.
Speaker | Gaming Future Is in Blockchain | ETH Belgrade and BlockSplit
Blockchain's immutable ledgers and NFTs will allow players to genuinely own, trade, and sell virtual items, creating a new economy within the gaming ecosystem. This shift will prevent games from being classified as betting platforms by adhering to regulations and promoting fair play. Developers will benefit from transparent and secure transactions, sponsors will find new opportunities for engagement, and marketers will tap into the growing value of digital assets, transforming the gaming landscape into a more equitable and dynamic space.
https://ethbelgrade.rs/
https://blocksplit.net/
HDpiano
https://hdpiano.com/I developed an advanced search algorithm in PHP, optimized it for speed and accuracy, and integrated a real-time autocomplete feature using vanilla JavaScript to provide instant search suggestions. Additionally, I added advanced filter options that allowed users to refine their search results based on difficulty level, artist, and song popularity, making it easier for them to find songs that match their preferences and skill levels.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Faculty of Technical Sciences Cacak - Cacak, Serbia
Bachelor's Degree in Statistics
University of Belgrade Faculty of Mathematics - Belgrade, Serbia
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Stripe, Fabric, REST APIs, Highcharts, Chart.js, jQuery Plugins, Bing Translate API, Google Translate API, MooTools, D3.js, jQuery, HTML5 Canvas, Gmail API, Claude API, Shopify API, React Native for Web, React Redux, Stripe API, PayPal API, Node.js, Google Maps, Google Maps SDK, Google Chart API, jQuery Validation, Script.aculo.us, YUI, AngularUI, DHTMLX, Facebook SDK, X (formerly Twitter) API, X (formerly Twitter) SDK, jQuery UI, jQuery Mobile, Facebook API, React, WordPress API, OpenAI API, Pandas, Google Ads API, Bing Maps, Bing Maps API, Dojo Toolkit, Instagram API, Core Graphics
Tools
Google Analytics, PhpMyAdmin, MySQL Workbench, WP eCommerce, PHPEdit, Eclipse IDE, YUI Compressor, Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Facebook Connect, Audacity, Inkscape, Apache, Google Docs, PhpStorm, Coda 2, Git, GitHub, Jira, Trello, Atlassian, GitLab CI/CD, SendGrid, Claude, Claude Code, Codex, TeamViewer, Concrete5, Team Track, Zend Debugger, Zend Studio, PHP-FPM, NGINX, Google Webmaster Tools, Microsoft Excel, ChatGPT, GIS, Appodeal, Moodle, Redactor, Pixie, Process Monitor, MetaMask, Terraform, WebView, Seashore
Languages
Python, HTML, HTML5, PHP 7, Core PHP, JavaScript, CSS3, CSS, Visual FoxPro, PHP, PHP 5, PHP 8, Python 3, UML, SCSS, Less, Clarion, Delphi, SQL, TypeScript, dBASE, R
Frameworks
PHP MVC, Vanilla JS, Bootstrap, Bootstrap 3, Yii, Yii 1, React Native, Unity, Unity2D, Express.js, Zend Framework, FuelPHP, PHPUnit, Chrome, JavaScript MVC, Foundation CSS, Prototype Framework, Google Web Toolkit, AngularJS, Ext JS, Yii 2, Next.js, Hadoop, Unity3D, Dojo, Express.io, Symfony 2, Symfony, Selenium, TYPO3, Ember.js, PhoneGap, Angular, Photon, ImageIO
Paradigms
Application Architecture, JavaScript MV* Framework, UI Design, UX Design, Responsive, REST, Visual Design, Database Design, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Functional Programming, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Agile Software Development, Clean Code, KISS, DevOps, B2B, Agile Project Management, Design Patterns, Requirements Analysis, Continuous Delivery (CD), Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Development (CD), Business Intelligence (BI), Gamification, API Architecture, Microservices, DRY, Management, Automation, Event-driven Design (EDD), Key Performance Metrics, Software Testing, Unit Testing, Rapid Prototyping, Test-driven Development (TDD), Scrum, Domain-driven Development, CQRS, Agile, Cost-sensitive Machine Learning, Desktop Web Design, App Development, Mobile Development
Platforms
Web, WordPress, WooCommerce, Firefox, MacOS, cPanel, MS-DOS, NetBeans, Docker, LAMP, Blockchain, Ethereum, OS X, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Joomla 3, Joomla, osCommerce, Ubuntu, Linux, Magento API, Android, Shopify, Google Ads, BeagleBone Black, Raspberry Pi, Magento, Zendesk, Contentful, Mobile
Storage
JSON, Databases, Database Performance, Database Modeling, MySQLi, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Data Synchronization, HTML5 Web Storage, PostGIS, Database Security, Elasticsearch, SQLite, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), NoSQL, MongoDB, XML Parsing, Redis
Industry Expertise
Web Design, Project Management, Cybersecurity
Other
Third-party SDK Integration, WordPress Plugins, WordPress Themes, APIs, Security, SDKs, Complex Data Analysis, Large-scale Distributed Systems, PayPal, Software Prototyping, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Proof of Concept (POC), User Interface (UI), Machine Learning, SSH, Software Design, Software Development, Visual Identity, Wireframing, Logo Design, Scraping, Web Scraping, Data Mining, Graphic Design, User Experience (UX), User-centered Design (UCD), Content Management Systems (CMS), Front-end, Chrome Extensions, Product Management, CommonJS, eCommerce, Software Architecture, Apps, Architecture, System Design, App Design, Icon Design, Mobile First, Mobile Web, Enterprise Architecture, DHTML, GUI Development, Web Development, Domain-driven Design (DDD), Web App Development, Lean Startups, Lean Development, Module Development, GitFlow, Data Scraping, Text Mining, Data Extraction, URL Extraction, Email Parsing, Domain Mining, Software, Software Consulting, Back-end, Full-stack, Technical Architecture, Software Development Management, Engineering, Engineering Management, People Management, Cloud Architecture, MVC Frameworks, Data Architecture, CI/CD Pipelines, Cryptocurrency, Decentralization, Web Security, Back-end Development, Dashboards, Web Dashboards, Dashboard Development, Image Processing, Images, Dashboard Design, Custom CMS Development, IT Project Management, Software Engineering, Team Leadership, Remote Team Leadership, Teamwork, Documentation, Continuous Learning, Business Continuity Planning (BCP), Business to Business (B2B), Business Logic, Business Audits, Content Management, Customer Success, Chief Operations Officer (COO), Customer Experience, Customer Analysis, Customer Research, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Web Technologies, HTML5 Audio, HTML5 Animations, HTML5 Applications, Mobile Apps, Business Intelligence Consultant, Product Consultant, Data Analysis Consultant, Product Strategy Consultant, Growth Strategy Consultants, eCommerce APIs, Integration, Algorithms, Data Engineering, Full-stack Development, SaaS, Digital Transformation, Startups, Early-stage Startups, Web Applications, Data Entry, IT Security, Advertising, Gmail, Email, HTML Email, Website Data Scraping, Prompt Engineering, Concurrency, ChatGPT Prompts, Remote Work, Scaling, AI Integration, Lovable, QR Codes, GitHub Actions, API Integration, Agentic AI, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Payment Processing, RESTFul APIs, Gemini, Gemini API, OpenAI APIs, LLM Agents, LLM Integration, Open-source LLMs, Statistics, Statistical Analysis, API Management, MVP Design, Yii2 PHP Framework, IT Business Analysis, Product Discovery, Feasibility Studies, Feasibility, Competitive Analysis, Business Modeling, Data-driven Decision-making, AI-assisted Development, AI-generated Code, AI-enabled Applications, Data Analysis, Data Analytics, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Search, CTO, Virtualization, Visualization, Data Visualization, Big Data, Data-level Security, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Unity3D AI, Games, 3D Games, 2D Games, Board Games, Video Games, iPhone Games, Android Games, Mobile Games, Educational Games, Stripe Payments, TCP/IP, PSD to HTML, Information Architecture (IA), Information Extraction, Team Mentoring, PHPDoc, System Architecture, API Design, Design, Technical Project Management, Agile Software Testing, UI Testing, Excel to PDF, Document Parsing, Web Crawlers, Linux Server Administration, Regular Expressions, Technical Leadership, Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), Data Processing, Data Science, Team Management, FastAPI, Decentralized Applications, Gaming, Online Gaming, Multiplayer, Front-end Development, Analytics, Image to Vector, Single-page Applications (SPAs), Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Mobile UX, Mobile UI, UX Analysis, Blockchain Security, Gaming Platforms, Chatbots, AI Chatbots, OpenAI GPT-4 API, OpenAI, Cloud, Data Cleansing, B2C Marketing, Geospatial Data, AI Automation, ChatGPT API, Anthropic, Charts, Large Language Models (LLMs), Embedded Hardware, 3D Modeling, Google Play Store, AdMob, Google AdMob, Google Game Services, Reports, Hardware Drivers, Hardware Plugins, Hardware Development, Monitoring, SaaS Monitoring, Business Ideas, Business, Outsourcing, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Game Development, Game Design, Gameplay Development, Mobile Game Development, DApps, Non-fungible Tokens (NFT), Image Segmentation, Wizards, Videos, Business Law, AI Security, Game AI, Cloudflare
How to Work with Toptal
Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.
Share your needs
Choose your talent
Start your risk-free talent trial
Top talent is in high demand.
Start hiring