# Judson Dunne

> Full-stack, iOS and Android software engineer and founder. Built and shipped Locava — a location-based social platform with native iOS, Android and web clients — end to end, to 10,000+ organic users, raised a pre-seed round on it, and led a team of eight. Founded Misty Mountain Forge, a working blacksmith shop, at fourteen. Computer science at Lafayette College, class of 2027.

Disambiguation: this is the Judson Dunne who founded Locava and studies computer science at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. He is from Hartland, Vermont.

- Site: https://judsondunne.com
- Email: judson.dunne@gmail.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judson-dunne-0bab8b273/
- GitHub: https://github.com/judsondunne
- Locava on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/locava/id6738789701
- Misty Mountain Forge: https://www.mistymountainforge.co/

## Currently

Looking for full-stack software engineering roles, founding-engineer seats, and mobile (iOS/Android) engineering work — small teams that ship.

## Pages

- [Home](https://judsondunne.com): overview, featured work, stack, awards, FAQ.
- [Résumé](https://judsondunne.com/resume): experience, education, awards, full stack.
- [Work](https://judsondunne.com/work): every project, each with an engineering breakdown.
- [About](https://judsondunne.com/about): the long version — Vermont, the forge, racing, mountains.
- [Press](https://judsondunne.com/press): third-party coverage, with links to the originals.

## Work

### Locava — iOS & Android social platform

Locava helps you discover and share the coolest spots around you, from hidden swimming holes to scenic overlooks. Join thousands exploring amazing places.

- Year: From 2023
- Role: Founder & CEO
- Scope: Product, full-stack, mobile, infra
- Team: 8: 2 engineers, 6 interns
- Stack: TypeScript, React Native, Expo Router, Fastify, Next.js, Zod, Firestore, Redis, Google Cloud Run, Cloud Tasks, BigQuery, Mapbox, ML Kit, sharp, OpenTelemetry
- Breakdown: https://judsondunne.com/work/locava
- Live: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/locava/id6738789701

### RidgeSync — iOS, watch & web trip planner

An all-in-one backpacking trip planner. Use RidgeSync to plan mileage and elevation, camping sites and water sources, and much more.

- Year: Side project
- Role: Founder & developer
- Scope: Kernel, web, iOS, Watch, data pipeline
- Platform: iOS + watchOS + web
- Stack: TypeScript, React 19, Vite, Expo, Expo Router, watchOS, Supabase, PostgreSQL, Mapbox GL, Valhalla, Turf.js, PMTiles, TanStack Query, Tailwind, RevenueCat, PostHog
- Breakdown: https://judsondunne.com/work/ridgesync
- Live: https://www.ridgesync.app/

### SpaceOna — live IoT availability dashboard

Head of UI for eighteen months, turning IoT sensor data into a live answer about physical spaces.

- Year: Oct 2023 to Apr 2025
- Role: Head of User Interface
- Scope: Front-end architecture, UI/UX
- Where: Philadelphia, PA · remote
- Stack: React, Tailwind, UI/UX, Design systems
- Breakdown: https://judsondunne.com/work/spaceona
- Live: https://spaceona.com/

### Insight Lab — AI/ML on U.S. Census data

Lead PM on a cross-disciplinary team turning U.S. Census data into policy recommendations.

- Year: Spring 2025
- Role: Lead Product Manager
- Scope: Scope, timeline, cross-functional delivery
- Where: Easton, PA
- Stack: Azure ML, GenAI, Python, Product management
- Breakdown: https://judsondunne.com/work/insight-lab

### Misty Mountain Forge — blacksmith shop at 14

The blacksmith shop I built at fourteen and ran for three years, on the Ottauquechee River.

- Year: Apr 2020 to Jun 2023
- Role: Founder · Blacksmith & Head of Marketing/Sales
- Scope: Production, team, storefront
- Where: Hartland, VT
- Stack: Wrought iron, Production, Marketing & sales, Teaching
- Breakdown: https://judsondunne.com/work/misty-mountain-forge
- Live: https://www.mistymountainforge.co/

### throttlekit — TypeScript rate limiting

A rate-limiting library with three algorithms behind one API, and tests for the cases that bite.

- Year: 2026
- Role: Creator
- Scope: Library, tests, CI
- Platform: npm
- Stack: TypeScript, Jest, GitHub Actions
- Breakdown: https://judsondunne.com/work/throttlekit
- Live: https://github.com/judsondunne

## Awards

- 2025 — Pre-seed round raised, Locava. Hired and led a team of eight: two full-time engineers and six interns.
- 2025 — 1st place, Big Idea Pitch Competition, Dyer Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Lafayette College. $1,500 prize for Locava, with Will Gottfried ’27 and Ethan Melgar ’27.
- 2024 — 1st place, Lehigh Valley Hackathon, Lehigh Valley, PA. 24 hours, built and shipped on the theme of helping the local community.
- 2023 — Best Visual Design, Rivalry Hackathon, Lafayette College × Lehigh University ACM. With Jack Marich ’27 and Kevin Nusom ’27.

## Press (third-party sources)

- The Lafayette, April 18, 2025: [New student-made app to highlight local spots](https://lafayettestudentnews.com/179789/news/new-student-made-app-to-highlight-local-spots/)
  > Locava CEO Judson Dunne ’27 began working on the app last academic year.
- Lafayette — the alumni magazine, 2025: [App alert](https://magazine.lafayette.edu/app-alert/)
  > Dunne collaborated with fellow students to build a location-based social platform for finding restaurants, swimming spots, and travel recommendations.
- Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, April 10, 2025: [Innovation Showcased at Lehigh Valley Pitch Competitions](https://www.lehighvalley.org/news/entrepreneurship/innovation-showcased-at-lehigh-valley-pitch-competitions/)
  > Locava, by Judson Dunne, Will Gottfried, and Ethan Melgar, won first place and a $1,500 cash prize for their travel-centric social media app.
- Dyer Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Lafayette College, April 2025: [Big Idea Pitch Competition — 2025 winners](https://dyer.lafayette.edu/take-action/big-idea-pitch-competition/)
  > Locava, by Judson Dunne ’27, Will Gottfried ’27, and Ethan Melgar ’27, won for their social media platform idea that allows users to find new places, share genuine experiences, and explore live never before.
- Lafayette College ACM chapter, 2024: [Rivalry Hackathon](https://sites.lafayette.edu/acm/2024/05/15/rivalry-hackathon/)
  > Best Visual Design — Judson Dunne ’27, Jack Marich ’27, Kevin Nusom ’27.
- Apple, Listed since 2024: [Locava on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/locava/id6738789701)
  > Unlike traditional travel sites, Locava features real posts from real people, your friends and community, not tour guides.

## FAQ

### What do you actually build?

Whole products, not one layer of one. On Locava that meant the Node backend behind a GraphQL and REST API, both native mobile clients, the Firestore data layer with vector search, the Google Cloud infrastructure, the CI pipeline and the design system. I’m most useful where nobody has drawn the boundaries yet.

### What kind of role are you after?

Full-stack engineering, or anything where the job is to take a product from nothing to something real people use. I’ve done that twice now and it’s the part I want more of — startups, founding-engineer seats, small teams that ship. I always answer other founders.

### Do you lead teams, or just write the code?

Both, and the second one took more learning. At Locava that was eight people — two full-time engineers and six interns — which meant scope, sprint planning, code review, and writing decisions down instead of keeping them in my head.

### How do you like to work?

Small scope, short loops, real users early, telemetry from day one. Locava had logging and crash tracking before it had a launch date, and that’s the only reason I could debug production and ship features in the same week.

### What’s the blacksmithing about?

Misty Mountain Forge — a real shop on the Ottauquechee River that I built at fourteen and ran as a business for three years. It’s on here because it’s the first thing I made that strangers paid me for.

### What are you doing when you’re not working?

Training, mostly. Swim, bike, run, and a lot of Vermont dirt roads. In winter it’s summits in the Whites with crampons and an axe.

## Optional

- [Full text of the site](https://judsondunne.com/llms-full.txt)
- [Sitemap](https://judsondunne.com/sitemap.xml)