Lorenzo Zemella

Profile

I build working products, not decks. As an engineer and entrepreneur, I move from customer problem to production in days, using AI-native tools, reusable components, or starting from scratch when needed. I’ve done this across early-stage startups and enterprise fintech in Saudi Arabia.

At Sarj.ai, I lead engineering for a core product deployed with a major Saudi e-bank, managing infrastructure, security, and compliance while shipping working demos in days, sometimes hours, when a new client conversation calls for it. I don’t wait for specs. I make decisions, iterate fast, and course-correct from real feedback.

At Novele, I spent 9 years as CTO and co-founder of a battery IoT company backed by Techstars and Bjarke Ingels Group, recruiting engineers, managing investor relations, raising capital, and still shipping code. I bridged software with hardware, power electronics, mechanical design, and academic R&D.

Based in Riyadh, with most of my career and education in the US.

LinkedIn | GitHub | Resume PDF

Skills

AI-native Development

Rapid prototyping with AI tools, LLM integration, production deployment

Full-stack

Languages: TypeScript, Python
Frameworks: React, Next.js, Tanstack Start, Astro, FastAPI, Hono, Express
UI: Tailwind CSS, Shadcn/UI, Material UI
Data: Tanstack, Prisma, PostgreSQL, SQLite

Cloud & Infrastructure

AWS, GCP, Cloudflare Workers, Vercel, Supabase, Docker, GitHub Actions, Terraform

Enterprise & Compliance

SAMA, SOC2, ISO27001, fintech security, infrastructure hardening

Work Experience

Software Engineer — Sarj

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · 2025–Present

Leading engineering for a core AI product in production with a major Saudi financial institution. I own infrastructure, security posture, and compliance across SAMA regulations, SOC2, and ISO27001 frameworks. I ship client-facing demos in days, translating early customer conversations into working software before requirements are fully formed.

CTO & Co-founder — Novele

2015–2024

Built a battery IoT platform from the ground up over 9 years. Recruited and managed an engineering team across remote and in-office environments, worked closely with academic and hardware R&D partners, led fundraising, and managed investor relations. Backed by Techstars and Bjarke Ingels Group.