Jesse Kauppi
Backend-focused software developer and systems architect with 15 years of coding experience and 10 years of
consulting experience.
Specialising in Python, PostgreSQL, authentication systems, cloud infrastructure, and business-critical web
applications.
Former co-founder of a software consultancy that grew to 12 employees and €1M+ annual revenue.
I'm a backend-focused software developer and systems architect with 15 years of coding experience and 10 years of professional consulting experience. Most of my work has been in Python, PostgreSQL, authentication systems, cloud infrastructure, and business-critical web applications.
Outside of client work, I spend a lot of time building things simply because I find them interesting. I've built large home automation and energy optimization system, self-hosted infrastructure, SaaS product, monitoring platforms, and various electronics projects using ESP32 and Arduino devices. I enjoy understanding how systems work end-to-end, from hardware and networking to databases and application code.
I was an early adopter of AI-assisted development and use tools like Cursor, Claude Code, and ChatGPT extensively in my daily work. For me they're practical engineering tools that help move faster, automate repetitive work, explore solutions and learn, not just code generators.
Started software development independently in 2011 as a self-taught mobile developer, publishing mobile applications with over 130,000 downloads. Transitioned into professional consulting in 2016 and later founded a software consultancy and product business, leading multiple projects ranging from enterprise systems to SaaS platforms and authentication infrastructures.Python, Django, DRF, Flask. Building robust APIs, microservices, and data pipelines.
OIDC, OAuth2, JWT, Keycloak. Designing and implementing secure identity flows and authentication systems.
Vue.js, Vuetify, JavaScript, CSS. Building clean, responsive user interfaces.
PostgreSQL, Redis. Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD, Linux administration, monitoring and observability.
Authentication and authorization specialist responsible for implementing and integrating Keycloak across different environments. Configured Microsoft Entra ID as an external identity provider, integrated multiple frontend applications and backend services with OAuth2, OIDC, and JWT based authentication, and contributed to RBAC and ABAC style authorization models. Also worked on custom Keycloak extensions and application level permission architecture.
Designing and developing a modern time-tracking, billing, and resource planning SaaS. Built multi-tenant architecture, role-based access, secure identity flows (OIDC, Google login, invitation workflows).
Led development of an internal procurement platform for an online retailer. Full lifecycle ownership: requirements, architecture, delivery, stakeholder coordination. Heavy focus on data migration strategy.
Technical lead for a team of five building the first customer-ready version of an international Telecom SaaS solution. Ownership over architecture, MVP delivery.
Led a four-person team delivering an OIDC authentication service for a public-sector organisation. Owned system architecture, implementation, and customer collaboration.
Planned and implemented automated campaign reporting and internal analytics dashboards. Built reporting pipelines in Python + MySQL with Plotly and Elastic Stack interfaces.
Backend developer in a 20-person team building services for a major Finnish enterprise (>500k users). Implemented OIDC authentication integration, configured Keycloak, delivered backend features with ElasticSearch.
Part of a 25-person Scrum team developing a cloud-hosted ERP system. Implemented business logic, APIs, and integrations.
Co-founded a software consulting company that grew to 12 employees and exceeded €1M annual revenue. Worked as a hands-on software developer and technical consultant in customer projects. Led technology decisions, software architecture, development practices, and infrastructure choices across projects. Exited the company in 2025 and continued operating as an independent software consultant and with personal projects.
Started professional consulting career working on a variety of smaller projects across different industries and tech stacks.
Studied Computer Science and Engineering Physics and Mathematics. Built side projects alongside studies.
Developed Android apps in my free time while in high school. Combined 100k+ downloads on Google Play Store.
Began programming in high school. Started with Java class and then quickly started to build Android apps in my free time.
I'm always interested in hearing about new opportunities and interesting projects.