CV

Paul Ogutu Odhiambo

I Build Companies, Not Just Software

Co-Founder & CEO, Stratnovo | Software Engineer & Builder

Nyeri, Kenya · pogutu010@gmail.com · +254 114845619

Twitter / X · WhatsApp · LinkedIn · YouTube · GitHub

Profile

I'm Paul Ogutu — founder of Stratnovo and creator of Rumia, a live hostel lead generation platform at DeKUT. I build real products, run a developer training program called Prime, and use software as a tool to build lasting businesses.

Skills

Technical Skills

  • Frontend: Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Zustand, React Query
  • Backend: FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Supabase, Redis, Django
  • Infrastructure: Vercel, Cloudflare R2, GitHub, CI/CD
  • AI & Automation: LangChain, pgvector, RAG pipelines, AI integration
  • Mobile: Expo / React Native (active learning)

Non-Technical Skills

Program Leadership, Business Development & Sales, Curriculum Design & Teaching, Content Strategy & Copywriting, Operational Management

Experience

Co-Founder & CEO / Stratnovo

Apr 2026 - Present · 5 mos

Co-founded Stratnovo with my brother Joseph, a digital growth company with two arms: a services arm targeting NGOs and foreign companies (digital marketing, content creation, web development), and a startups arm building equity products. Leading company strategy, client acquisition, and operations.

Founder / Hostel Hunting (formerly Rumia)

Jun 2026 - Present · 3 mos

Rebranded Rumia to Hostel Hunting, a lead generation platform connecting DeKUT students with verified hostel agents. Built on a sharper pain point: students struggle to find hostels, not manage them. Third iteration of this product. Stack: Next.js, Supabase, Tailwind CSS, TypeScript, Cloudflare R2.

Software Engineer / The Flying Decksman

Feb 2026 - Present · 7 mos

Built and currently maintain The Flying Decksman (theflyingdecksman.com), a premium music streaming platform and digital store for independent electronic music. Features human-curated mixes, true track ownership with no subscriptions, and an 80% artist revenue model. Built together with my brother Joseph.

Product Builder / Rumia v1 — Hostel Management SaaS

Sep 2025 - Jun 2026 · 9 mos

Built the original Rumia as a hostel management SaaS then expanded the vision to rental management (bigger market, easier to pitch). Iterated through two product directions before rebranding to Hostel Hunting in June 2026. The kills were strategic, not failures.

Freelance Developer / Software Engineering

Mar 2025 - Present · 1 yr 6 mos

Professional freelance work started March 2025. Delivering AI chatbots, automation tools, and full-stack client platforms. Also founded Prime, a structured developer training program at DeKUT building engineers who won't need employment after graduating.

Education

BSc. Computer Science / Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT)

Aug 2025 - Present

Core areas: Data Structures, Algorithms, Operating Systems, Databases, Networking. Applying academic theory directly into production-level product work.

Self-Taught Software Developer

May 2023 - Present

Got serious about software in May 2023, dropping earlier explorations into cybersecurity and data science to go all-in on building. Started even earlier in 2021 with HTML/CSS through my brothers (all in tech), explored networking and data science, then returned to software with full commitment. Self-learning has run in parallel with everything since.

KCSE / Homabay High School

Aug 2021 - Dec 2024

Completed Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in December 2024. Started learning tech alongside school from 2021.

Projects

The Flying Decksman / SaaS

https://theflyingdecksman.com

A premium music streaming platform and digital store for independent electronic music. Features human-curated mixes, true track ownership with no subscriptions, and an 80% artist revenue share model. Built with my brother Joseph for a client we continue to maintain.

Tech: Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, PostgreSQL, Supabase

AiMedZone: Learning Management System / SaaS

A full learning management system built for medical education. Included course management, student progress tracking, and structured content delivery. Pulled down after a conflict but the codebase is intact and available on request.

Tech: Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS

Kewasnet Chatbot / AI & Automation

https://github.com/pogutu-pro/kewasnet-chatbot

Architected and deployed an intelligent customer support chatbot for Kewasnet. Focused on automating routine inquiries and providing seamless user interactions. Integrated with real-time knowledge bases to ensure accuracy.

Tech: Python, Django 5, PostgreSQL, pgvector, LangChain, React, next.js

Hostel Hunting (formerly Rumia) / SaaS

https://rumia.co.ke

A live hostel lead generation platform built for DeKUT students. Students browse verified listings and contact agents directly. Commission is earned on confirmed move-ins. This is the third iteration of the product, each pivot driven by on-the-ground market research rather than assumptions. Active and growing.

Tech: Next.js, Supabase, Tailwind CSS, TypeScript, Cloudflare R2, PWA

FastAPI Task Management AI / Productivity AI

https://github.com/pogutu-pro

A high-performance task management system powered by AI to prioritize and automate project workflows. Built to demonstrate advanced backend systems and agentic task execution.

Tech: Python, FastAPI, React, AI Agentic Workflows, Redis

Mui: Streaming Reimagined / Media & Entertainment

https://github.com/pogutu-pro

Developing a streaming platform to rival existing apps with high-speed delivery and a premium user interface. Engineered for performance and accessibility in the Kenyan market.

Tech: React Native, Next.js, WebRTC, FastAPI, MongoDB

Rumia v1: Hostel Management SaaS / SaaS

The original Rumia: a full hostel management SaaS with landlord dashboards, rent tracking, occupancy management, and a student marketplace called RumiaStore. Built, shipped, and intentionally killed after market research revealed the real gap was lead generation, not operations. Kept as a reference build.

Tech: Next.js, Django, PostgreSQL, Tailwind CSS, TypeScript