Gabo Esquivel - Sr. Web3 EngineerWeb3 Experience

Before Web3, I worked on products in traditional finance, where I saw firsthand how money moves—and how inefficient the system really is. The biggest opportunity wasn’t just improving interfaces; it was rethinking the entire foundation of value. That realization led me to blockchain, open protocols, and a new chapter focused on decentralization, transparency, and permissionless innovation.

AMEX & Mobile Neobank (Pre-2017)

My fintech journey started in 2010 at American Express, where I joined as a UI Engineer to help transition their credit card systems from DoJo to jQuery. In 2015, I became Lead Architect for Costa Rica’s first mobile neobank—a fully compliant platform designed to bring modern banking to mobile.

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 focused on the EOS ecosystem, drawn by its performance and developer ergonomics. At EOS Costa Rica, I helped launch the EOS Mainnet, managed infrastructure for EOSIO-based validators, and delivered custom blockchain solutions.

One key project was a private blockchain for Grant Thornton Labs, designed to streamline intercompany transactions and automate tax logic using a USD-pegged stablecoin. The system featured immutable audit trails via IPFS and public proof publication—an early example of enterprise-grade transparency on-chain.

I also help develop EOS Rate, a community-driven Block Producer rating tool that became widely adopted in the EOS ecosystem. Alongside product work, I led local outreach efforts through workshops, meetups, and advocacy.

Between 2019 and 2021, I worked on two Web3 consumer apps: at Emanate, I maintained the streaming platform and managed artist revenue distribution; at Sense Chat, I helped build a secure messaging app with integrated wallet and token incentives for community engagement.

DeFi: Bitcash Bank (2020)

In late 2020, I joined Bitcash Bank, a crypto-native banking experiment aimed at expanding financial access. I worked across the stack—building token dashboards, backend services, and a UI for managing balances and transactions. The product centered around a consumer-grade wallet with WebAuthN-based key management and smooth onboarding, designed for mainstream usability. I contributed to the development of a P2P system and overcollateralized crypto stablecoins for each country.

During this time, I also built ChainGraph, a high-performance blockchain indexer for EOS. It enabled fast, reliable transaction data queries, and strengthened my expertise in blockchain data structures, indexing, and real-time data pipelines.

Back to EVM: NFT Marketplaces (2021)

In 2021, as NFTs reached global mainstream—and trading volumes exploded—it marked the next critical phase of my EVM journey. I contributed to two marketplaces exploring the tokenization of real-world and gaming assets.

At RareMint, I helped build a platform for minting NFTs backed by physical collectibles. I led smart contract integration, metadata pipelines, and the marketplace UI, supporting the initial auctions on Polygon.

At ZTX, I delivered the Web3 interface for a gaming-centric NFT platform—focusing on wallet connectivity, minting workflows, and searchable asset discovery. The product emphasized speed, modular design, and creator-first economics.

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)

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, and 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.