I build things for the web.
Sometimes they even work.

Lead Engineer. Co-founder. Hot Sauce Sommelier. 🌶️

About

I'm an Irish software engineer who moved to Amsterdam a couple of years ago and never looked back (except for the weather). I've spent 10+ years building web apps, mostly in Angular and TypeScript, for companies like IBM, Fidelity Investments, and now Yellowtail Conclusion.

On the side, I co-founded Simplicity Labs with my mate Skip, where we're building AI-powered products. I also built an AI agent called Bender who manages my life better than I do.

When I'm not writing code, I'm rating hot sauces with unnecessary seriousness, rewatching Futurama, or convincing myself that this side project will be the one I actually finish.

Experience

Not a CV. More of a story arc.

🏗️

Act I: The Foundation

IBM & Enterprise Ireland · 2013 – 2016

Started in enterprise. Learned Java. Survived meetings. Cut my teeth on real software at scale and figured out that I actually liked this stuff.

JavaJavaScriptEnterpriseGalway

📈

Act II: The Growth

Fidelity Investments · 2016 – 2022

Six years in FinTech. Built things that handled actual money (terrifying). Went from "can someone review my PR" to leading teams and making architectural decisions. Angular became a second language.

AngularTypeScriptFinTechSecurityLeadership

🚀

Act III: The Leap

Amsterdam · Yellowtail · Simplicity Labs · 2022 – Present

Moved to Amsterdam, became Lead Engineer at Yellowtail Conclusion. Co-founded Simplicity Labs with Skip. Now building AI-powered products and figuring out how to make the side hustle the main hustle.

AI/AgentsAmsterdamCo-founderLead Engineer

Skills

📦 package.json

{
  "name": "ronan-connolly",
  "version": "34.0.0",
  "description": "Lead Software Engineer. Runs on caffeine and opinions.",
  "location": "Amsterdam, NL",
  "dependencies": {
    "angular": "^11 years",
    "typescript": "^9 years",
    "javascript": "^12 years",
    "node.js": "^8 years",
    "react": "^3 years",
    "css/tailwind": "^10 years",
    "python": "^3 years",
    "docker": "^5 years",
    "postgresql": "^6 years",
    "git": "^12 years"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "ai-agents": "^2 years",
    "astro": "^1 year",
    "bun": "^1 year"
  },
  "peerDependencies": {
    "hot-sauce": "∞",
    "futurama-quotes": "∞",
    "strong-opinions": "^10 years"
  }
}