Sync Catalin: refreshed CV and website

docs/audit-trail.md

@@ -2,6 +2,14 @@
 
 ---
 
+**2026-09-04** - Updated Catalin: refreshed CV and website resynced
+
+What changed: Corrected the 2024 job history: the "DAYONE, Senior Frontend" entry was conflating two different clients. FAMFAM (Keinemusik DJ collective music/event app, React Native/Expo/TypeScript, 12,000+ users, App Store Top 10 Music) is now its own entry via DAYONE; the AEM migration work is a separate client, Verlag des Österreichischen Gewerkschaftsbundes. Added ElectaCar (2026), Google Ads Operations Platform (2026), and expanded Rivoara to cover the paired Runtime Affiliate platform. Updated Heyamigo's npm downloads to 15,000+ (was 2,000). Rewrote Summary to lead with 20 years in tech, independent since 2018, the "model is rarely the bottleneck" positioning quote, and added the OneCode GmbH testimonial. Corrected location from Romania to Germany (remote, EU/international). Expanded Tech Stack with AI/agent tooling confirmed on both sources: LangChain/LangGraph, Haystack, RAGFlow, MCP, GEO/LLMO, Temporal, pgvector, Drizzle ORM, Google Ads API, Shopify Admin API. Corrected edeltravel/Luxury Essence entry to cover both the travel publishing platform (170+ articles) and the design framework, dated 2022-2023.
+
+Why: New CV received (`resources/Catalin_Waack-CV-04_09_2026.pdf`) plus a refreshed website snapshot (`resources/Catalin_Waack-website-04_09_2026.txt`) showed the site had been rebuilt around an AI-consultant positioning since the April sync. Cross-referencing both against the existing source caught a real factual error (the FAMFAM/DAYONE conflation) in addition to stale numbers and missing 2026 projects.
+
+---
+
 **2026-09-02** - Redirected site/about to nomoreapply.com/about, content moved to main site
 
 Decision: Replaced site/about/index.html with a meta-refresh redirect (plus canonical link and a plain fallback line) pointing to https://nomoreapply.com/about, instead of deleting the page. Merge staged to land after the ported page goes live on nomoreapply.com.

docs/blueprints/initial-structure.md

@@ -78,9 +78,9 @@ Gaps are marked with `<!-- TODO: source missing -->` so they're visible in diffs
 - Supplementary: LinkedIn profile PDF, Discord post, wandercode `About.tsx`
 - Remaining to pull (optional enrichment): wandercode.ltd service pages, portfolio starred list
 
-**Catalin Waack (`sources/catalin-waack.md`)** - synced 2026-04-09
-- Primary: `resources/Catalin_Waack-CV-06_04_2026.pdf`
-- Supplementary: LinkedIn profile PDF, Discord post, contra.com, catalinwaack.com, electacar.com, rivoara.com
+**Catalin Waack (`sources/catalin-waack.md`)** - synced 2026-09-04
+- Primary: `resources/Catalin_Waack-CV-04_09_2026.pdf` (supersedes `Catalin_Waack-CV-06_04_2026.pdf`, kept for history)
+- Supplementary: LinkedIn profile PDF, Discord post, contra.com, `resources/Catalin_Waack-website-04_09_2026.txt`, electacar.com, rivoara.com
 - All TODOs resolved
 
 **Angel Aytov (`sources/angel-aytov.md`)** - 1 TODO remaining (speaking/community section)

metadata.yml

@@ -125,6 +125,20 @@ resources:
     added: 2026-05-28
     notes: "Portfolio site. Adds: Traced AI stealth startup (2026, AI compliance), Pulsr (pipeline orchestration for AI agents), VONQ project details (Recall.ai, ElevenLabs, Pinecone, Retell, Firecrawl), full tech stack with AI tooling, system design samples. Key positioning: Blugen methodology, AI product builder."
 
+  - file: Catalin_Waack-CV-04_09_2026.pdf
+    person: Catalin Waack
+    type: cv
+    source_url: null
+    added: 2026-09-04
+    notes: "Refreshed CV. Repositions as 'Independent AI Consultant and Product Engineer', 20 years in tech. Corrects 2024 job history (FAMFAM via DAYONE is the Keinemusik music app; Verlag des Österreichischen Gewerkschaftsbundes is a separate AEM migration client, previously conflated in sources/catalin-waack.md). Adds ElectaCar (2026), Heyamigo, Runtime Affiliate alongside Rivoara. OneCode GmbH testimonial."
+
+  - file: Catalin_Waack-website-04_09_2026.txt
+    person: Catalin Waack
+    type: personal-website
+    source_url: "https://catalinwaack.com/en"
+    added: 2026-09-04
+    notes: "Site rebuilt since April snapshot: AI consultant positioning, 'model is rarely the bottleneck' philosophy quote, deeper AI-specific tech stack (LangChain/LangGraph, Haystack, RAGFlow, MCP, pgvector, Drizzle, Temporal), Google Ads Operations Platform (2026, not in CV), Heyamigo downloads updated to 15,000+."
+
 todos:
   - person: Angel Aytov
     missing: cv
@@ -134,7 +148,7 @@ todos:
   - person: Catalin Waack
     missing: []
     priority: done
-    notes: "All web resources fetched and synced 2026-04-09."
+    notes: "Refreshed CV and website resynced 2026-09-04. Corrected FAMFAM/DAYONE vs Verlag des Österreichischen Gewerkschaftsbundes conflation, added ElectaCar, Google Ads Operations Platform, Runtime Affiliate."
 
   - person: Cosmin Poieana
     missing: []

resources/Catalin_Waack-website-04_09_2026.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+Source: https://catalinwaack.com/en
+Fetched: 2026-09-04
+
+# Catalin Waack - Independent AI and Product Consultant
+
+## About/Bio
+Catalin Waack is an independent AI and product consultant based in Germany/EU/US offering remote work. He began in tech at age 14 with web security and SQL injection, pursued formal IT training and computer science studies, and has worked professionally since 2015 across infrastructure, data, web, and product engineering. He established his independent practice in 2018.
+
+## Services Offered
+- AI consulting with production delivery
+- Process analysis and prototyping
+- System integration and production deployment
+- Product and engineering ownership (temporary or project-based)
+- Problem assessment through implementation
+
+## Key Philosophy
+"The model is rarely the bottleneck. Data, rules, permissions, integrations, failure modes and ownership are."
+
+His approach emphasizes moving from demos to reliable, traceable systems that handle real work with clear rules, limited permissions, and controlled handoffs.
+
+## Tech Stack/Skills
+**AI Systems:** OpenAI, Anthropic, Grok, Tool Use, LangChain, LangGraph, Haystack, RAGFlow
+
+**Web/Product:** TypeScript, React, Next.js, Node.js, FastAPI, Python
+
+**Infrastructure:** PostgreSQL, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS S3, Railway, Vercel
+
+**Integrations:** MCP, REST, GraphQL, Webhooks, Google Ads API, Shopify Admin API
+
+**Additional:** SQLite, Playwright, pgvector, Drizzle ORM, Stripe, Sentry
+
+## Notable Projects
+- **ElectaCar (2026)** - Vehicle data platform with 12-stage publishing workflow using Temporal for long-running jobs
+- **Heyamigo + Amigospace (2026)** - WhatsApp/Telegram AI assistant with 15,000+ npm downloads; supports Claude Code and multiple AI providers
+- **Google Ads Operations Platform (2026)** - Multi-workspace advertising platform with controlled publishing and profitability tracking
+- **RuntimeAffiliate (2025-2026)** - Multi-merchant commerce platform for Shopify stores with commission tracking
+- **BREAKEATS (2024-2026)** - Music and motion research system measuring movement-to-music correlation
+- **DAYONE/FAMFAM (2024)** - Music community app reaching 12,000 users and App Store Top 10
+- **Syntax Institut (2023-2024)** - Learning platform supporting 3,000+ active students; launched in 3 months
+- **VOXR (2017-2020)** - Live event platform used by German federal government and 7 of 10 largest DAX companies; handled 10,000+ participants
+- **Tailorwine (2022)** - B2B digital sommelier MVP that helped company win REWE and EDEKA
+- **Luxury Essence (2022)** - Travel publishing platform with 170+ articles
+
+## Testimonial
+Thomas Marbella, Founder & CEO of OneCode GmbH: "In our network, he has an outstanding reputation. Personally, I can say that he is a one-man army. He's pragmatic, solves problems efficiently, and has the right experience."
+
+## Contact Information
+- Email: hello@catalinwaack.com
+- WhatsApp: +1 786-727-6503
+- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/catalinwaack
+- GitHub: github.com/C4T4
+
+## Key Statistics
+- In tech since age 14
+- Independent since 2018
+- ElectaCar: 3 days to working first version; 6 weeks kickoff to production
+- Syntax Institut: 3 months from concept to first paying customers
+- VOXR: 7 of 10 largest DAX companies use the product
+
+## Diff vs previous snapshot (Catalin_Waack-website-09_04_2026.txt, fetched 2026-04-09)
+Site has clearly been rebuilt/repositioned since April: shifted from a generalist "software development portfolio" (lean dev, MVP, UX, business solutions) to an "AI and product consultant" positioning matching the new CV. Notable additions not in the April snapshot: the "model is rarely the bottleneck" philosophy quote, the OneCode/Thomas Marbella testimonial, a much deeper AI-specific tech stack (LangChain/LangGraph, Haystack, RAGFlow, MCP, pgvector, Drizzle, Temporal), and named/dated project list (ElectaCar, Heyamigo, Google Ads Operations Platform, RuntimeAffiliate, BREAKEATS, FAMFAM, Syntax Institut, VOXR, Tailorwine, Luxury Essence) replacing the old vague client list (Veddelholzer, FAMFAM, Syntax GmbH, edeltravel, Tailorwine, MeinCheckin, Coach2talk). Heyamigo download count updated to 15,000+ (CV still shows 2,000, likely stale at CV-authoring time).

sources/catalin-waack.md

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 ---
 name: "Catalin Waack"
-role: "Product Engineer & AI Consultant"
+role: "AI Product Engineer & Consultant"
 tagline: "From idea to paying customers, fast."
-location: "Romania (remote, European timezones)"
+location: "Germany (remote, EU and international)"
 linkedin: "https://www.linkedin.com/in/catalinwaack"
 github: "https://github.com/c4t4"
 website: "https://catalinwaack.com"
@@ -11,35 +11,48 @@ email: "hello@catalinwaack.com"
 
 ## Summary
 
-Catalin turns early-stage ideas into working products that people pay for. Fifteen years of engineering breadth across frontend, backend, cloud, design systems, and AI tooling, condensed into a single contractor who can move from concept to market in weeks, not quarters. Former CTO of a multi-award-winning GovTech platform used by the German Government and 7 of the top 10 DAX companies.
+Catalin has worked with technology for 20 years, starting at 14 with web security and SQL injection, then formal IT training and computer science studies. Professional since 2015 across infrastructure, data, web and product engineering; independent since 2018. He designs and builds AI-enabled products, automations and internal tools end to end, from requirements and architecture through implementation, integrations and production operations. His own framing: "The model is rarely the bottleneck. Data, rules, permissions, integrations, failure modes and ownership are." Former CTO of a multi-award-winning GovTech platform used by the German Government and 7 of the top 10 DAX companies.
+
+"In our network, he has an outstanding reputation. Personally, I can say that he is a one-man army. He's pragmatic, solves problems efficiently, and has the right experience." — Thomas Marbella, Founder & CEO, OneCode GmbH
 
 ## Expertise
 
 - Rapid MVP delivery: product scoping, architecture, and full-stack build in a single engagement
+- AI agents and custom RAG pipelines: LangChain/LangGraph, Haystack, RAGFlow, custom MCP servers and tool integrations
 - TypeScript/React/Next.js product engineering at production quality: maintainable, not throwaway
-- AI integration and tooling: applying LLMs and automation to compress product timelines
-- Serverless and cloud architecture on AWS (Lambda, ECS, RDS, CloudWatch, EventBridge)
+- GEO and LLMO: llms.txt, agent discovery, AI-readable product surfaces
+- Serverless and cloud architecture on AWS (Lambda, ECS, RDS, CloudWatch, EventBridge) plus Vercel and Railway
 - Signal processing R&D: FFT, sensor fusion, real-time audio/motion analysis (iOS + server)
 - Design system construction with Tailwind, deployable by non-technical teams
-- Stripe, Strapi, Supabase, Contentful integration: the full SaaS stack wired end-to-end
+- Stripe, Strapi, Supabase, Shopify Admin API integration: the full SaaS stack wired end-to-end
 
 ## Notable Work
 
-**VOXR GmbH, CTO** (2017–2020): Built and scaled a meeting innovation platform from trainee to CTO. Product used in live TV shows and events by the German Government and 7 of the top 10 DAX companies. Architected a frameworkless, fault-tolerant system handling real-time audience interaction under poor network conditions. Pivoted product lines during COVID-19 to keep the company alive. Received a revenue share for being a standout contributor.
+**ElectaCar, AI Product Consultant / Lead Product Engineer** (2026): Owned product and technical delivery for a Hong Kong EV comparison platform. From kickoff to a working build in 3 days, live product in 6 weeks. Turned fragmented vehicle data and manual publishing into structured search, comparison, calculation and localization workflows, plus government-price ingestion, AI-assisted research, insurance matching and a 12-stage publishing pipeline built on Temporal.
+
+**Heyamigo, Creator / AI Product Engineer** (2026): Open-source AI assistant running Claude, Codex or Grok through WhatsApp and Telegram, with durable queues, memory, browser delegation, reminders and voice workflows. Published on npm with 15,000+ downloads.
+
+**Google Ads Operations Platform** (2026): Multi-workspace advertising platform with controlled publishing and profitability tracking.
+
+**VOXR GmbH, CTO** (2017–2020): Led product technology used by the German federal government and 7 of the top 10 DAX companies, handling 10,000+ live participants. Architected a fault-tolerant system for unreliable live-event connectivity. Progressed from business-development trainee to CTO, and helped pivot the product portfolio during the COVID-19 disruption.
 
-**Syntax Institut, Lead Product Engineer** (2023–2024): Built a B2C eLearning platform for mobile development training from zero to paying customers in three months. Owned architecture, frontend, backend, Stripe integration, and Figma-to-code delivery solo.
+**Syntax Institut, Lead Product Engineer** (2023–2024): Took a B2C eLearning platform from concept to paying customers in three months, supporting 3,000+ active students. Owned architecture, frontend, backend and the core commercial integrations: Next.js, TypeScript, Strapi, authentication, courses, video, quizzes, progress tracking, certificates, Stripe payments and subscriptions, Calendly.
 
-**BREAKEATS, Contract Engineer** (2024–2025): R&D for a patent in audio/motion signal processing alongside a former NVIDIA manager. Built real-time synchronization systems using FFT, sensor fusion, and multi-modal iPhone sensor data. Stack: Swift/SwiftUI, FastAPI, LiveKit, React.
+**BREAKEATS LLC, Product Engineer - Contract** (2024–2026): R&D alongside a former NVIDIA manager and multiple-patent holder on novel audio-motion signal processing, with the objective of pursuing patent protection. Designed real-time synchronization and pattern recognition across iOS and server systems, combining FFT-based frequency analysis with accelerometer, gyroscope and headphone-motion data. Built the supporting infrastructure: Swift/CoreMotion capture, Python signal analysis, latency-aware matching, scoring algorithms, visual diagnostics, APIs and background processing.
 
-**DAYONE, Senior Frontend** (2024): Developed a serverless event management platform for a Berlin agency whose clients include Deutsche Bahn, Volkswagen, and Deutsche Telekom. TypeScript, React, Contentful, AWS.
+**FAMFAM via DAYONE, Senior Frontend Developer - Contract** (2024): Built FAMFAM, a music-community and event app co-founded by the Keinemusik DJ collective, in a cross-functional team of more than ten. Implemented artist and music content, event and guest-list flows, reservations, invitations, profiles, push notifications and Stripe donations with React Native, Expo and TypeScript. Launch reached over 12,000 users and the App Store Top 10 in Music.
 
-**Tailorwine, Fullstack & PM** (2022): Shipped B2B MVP using B2C data to demonstrate value. Acquired REWE and EDEKA as clients.
+**Verlag des Österreichischen Gewerkschaftsbundes, Frontend Developer - Contract** (2024): Migrated an extensive portfolio of websites to Adobe Experience Manager, working with design and engineering to implement new interfaces and reusable frontend patterns with React, Tailwind and BEM across a complex publishing environment.
 
-**edeltravel, Web Designer & Frontend** (2023): Designed and built a luxury travel agency website with a custom Tailwind CSS design system, delivered as a turnkey frontend package.
+**Tailorwine, Senior Full-stack Engineer and Product Manager - Contract** (2022): Built the B2B digital sommelier MVP that helped the company win REWE and EDEKA as customers.
 
-**Rivoara** (ongoing): Ecommerce brand selling shower filters across Europe (Poland-based company). Built the entire Next.js storefront, subscription billing for replacement cartridges, and manages product sourcing. 4.9/5 stars from 112+ verified reviews, with multi-stage filter hardware (KDF-55, carbon fiber) certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 42.
+**Rivoara + Runtime Affiliate** (2025–ongoing): Built Rivoara's multilingual Shopify Hydrogen storefront (TypeScript, React Router, Oxygen) for a European shower-filter brand, 4.9/5 stars from 112+ verified reviews, multi-stage filter hardware certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 42. Alongside it, built RuntimeAffiliate, a multi-tenant affiliate platform (Next.js, PostgreSQL, Drizzle) handling attribution, Shopify webhooks, commissions, analytics and payouts for other merchants.
 
-**Electacar** (ongoing): Built electacar.com, a comprehensive EV comparison platform for the Hong Kong market. Features include vehicle spec comparison across manufacturers (Tesla, BYD, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, others), a dealer locator, EV tax calculator, running cost comparison tool, and educational guides on charging and government incentives. Next.js with a CSS variable-based theming system.
+**Luxury Essence / edeltravel Luxusreisen GmbH, Product Engineer** (2022–2023): Created a Tailwind-based design framework for non-technical teams in luxury travel, and built the travel publishing platform behind it, running 170+ articles.
+
+**NoMoreApply, Co-Founder / Product and Infrastructure Engineer** (2024–ongoing): Built the public product and production infrastructure for this engineering community, including applications, peer review, invitations and lifecycle automation.
+
+**Earlier roles** (2015–2017): Frontend delivery at msg DAVID, medical-data work and an award-winning dementia-support concept at the Peter L. Reichertz Institute, plus Linux and network administration at TU Braunschweig.
 
 ## Tech Stack
 
@@ -49,16 +62,20 @@ Catalin turns early-stage ideas into working products that people pay for. Fifte
 
 **Backend:** Node.js, FastAPI, Express, Strapi, Supabase, Laravel
 
-**Cloud/Infra:** AWS (Lambda, ECS, RDS, ALB, CloudWatch, EventBridge), Docker, Kubernetes, Vercel, Terraform
+**AI/Agents:** OpenAI, Anthropic, Grok, LangChain, LangGraph, Haystack, RAGFlow, custom MCP servers, GEO/LLMO (llms.txt), tool use, automation pipelines
+
+**Cloud/Infra:** AWS (Lambda, ECS, RDS, ALB, CloudWatch, EventBridge, S3), Docker, Kubernetes, Vercel, Railway, Terraform, Temporal
+
+**Integrations:** REST, GraphQL, Webhooks, Google Ads API, Shopify Admin API, Stripe, Sentry
 
-**AI/Tooling:** LLM integration, automation pipelines, real-time APIs (WebSockets, SSE), LiveKit
+**Databases:** PostgreSQL, pgvector, Drizzle ORM, MySQL, MongoDB, Oracle RDBMS, SQLite
 
-**Databases:** MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle RDBMS
+**Testing/Tooling:** Playwright
 
 ## Background
 
-Computer Science studies, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany (2014–2016). Government-certified IT technician assistant (BSZ Stendal, 2011–2013).
+Computer Science studies, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany (2014–2016). Technical college entrance qualification, IT (2014). Government-certified IT technician assistant (BSZ Stendal, 2011–2013).
 
 Earlier roles span medical informatics R&D (Peter L. Reichertz Institute, awarded a prize for a dementia-assistance concept), IT administration at TU Braunschweig, and Angular adoption at msg DAVID GmbH across 9,000+ employees.
 
-Languages: German (native), English (proficient), Spanish (intermediate), Romanian (intermediate).
+Languages: German (native), English (professional), Spanish and Romanian (intermediate).