From Lima, Peru Based in Madison, Wisconsin

Franco Pastor

AI Product Manager at Lyntra, Inc. Founder & CEO, Housing Gate LLC

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Information Science Business minor, University of Wisconsin-Madison

University of Wisconsin-Madison Lyntra Housing Gate LLC
Franco Pastor in graduation regalia in front of Bascom Hall, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Evidence-led venture builder

  • AI Product Manager
  • AI Product Engineer
  • Technical Project Lead
  • Business Development

Turning customer pain into products they keep relying on.

View Projects Email Franco

LinkedIn Crunchbase

Achievements

  • 100+ Discovery interviews
  • 12+ Projects shipped
  • 3 Project awards
  • 10+ Pitches and showcases
  • 8+ Partnerships closed

About

From discovery to execution.

Franco listens closely, finds the strongest signals, and turns what people need into clearer product decisions, aligned execution, and better outcomes over time.

  1. 1

    Listen for what matters most.

    Synthesize interviews, feedback, and friction points to identify the most important user problems.

  2. 2

    Turn insight into direction.

    Convert what people are saying into clearer priorities, requirements, and workflow decisions.

  3. 3

    Align the team around the work.

    Bring product, design, and engineering together around what should be built next.

  4. 4

    Improve before release.

    Refine the product early so the most important issues are addressed before launch.

  5. 5

    Keep learning after launch.

    Use surveys, product feedback, and engagement signals to keep improving what users rely on.

Bilingual in Spanish and English.

Core capabilities

Where I contribute most.

Product, engineering, and growth work that helps ideas become real, usable systems.

  • Product

    AI Product and Product Ownership

    Turns discovery, pilots, surveys, and workflow pain into product requirements, backlogs, acceptance criteria, quality feedback, and release decisions.

  • Engineering

    Engineering and AI Execution

    Coordinates AI workflows, sprint planning, GitHub review loops, cloud readiness, API testing, deployment planning, and product release execution.

  • Growth

    Business, Partnerships, and Go-to-Market

    Builds positioning, stakeholder materials, pitch decks, outreach, and partnership conversations that move ventures forward.

View my capabilities
  • AI Software Engineering. LLM workflows with prompt tuning, context filtering, LangChain-style orchestration, tool-calling, model-routing, and latency-aware design.
  • AI Product Management and Product Ownership. Discovery to release, backlog ownership, acceptance criteria, QA loops, and sprint goals.
  • Agile and Technical Project Management. Jira, Trello, Asana, sprint planning, code-review coordination, release tracking, and Notion / Google Docs documentation.
  • Software Security Analysis. Vulnerability review, threat modeling, exploit-path reasoning, dependency awareness, and security-readiness planning.
  • Cloud Computing and Deployment. AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, GitHub CI/CD, Docker, API configuration, Postman, and TestFlight preparation.
  • Customer Discovery and Research Synthesis. Structured interviews with students, stakeholders, medical professionals, and community residents.
  • Go-to-Market Strategy. Pilots, positioning, buyer-path analysis, and partner outreach.
  • Strategic Partnership Management. Startup programs, cloud providers, university stakeholders, security partners, and partner programs.
  • Quantified Business Planning and Financial Modeling. Business Model Canvas, cash-flow mapping, Excel-based projections, market sizing, ARR scenarios.
  • KPI, ROI, and Pitch Strategy. KPI frameworks, ROI narratives, stakeholder maps, and pitch decks that turn traction into mentor feedback and partner conversations.

Academic execution

Lyntra

Built for packed college weeks.

Lyntra turns scattered schoolwork into scheduled study sessions with clear steps, done checks, feedback, and recovery.

Visit Lyntra website → View Lyntra on Crunchbase →

How Lyntra works

Eight steps turn scattered coursework, schedules, rubrics, progress, and constraints into an academic execution loop.

  • Connect
  • Map
  • Break Down
  • Schedule
  • Execute
  • Check
  • Recover
  • Reinforce
  1. 01

    Understand context

    Connect deadlines, rubrics, materials, calendars, progress, commitments, and constraints.

    View details

    Lyntra connects what school requires with what the student can realistically do this week.

  2. 02

    Map the week

    Match academic demands with available time, focus windows, habits, and commitments.

    View details

    Lyntra identifies which work is urgent, which work is complex, and which blocks can realistically fit the student’s week.

  3. 03

    Break down tasks

    Turn assignments, quizzes, and exam reviews into 1–5 rubric-grounded steps per session.

    View details

    Each step can point to exact files, sections, rubric rows, readings, examples, or code locations.

  4. 04

    Schedule sessions

    Place the right task size into classes, work, habits, sleep, and protected time.

    View details

    Lyntra schedules work based on deadline urgency, task difficulty, student confidence, and available focus time.

  5. 05

    Guide execution

    Show what to open, what to do, what done means, and what to try if stuck.

    View details

    Students see what to open, where to look, what to extract, what to produce, and what to skip.

  6. 06

    Check and improve

    Compare student work to the rubric and next-step goal.

    View details

    Lyntra shows what is strong, weak, missing, unclear, or ready to fix.

  7. 07

    Recover the plan

    Turn missed sessions or schedule changes into a realistic comeback step.

    View details

    Instead of leaving overdue tasks, Lyntra rebuilds the next action and protects the highest-priority time blocks.

  8. 08

    Reinforce progress

    Reward progress that matters: start early, finish checkpoints, fix weak work, recover, and protect time.

    View details

    Lyntra reinforces behaviors that improve academic execution, not empty app usage.

What students experience inside Lyntra

Course materials become exact next steps.

Auto-scheduled study blocks

Lyntra schedules the right study step around classes, work shifts, habits, focus windows, and protected time.

View schedule logic

How Lyntra schedules the work

Lyntra checks what is urgent, how big the task is, when the student is free, and whether they prefer shorter sessions or one longer block.

Checks

deadlines, rubric weight, task size, open blocks, habits, commitments

Preference

short sessions or one longer focus block

Schedules

testing in the 35-minute gap; coding in a longer block

If missed

updates the next step without rebuilding the whole plan

Why it matters

Students do not just need open time. They need the right academic step matched to the time available.

Win: free time protected

Testing checkpoint

This 35-minute block turns the lab instructions into tests before coding.

Finish: 1 normal test, 1 edge-case test, 1 failure-risk note.

View checkpoint

Checkpoint steps

Define expected behavior first. Code later.

Open

Assignment_3_Lab.pdf, Parser.java, sample_tests.py

Find

Expected Behavior, Input / Output, Testing Requirements, TODO

Extract

accepted input, expected output, sample case, edge case

Create

1 normal test + 1 edge-case test

Avoid

implementation, refactor, final submission

Done

2 tests + 1 failure-risk note

Why it matters

Expected behavior is clear before the coding block starts.

Win: first lab checkpoint done

Rubric-aware checks

Students paste a draft, outline, code explanation, or rough answer. Lyntra checks direction, gaps, and rubric fit before they move on.

View feedback check-in

Interactive feedback check-in

Lyntra checks the student’s work while the step is still fixable.

Student draft

claim is clear, but evidence is still general

Rubric signal

evidence needs a course reference and explanation

Nudge

add one reading example and explain why it supports the claim

Student fix

course reference added; explanation now connects to the claim

Done

claim + evidence + explanation match the checkpoint

Why it matters

Students know if they are on the right track before wasting time or submitting weak work.

Next: Lyntra uses this feedback to update the next session.

Beyond files and calendars

Canvas shows what is due. Calendars show open time. Lyntra connects sources, schedule, progress, and blockers into action.

View difference

What changes with Lyntra

Canvas

what is due

Calendar

when time is open

Lyntra

when to start, what to open, what to finish, and how to adjust after a missed session

Example

Tuesday 4:10–4:45 PM: testing checkpoint before work shift

Why it matters

Students need more than a deadline or open slot. They need the right task matched to the time available.

Recover without starting over

Miss a block or get stuck? Lyntra turns the plan into the next doable step and moves the rest around protected time.

Tell Lyntra what changed. Get the next step.

  • Missed block
  • Got stuck
  • Too much
  • Protect time
View recovery options

What Lyntra changes

Choose the problem. Lyntra repairs the plan.

Missed block

gives a comeback step and moves the rest

Got stuck

switches to review, hint, or example

Too much

splits one big block into smaller sessions

Protect time

keeps sleep, work, or free time untouched

Skipped

uses the reason to adjust the plan

Ready

shows the next doable step

Why it matters

A missed block should not turn into a lost week.

Win: next step ready

Rewards for better habits

Lyntra rewards progress behaviors: starting before panic, completing checkpoints, fixing weak work, recovering, improving estimates, practicing recall, and protecting time.

  • Momentum Score
  • Time Back Wins
  • Recovery Wins
  • Rubric Checkpoints
  • Skill Growth
  • Streak Protection
View reward logic

Reward logic

Momentum Score

proof the student is moving across courses

Time Back Wins

hours protected by starting earlier

Recovery Wins

credit for coming back after missed sessions

Rubric Checkpoints

proof the work got stronger

Skill Growth

improvement in writing, coding, recall, or time estimation

Streak Protection

consistency that survives schedule changes

Guidance without shortcuts

Lyntra guides the process, not the final answer: what to open, what to extract, how to start, what done means, what is weak, and what to revise next.

View integrity note

Academic integrity by design

Lyntra supports effort, revision, and learning. It points students to sources, asks for their work, checks progress, and guides the next fix instead of replacing the assignment.

Benefits for students

Clearer starts, stronger work, faster recovery, better accountability, and more time back.

  • Start faster
  • Know done
  • Fix weak work
  • Recover faster
  • Protect time
  • Build habits
View student outcomes
  • Start faster: know the first useful action
  • Know done: finish with a clear checkpoint
  • Fix weak work: see what is missing before submission
  • Recover faster: rebuild after missed sessions
  • Protect time: avoid unnecessary cram blocks
  • Build habits: repeat the behaviors that improve performance

My role

AI Product Manager and Product Owner, Lyntra, Inc.

Turned student discovery and pilot feedback into build-ready priorities for a 12-engineer team.

Early traction

  • 150Students onboarded
  • 70%Activation
  • 80%Retention
  • 1,000+Students reached
  • 80+UW–Madison discovery interviews
  • 3Professor-backed pilots
View Lyntra traction
  • 140 students joined the early interest list.
  • Initial 100-student app cohort.
  • Professor-backed pilots across 3 UW-Madison courses.
View Lyntra details

Guided modules

Session support changes based on the assignment, rubric, course material, confidence, and progress.

  • Concept Review
  • Worked Example
  • Rubric Checkpoint
  • Retrieval Practice
  • Micro Quiz
  • Reflection Checkpoint
  • Missed Session Recovery
  • Spaced Review
  • Definition of Done Checklist

Example breakdowns

Large assignments become concrete steps instead of vague tasks.

Research paper Prompt, rubric, thesis, evidence, outline, draft, revision, submission.
Coding assignment Requirements, starter code, tests, edge cases, implementation, explanation, submission.
Exam prep Scope, weak topics, concept review, retrieval practice, micro quiz, missed questions, spaced review.

Student situations

Lyntra adapts to different student schedules, blockers, and study patterns.

  • Working students
  • Overloaded high performers
  • Students with accommodations
  • Athletes and club leaders
  • Task avoidant students
  • Confused but motivated students
  • Chaotic week students

Why the plan stays useful

The plan keeps adapting instead of breaking after one missed session.

  • Plans adapt when schedules change.
  • Students can move, shorten, skip, or resize sessions.
  • Recovery steps keep one missed block from becoming a lost week.
  • Rewards focus on academic behaviors, not empty app usage.

Affordable housing capital

Housing Gate LLC

AI intelligence for pre LOI underwriting and affordable housing capital workflows.

What it is

Housing Gate helps affordable housing teams review scattered capital documents before deeper underwriting work begins.

Why it matters

Pre LOI review can stretch across months while deal flow exceeds team capacity.

First wedge

AI-assisted review for LIHTC preparation, missing evidence checks, deal signals, and review ready materials.

Benefits for deal teams

Earlier visibility into missing evidence, weak deals, review bottlenecks, and cleaner materials before deeper underwriting time is committed.

My role

Founder and CEO.

  • Product direction
  • Discovery
  • Workflow mapping
  • Positioning
  • Intelligence-layer wedge

Housing accelerator participation

Testing the intelligence-layer wedge through StartingBlock Madison, housing-stakeholder feedback loops, and focused design-partner conversations.

  • Workspace access
  • 1:1 progress support
  • Optional workshops
  • Field trips
  • Housing connections
  • Milestone evidence presentations

View Midwest Housing Accelerator →

View how Housing Gate works

How Housing Gate works

Housing Gate turns scattered affordable housing deal documents into cleaner evidence, missing information checks, and review ready capital materials.

  1. 01

    Collect documents

    QAP rules, LIHTC files, pro formas, approval letters, environmental notes, infrastructure comments, and underwriting files.

    View details

    Housing Gate starts by organizing the documents that deal teams already review manually across pre LOI underwriting, LIHTC preparation, predevelopment risk review, and capital decision workflows.

  2. 02

    Structure evidence

    Extract requirements, dates, risks, deal facts, funding signals, and missing information.

    View details

    The system helps turn unstructured documents into cleaner evidence that can be checked, compared, and reviewed by a human decision maker.

  3. 03

    Flag gaps

    Surface missing documents, unclear assumptions, and incomplete risk evidence.

    View details

    Housing Gate highlights missing documentation, unclear assumptions, incomplete risk evidence, and items that need follow up before the team spends more time on a weak or incomplete deal package.

  4. 04

    Compare signals

    Review QAP alignment, underwriting signals, infrastructure risk, approval status, and capital readiness.

    View details

    Housing Gate supports early review by connecting deal documents to scoring, underwriting, infrastructure, approval, and capital readiness signals.

  5. 05

    Prepare materials

    Create cleaner inputs for LOI review, memos, partner conversations, and capital decisions.

    View details

    The output is not an autonomous decision. It is cleaner preparation material that helps developers, lenders, CDFIs, and syndicators review opportunities with stronger evidence.

Benefits for deal teams

Earlier visibility into missing evidence, weaker deals, review bottlenecks, and cleaner materials before deeper underwriting time is committed.

  • 28 discovery interviews
  • Pre LOI review can take months
  • Deal flow exceeds review capacity
  • Missing evidence surfaced earlier
  • Cleaner review materials
  • Better capital decision support
View outcome details
  • Earlier weak deal triage: Teams can see missing evidence and risk signals before committing deeper review time.
  • Cleaner pre LOI preparation: Documents, assumptions, and missing items are organized earlier in the capital review process.
  • More review capacity: The product targets the capacity problem where deal flow can outpace the team’s ability to process opportunities.
  • Better human review: Outputs stay reviewable by decision makers instead of replacing underwriting judgment.
  • Stronger partner conversations: Cleaner materials support conversations with developers, lenders, CDFIs, syndicators, and capital partners.
  • Discovery backed direction: The wedge was shaped by 28 housing discovery interviews and stakeholder workflow mapping.

Where the wedge can expand

  • LIHTC preparation

    Support application organization, QAP alignment, and missing information review.

  • Predevelopment risk memos

    Surface infrastructure, site, approval, and evidence gaps for CDFIs and capital partners.

  • Syndicator review support

    Help with comp pulls, LOI review, document checks, and memo preparation.

  • Construction lender intelligence

    Organize higher stakes document review for capital decisions.

Discovery context

  • Wisconsin housing crisis
  • Affordable housing capital workflows
  • LIHTC preparation
  • Stakeholder discovery
  • Housing finance document intelligence
  • StartingBlock Madison
  • AEC Housing Innovation Challenge

Impact

Execution that moved Lyntra and Housing Gate forward

Product, engineering, AI, security, partnerships, and storytelling work that turned discovery into clearer products, pilots, and venture momentum.

Product

Product direction

Turned discovery and pilot feedback into priorities, acceptance criteria, and release decisions.

Engineering

Engineering execution

Coordinated sprint planning, issue breakdown, review loops, testing, and release readiness.

AI systems

AI workflow design

Designed context filtering, task decomposition, tool use, orchestration, and latency-aware outputs.

Security

Security and readiness

Coordinated threat modeling, API testing, Docker support, cloud setup, and vendor-readiness work.

Partnerships

Business and partnerships

Built pitch decks, KPI frameworks, ROI narratives, stakeholder maps, and founder presentations.

Public speaking

Founder storytelling

Presented ventures in conferences, mentor rooms, showcases, and partner conversations.

Projects

Projects shipped across AI, housing, learning, and community work

Each card shows role, tools, and impact. Expand only when more context helps.

  • AI Product · Academic execution

    Lyntra

    AI Product Manager and Product Owner

    Lyntra turns coursework, calendars, rubrics, progress, and schedule constraints into guided study sessions, done checks, and recovery plans.

    • AI Product
    • Academic Execution
    • Learning platform feeds
    • Calendar Scheduling
    • Rubric Checkpoints
    • Recovery Planning

    Impact: 150 students onboarded, 70% activation, 80% retention, and 1,000+ students reached.

    Read details

    Context: Students lose time translating “this is due” into “I know what to do next.”

    Stack: React, React Native, JavaScript, TypeScript, Jira, Figma, LangChain-style orchestration, LLM prompt tuning, context filtering, task-decomposition prompts, API configuration, Postman, Docker, GitHub, pull requests, code reviews, GitHub CI/CD coordination, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure App Service, Azure Pipelines, TestFlight preparation.

    Ownership: Led product requirements, roadmap planning, backlog prioritization, epics, user stories, Jira issue breakdown, acceptance criteria, QA feedback tracking, release planning, and coordination with 12 software engineers.

    Impact: Early classroom traction with retained student usage and professor-backed pilots across 3 UW-Madison courses.

  • AI intelligence · Pre LOI underwriting · Affordable housing

    Housing Gate LLC

    Founder & CEO

    Housing Gate helps affordable housing teams review scattered LIHTC, underwriting, and capital documents before deeper review work begins.

    • AI Intelligence
    • Pre LOI Review
    • Affordable Housing
    • LIHTC
    • Underwriting Workflows
    • Capital Documents

    Impact: Built a product direction around deal flow exceeding review capacity across fragmented capital documents.

    Read details

    Context: Affordable housing capital workflows are document-heavy and fragmented.

    Stack: AI document intelligence, LIHTC workflow analysis, QAP review, affordable housing interview synthesis, stakeholder discovery, buyer workflow mapping, product roadmap planning, capital-stack research, predevelopment risk mapping, SiteSignal research foundation.

    Ownership: Defined the initial wedge, mapped buyer workflows, prioritized product direction, translated discovery findings into feature concepts, and structured the roadmap around LIHTC application preparation.

    Impact: A product direction targeting the recurring document bottlenecks that slow capital decisions in affordable housing.

  • Housing venture marketing · LinkedIn campaign

    Housing Gate LinkedIn Marketing Campaign

    Founder, campaign strategist, and marketing operator

    Founder-led LinkedIn campaign for Housing Gate LLC to test housing-finance messaging, build early visibility, and support stakeholder discovery around affordable housing document-intelligence workflows.

    • LinkedIn
    • Founder Marketing
    • Housing Gate LLC
    • Stakeholder Discovery
    • Campaign Messaging

    Impact: Turned Housing Gate’s early product direction into market-facing messaging and housing stakeholder discovery, with support from the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship.

    Read details

    Context: Housing Gate’s product direction needed early market-facing messaging and stakeholder discovery before deeper validation.

    Tools and methods: LinkedIn, founder marketing, campaign messaging, stakeholder outreach, positioning tests, Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship support.

    Ownership: Authored positioning, deployed the campaign as Housing Gate’s founder, ran outreach, and connected the campaign to LIHTC and document-intelligence framing.

    Impact: Built early market visibility for Housing Gate, surfaced housing stakeholder conversations, and advanced the housing wedge through founder-led marketing.

  • AI tutoring · Education technology

    LearningPath

    Full-Stack AI Developer

    Built a structured AI tutoring workflow that turns skill-confidence gaps into sequenced modules, resources, and guided learning paths.

    • TypeScript
    • AI Tutoring
    • Learning Paths
    • Module Flow

    Impact: Reached Top 6 Finalist at the Cursor Hackathon by turning skill-confidence gaps into structured AI tutoring modules and guided learning paths.

    View GitHub →

    Read details

    Context: Students often know a topic feels weak but cannot identify what to study first.

    Stack: TypeScript, AI tutoring workflows, learning-path generation, interactive module flow, frontend functionality, hackathon product execution.

    Ownership: Shaped the learning-path flow, module structure, user-facing sequence, and feature behavior around student skill gaps.

    Impact: Moved students from vague skill gaps to structured, sequenced learning paths.

  • AI trust · Source verification

    Lexon AI

    Lead Frontend Engineer and UI/UX Designer

    Made AI source verification easier to understand through a trust-focused interface and accessible visual reasoning flow.

    • React
    • TypeScript
    • UI/UX
    • AI Transparency

    Impact: MadHacks 2025 · 4th of nearly 120 projects · People’s Choice Award.

    View GitHub → Visit MadHacks →

    Read details

    Context: Researchers need confidence in where AI answers come from.

    Stack: TypeScript, React, frontend architecture, UI/UX design, source-verification interface, trust-focused visual flow, accessible interaction design.

    Ownership: Shaped the interface flow, trust experience, source-verification display, and reasoning pathway for researchers.

    Impact: A trust-focused interface and accessible visual reasoning flow that earned finalist placement and the People’s Choice Award.

  • Clinical trial compliance · Research operations

    TrialProof

    Project Lead and builder

    TrialProof helps research sites avoid audit problems from missing consent forms and incomplete study records.

    • JavaScript
    • Compliance Workflow
    • Audit Risk
    • Research Ops

    Impact: Built a research-operations tool direction focused on reducing audit risk from missing consent forms and incomplete study records.

    View GitHub →

    Read details

    Context: Audit problems often start with small documentation gaps that compound across studies.

    Stack: JavaScript, product strategy, compliance workflow mapping, research-site operations analysis, missing-record tracking logic, audit-risk workflow design.

    Ownership: Led the project direction, framed the compliance problem, shaped the workflow around missing consent forms and study records, and connected the concept to research-site audit risk.

    Impact: A clearer compliance workflow direction for clinical research operations teams.

  • Housing intelligence · Real estate decision support

    SiteSignal

    Product strategist and builder

    A housing insight tool for developers, lenders, and city teams to evaluate where to build and where policy or approval barriers may slow production.

    • Python
    • Housing Data
    • Site Selection
    • Policy Signals

    Impact: Explored housing decision intelligence before Franco narrowed the focus toward affordable housing document workflows.

    View GitHub →

    Read details

    Context: Decisions about where to build sit on top of supply, policy, and approval-risk signals.

    Stack: Python, housing data analysis, real estate decision support, policy and approval-risk research, site-selection workflow design, market and supply signal mapping.

    Ownership: Framed the product direction, stakeholder use cases, decision workflow, and risk signals around housing supply, policy friction, and site-selection intelligence.

    Impact: Earlier housing decision-intelligence work that informed Housing Gate LLC’s wedge.

  • Unity VR · Safety training

    FireOpsVR

    Builder and VR developer

    A Unity VR fire safety training game that teaches the PASS fire-extinguisher method through an interactive scenario and optional Beat the Clock mode.

    • Unity
    • C#
    • VR Interaction
    • Timed Challenge

    Impact: Turned fire safety training into an interactive VR practice experience with applied PASS-method instruction and replayable skill-building.

    View GitHub →

    Read details

    Context: Fire-extinguisher training is rarely practiced before it is needed.

    Stack: Unity, C#, VR interaction design, scene hierarchy, timed challenge logic, score and rank feedback, user feedback flow.

    Ownership: Built the interactive VR training logic, fire-extinguisher practice flow, timed challenge mode, scoring, retry, and feedback behavior.

    Impact: A practice-oriented safety simulation that lets learners attempt the PASS method repeatedly.

  • Social discovery · Student connection app

    AnchorOS

    Builder

    A social discovery app that helps new and returning students meet compatible peers before the first interaction.

    • JavaScript
    • Matching Flow
    • Student Profiles
    • App Design

    Impact: Built a student-connection concept focused on lowering friction before first interactions and helping students form stronger campus relationships.

    View GitHub →

    Read details

    Context: The earliest weeks on campus shape who students meet and how they build their support network.

    Stack: JavaScript, app interaction design, matching-flow logic, student profile concepts, shared interests, schedules, and campus-routine matching.

    Ownership: Explored how students could be matched through shared interests, schedules, and campus routines.

    Impact: A connection-first product concept aimed at reducing friction around early social interactions.

  • Game development · Software engineering

    BoggleGame

    Builder

    An online and local Boggle game built to practice software engineering, game logic, and Java implementation.

    • Java
    • Game Logic
    • Board Generation
    • Word Validation

    Impact: Recognized as one of the strongest games among many projects in a UW-Madison software engineering class.

    View GitHub →

    Read details

    Context: Classic word-game mechanics make good practice for game-logic and validation work in a UW-Madison software engineering class.

    Stack: Java, game logic, word validation, board generation, local and online game flow.

    Ownership: Built game mechanics and Java implementation for a playable Boggle experience.

    Impact: Built a playable Java Boggle game with board generation, word validation, local and online game flow, and was recognized as one of the strongest projects in the class.

  • Academic project · Data visualization · Labor-market analysis

    United States Employment Ratio Disparity Visualizer

    Data analyst and R programmer

    Built an R-based visual analysis comparing employment counts and employment-population ratios across race and gender groups in the United States.

    • R
    • RStudio
    • Data Visualization
    • Statistical Analysis
    • GitHub

    Impact: Created R-based graphical models that made employment-population ratio differences easier to compare across race and gender groups, surfacing a clear pattern for further analysis.

    View GitHub →

    Read details

    Context: Academic data project comparing United States employment counts and employment-population ratios across race and gender groups.

    Stack: R, RStudio, data visualization, statistical analysis, data wrangling, GitHub.

    Ownership: Cleaned the dataset, modeled employment counts and ratios, and produced comparison plots across demographic groups.

    Next-step value: Creates a foundation for deeper statistical testing, time-series comparison, economic-context analysis, and policy-focused questions.

  • Academic project · Database design · Food data

    Latin American Food Preference Database

    Database designer and SQL developer

    Built a MySQL database to organize Latin American food options and make it easier to compare dishes by demographic preferences, ingredients, categories, and search criteria.

    • MySQL
    • SQL
    • Database Design
    • Food Data
    • Search Logic

    Impact: Created a structured MySQL database that made Latin American food options easier to search, compare, and organize by preferences, ingredients, categories, and search criteria.

    Read details

    Context: Academic database project organizing Latin American food options by ingredient, category, and demographic preferences.

    Stack: MySQL, SQL, relational schema design, query logic, search filters.

    Ownership: Designed the schema, built relational tables, wrote queries, and structured search logic across dishes and preferences.

    Impact: Made Latin American food options easier to search, compare, and organize for preference-based decisions.

  • Stress-aware productivity · mHealth · Frontend & UX

    Mental Health App / Emota App

    Group Project Contributor with UX feature ownership

    A mental health app project where Franco developed guided tooltips and collaborated on intuitive React Native UI functionality.

    • Figma
    • React
    • React Native
    • JavaScript

    Impact: Improved usability through guided tooltips and React Native UI functionality for mental health support tools.

    Read details

    Context: Users often abandon mental health tools when it is unclear which feature is appropriate in the moment.

    Stack: Figma, React, React Native, JavaScript, tooltip logic, frontend UI functionality, UX collaboration, backend integration support.

    Ownership: Helped define user guidance behavior, tooltip logic, and feature usability around choosing the right support tool.

    Impact: A smoother first-use experience for stress-aware productivity features.

  • Community impact · Food relief · Campaign operations

    Fundraising and Food Relief Initiative

    Fundraiser, campaign organizer, and distribution coordinator

    A pandemic food-relief fundraising initiative in Lima, Peru through the International Center of Broward College.

    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Fundraising
    • Partner Coordination
    • Delivery Coordination

    Impact: Drove 1,000+ donations, 100+ social media impressions, 60% delivery-time reduction, and 500+ free meals distributed to people in need in Peru.

    View the place we helped →

    Read details

    Context: The 2020 pandemic created an urgent need for organized food relief in underserved areas of Lima, Peru.

    Tools and methods: Instagram, Facebook, social media flyers, fundraising campaign design, donation collection, partner coordination, food distributor partnership, delivery coordination, community outreach, campaign operations.

    Ownership: Designed and launched Instagram and Facebook flyers, led the fundraising campaign, collected donations, coordinated with a food service distributor, and helped organize delivery logistics.

    Impact: Helped distribute 500+ free meals to people in need in underserved areas of Lima.

  • Community research · Flood awareness · Wisconsin

    Coon Valley Flood Awareness Initiative

    Oral Stories Collector

    Community interview research that turned local flood concerns into a mayor-facing report on awareness, safety checks, and resilience measures.

    • Resident interviews
    • 10-page flood-safety plan
    • Mayor briefing delivered
    • Flood-safety guidance
    • Resilience measures

    Impact: Turned local flood concerns into mayor-facing recommendations for awareness, safety checks, resilience measures, and practical flood-preparedness guidance.

    Read UW–Madison article →

    Read details

    Context: Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Coon Valley, Wisconsin · Sep. 2022 to Dec. 2022.

    Ownership: Spoke with Coon Valley residents, organized concerns and safety gaps into a 10-page flood-safety plan, and delivered a mayor briefing that informed local awareness guidance.

    Impact: Helped communicate flood concerns and safety guidance to local leaders and residents, supporting a more resilient and empathetic approach to future disasters.

Community impact

Two community projects built by listening first.

Food relief in Peru and flood-awareness research in Wisconsin, both built from listening to people and acting on what they needed.

Lima, Peru · Mar. 2020 to Dec. 2020

Free Meal Relief in Peru

A COVID-19 pandemic donation campaign that helped distribute free meals to people in need in Peru.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Franco led a meal-relief campaign through the International Center of Broward College. He launched Instagram and Facebook outreach, collected donations, coordinated with Tappers, and helped distribute free meals to families and individuals in need.

Project impact

  • 100+Social media impressions
  • 1,000+Donations driven
  • 60%Delivery-time reduction
  • 500+Free meals distributed

View the place we helped →

Coon Valley, Wisconsin · Sep. 2022 to Dec. 2022

Coon Valley Flood Awareness Initiative

Community interview research that helped turn local flood concerns into practical safety guidance.

Role
Oral Stories Collector
Organization
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Franco spoke with Coon Valley residents to understand flood concerns, safety gaps, and community needs. He turned those findings into a 10-page flood-safety plan with practical recommendations and awareness guidance for the mayor and local community.

Project impact

  • 10-pageFlood-safety plan created
  • 1Mayor briefing delivered
  • 1Local awareness plan informed
  • 2,000+Residents supported by the plan

Read UW–Madison article →

Hackathons

Built under competition pressure.

Projects built under pressure, tested with users, and recognized by expert judging panels.

  • MadHacks 2025
  • 4th of nearly 120 projects
  • People’s Choice Award

Lexon AI

Lead Frontend Engineer and UI/UX Designer

Made AI source verification easier to understand through a trust-focused interface and accessible visual reasoning flow.

View GitHub → Visit MadHacks →

  • Cursor Hackathon
  • April 11, 2026
  • Top 6 Finalist

LearningPath

Full-Stack AI Developer

Translated skill-confidence gaps into a structured AI tutoring workflow with sequenced modules and resources.

View GitHub →

Recognition

Press, pitch events, and showcases.

  • Press & features

    Wisconsin School of Business Feature

    Featured in a February 2026 Wisconsin School of Business story on UW Tech Exploration Lab venture-build projects.

    Read Wisconsin School of Business feature →

  • Press & features

    Wisconsin Technology Council Newsroom Feature

    Lyntra was named as one of 19 companies selected for the 2025 Elevator Pitch Olympics after 70 companies applied.

    Read Tech Council newsroom feature →

  • Public showcases

    UW Tech Exploration Lab Demo Night

    Franco presented Lyntra at UW Tech Exploration Lab Demo Night, where Lyntra was listed under AI and Automation as an intelligent planner for tasks, schedules, and resources.

    View UW Tech Exploration Lab Demo Night → View Demo Night highlights →

  • Pitch & startup events

    Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium

    Selected for the Elevator Pitch Olympics, organized by the Wisconsin Technology Council.

    View Early Stage Symposium →

  • Pitch & startup events

    2025 Wisconsin Tech Summit

    Selected as an emerging company for strategic speed-dating meetings with potential partners at the Wisconsin Technology Council’s 2025 Tech Summit.

    View Wisconsin Tech Summit →

  • Public showcases

    CS Nest Showcase

    Showcased the Emota mental health app at the May 2025 CS NEST showcase, a gener8tor accelerator event at UW–Madison. Drew gener8tor investor-network interest.

    View CS Nest showcase →

See all recognition

More pitch and founder programs

  • Fetch Defeat the Odds Finalist. Lyntra was selected as a finalist in the Fetch Defeat the Odds Pitch Competition. Read Fetch competition page →
  • gener8tor BOLT 2025 Lightning Rounds. Lyntra was selected as a startup participant for gener8tor BOLT 2025 Lightning Rounds. View gener8tor BOLT →
  • gALPHA CS NEST by gener8tor. Venture-creation program connected to UW-Madison’s startup ecosystem, focused on MVP thinking, mentor feedback, founder pitch development, and startup execution. View gALPHA CS NEST →

Press & features

  • From Lab to Market: How Wisconsin MBAs Are Scaling Student Startups. February 11, 2026. Lyntra was mentioned as one of the venture-build projects in the UW Tech Exploration Lab and Wisconsin MBA collaboration. Read Wisconsin School of Business feature →
  • Startup surge: More than 60 companies to share ideas at 2025 Early Stage Symposium in Madison. Wisconsin Technology Council newsroom, October 15, 2025. The article listed Lyntra among the 19 companies selected for the Elevator Pitch Olympics after 70 companies applied to present, meet investors through Investor Intros, or both. Read Tech Council newsroom feature →

Public showcases

  • UW Tech Exploration Lab Demo Night. Dec. 3 Demo Night: Explore What’s Next: Student Ventures & Emerging Tech Demos. December 3, 2025 · 5:30–7:30 PM · Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. Franco represented Lyntra as a founder and demo presenter. View UW Tech Exploration Lab Demo Night →
  • UW Tech Exploration Lab Founder Lab Networking Reception in San Francisco. Thursday, June 25, 2026 · 4:00–6:00 PM PDT · Third Coast Foundry, 625 2nd St, San Francisco, CA 94107. Representing Lyntra as part of the UW Tech Exploration Lab Founder Lab team. View Founder Lab San Francisco event →

Founder programs

  • Wisconsin MBA Venture Build Program. Lyntra participated through the UW Tech Exploration Lab collaboration, supporting venture strategy, commercialization thinking, and founder feedback. View UW Tech Exploration Lab work →
  • UW Tech Exploration Lab Founder Lab. Selected participant representing Lyntra. View UW Tech Founder Lab →

Hackathon recognition

  • MadHacks 2025 · Lexon AI. 4th of nearly 120 projects · People’s Choice Award. Role: Lead Frontend Engineer and UI/UX Designer.
  • Cursor Hackathon · LearningPath. Top 6 Finalist. Role: Full-Stack AI Developer. April 11, 2026. View GitHub →

Housing recognition

  • StartingBlock Madison Summer 2026 Problems Worth Solving: Housing Innovation Program. Housing Gate LLC was accepted as a participant. Focus: construction side of Wisconsin’s housing crisis. View Midwest Housing Accelerator →

Programs and partnerships

Programs and partnerships that moved the ventures forward

Programs, cloud credits, founder networks, and security-readiness support helped sharpen products, earn feedback, and prepare the next stage.

  • Commercialization and Founder Support

    University programs and founder networks that shaped discovery, mentorship, and commercialization strategy.

    • Discovery to Product
    • Innovation to Market
    • UW Tech Exploration Lab
    • Wisconsin MBA Venture Build Program
    • UW Technology Entrepreneurship Office
    • National Science Foundation STEM Jumpstart
    View all resources
    • Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship
    • Wisconsin Small Business Development Center

  • Accelerator and Program Access

    Accelerator and program access for pitch practice, founder feedback, and housing innovation work.

    • gener8tor gALPHA
    • gALPHA CS NEST
    • gener8tor BOLT
    • StartingBlock Madison
    • AEC Housing Innovation Challenge

  • Cloud and Product Infrastructure

    Cloud credits and startup tools that supported Lyntra’s deployment workflow and product infrastructure.

    • AWS $6,000 credits
    • Google Cloud $2,500 credits
    • Microsoft Azure $5,000 credits
    • Azure App Service
    • Azure DevOps
    • Atlassian startup tools
    View all resources
    • Azure Pipelines

  • Partnership and Security Readiness

    Security-readiness work and strategic conversations that advanced Lyntra’s partnership path.

    • CyberSprint.io
    • SOC 2 readiness
    • 8+ partnerships closed
    • Vendor readiness
    • Strategic meetings
    • Housing connections

Upcoming

Next testing grounds for Lyntra and Housing Gate.

  • June 25, 2026 · 4:00–6:00 PM PDT

    UW Tech Exploration Lab · Founder Lab Networking Reception in San Francisco

    Representing Lyntra as part of the UW Tech Exploration Lab Founder Lab team.

    View event →

  • Kickoff: May 22, 2026

    StartingBlock Madison Summer 2026 Problems Worth Solving: Housing Innovation Program

    Accepted participant representing Housing Gate LLC, focused on the construction side of Wisconsin’s housing crisis.

    View Midwest Housing Accelerator →

Experience

Experience behind the products and ventures

Founder programs, discovery roles, technical projects, and community work that shaped how I build, test, and communicate products.

  1. Entrepreneurial Lead · National Science Foundation STEM Jumpstart

    • University of Michigan
    • Feb. 2025 to Apr. 2025

    Validated a beachhead market through undergraduate discovery interviews, stakeholder interviews, customer profiling, and Business Model Canvas work.
    • Conducted 20 discovery interviews with undergraduates.
    • Developed a cash-flow map segmented by customer profile.
    • Conducted 10 stakeholder interviews.
    • Conducted market research for multiple customer segments.
    • Developed a Business Model Canvas.
    • Defined customer personas and shared needs with collaborators.

  2. Entrepreneurial Lead · National Science Foundation Innovation Corps Hub

    • Iowa State University
    • Oct. 2024 to Dec. 2024

    Turned 28 student interviews into customer patterns, emotional insights, beachhead definition, and technology-hypothesis validation.
    • Researched LinkedIn profiles and reached out by email.
    • Conducted 28 college-student interviews.
    • Analyzed recordings from 28 interviews.
    • Condensed emotions, pain points, responsibilities, and roles.
    • Tested market fit and validated technology hypothesis.
    • Adapted product features to emotional and functional benefits.

  3. Project Leader · Innovation to Market

    • Discovery to Product, University of Wisconsin-Madison
    • Jun. 2024 to Sep. 2024

    Connected medical-professional interviews to mobile health product direction and feature refinement.
    • Extracted research papers from medical databases.
    • Analyzed demographics, user stories, needs, and pain points.
    • Developed problem-focused solution concepts.
    • Conducted 20 interviews with medical professionals.
    • Identified usability issues in mHealth apps.
    • Synthesized observations into insights guiding feature development.

    Related project: Mental Health App / Emota App.

  4. Oral Stories Collector · Coon Valley Flood Awareness Initiative

    • Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
    • Coon Valley, Wisconsin
    • Sep. 2022 to Dec. 2022

    Turned resident interviews into a 10-page flood-safety plan and mayor briefing that informed local awareness guidance for 2,000+ residents across the valley.
    • Conducted 10+ interviews with Coon Valley residents.
    • Identified flood concerns and needs.
    • Authored a 10-page flood-safety plan of solutions and safety tips.
    • Secured mayoral approval for a new community awareness plan.

  5. Campaign Lead · Fundraising and Food Relief Initiative

    • International Center of Broward College
    • Lima, Peru
    • Mar. 2020 to Dec. 2020

    Led a COVID-19 meal-relief campaign that launched Instagram and Facebook outreach, collected donations, coordinated with Tappers, and helped distribute 500+ free meals.
    • Designed Instagram and Facebook flyers.
    • Led the marketing campaign.
    • Collected funding and donations (1,000+ donations).
    • Generated 100+ social media impressions.
    • Partnered with a food distributor (Tappers, a food service company).
    • Reduced delivery time by 60%.
    • Helped distribute 500+ free meals to people in need in underserved areas of Lima.

  6. Group Project Contributor · Mental Health App

    • Figma
    • React
    • React Native
    • JavaScript
    • Oct. 2024 to Dec. 2024

    Helped improve usability by building guided tooltips and collaborating on React Native interface functionality.
    • Developed tooltips with small prompts.
    • Collaborated with UX designers.
    • Built intuitive app UI functionality in React Native.
    • Supported smooth user experience across tools.
    • Helped integrate frontend functionality with backend system architecture.

Technical Stack

Tools used across product, AI, cloud, security, and go-to-market work

Product, AI engineering, frontend, backend, cloud, and business-planning tools across Lyntra and Housing Gate.

  • Product and Documentation

    • Figma
    • Jira
    • Trello
    • Asana
    • Notion
    • Google Docs
    View more tools
    • Product specs
    • Roadmap planning
    • Issue breakdown
    • Acceptance criteria
    • QA feedback tracking
    • Release planning

  • AI Engineering

    • LangChain-style orchestration
    • LLM prompt tuning
    • Context filtering
    • Tool-calling workflows
    • Model-routing logic
    • Retrieval workflow design
    View more tools
    • Latency-aware AI workflow design
    • Task-decomposition prompts

  • Engineering Collaboration

    • GitHub
    • Pull requests
    • Code reviews
    • Issue tracking
    • Sprint planning
    • Sprint goals
    View more tools
    • Standups
    • Sprint check-ins
    • Release notes
    • CI/CD pipeline coordination

  • Frontend and App

    • JavaScript
    • TypeScript
    • React
    • React Native

  • Backend, APIs, and Data

    • Python
    • SQL
    • MySQL
    • PostgreSQL
    • Jupyter Notebook
    • API configuration
    View more tools
    • Postman

  • Cloud and Deployment

    • AWS
    • Google Cloud
    • Microsoft Azure
    • Azure App Service
    • Azure Pipelines
    • Azure DevOps
    View more tools
    • GitHub CI/CD workflows
    • Docker
    • TestFlight preparation
    • Environment configuration
    • Web and app deployment

  • Security and Analysis

    • Tableau
    • R
    • RStudio
    • Linux
    • Vulnerability scanning
    • Threat modeling
    View more tools
    • Dependency awareness
    • Exploit-path reasoning
    • Privacy and access-control planning

  • Business Planning and Financial Modeling

    • Business Model Canvas
    • KPI builder
    • ROI framing
    • Excel
    • Cash-flow mapping
    • Financial projections
    View more tools
    • Stakeholder mapping
    • Pitch deck creation
    • Customer segmentation
    • Pricing model planning
    • Market sizing
    • ARR scenario planning
    • Budget planning
    • Resource allocation
    • Pilot-to-paid conversion logic
    • Commercialization roadmap
    • Mentor feedback loops

Certifications

Professional certificates.

Professional training across product, agile delivery, and AI leadership.

  • Aha! Product Management Professional CertificateAha! · February 2026
  • Atlassian Agile Project Management Professional CertificateAtlassian · February 2026
  • Generative AI for Leadersgener8tor · November 2025
  • AI for Organizational Leaders by Microsoft and LinkedInMicrosoft · November 2025
  • Build Your Generative AI Productivity Skills with Microsoft and LinkedInMicrosoft · November 2025
  • Career Essentials in Generative AI by Microsoft and LinkedInMicrosoft · October 2025

Education and honors

Education, honors, and communities.

  1. Graduated May 2026

    University of Wisconsin-Madison

    Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Information Science · Minor in Business

    • UW Founder Lab
    • UW Product Management
    • Product Management Club at UW–Madison
    • Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub membership

  2. Mar. 2020 to Dec. 2021

    Broward College

    Associate of Arts degree · GPA 3.71 · Magna cum laude

    • Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society International
    • Dean’s List · December 2020
    • Dean’s List · July 2021
    • Honor Roll · December 2021

Languages

  • SpanishNative proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
  • EnglishFull professional proficiency.

Contact

Let’s build what people need next.

Open to thoughtful conversations with founders, mentors, investors, and partners working on AI products, student success, housing intelligence, or venture growth.

Email Franco Visit Lyntra

francopastor@lyntra.net

LinkedIn GitHub Lyntra Resume Crunchbase