Josiah Oluwadare
I build solutions to real problems.
oluwadare50josiah@gmail.com · github.com/datArtist-io · linkedin.com/in/josiaholuwadare · x.com/datArtist_io · backline.travel
Most of what I build is software and AI. I built and shipped Backline on my own: an AI travel agent that turns one request into booked flights and hotels, with hard limits, fallbacks and security controls. I studied mechanical engineering at FUTA, speak English and Yoruba, and I'm learning French.
2nd place, Qloo Agentic Hackathon (Devpost), Nov 2026. 2,991 entries, $6,000 prize. It was my first hackathon, and I built the project solo. See the winners on Devpost.
what people said
"You did awesome. I would genuinely like to use this for my next trip."
Lon Harris, one of the judges of the Qloo Agentic Hackathon, on X, Nov 2026
"Congratulations! Backline is sooo needed and fun to use"
Triumph Ogeh, on X, Nov 2026
"2nd out of almost 3k on your first one is wild. congrats"
Rohan Bhanot, on X, Nov 2026
technical skills
- AI and agents
- ReAct tool-calling agents, agent loop design and guardrails, prompt and context engineering, model fallbacks, testing agent behaviour
- Models and APIs
- Claude API, Nebius (Nemotron), Gemini, Whisper (Groq), Qloo, Duffel, LiteAPI
- Languages
- TypeScript, Python, SQL
- Web and data
- Next.js, React, Supabase (Postgres, auth, row-level security), REST APIs
- Tooling
- Vitest, Git and GitHub, Vercel
- Languages spoken
- English (native), Yoruba (fluent), French (A2)
projects
Backline: AI agent that plans and books trips Oct 2026 to now
Solo · Next.js, TypeScript, Supabase, Claude API · backline.travel · github.com/datArtist-io/backline
- Built a ReAct tool-calling agent that turns one sentence into a booked trip, across 10 integrated APIs including Duffel (flights), LiteAPI (hotels) and Qloo (taste data).
- Designed the agent's limits: 6 tools, a cap of 8 decisions, 18 tool calls and 90 seconds per run, a self-review pass, and a fallback mode when the model fails.
- Fixed real failures in production: planner timeouts with a 4-second cap and keyword fallback, and wrong-city results with map-confirmed geocoding.
- Wrote about 230 automated tests (Vitest) for the agent engine.
- Secured it with Postgres row-level security and server-side passport encryption. Prompt-injection text is treated as untrusted data, and payments are capped at the approved price.
- Live with Google and email sign-in and voice input in any language. Placed 2nd of 2,991 in the Qloo Agentic Hackathon.
Book Translation Engine Nov 2026, in progress
Solo · Claude, Gemini and Google Cloud Translation APIs · code
- Translates whole books for printing presses, keeps the original formatting, and checks each output against the book's wider context.
- Works end to end on DOCX files. Tested on English to Yoruba.
VocaLink Sep 2026
Solo · TypeScript, Python, Whisper, NLLB-200 · code
- Live voice translation for Discord calls, on open-source models you host yourself: captions, a dubbed voice, or a web page in each listener's language.
WhatsApp Receipt Bot
Node.js, WhatsApp Cloud API · code
- Sends a PDF receipt to a customer's WhatsApp the moment they pay: automatic for Paystack and Flutterwave payments, one tap for cash.
experience
Artist and Designer, Josiahlabs Jan 2022 to Dec 2025
- Delivered 50+ artworks for a Web3 protocol, shaping its visual identity and community.
- One of the designers for TEDx FUTA (2022).
Campus Ambassador, Mara Sep 2022 to Sep 2023
Apprentice, The Nirvana Academy Sep 2021 to Oct 2021
- Mentored DeFi programme. Earned the Diamond certificate, one of 5 among 2,000 students.
education
B.Eng. Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure
Class representative for all 5 years