Prem Thatikonda

AI Engineer

Open to work

AI engineering student building ML models, RAG systems, and agentic workflows. I ship end-to-end products — from model training to deployment. I also freelance, building marketing sites and web experiences for studios and small businesses. Currently exploring the intersection of software engineering and applied AI. I write about AI tools, UI trends, and developer workflows on LinkedIn.

Projects

Portfolio Chatbot

RAG-powered FastAPI service that answers questions about projects, experience, and skills
Uses Supabase pgvector store with OpenAI embeddings and GPT-4o-mini
Powers the live chat widget on my portfolio site

PythonFastAPISupabaseOpenAIDocker

Bank Loan Prediction

Featured

ML-powered loan approval predictor with Next.js frontend, Flask API, and Neon DB
Decision Tree classifier with feature engineering and 5-fold cross-validation
Achieved 92.4% accuracy with plain-English rejection reasons

PythonFlaskscikit-learnNext.jsNeon DB

Sealpost

Featured

Web app for generating and emailing hackathon certificates, evolved from a Python CLI I built for college events
Place names visually on a template, map any CSV, and watch every send land or fail live
Tiered templates, Gmail SMTP delivery, and one-click re-send for only the rows that missed out

Next.jsPythonPillowSMTPimg2pdf

Chewsy

Featured

Barcode scanner that classifies a food's processing level (NOVA 1–4) from its ingredients, with SHAP explanations
Model trained on 20,000 community-labelled products, served through FastAPI and a Next.js scanner UI
Full MLOps pipeline: DVC data versioning, MLflow experiment tracking, tests, and CI that redeploys the API on every push to main

PythonFastAPIXGBoostMLflowDVCNext.jsDockerGitHub Actions

MCP CLI Chat

Command-line chat app using Model Context Protocol for LLM-driven filesystem document management
Supports @document referencing, tab completion, and slash commands for summarise/format/rewrite/convert
Includes a permission system for secure external file access

PythonOpenAIFastMCPCLI

Wayfinder

Zone and session discovery on one screen, with interactive maps and turn-by-turn walking directions
One-tap SOS that tells the organiser your GPS location and nearest zone, plus announcements that land on every screen instantly
Built solo in 3.5 hours for the Hack2Skill × PromptWars challenge

Next.jsConvexTypeScriptOSRMLeaflet

Breadcrumbs

Personal knowledge-tracking app to save links, mark them as explored, and capture learning notes
Exports curated learnings as Markdown — ready to paste into a blog editor

Next.jsConvexTailwind CSSshadcn/ui

GhostQuery

Hotkey-triggered stealth AI assistant that runs hidden from OS app lists
Rust backend + Node proxy for low-latency querying of LLM APIs
Instant pop-up UI with secure background processes

RustReactExpress.jsTauri

Themez

Real-time color palette visualizer for designers with preloaded palettes
Apply selected palettes to a full UI demo for fast visual decision-making
Intuitive, responsive interface for rapid design testing

Next.jsTailwind CSSshadcn/ui

Zentry

Recreation of Zentry's award-winning landing page — a Human-Agentic OS platform
Replicated motion-heavy, visually rich design with scroll-driven animations
Cinematic transitions and parallax effects throughout

ReactGSAPTailwind CSS

DataPipe

Full-stack tool for importing CSV and Excel data into a local PostgreSQL database
Handles input sanitisation, empty field cleanup, and duplicate detection
Schema validation before writing clean records to the database

ReactNode.jsPostgreSQLExpress.js

BigO

AI adaptive learning platform with personalised flashcards using spaced repetition engines
Increased daily active users by 35% with gamified engagement
Improved user retention by 50% through adaptive learning paths

ReactMongoDBExpress.js

Sain Studios

(freelance)

Marketing site for a video editing agency
High-impact landing page with smooth animations and responsive layout
Optimised performance to showcase portfolio and drive client conversions

Next.jsTailwind CSS

Nine Studios

(freelance)

Agency website for a video production studio
Visually rich site with motion-heavy sections to highlight editing work and reel showcases
Service offerings integrated throughout the design

Next.jsTailwind CSS

Experiences

Full-Stack & AI Agent Developer Intern

Winvesta

May 2025 — Jun 2026

Investment App

Rebuilt Android & iOS app in React Native, supporting $20k+ lifetime revenue and $971+ MRR
Implemented an onboarding gating migration during a critical provider switch.

Global Collections App

Architected an AI agent-driven onboarding experience using Model Context Protocol (MCP), tool-calling, and Claude's Agent SDK to guide users through dynamic, multi-step verification journeys
Contributed to automating the withdrawal raising and approval process within cross-border payment flows processing $1.2M+ monthly withdrawals

Website & Ops

Built the Next.js + Sanity CMS website and CI pipelines (2-person team) powering 150k+ monthly traffic
Developed AI-driven automations for compliance, marketing (blogs), and social media (LinkedIn posts) reducing manual review effort by 40%+
Automated the marketing content pipeline, raising blog output from 1–2 to 5–6 posts per week (3x+)
Built 8–10 custom HubSpot automations, reducing reliance on paid HubSpot features

React NativeNext.jsSanity CMSAI AutomationNode.jsMCPClaude Agent SDK

Marketing & SEO Intern

LetsUpgrade

Dec 2024 — Jan 2025

Improved search rankings and organic reach for LetsUpgrade's web properties via on-page SEO, content updates, and metadata optimisation.

SEOContent ManagementMarketing

UX Design Intern

LetsUpgrade

Jun 2024 — Jul 2024

Designed and researched UX for LetsUpgrade's official websites. Designs shipped on 2 live sites during my tenure.

FigmaUX ResearchWeb Design

Corporate Trainer

Zinq Technologies

Apr 2024 — May 2024

Short-term training engagement. Trained 15+ employees on ChatGPT automation for customer support, reducing average handling time from 10 min to 6 min (~40% improvement). Built internal AI knowledge bases cutting documentation time by 35%.

ChatGPTAI AutomationTrainingKnowledge Bases

Frontend Developer Intern

OVERTURES InfoTech

Jun 2023 — Jul 2023

First professional engineering role. Built client websites and improved Google search rankings using Search Console, structured data, and meta tag implementation.

JavaScriptFlaskHTML/CSSSEO

Education

B.Tech CSE (Ongoing)

ITM Skills University, Kharghar

2023 — 2027

Pursuing a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science & Engineering.

HSC

St. Xavier's Autonomous College, Fort Mumbai

2021 — 2023

Higher Secondary Certificate from one of Mumbai's premier autonomous colleges.

ICSE

Bombay Scottish School, Mahim

2011 — 2021

Completed schooling with ICSE curriculum at Bombay Scottish School.

Tech Stack

Languages

JavaScript

TypeScript

Python

Rust

Frontend

React

Next.js

React Native

Tailwind CSS

shadcn/ui

Backend & Infra

Node.js

Express.js

FastAPI

AWS

Docker

Git

Vercel

Data

MongoDB

PostgreSQL

Supabase

Firebase

Redis

AI & Automation

OpenAI

FastMCP

LangChain

n8n

Certificates

View All

Achievements

ISTD Hackathon 2025(4th Place)

Participant

2025

Competed against 100+ teams and secured 4th place. Built a working prototype under a 24-hour time constraint with a focus on real-world problem solving.

Imagine Hackathon 2025(7th Place)

Participant

2025

Finished 7th out of 80+ competing teams. Developed a full-stack solution within the hackathon window, judged on innovation, execution, and presentation.

SummerHacks 2026

Lead Organiser

2026

24-hour startup hackathon hosted by the School of Future Tech at ITM Skills University, Kharghar — 400+ participants, 100+ teams, 5 real-world problem tracks (focus, personal finance, creator economy, AI automation, health intelligence). Led end-to-end organisation: track and problem statement design, sponsor and partner outreach, registration management, website (Next.js + Sanity CMS), branding, and automated certificate workflows for 450+ participants.

Mindsprint Hackathon

Co-Lead & Organiser

2024

Co-led the college hackathon club and organised Mindsprint end to end — handled registrations, coordinated event logistics, managed judging panels, and ensured smooth execution across all rounds.

Buildation 3.0

Co-Lead & Organiser

2024

Organised the third edition of Buildation as co-lead of the hackathon club. Managed participant onboarding, mentorship sessions, event timelines, and overall planning from start to finish.

Blogs

Stop Making People Hunt

I had 3.5 hours to build an event companion app. Instead of covering the whole brief, I asked one question: what actually removes friction for someone standing in a crowd, phone in hand, lost?

3 min read14 Sept 2026

hackathonproduct-thinkingwayfindingrealtime

I built a RAG chatbot for this portfolio

Markdown chunks, pgvector retrieval, streaming an LL. Here's the stack and the one architectural decision worth defending.

4 min read12 May 2026

ragaifastapidocker-containerschatbot

How I Built Breadcrumbs (and Used It to Write About Building It)

I had hundreds of saved links and zero retention. So I built a tool that turns reading into a loop : save, explore, learn, export. Then I used it to write this post.

3 min read27 Mar 2026

buildinpublicsideprojectproductivitylearning

Setting Up Local AI Inference on a Windows Laptop

A step-by-step build log of setting up an Ollama server on one laptop and running inference from another over a local network.

5 min read26 Dec 2025

selfhostingai-inferenceollama

Your Idea Has a Shelf Life

In the age of AI, anyone with the same idea can build and ship it before you do. Why speed of execution matters more than the idea itself.

4 min read4 Aug 2025

aistartupsbuilders

How UI and UX Has Changed in Modern Websites

A look at how web design has shifted recently — new layout patterns, interaction trends, and what good UX looks like today.

3 min read22 Jun 2025

uiuxwebdevdesign

From Prompt Monkey to Power User

On using AI as a tool to boost your own skills rather than becoming dependent on it. The difference between leveraging AI and being a slave to it.

4 min read9 Jun 2025

aiproductivity

Can AI Really Build Your Frontend? I Put lovable.dev and Vercel v0 to the Test

I compared two AI-powered tools for building web apps — Lovable and Vercel's v0. Here's how they stack up against each other.

3 min read1 Jun 2025

ai-tools

Contact

Get in touch for projects, collaborations, or just to say hello.

Prem