Ashwin Sathian.
Engineer.
Lead Engineer · HighLevel · AI-Augmented
I've always cared more about the structure underneath than the feature on top. One is temporary. The other has to last.
Scaled the core procurement platform
$1B+
GTV safeguarded
Architected a modular, multi-tenant SaaS backbone handling millions of procurement records without downtime.
Accelerated delivery without chaos
1.5×
faster releases
Streamlined delivery rituals and CI/CD pipelines so squads ship predictably and confidently.
Standardized performance guardrails
<200 ms
critical queries
Codified performance patterns that keep customer-critical interactions snappy even as data scales.
Led and scaled a high-trust engineering team
12
engineers mentored
Built an inclusive, growth-minded culture that turned ambitious roadmaps into calm execution.
Seven years. One standard.
When I joined Penny in 2020, I came to build features. By the time I left as Lead Engineer, I'd shaped the architecture underneath them — the module boundaries, the tenancy contracts, the data patterns that had to hold as the platform grew. That kind of understanding only comes from staying long enough for your early decisions to come back and teach you something.
I care about the craft: clean interfaces, honest boundaries, structure that makes the work of the next engineer easier than your own. That conviction followed me from Penny to HighLevel, where I now lead engineering for Funnels, Websites, and Webinars.
The craft has also changed. AI has become a genuine force multiplier in how I design systems, validate approaches, and move from idea to production — not a shortcut, but a shift in thinking. I use it the way a senior engineer should: to work at higher altitude, not to avoid doing the work.
Platforms
HighLevel
Leading the platform 60,000+ agencies are built on.
HighLevel is an all-in-one SaaS platform powering the world's largest community of marketing agencies. As Lead Engineer for Funnels, Websites, and Webinars, I own the technical direction of three of the platform's core revenue products — real-time, high-throughput builder experiences with complex customer-configurable state at scale.
Penny Software
Five years shaping how enterprise teams buy.
A modular, multi-tenant SaaS platform for enterprise procurement. I joined as a developer and left as the engineer who had shaped the architecture underneath — module boundaries, tenancy isolation, data access patterns built to hold as the platform scaled.
Open source
Capabilities
The stack.
Frontend
Angular · React · Next.js
Backend
Node.js · NestJS · Express
Data
MongoDB · AWS DynamoDB
Cloud & DevOps
AWS · GCP · Docker · GitHub Actions
Languages
TypeScript · JavaScript · Python · HTML / CSS
AI & Tooling
Claude Code · GitHub Copilot · LLM APIs · AI-augmented workflows
Writing
Thinking out loud.
June 10, 2026
Five Years, One Codebase: What Staying Teaches You
In an industry that treats job-hopping as career acceleration, staying at one company for five years gets treated as a yellow flag. It shouldn't be.
May 6, 2026
Wait, Is Markdown Having a Moment?
A format invented by a blogger in 2004 to avoid wrestling with HTML has quietly become the default language of artificial intelligence. Most people using it every day have never heard its name.
Experience
Mar 2026 – Present
HighLevel
Lead Engineer — Funnels, Websites, Webinars
- Leading the engineering organisation for three of HighLevel's core revenue products — funnel builder, website builder, and webinar platform — serving 60,000+ marketing agencies worldwide.
- Driving technical direction and cross-squad alignment across high-throughput, real-time builder products with complex customer-configurable state at scale.
- Establishing architecture patterns, engineering standards, and release discipline within a high-scale SaaS environment operating at $1.5B+ ARR.
Jan 2024 – Aug 2025
Penny Software
Lead Engineer
- Directed Angular + NestJS + MongoDB architecture for a modular, multi-tenant procurement SaaS platform.
- Standardized RBAC, tenancy isolation, and compliance-ready audit trails across the platform.
- Mentored a cross-functional squad across frontend, backend, and QA — focused on architecture and craft.
Angular · NestJS · MongoDB · Nx · GCP
Apr 2022 – Dec 2023
Penny Software
Product Specialist
- Remained hands-on across the API layer and frontend in a hybrid engineering + product ownership role — translating procurement workflows into shipped product outcomes.
- Optimized APIs and queries across critical paths while preserving platform stability.
- Coordinated product, QA, and engineering rhythms to keep releases iterative and predictable.
Angular · NestJS · MongoDB · Nx
Jun 2020 – Mar 2022
Penny Software
Full Stack Developer
- Shipped features across frontend and backend while preserving platform uptime targets.
- Modularized the frontend stack and introduced lazy-loaded workspaces for scale.
Angular · NestJS · MongoDB
Jan 2020 – Jun 2020
Manaraah
Senior Full Stack Developer
- Translated ambiguous requirements into maintainable, production-grade features.
- Partnered with stakeholders to de-risk deployments and support adoption.
Angular · Node.js · MongoDB · AWS
Jan 2019 – Jan 2020
WeCP
Software Development Engineer
- Enhanced onboarding flows and stabilized critical evaluation journeys.
- Guided interns and juniors through architecture, reviews, and delivery.
Angular · Node.js · MongoDB · AWS
Aug 2018 – Jan 2019
Reubro International
Junior Programmer
- Shipped incremental enhancements while learning enterprise release discipline.
Angular · Node.js
Education
National Institute of Technology Calicut
B.Tech. | Electronics & Communication Engineering
2014 – 2018