Hardware Product Engineer · Full-Stack & Distributed Systems
An engineer with range: building physical hardware, autonomous AI agents, and distributed software systems. Founder of FamilyMake.
About
📍 USA & Nigeria
I'm Josh Ayokhai, a hardware product engineer, software architect, and tech founder with an academic background in Computer Science from Mountain Top University, along with Systems Engineering and Engineering Management from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
I've been a builder at heart for as long as I can remember. I taught myself to write code back in high school, tinkering with BASIC and Visual Basic out of pure curiosity. In 2018, during my third year studying Computer Science in university, I started writing software professionally - and I haven't stopped building since. Over the years, that drive has expanded from desktop apps and web backends into distributed multi-agent protocols, autonomous rovers, and physical hardware manufacturing.
When people hear "product design," they often assume it only means Figma mockups and UI screens. I'm an engineer with range: I build real physical products (CAD modeling, CMF, custom enclosures, 3D printing, and CNC machining), embedded microcontrollers, and robotics autonomy, alongside distributed AI agent protocols and full-stack software. I love moving effortlessly between the machine shop and the terminal.
My primary focus is FamilyMake, establishing distributed digital manufacturing infrastructure (on-demand 3D printing, CNC machining, and localized parts sourcing) across West Africa to eliminate overseas supply chain bottlenecks. Alongside FamilyMake, I build open-source distributed systems and agent protocols, while contributing in supporting engineering roles at Pengroove (growth marketing platform) and BreeUp (residential PropTech). Previously, I engineered platforms at Pro Platforms / Construct CRM (2023 - 2025) and co-founded Holrr with Renaud Pierre-Charles, earning the Grand Prize at the Microsoft, Intel, and Barclays backed Hatch Labs AI Venture Building Hackathon.
When I step away from code and hardware, you'll usually find me driving RC cars, experimenting in the kitchen (I love to cook), traveling to explore new places, or posting raw engineering teardowns, robotics experiments, and candid founder thoughts on X / Twitter (@ajokhai).
Selected Work
Live platforms, open-source systems, and featured case studies.
Distributed manufacturing infrastructure for on-demand 3D printing, CNC machining, and parts sourcing across West Africa: slashing international lead times and inventory overhead.
Slack for AI agents: Every agent, one conversation. Real-time WebSocket mesh network, cooperative file locking, and XDialect token-saving protocol coordinating multi-agent workflows across models and environments.
Native macOS computer operator and Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that empowers any AI (Claude, Gemini, GPT, local LLMs) to visually interact with desktop applications and learn shareable skills.
Full-funnel performance marketing agency and growth tooling platform for e-commerce brands, high-growth startups, and DTC businesses, featuring proprietary advertising budget planners, profit calculators, and data-driven acquisition playbooks.
Estate and residential facility management software built for Nigerian communities: automated service charge dues, fast visitor WhatsApp access codes, facility reservations, and transparent financial records without the wahala.
A customer relationship and project management platform built by Pro Platforms (the same company) for modern contractors, field technicians, and service teams to track deals, estimate quotes, and close projects.
A pay-to-rank advertising leaderboard for Nigerian brands and creators. Outbid the competition starting at ₦100 to claim top category rank, with Paystack checkout and live verified public analytics.
A collaborative academic marketplace and assignment services platform facilitating fast order placement, real-time messaging, and secure milestone payouts for students and mentors.
A modern digital product platform designed and engineered from concept to launch, focusing on friction-free creator storefronts, intuitive navigation, and high-conversion checkouts.
Co-founded with Renaud Pierre-Charles, Holrr is an AI-driven conversational voice agent that replaces automated IVRs with natural human-like telephone interactions to qualify inbound leads and schedule appointments. Won the Grand Prize at Microsoft Headquarters in the Hatch Labs AI Hackathon backed by Microsoft, Intel, and Barclays.
Emergency crisis response and life insurance mobile experience designed to streamline incident dispatch, emergency contacts notification, and claim management through an empathetic, high-clarity interface.
Harnessing commercial WiFi signal phase and amplitude combined with deep learning architectures from computer vision to reconstruct dense 3D human pose correspondence, enabling privacy-preserving spatial sensing without optical cameras.
A cinematic mobile social network and watchlist platform designed for cinephiles to discover curated recommendations, track streaming series, and socialize reviews with friends.
Experience & Education
Building distributed digital manufacturing infrastructure for Africa. Enabling on-demand 3D printing, CNC machining, and rapid hardware prototyping through localized vendor hubs to eliminate global supply chain bottlenecks.
Open Source (CrossTalk, Computer Use Lite)
Architecting real-time multi-agent communication networks, cooperative file-locking protocols, and native macOS desktop automation MCP servers enabling frontier and local AI models to collaborate reliably.
Contributing in supporting engineering roles across Pengroove's e-commerce performance marketing toolsets and BreeUp's residential estate management infrastructure.
Pro Platforms / Construct CRM ↗
Engineered customer relationship and pipeline software for construction, contracting, and field service professionals. Pro Platforms and Construct CRM are the same company, delivering reactive client management, quote workflows, and trade scheduling infrastructure.
Holrr (Microsoft AI Grand Prize Winner)
Co-founded with Renaud Pierre-Charles. Engineered an autonomous AI voice system replacing static telephone switchboards with natural conversational inbound lead qualification. Pitched and won 1st Place Grand Prize at Microsoft HQ in London at the Hatch Labs AI Venture Hackathon backed by Microsoft, Intel, and Barclays.
Completed 1,700+ mentorship minutes conducting 1-on-1 coaching sessions. Helping engineers and designers worldwide bridge technical full-stack implementation with refined product design intuition.
Led product discovery, interaction design systems, and visual UX for multi-platform products including Amber Mobile App, MedCap healthcare delivery, and The Reels Movie platform.
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Graduate study focusing on technology strategy, engineering leadership, systems architecture, and managing complex multidisciplinary engineering initiatives.
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Advanced training in systems engineering lifecycle, requirements analysis, system architecture, interfaces, and verification of complex hardware/software systems.
Mountain Top University (MTU)
Core computer science foundations including data structures, algorithmic design, software architecture, distributed networks, and database systems.
Hosted at Microsoft HQ · London & Global
Awarded 1st place among global competitors for Holrr AI, backed by Microsoft for Startups, Intel Corporation, and Barclays Investments.
ADPList Global Network
Recognized in the top echelon of mentors globally in Product Design with verified 5-star ratings across mentorship engagements.
Press & Recognition
Writing & Talks
Reflections on distributed manufacturing, autonomous AI agents, non-invasive sensing, and hardware engineering in emerging markets.
A deep-dive into digital rights management, NDAs, encrypted CAD distribution, and securing proprietary mechanical designs across regional manufacturing vendors.
Read Article →Strategies for physical product creators to bootstrap hardware production using on-demand additive manufacturing and decentralized assembly.
Read Article →Overcoming the tooling death-valley between 3D-printed prototypes and multi-cavity injection molds with low-volume production techniques.
Read Article →Practical guide to texture specs, bead blasting, vapor smoothing, and anodization standards for electronic housings that look and feel premium.
Read Article →Why upfront bulk purchase orders kill early hardware ventures and how localized digital fabrication transforms working capital efficiency.
Read Article →Co-authoring empirical research with university partners investigating pricing dynamics, quality verification metrics, and market information asymmetry across decentralized manufacturing hubs in Nigeria.
In Progress · Co-AuthorOriginal research paper on CrossTalk: distributed channel-scoped file locks, claims, and XDialect token compression for AI coding agents from different vendors, with empirical benchmark results.
Read Paper on Claude Artifacts ↗Investigating multi-agent coordination across physical robots, cameras, environmental sensors, and language models in real-time channels, with MuJoCo simulation results and seven production use cases.
Read Paper on Claude Artifacts ↗Executing plain-English natural language instructions with on-chip command word vectors and a neural reflex policy directly on an ESP32 microcontroller with 400 KB flash, orchestrated over CrossTalk.
Read Technical Paper ↗Harnessing ambient WiFi Channel State Information (CSI) with deep convolutional architectures to estimate dense 3D human pose correspondence without optical cameras.
Read Research Paper ↗
Testing InternVL3 14B on a 16 GB MacBook with Model Launcher and computer-use-lite. Three runs, zero tweets: why large local vision models struggle with structured tool calls compared to smaller fine-tuned models.
Read Article on X ↗
Benchmarking Qwen3-VL 8B on a 16 GB Mac. Hunting down three bugs: prompt cache invalidation (50s down to 6s per step), RAM cache leaks, and keystrokes leaking to video on secondary monitors.
Read Article on X ↗
Running computer-use-lite locally with llama.cpp and a native macOS launcher app for lightweight open-source models, analyzing real tool-calling logs and fallback safety.
Read Article on X ↗
Deploying neural command vectors onto an ESP32 chip with a few hundred kilobytes of RAM, integrating it into CrossTalk as a first-class collaborative agent driving physical hardware.
Read Article on X ↗
Why frontier robotics companies in emerging markets must build a shared autonomy stack across multiple platforms instead of chasing single SKUs, and how to structure an enduring robotics lab.
Read Article on X ↗
Critical analysis of autonomous defense drone manufacturing, seed-round expansions, supply chain resilience in West Africa, and why African tech ecosystems must build sovereign hardware component pipelines.
Read Article on X ↗UX interaction design for high-stress emergency flows, instant panic signaling, and life insurance claims without cognitive overload.
View Case Study on Behance →Creating an immersive mobile interface that balances movie streaming catalogs with friend activity, rating algorithms, and watchlist curation.
View Case Study on Behance →My personal newsletter covering candid thoughts on founder journey, hardware prototyping in resource-constrained environments, and AI agency.
Subscribe on Substack →Featured keynote session at the Africa Deep Tech Conference exploring domestic manufacturing, local robotic hardware, and infrastructure resilience.
View Conference Program & Speakers →Live demonstration and winning pitch of Holrr's automated lead-qualification engine before a panel of Microsoft, Intel, and Barclays investment judges.
Read Press Coverage & Interview →Official competition judging at the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) in partnership with the UN ITU AI for Good initiative, Google, NITDA, Nextwear Technologies, and Coderina Foundation.
View UN AI for Good Post ↗Interactive mentorship sessions focused on helping developers think like designers, build intuitive user flows, and take software from 0 to 1.
Book a Mentorship Session →Mentorship
I believe the most enduring way to elevate the technology ecosystem is by giving back. I actively mentor aspiring designers, software engineers, and founders on ADPList, focusing on the synergy between rigorous technical execution and user-centered design.
My sessions dive into product design fundamentals, design system architecture, full-stack engineering practices, career transitions into tech, and building resilient hardware products in emerging markets.
Whether you are an engineer looking to hone your design taste or an early-stage founder navigating product strategy, I'd love to help you chart the path forward.
Beyond 1-on-1 coaching, I serve as an ecosystem competition judge: recently evaluating autonomous robotics rovers and student teams for the Next Robotics & UN AI for Good Championship at the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) in Abuja.
ADPList Community
Top 1%
Mentor in Product Design & Engineering
1,700+ mentorship minutes completed
"We discussed the importance of balancing design and technical skills, as well as what it takes to build globally relevant expertise as a software engineer. His words were both inspiring and optimistic..."
- Abdulwahab Adamson O., ADPList Mentee
Book a 1-on-1 session
Expeditions & Field Notes
Curated photographic collages from travels across San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., New York, New England, Nigeria, and flight transit: capturing deep tech summits, innovation showcases, urban architecture, and moments of discovery.
National Board for Technology Incubation semi-finals: live pitch session presenting a $2B market opportunity, innovator cohort showcase under the Tinubu Light Initiative, and collaborative discussions with NBTI executive leadership.
Downtown architectural vistas at Salesforce Tower and Transit Park, developer deep-dives at the RUN MCP Summit with WorkOS exploring the Model Context Protocol, founder evenings at Amador Club in Jackson Square, the historic 1909 vaulted glass of the Palace Hotel Garden Court, and creative recording sessions.
Catalysing Africa's deep tech ecosystem at ADTF 2026: keynote AMA session with Osh Agabi (Koniku) pioneering neurotechnology wetware, connecting with AI founders and mentors, and founder debrief over lunch with Renaud Pierre-Charles (creator of Fragment AI).
Nocturnal urban walks along Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park framing the illuminated Chicago Loop, pushing limits on the indoor karting track in racing gear, high-altitude night lights tracing metropolitan grids, and golden hour sunsets with friends across western road trips.
From the monumental French Second Empire facades of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House and neoclassical colonnades of Federal Triangle, to boardwalk breezes along the Potomac River at National Harbor and nocturnal reflections across historic D.C. circles.
Historic cobblestones along Washington Street framing the steel tower of the Manhattan Bridge, Gothic granite arches of the Brooklyn Bridge under open skies, Downtown retail corridors at City Point, and crisp evening street moments with friends outside Cha Cha.
The geometric copper honeycomb of Thomas Heatherwick's Vessel at Hudson Yards, tranquil afternoons across Central Park's Sheep Meadow, Stanford White's marble arch in Washington Square framing One World Trade Center at dusk, and the electric energy of Times Square after hours.
Gathering with visionary software creators at BubbleCon NYC, featuring 1-on-1 conversations with Bubble co-founders Emmanuel Straschnov and Josh Haas. Captured alongside tech mentor panels and visits to Microsoft's technology offices overlooking 11 Times Square.
Architectural explorations along the East Coast: the monumental brutalist cylindrical towers of Kevin Roche's Knights of Columbus building in New Haven, transit connections through Boston Logan Airport, and late-night pizza stops outside the Blue Note Jazz Club in Greenwich Village.
Living and engineering across borders: walking the tarmac beside a ValueJet CRJ900 in Nigeria, the rocky sculptural gateway monument along the regional transit route, aerial night flights at 30,000 feet tracing illuminated river bends, and companion moments along the route.
Serving as competition judge at the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) in Abuja: evaluating autonomous rovers, student robotics engineering teams, and ecosystem partners including the UN ITU AI for Good initiative, Google, NITDA, Nextwear Technologies, and Coderina EdTech Foundation.
Contact
Have a hardware project, engineering challenge, advisory opportunity, or just want to say hello? I'm always open to meaningful conversations and ambitious collaborations.