Mobile Developer
Khaled joined CatchSmart as a junior mobile developer in his first professional role outside Egypt, rapidly establishing himself as the company's sole iOS developer. Over 14 months, he delivered four major production applications spanning e-commerce, augmented reality, indoor positioning, and factory quality management. His ability to rapidly acquire new skills and deliver business impact earned him a rare progression from junior developer to direct CEO report, bypassing traditional hierarchy entirely.
Why I Joined
First professional European position after leaving Egypt, offering opportunity to establish iOS expertise in a new market with significant technical challenges
- •Architected and developed the entire iOS codebase for four production applications, establishing coding standards and patterns as the sole mobile developer
- •Pioneered augmented reality development in Latvia by implementing the country's first ARKit application for marketing campaigns
- •Designed and implemented offline-first architecture using Core Data to enable seamless user experience in areas with limited connectivity
- •Integrated payment processing systems using Stripe SDK, enabling secure transactions for the CatchPay marketplace platform
- •Collaborated with hardware engineers on IoT solutions, implementing Bluetooth Low Energy and WiFi positioning for industrial indoor localization
- •Participated in executive-level discussions and business trips, translating technical capabilities into strategic opportunities for the parent company
- •Developed cross-platform solutions using React Native with custom native modules to extend reach beyond iOS
- ✓Delivered CatchPay marketplace platform that launched to 20 shops and 500 users in its first week, demonstrating strong product-market fit before successful acquisition by another company
- ✓Implemented Latvia's first ARKit application for marketing campaigns, establishing the company as a pioneer in augmented reality and securing future AR project opportunities
- ✓Engineered indoor localization system combining WiFi, Bluetooth Low Energy, and Ultra-Wideband technologies that solved a multi-million Euro positioning problem for PATA Group's manufacturing facilities
- ✓Built CatchSmart Quality application using React Native with custom Swift and Kotlin native modules, deployed to production in PATA factories for quality tracking
- ✓Progressed from junior developer to direct CEO report within 14 months, bypassing traditional hierarchy through consistent delivery and innovation
Technology Stack
Situation
CatchSmart, a technology subsidiary of major timber manufacturer PATA Group, needed to rapidly expand its digital product portfolio but lacked dedicated iOS expertise. The company had ambitious goals spanning e-commerce, augmented reality, and industrial IoT, all requiring native mobile development capabilities.
Task
Khaled was hired as a junior mobile developer with the mission to build out the company's iOS presence from scratch, delivering multiple production applications while learning emerging technologies like ARKit that were brand new to the Latvian market.
Action
Rather than waiting for guidance, Khaled took ownership of the entire iOS development lifecycle across four major projects simultaneously. He implemented Latvia's first ARKit application by self-teaching the framework just months after Apple's release. For the CatchPay marketplace, he architected an offline-first system using Core Data that enabled seamless shopping even in areas with poor connectivity. When the indoor localization challenge arose, he collaborated directly with hardware engineers to integrate Bluetooth Low Energy and WiFi positioning signals into a unified mobile solution. His proactive communication and consistent delivery earned invitations to executive meetings and business trips with the CEO.
Result
Delivered four production applications in 14 months: CatchPay marketplace (20 shops, 500 users week one, subsequently acquired), AR Marketing App (Latvia's first ARKit implementation), Indoor Localization system (solved multi-million Euro positioning problem for PATA factories, later adopted by Rolls-Royce Finland), and CatchSmart Quality (React Native factory quality tracking). Progressed from junior developer to direct CEO report, establishing a foundation for all future iOS career development.
Size: 8 people
Structure: Small cross-functional development team within innovation subsidiary
Reported to: CEO (Madara)
0Skills Gained
Skills Deepened
- 💡iOS application lifecycle and memory management fundamentals that became foundation for all future mobile work
- 💡Grand Central Dispatch threading and concurrency patterns for responsive user interfaces
- 💡Offline-first architecture design using Core Data for reliable data synchronization
- 💡AR development fundamentals including image tracking, plane detection, and 3D model placement
- 💡IoT and hardware integration bridging software with physical sensors and devices
- 💡Working directly with C-level executives and translating technical capabilities into business opportunities