Clay Loveless

SaaS Architect @Loveless Labs

OperationsProduct DevelopmentCTOC-level ExecutiveStartup FounderITSystem ArchitectBackend DeveloperFounderDevOpsWeb Developer

I build systems that don't go down—because the people using them don't care about your maintenance window. With 25+ years of engineering experience, I've led teams, scaled platforms, and mentored developers across startups, enterprises, and mission-driven orgs. I specialize in building infrastructure that supports velocity without sacrificing reliability—and I still write code every week. What makes me different? I didn't come up through computer science—I trained as a performer. That background taught me how to read a room, tell a story, and translate complexity without dumbing it down. It's made me a better engineer, a better leader, and a trusted bridge between technical and non-technical teams. I believe platform engineering is about service: helping other teams go faster, safer. I thrive in "player-coach" roles where I can unblock others, ship meaningful tools, and keep the platform boring—in the best way. Recent work includes building real-time Lambda exploration tools, resilient API platforms, and AI-adjacent workflows that don't require a venture capital burn rate to run.

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Work Background

Founder / Principal Architect

Stealth Startups, Consulting, Platform ProjectsFounder / Principal Architect

Apr. 2020Oberlin, OhioBuilt and operated SaaS platforms in highly regulated and mission-critical spaces. When downtime isn't an option, I'm the person you call. * CinchQL: Created metadata-aware SQL abstraction for REST APIs to unify access across fragmented services. * SideQuest: Developed a secure, real-time Lambda exploration tool--because sometimes you need to know *exactly* what your serverless runtime is doing. * TinyGet: Designed a lean HTTP client in Rust for hitting AWS secrets endpoints with minimal memory overhead. Architected "smart enough" AI workflows combining LLMs with classic parsing--avoiding complexity, vendor lock-in, and excessive cost. Acted as principal mentor, systems designer, and hands-on builder. "Platform reliability with developer velocity" is the north star.

Vice President, Cloud Operations

MetisentryVice President, Cloud Operations

Jul. 2019 - Mar. 2020Akron, Ohio, United States• Restructured web hosting business into SaaS Cloud Operations practice. • Trained team in DevOps best practices and Kubernetes/Docker adoption. • Optimized profit margin through modern hosting automation and cloud architecture deployment.

Senior Director, PaaS Architecture

TIBCO Software Inc.Senior Director, PaaS Architecture

Jun. 2016 - Jan. 2019Palo Alto, CaliforniaReturned to modernize the platform I helped build as a co-founder at Mashery. Focused on scale, performance, and modern deployment patterns. * Refactored legacy architecture for 10x performance gains. * Introduced blue/green deployments, service immutability, and CI/CD standards. * Mentored cross-functional teams while still writing code and driving delivery.

Interim Chief Technology Officer

500 Startups Portfolio CompaniesInterim Chief Technology Officer

Jan. 2011 - Jun. 2016Palo Alto, California, United States• Promoted behavior-driven development and CI/CD best practices for multiple 500 Startups companies. • Wrote code for core functionality development, architecture automation, and software development lifecycle optimization. • Secured initial reference customers for enterprise software startups through technical sales.

Co-Founder & Chief Architect

Mashery, Inc.Co-Founder & Chief Architect

Jun. 2006 - Dec. 2010San Francisco, California, United StatesCo-founded and led technical vision for one of the earliest API management platforms—used by Netflix, Best Buy, The New York Times, and more. Acquired by Intel in 2013. * Designed and scaled the platform for high-availability, shared-stack deployment. * Built developer and client onboarding tools, real-time analytics, and access management systems. * Cultivated platform reliability practices adopted across engineering teams. * Led mission-driven engineering culture that emphasized the meaning of "service" in Software as a Service.

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Modernizing Legacy PHP Code

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