Mahmud Bello

Rust Engineer
Lagos, NG.

About

Highly accomplished Rust Engineer with 6 years in software and cloud engineering, including 4 years specializing in Blockchain, protocol development, and cryptography. Proven ability to lead developer relations initiatives, build core cryptographic protocols, and scale high-performance platforms, evidenced by scaling a live streaming platform to over 5,000 users and 1,000+ daily API requests. Expertise spans decentralized application development, cloud infrastructure management, and security research, consistently delivering high-impact technical solutions.

Work

ICP.Hub Sahara West Africa
|

Lead Developer Relations

Lagos, West Africa, Nigeria

Summary

Spearheads developer engagement strategies, organizes technical workshops, and expands the developer base for the Internet Computer Protocol ecosystem in West Africa.

Highlights

Spearheaded developer engagement strategies, significantly growing the Internet Computer Protocol ecosystem across West Africa.

Organized and facilitated numerous technical workshops, hackathons, and community events to foster developer growth and collaboration.

Created comprehensive educational content and documentation, improving developer onboarding efficiency and accessibility.

Built strategic relationships with universities and tech communities, expanding the developer base and fostering talent acquisition.

EAkazi Africa
|

Backend Engineer

Remote, Nigeria, Nigeria

Summary

Developed backend services and API integrations for blockchain applications, collaborating with cross-functional teams to optimize system performance and security.

Highlights

Developed robust backend services and API integrations, enhancing the functionality and interoperability of blockchain applications.

Collaborated effectively with cross-functional teams to implement scalable technical solutions, improving overall system architecture and delivery.

Optimized performance and security of existing systems, resulting in enhanced operational efficiency and reduced vulnerabilities.

ZkLend
|

Lead Technical Advisor

Remote, Global, US

Summary

Designed a next-generation NFT exchange protocol and led Solidity smart contract development, establishing automated CI/CD pipelines.

Highlights

Designed a next-generation NFT exchange protocol, integrating features inspired by OpenSea and Blur for enhanced functionality and market competitiveness.

Led Solidity smart contract development, optimizing for gas efficiency and security, reducing transaction costs by 30%.

Established automated CI/CD testing pipelines using Tenderly, CircleCI, and GitHub, significantly improving code quality and deployment efficiency.

Coronet.
|

Senior Blockchain Developer

Remote, Global, US

Summary

Designed and developed smart contracts on ETH & Polkadot for DeFi and NFT projects, and created comprehensive test suites and CI/CD pipelines.

Highlights

Designed and developed smart contracts for an ODEX similar to Balancer on ETH & Polkadot, securing over $1M USD in Total Value Locked (TVL).

Developed native liquid staking solutions for $DOT on the Polkadot parachain, enhancing network liquidity and participation.

Implemented NFT projects incorporating ERC2981 Royalty Standard for enhanced digital asset management and creator monetization.

Created comprehensive test suites and CI/CD pipelines using GitHub, Hardhat, Foundry, and Codecov, ensuring robust smart contract development and security.

StreamLivr
|

Chief Technology Officer

Remote, Nigeria, Nigeria

Summary

Led the development, maintenance, and scaling of a full-stack live streaming platform, managing a 10-person engineering team and integrating blockchain for content monetization.

Highlights

Developed, maintained, and scaled a full-stack live streaming platform (TypeScript, Flutter) to support over 5,000 registered users, significantly enhancing user engagement.

Provided leadership and mentorship to a 10-person engineering team, fostering skill development and ensuring successful project delivery.

Implemented advanced testing and automation practices, reducing software bugs by 90% and increasing customer satisfaction by 50%.

Integrated blockchain technologies for content monetization and ownership verification, opening new revenue streams and enhancing platform security.

Zap Trail
|

Lead Backend Engineer

Remote, Nigeria, Nigeria

Summary

Built and scaled a logistics and transportation platform, implementing testing practices and enhancing API performance and system reliability.

Highlights

Built and scaled a Laravel-based logistics and transportation platform, successfully handling over 1,000 daily API requests.

Implemented comprehensive testing practices, which reduced reported bugs by 50% and improved software quality.

Enhanced API performance and system reliability, improving overall platform stability and user experience for critical logistics operations.

NEAR Nigeria
|

Blockchain Engineer Intern

Lagos, Nigeria, Nigeria

Summary

Developed and tested smart contracts on the NEAR Protocol, contributed to core development, and built user-friendly decentralized applications.

Highlights

Developed and rigorously tested smart contracts on the NEAR Protocol using Rust and AssemblyScript, ensuring high functionality and security.

Contributed significantly to NEAR Protocol core development, including consensus algorithms and network protocols.

Built user-friendly decentralized applications (DApps), improving accessibility and adoption for a broader user base.

Collaborated in code reviews and testing, maintaining high-quality standards and system integrity for critical blockchain components.

Education

Stanford Online High School
Stanford, CA, United States of America

Bachelor of Applied Science - BASc

Computational and Applied Mathematics

Federal University Of Agriculture, Abeokuta
Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

Bachelor of Technology - BTech

Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering

Certificates

CompTIA PenTest+

Issued By

CompTIA

Smart Contract Security

Issued By

CompTIA

Advanced Rust: Managing Projects

Issued By

LinkedIn

CS120: Bitcoin for Developers I

Issued By

Saylor Academy

PRDV151: Bitcoin for Everybody

Issued By

Saylor Academy

Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer: App Builder 2016

Issued By

Microsoft

Skills

Programming Languages

Rust, Solidity, Go, TypeScript, JavaScript, Python.

Development Frameworks & Libraries

Foundry, Hardhat, Truffle, NodeJs, EthersJs, Web3Js, ReactJs, Axum, actix-web.

Monitoring & CI/CD

CI/CD Codecov, Tenderly test nets, Forta, The Graph, GitHub actions.

Security Analysis Tools

Slither, Echidna, Woke, Foundry Fuzz.

DevOps & Cloud Engineering

Kubernetes, Docker, AWS lambdas, Gateway, EC2 instances, Cloud Engineering.

Core Expertise

Virtual Machines, Wasm, Consensus Algorithms, Protocol Engineering.

Projects

Pluto labs: Ronkathon (Open-Source Contribution)

Summary

Open-source contribution for Pluto labs during Ronkathon.

Ithacaxyz: Odyssey (Open-Source Contribution)

Summary

Open-source contribution related to the Ithacaxyz: Odyssey project.

ZkLend | ICP Vietnam Hackathon Project

Summary

Built a Web3 version of Patreon powered by Request Network & Sablier, winning multiple prizes at the ICP Vietnam Hackathon and a Mina beginner grant.

ingonyama_zk: Blaze (Open-Source Contribution)

Summary

Open-source contribution related to the ingonyama_zk: Blaze project.

Paradigm: Solar (Open-Source Contribution)

Summary

Open-source contribution related to the Paradigm: Solar project.

Rate_rs

Summary

A framework-agnostic rate limiting crate for Rust, providing an easy-to-use, configurable API that integrates seamlessly with Axum, Actix Web, and other async web frameworks.

Circuit_breaker

Summary

A robust Rust implementation of the Circuit Breaker pattern, designed to prevent cascading failures in distributed systems and improve system resilience.

Cargomon

Summary

A Rust implementation inspired by the popular Node.js tool nodemon, designed to watch Rust projects for file changes and automatically rebuild and run applications.

Cross-Chain Application for Charity and Funding

Summary

Created an online platform enabling cross-border donations using Ethereum, Solana, and ICP blockchain, with smart contracts developed in Solidity, Rust, Motoko, and a front-end in ReactJS and Web3JS.