Gabo Esquivel - Sr. Web3 EngineerWeb3 Experience

Before I found my way into Web3, I spent years building inside the walls of traditional finance. It gave me a front-row seat to how money moves—and how much potential was being left on the table. As I worked to modernize financial services, I realized the real opportunity wasn’t just better apps or smoother UX; it was rethinking the entire architecture of value itself. That insight led me to blockchain, open protocols, and eventually a new chapter in my career—one driven by decentralization, transparency, and permissionless innovation.

AMEX & Mobile Neobank (Pre-2017)

My journey in fintech began in 2010 when I joined American Express (AMEX) as a UI Engineer, helping migrate their credit card systems from DoJo to jQuery. In 2015, I was hired as Lead Architect to build Costa Rica’s first mobile neobank—a fully compliant platform created to modernize banking through mobile-first experiences. These years deepened my understanding of financial infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and the challenges of innovation inside traditional systems. The limits I encountered there pushed me to explore new models beyond conventional finance, setting the stage for my transition into blockchain technology.

Entering Web3: Knowledge ICO (2017)

In 2017, I took the leap into Web3 through the Knowledge.io ICO—one of the earliest attempts to tokenize human knowledge. I led full-stack development for a gamified Q&A platform, a token rewards dashboard, and a knowledge graph to surface expertise. It was my entry point into wallet-based authentication, token systems, and decentralized identity.

EOS Era (2018–2020)

From 2018 to 2020, I immersed myself in the EOS ecosystem, drawn by its performance and developer experience. At EOS Costa Rica, I participated in the EOS Mainnet launch, managed infrastructure for EOSIO-based validators, and delivered custom blockchain development services.

I architected a custom private blockchain for Grant Thornton Labs, enabling efficient intercompany transactions and automated tax logic using a USD-pegged stablecoin. The solution included immutable audit trails via IPFS and public proof publication. It was an early attempt at bridging enterprise processes with blockchain transparency.

During this time, I also developed EOS Rate, a community-driven rating tool for EOS Block Producers that became widely used in the ecosystem. I actively contributed to local blockchain adoption through workshops, meetups, and ecosystem evangelism.

Between 2019 and 2021, I worked on Emanate: A Web3-powered music platform, where I maintained the streaming service and artist revenue distribution backend, and Sense Chat: A secure messaging app with integrated wallet and token incentive mechanics for community engagement.

DeFi: Bitcash Bank (2020)

Later in 2020, I joined Bitcash Bank, a crypto-native banking experiment focused on expanding financial access. I worked across the stack—developing token dashboards, backend services, and a UI for managing balances and transactions. It was a real-world exploration of decentralized finance, grounded in practical product development. I helped build a consumer-grade EOS wallet with WebAuthN key management and smooth onboarding, aiming to make it usable for all users. Additionally, I contributed to the development of a P2P system and overcollateralized crypto stablecoins for each country using a simple single AMM, enhancing the platform's financial offerings.

I also built ChainGraph, a high-performance blockchain data indexer that enabled fast and reliable querying of EOS transaction data. This work deepened my understanding of blockchain data structures, indexing strategies, and real-time data streaming.

Back to EVM: NFT Marketplaces (2021)

In 2021, I returned to the EVM ecosystem, just before NFTs went mainstream. I worked on two marketplaces experimenting with tokenized assets.

At RareMint, I helped build a platform for minting NFTs backed by real-world collectibles. I led contract integration, metadata workflows, and the marketplace UI. Supported the initial auctions on Polygon.

At ZTX, I delivered the Web3 interface for a gaming-backed NFT platform—focusing on wallet connection, minting flows, and marketplace search. Speed, modularity, and creator-centric economics were key design principles.

Bitlauncher: Onchain AI Capital (2022)

In late 2022, I joined BitLauncher, a decentralized launch platform for AI startups raising capital through batch token auctions. The protocol is a fork of the widely-used Gnosis Auction contracts, adapted for fair price discovery through sealed-bid batch auctions.

I led development of the frontend and wallet flows, integrating bidding mechanisms, auction status tracking, and real-time updates into a seamless user experience. My work ensured that participants could interact with the platform securely and transparently.

Derivatives: Opyn Options (2023)

In parallel to BitLauncher, I worked closely with the Opyn team to help set up their testnet private beta frontend, integrating the protocol into early-stage interfaces and configuring the environment for internal user testing.

Beyond integration, I contributed to custom frontend components and UI/UX prototypes for trading interfaces, vault positions, margin mechanics, and option flows. I also experimented with AI assistant to support user onboarding.

This period deepened my understanding of financial primitives onchain—especially around composability, capital efficiency, and risk-managed exposure.

Projects

Opyn

Opyn is a decentralized options protocol on Arbitrum. I implemented their initial trading interface and data indexing setup for Arbitrum Testnet using Next.js, Ponder, and viem/wagmi.

BasilicEVM

BasilicEVM is a performance-optimized development stack for EVM applications. Built with Foundry, viem/wagmi, and Next.js 15, it features AI-powered development workflows, specialized cursor rules, and streamlined UI generation. The stack includes smart contracts, chain integration, frontend components, and data layer with Ponder indexing.

bitlauncher

BitLauncher is an AI and crypto launchpad platform that provides early access to promising AI unicorn startups through token sales and auctions. It features a batch auction system for token sales, ensuring fair and transparent price discovery. Participants bid during a fixed period, and tokens are distributed at a uniform price, eliminating manipulation and ensuring equal opportunities for all investors.

ZTX

ZTX, a web3 metaverse platform, enables creators to build, play, and earn. Supported by Jump Crypto and ZEPETO, it integrates blockchain for NFT trading. As a software consultant in the early stages of ZTX, I was responsible for developing the react app to host the metaverse and the WebGL/EVM wallet integration.

RareMint

RareMint digitizes real-world sports collectibles as NFTs, offering a digital collectible experience. I led technical efforts at RareMint to enhance the NFT marketplace's performance and maintainability. Additionally, I supported integrating the platform with the Polygon network for auctions.

bitcashBank

Bitcash allows users to buy, trade, deposit, and earn on cryptocurrencies, with a focus on exchanging funds for local currency stablecoins or bitUSD. The platform also features BitcashDAO for community-based decision-making. At Bitcash, my role from the start focused on infrastructure design, tech recruitment, and developer training. I later transitioned to a consulting role to guide the platform's continuous adaptation and success.

Emanate

Emanate is a Web3-powered network marketplace for the music industry, streamlining music creation, distribution, and monetization. At Emanate, I maintained the ReactJS web app streaming platform and the back office for artist revenue distribution.

Make Sense Labs

Sense.chat, developed by Sense, a blockchain and DeFi company, is a secure chat and transaction app focusing on user data privacy. My role at Sense involved enhancing the React Native app's performance and integrating it with the EOS mainnet for token functionality.

ChainGraph

This real-time GraphQL toolkit is designed for EOSIO/Antelope blockchain applications, offering features like data subscriptions and querying multiple blockchains. As a personal side project during my time at Bitcash, I was responsible for the architectural design, technology selection, and coding of the toolkit, including a real-time blockchain data streaming package.

EOS Costa Rica

EOS Costa Rica provides infrastructure for EOSIO blockchains and custom smart contract development. Joining EOS Costa Rica at its inception, I played a key role in the EOS mainnet launch, managed validators for multiple networks, and helped establish the custom development services division. My major contribution included leading the architecture for a custom private blockchain for Grant Thornton.

EOS Rate

EOS Rate is a community-driven tool for rating EOS Block Producers, featuring a radial graph and community input stored on the blockchain. In this project, I was responsible for the technical architecture and selecting the appropriate technology.

Fantasy Top Shots

The mobile app game based on NBA Top Shot NFTs was developed for the 2022 Flow Hackathon. It leverages the popularity of NBA Top Shot NFTs to create an engaging gaming experience. My contribution to this project was in the game's design and development, utilizing my skills in blockchain technology and mobile app development.

Substrate Contracts UI

Substrate Contracts UI is a web application for deploying and interacting with WASM smart contracts on Substrate blockchains. I contributed to the project by enhancing code quality through multiple open-source contributions and gained experience in building dApps with Substrate.

Wizard World

A progressive web app connects to OpenAI's LLM models to generate AI images and mint them on the Flow blockchain. This app integrates AI with blockchain technology. My role involved the app's development, focusing on integrating OpenAI's models for image generation and ensuring smooth functionality with the Flow blockchain.

dBoard

dBoard is a DAO decision-making and community management tool. It allows stakeholders to strategize, debate, and vote on actions for organizational efficiency. In this project, my contributions included overseeing the technical architecture and the smart contract development and integration on the webapp.

Knowledge.io

Knowledge is a platform that rewards users for sharing information, recognized through a token system. My role at Knowledge included leading the architecture of the token and supporting systems for a successful ICO, and forming a skilled development team.