Muhammad is available for hire
Hire MuhammadMuhammad Zulqarnain
Verified Expert in Engineering
Back-end Developer
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Toptal member since November 10, 2021
Bio
Zulqarnain is a senior software engineer with nearly 10 years of experience building back-end systems in Python, Django, and FastAPI. He maintained infrastructure across 140+ microservices for a platform serving 40M+ learners, and built data pipelines and enrichment systems covering 500k+ companies and 2M+ founders. He builds agentic AI systems, LLM workflows, RAG, and a production MCP server that exposes platform data to Claude, using the OpenAI and Claude APIs from design through production.
Portfolio
Basis Set Ventures
Python, Django, Apache Airflow, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Airtable, PostgreSQL...
Tasseled Inc.
Python, GraphQL, FastAPI, AWS Lambda, Amazon ElastiCache...
Stack Builders
Python, Flask, FastAPI, Celery, MariaDB, Docker, Redis, React, TypeScript, SQL...
Experience
- Python - 9 years
- Django - 8 years
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) - 7 years
- JavaScript - 7 years
- PostgreSQL - 6 years
- AI Agent Orchestration - 4 years
- FastAPI - 4 years
- Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG) - 3 years
Work Experience
Senior Software & Data Engineer
2022 - 2026
Basis Set Ventures
- Built and maintained the firm’s core investment platform (Pascal) as one of three engineers, owning the back end and data layer across 500,000+ companies and 2M+ founder profiles.
- Built an MCP server exposing Pascal’s investment data to Claude, designing the tool surface over 500K+ companies and 2M+ founder profiles within the platform’s permission model.
- Built LLM-powered tools for investors, including an automated competitor analysis tool that turned market research taking an analyst a day into structured comparison reports, plus extraction and categorization workflows feeding the platform.
- Proposed and led the migration of Pascal from Django templates to FastAPI and Next.js, owning the architectural decision and its implementation.
- Built an end-to-end founder enrichment pipeline that ran unattended in production, combining web scraping, third-party tools, and verification steps, with step-level state tracking so partial failures resumed rather than leaving records incomplete.
- Designed and maintained data collection pipelines processing thousands of companies daily, covering company profiles, GitHub activity, founder backgrounds, and social presence across GitHub, Product Hunt, Y Combinator, Discord, and Twitter.
- Built a financial bookkeeping application from scratch on FastAPI and React, including migrating years of financial records out of Excel into PostgreSQL without data loss.
- Built a portfolio tracking application with an API layer tying investor activity back to companies, and replaced a complex form-based search with natural full-text search.
- Migrated pipeline orchestration from Airflow to Argo Workflows on Kubernetes, rebuilding the deployment path alongside it.
Technologies: Python, Django, Apache Airflow, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Airtable, PostgreSQL, Web Scraping, API Integration, OpenAI GPT-3 API, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Data Engineering, SQLAlchemy, Agile Sprints, Django REST Framework, Scrapy, Selenium, Caching, Architecture, Software as a Service (SaaS), Hosting, Python API, Database Management Systems (DBMS), Git, GitHub, Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR), Cron, Django ORM, HTML Templates, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Chrome Extensions, AI Chatbots, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Chatbots, Beautiful Soup, JSON/XML Schemas, OpenAI, ChatGPT, API Design, Debugging, API Development, Full-stack Development, Troubleshooting, Back-end Development, Code Review, ChatGPT API, AI Tools, AI Agents, Agentic AI, Claude, Cursor AI, Claude Code, LangChain, Prompt Engineering, Large Language Models (LLMs), OpenAPI, Agentic Workflow Design, Model Context Protocol (MCP), Database Design, Vercel, Bash, TypeScript, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Workflow Automation, AI Automation, Dashboards, Containerization, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Claude API, Integration, Third-party Integration, Workflows, Venture Capital, Kubernetes, Testing, LLM Integration, Anthropic, Data Extraction, Data Pipelines, Vibe Coding, AI-assisted Development, RESTFul APIs, Role-based Access Control (RBAC), AI Agent Orchestration, Software Development, AI Integration, Agentic Coding, Modeling, System Integration, Front-end, Fintech, Financials, Agentic Frameworks, Workflow Automation & System Integration, SQLModel, Graph API, AI Engineering, Agentic RAG Systems, RAG Architecture, Web App Development, Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)
Senior Python Back-end Engineer
2021 - 2022
Tasseled Inc.
- Took a loosely structured FastAPI back end and restructured it into a conventional API: Pydantic models in place of raw dictionaries, consistent endpoint patterns, and test coverage across the whole back end where there had been none.
- Built a GraphQL API on FastAPI and ArangoDB alongside the existing REST API, and optimized existing endpoints that had become slow.
- Set up the engineering guardrails the project was missing: pre-commit hooks for styling and linting, and an automated dependency upgrade job on GitLab CI.
- Built an API health check on AWS Lambda with ElastiCache, and moved recurring work onto Celery beat scheduling.
Technologies: Python, GraphQL, FastAPI, AWS Lambda, Amazon ElastiCache, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Pytest, ArangoDB, Sentry, GitLab CI/CD, REST, Celery, Redis, Scheduling, Amazon Web Services (AWS), REST APIs, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Cloud, JavaScript, Agile Sprints, HTML, Python Dataclasses, Pydantic, Software Engineering, RDBMS, Back-end, Microservices, Docker, React, JSON, Cloud Infrastructure, Documentation, OAuth 2, CSS, Software Architecture, Communication, Auth0, Automation, Web Development, Selenium, Caching, Architecture, Software as a Service (SaaS), Hosting, Python API, Database Management Systems (DBMS), Git, GitHub, Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR), Cron, HTML Templates, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), API Design, Debugging, API Development, Full-stack Development, Troubleshooting, Back-end Development, Code Review, OpenAPI, Database Design, Vercel, Bash, TypeScript, Containerization, Integration, Kubernetes, RESTFul APIs, Software Development, Modeling, SQLModel, Graph API, Web App Development, Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)
Senior Python Developer
2021 - 2022
Stack Builders
- Built a recurring payment and subscription billing service from scratch for a platform where fashion brands run sweepstakes, covering billing cycles, failed and canceled payments, retry logic that avoided duplicate charges, and alerting.
- Worked across a Flask back end and React front end on feature development and high-priority production issues, with background processing on Celery and Redis.
- Engaged actively in unit testing and embracing continuous integration/ continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, enabling robust code quality and streamlined development.
Technologies: Python, Flask, FastAPI, Celery, MariaDB, Docker, Redis, React, TypeScript, SQL, Python 3, Databases, APIs, Amazon Web Services (AWS), REST APIs, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), API Integration, Cloud, Open Source, JavaScript, Agile Sprints, HTML, React Redux, Python Dataclasses, Pydantic, Software Engineering, Full-stack, RDBMS, Back-end, Microservices, MySQL, JSON, Webhooks, Node.js, Cloud Infrastructure, Documentation, OAuth 2, Pytest, CSS, Software Architecture, Communication, Auth0, Automation, Web Development, Selenium, Caching, Architecture, Software as a Service (SaaS), Hosting, Python API, Database Management Systems (DBMS), Git, GitHub, Twilio API, Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR), Cron, HTML Templates, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), API Design, Debugging, Troubleshooting, Back-end Development, Code Review, OpenAPI, Database Design, Vercel, Bash, Containerization, Integration, Third-party Integration, RESTFul APIs, Software Development, AI Integration, Modeling, System Integration, Front-end, SQLModel, Web App Development, Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)
Senior Software Engineer
2020 - 2021
edX
- Took ownership of the architectural maintenance and upgradation of edX's substantial SOA.
- Implemented the successful migration of Python-based services from Python 2 to Python 3.8, employing a meticulous incremental approach.
- Performed seamless upgrades of Django-based services, transitioning from Django 1.11 to Django 2.2 and subsequently to Django 3.2, following a careful, incremental approach.
- Successfully migrated edX's CI pipelines from Jenkins to GitHub Actions, optimizing the development and deployment workflows.
- Wrote code mod scripts for automatically removing and updating the deprecated Python and Django features.
- Resolved critical issues and bugs arising from the Python and Django upgrades, ensuring optimal functionality.
Technologies: Python, Django, Docker, CI/CD Pipelines, Pytest, Tox, MySQL, Celery, Python 3, Databases, SQL, GraphQL, APIs, Amazon Web Services (AWS), REST APIs, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Cloud, Open Source, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, Python Dataclasses, Software Engineering, Full-stack, RDBMS, Back-end, Microservices, JSON, Cloud Infrastructure, Documentation, OAuth 2, CSS, Software Architecture, Communication, Selenium, Auth0, Data Engineering, Automation, Web Development, Caching, Architecture, Software as a Service (SaaS), Python API, Database Management Systems (DBMS), Git, GitHub, Elasticsearch, Cron, Django ORM, HTML Templates, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Beautiful Soup, Debugging, API Development, Troubleshooting, Back-end Development, Code Review, OpenAPI, Database Design, Bash, Containerization, Integration, RESTFul APIs, Software Development, SQLModel, Web App Development
Software Engineer
2018 - 2020
Wanderu
- Integrated dozens of train, bus, and ferry companies with Wanderu's search engine, leveraging Python, Scrapy, and back-end integration techniques.
- Developed and maintained data pipelines to extract, transform, and load data from various providers into the search engine's database, utilizing both PostgreSQL and NoSQL databases.
- Implemented payment processing functionalities using Braintree payments, allowing users to book trips seamlessly within the Wanderu platform.
- Designed and implemented search algorithms and availability systems to ensure accurate and up-to-date trip information for users.
- Implemented comprehensive unit testing strategies to validate the integration of new travel companies and ensure smooth functionality throughout the searching and booking flow.
- Collaborated within an Agile Scrum team, participating in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospective meetings to deliver new integrations and improvements to the search and booking process.
Technologies: Python, Scrapy, PostgreSQL, Google Maps API, REST, API Integration, Databases, Python 3, SQL, APIs, REST APIs, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Cloud, JavaScript, Agile Sprints, HTML, jQuery, Software Engineering, RDBMS, Back-end, Microservices, Docker, MySQL, Web Scraping, JSON, Node.js, Cloud Infrastructure, Documentation, ETL, Pytest, CSS, Software Architecture, Communication, Selenium, Auth0, Data Engineering, Automation, Data Scraping, Web Development, Scraping, Caching, Python API, Database Management Systems (DBMS), Git, GitHub, Cron, Django ORM, HTML Templates, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Beautiful Soup, JSON/XML Schemas, API Design, Debugging, API Development, Full-stack Development, Troubleshooting, Back-end Development, Code Review, Database Design, Bash, Containerization, Integration, Third-party Integration, RESTFul APIs, Software Development, AI Integration, Modeling, System Integration, SQLModel, Web App Development
Full-stack Software Engineer
2016 - 2018
Vital Interaction
- Collaborated as a full-stack Python developer in the healthcare domain, contributing to the success of Vital Interaction with full HIPAA compliance.
- Developed and launched web applications and back-end services using Python, Django, and Django REST Framework to enhance the functionality of Vital Interaction's appointment automation system.
- Successfully customized Vital Interaction's back-end system using Python, SQLAlchemy, and MySQL, seamlessly integrating dozens of medical facilities across the US and enabling appointment automation through text and IVR.
- Utilized Vagrant and GitLab CI for development environment set up and version control using Git for collaborative coding with the team.
Technologies: Python, Django, jQuery, MySQL, Vagrant, API Integration, Databases, SQL, Python 3, APIs, REST APIs, SQLAlchemy, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Cloud, JavaScript, Agile Sprints, HTML, Software Engineering, Full-stack, RDBMS, Back-end, Microservices, Docker, JSON, OAuth 2, ETL, Pytest, CSS, Software Architecture, Communication, Selenium, Auth0, Automation, Web Development, Scraping, Caching, Software as a Service (SaaS), Python API, Database Management Systems (DBMS), Git, GitHub, Twilio API, Cron, Django ORM, HIPAA Compliance, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), API Design, Debugging, API Development, Full-stack Development, Troubleshooting, Back-end Development, Code Review, Healthcare, Database Design, Bash, Containerization, HIPAA, Integration, Third-party Integration, RESTFul APIs, Healthtech, Medical Software, Software Development, AI Integration, Modeling, Test-driven Development (TDD), System Integration, Front-end, Healthcare Software, SQLModel, Web App Development
Project History
edX.org
https://www.edx.orgedX is an American massive open online course provider created by Harvard and MIT. It hosts online university-level courses in a wide range of disciplines to a worldwide student body, including some courses at no charge.
I worked as a software engineer for the edX's architecture team.
I worked as a software engineer for the edX's architecture team.
Wanderu
Wanderu is a ground and air travel metasearch engine that operates throughout North America and Europe. It provides a one-stop search and booking platform for buses, trains, and flights through its website and mobile app.
I worked as a back-end developer with their integration team, which combined hundreds of buses, trains, and flights with their search engine.
I worked as a back-end developer with their integration team, which combined hundreds of buses, trains, and flights with their search engine.
Vital Interaction
https://www.vitalinteraction.comVital Interaction is a SaaS product specialized in automating complex communication workflows. The automated patient interaction system, their premier product, enables healthcare organizations to communicate more effectively with patients using text messaging, automated voice, and email.
I worked for them as a full-stack software engineer.
I worked for them as a full-stack software engineer.
Tasseled
https://tasseled.comTasseled's custom college plans help you earn credits that transfer to your dream school, saving you thousands of dollars on your degree.
It gives you a list of courses you can take at your local community colleges, which can later be transferred to your dream school where you can earn finish your degree as well as save you money.
It gives you a list of courses you can take at your local community colleges, which can later be transferred to your dream school where you can earn finish your degree as well as save you money.
FindKeepLove
FindKeepLove introduces consumers to brands through luxury giveaways. They provide economical CPL opportunities for eCommerce brands to present exclusive offers to their growing audience. It helps brands and consumer-facing businesses acquire customers through online sweepstakes and email marketing campaigns.
Education
2012 - 2016
Bachelor's Degree in Software Engineering
Punjab University College of Information Technology - Lahore, Pakistan
Certifications
AUGUST 2021 - PRESENT
AWS Cloud Developer Nanodegree
Udacity
APRIL 2021 - PRESENT
React Nanodegree
Udacity
Skills
Libraries/APIs
React, REST APIs, Pydantic, Node.js, Python API, Django ORM, Beautiful Soup, API Development, OpenAPI, Claude API, jQuery, SQLAlchemy, Stripe, Graph API, Google Maps API, Google Geocoding API, Salesforce SOAP API, React Redux, Authorize.net, Twilio API
Tools
Travis CI, Pytest, Git, GitHub, Claude, Claude Code, Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), Celery, Auth0, Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR), Cron, ChatGPT, Vagrant, Amazon ElastiCache, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Sentry, GitLab CI/CD, Docker Compose, Apache Airflow, Codex
Languages
JavaScript, Python, SQL, TypeScript, Python 3, HTML, Bash, GraphQL, CSS, XML
Frameworks
Django, Next.js, Flask, Scrapy, Selenium, Agentic Frameworks, Django REST Framework, OAuth 2, React Native
Paradigms
Microservices, Hosting, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Model Context Protocol (MCP), Database Design, Testing, Role-based Access Control (RBAC), Test-driven Development (TDD), ETL, Automation, HIPAA Compliance, REST
Platforms
Docker, AWS Lambda, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kubernetes, Linux, Amazon EC2, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Vercel, Azure
Storage
PostgreSQL, Databases, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), RDBMS, JSON, Database Management Systems (DBMS), JSON/XML Schemas, Relational Databases, Data Pipelines, MySQL, Amazon DynamoDB, Elasticsearch, MariaDB, Redis, ArangoDB
Industry Expertise
Healthcare
Other
Architecture, FastAPI, APIs, API Integration, Open Source, Agile Sprints, Python Dataclasses, Software Engineering, Full-stack, Back-end, Web Scraping, Cloud Infrastructure, Documentation, Software Architecture, Communication, Data Engineering, Data Scraping, Web Development, Scraping, Airtable, Caching, HTML Templates, Artificial Intelligence (AI), API Design, Debugging, Full-stack Development, Troubleshooting, Back-end Development, Code Review, ChatGPT API, AI Tools, AI Agents, Agentic AI, Cursor AI, Prompt Engineering, Large Language Models (LLMs), Agentic Workflow Design, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Workflow Automation, AI Automation, Dashboards, Containerization, HIPAA, OAuth, Integration, Third-party Integration, Venture Capital, LLM Integration, Anthropic, Data Extraction, Vibe Coding, AI-assisted Development, RESTFul APIs, AI Agent Orchestration, Software Development, AI Integration, Agentic Coding, Web Application Design, Modeling, System Integration, Amazon RDS, SQLModel, Cloud Platforms, Web App Development, Cloud, Webhooks, Task Automation, OpenAI GPT-3 API, Software as a Service (SaaS), Chrome Extensions, AI Chatbots, OpenAI, Data Modeling, BAML, LangChain, Supabase, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Workflows, Healthtech, Medical Software, Front-end, Healthcare Software, Financials, Workflow Automation & System Integration, AI Engineering, Agentic RAG Systems, RAG Architecture, Serverless, Tox, CI/CD Pipelines, GitHub Actions, Upgrades, Scheduling, Monday.com, API Documentation, API Connectors, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Analytical Dashboards, Chatbots, Fintech
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