About
Surafel Sentayehu
I grew up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — where I discovered programming through a desktop computer as a child. That curiosity led me to graduate from Addis Ababa University with a 3.96 GPA in Computer Science, train intensively at Africa to Silicon Valley (A2SV — backed by Google), and earn recognition from a Google Staff Engineer as a "fantastic engineer and true full-stack contributor."
Today I build AI-powered products at Manifest Automation, where I've helped grow a website to 45K visitors and 1.3M+ impressions in three months. I'm also pursuing my M.Sc. in Artificial Intelligence.
Outside of code, I play the Begena — a traditional Ethiopian 10-string lyre. It keeps me grounded. I build side projects with my twin brother and love video games.
Degree
B.Sc. Computer Science, 3.96 GPA
Currently
M.Sc. Artificial Intelligence
Training
A2SV — Google-backed
Outside work
Begena · Gaming · Twin brother
Experience
Jan 2024 — Present
Manifest Automation
Full Stack Engineer · Sunnyvale, CA (Remote)
- Built a full-stack SaaS console (React + Django) powering AI chatbot services for cities and churches.
- Improved user satisfaction 30% via multilingual support, data filtering, and a custom chatbot builder.
- Built an SEO-optimized website with Wagtail CMS + React — reached 45K visitors and 1.3M impressions in 3 months.
- CrossTalk mobile app: new onboarding flow boosted completion to 54.8% and install-to-trial from 1% → 3.22%.
Sep 2023 — Sep 2024
AppDiv System Development
Full Stack Developer · Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Built the frontend for a smart fleet management system (1,000+ government vehicles) using React.js + Material UI.
- Integrated WebSockets for real-time GPS tracking — handling 500K+ data points/day, 20% faster incident response.
- Designed fuel consumption algorithms on the backend (Jakarta EE), improving accuracy by 30%.
Aug 2023 — Oct 2023
Africa to Silicon Valley (A2SV)
Web Developer Intern · Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Led 60% of the frontend for A2SV's website clone using Next.js, React, TailwindCSS, and TypeScript.
- Completed intensive training in Data Structures, Algorithms, and interview preparation — backed by Google.
Oct 2021 — Oct 2022
4k Labs
ML Engineer & Software Developer · Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Built AI and robotics projects using Python and C++, including computer vision and machine learning systems.
Projects
Things I've shipped.
All projectsMegaAI Assessment
Real-time face detection video streaming system. 15fps webcam streaming with 3–8ms inference using MediaPipe BlazeFace. No OpenCV.
Daily Begena
Mobile practice coach for the Ethiopian Begena (10-string lyre). AI-powered feedback via signal processing — MFCC, onset detection. Built with React Native + custom C/C++ modules.
Hospital Disinfection Robot
Autonomous ROS2 robot for hospital room disinfection using UV-C light. Navigation, path planning, and simulated cleaning in Gazebo.
Banking Chatbot
AI-powered conversational banking system with natural language understanding, intent detection, and context-aware responses.
Koke Coffee
A beautifully crafted coffee-themed web application. Deployed and live on Vercel.
Skills
Achievements
Google Recognition
2024Recognized by a Staff Engineer at Google as a "fantastic engineer and true full-stack contributor."
NASA Space Apps Challenge
2022Local 3rd Place — global hackathon using NASA open data to tackle real-world challenges.
A2SV Alumni
2023Completed Africa to Silicon Valley's intensive DSA program. Backed by Google. 50+ alumni at Google, Palantir, Bloomberg.
LeetCode Annual Badge
2023Earned annual LeetCode badge for consistent problem-solving and competitive programming.
Scrum Fundamentals Certified
2023SFC certification — proficient in Agile Scrum methodology and iterative software development.
OBSS Codemaster
2023Certificate of participation in CodeMaster — a coding competition for sharp, passionate engineers.
Endorsements
I had the pleasure of working with Surafel for just under a year at Manifest Automation, and I would absolutely work with him again without hesitation.
Surafel is a fantastic engineer and a true full-stack contributor. He consistently demonstrated a strong ability to tackle a wide range of technical problems, from backend systems to frontend work, and did so with reliability and care. What really stood out to me was his curiosity and drive to learn — he was always exploring new technologies and patterns and proactively sharing those learnings with the rest of the team.
He's extremely hardworking, dependable, and brings a great attitude to collaborative problem-solving. Any team would be lucky to have Surafel, and I'm confident he'll continue to do excellent work wherever he goes.
Ian Talarico
Tech Lead @ Google
Manifest Automation · same team · Feb 2026
"I had the pleasure of working with Surafel at Manifest Automation on several projects, where he consistently demonstrated not only strong technical skills, but also great initiative and professionalism. I would gladly work with Surafel again."
Manifest Automation · different teams · Feb 2026
"I had the pleasure of working alongside Surafel at Manifest Automation, and I was consistently impressed by his ability to take full ownership of complex projects. He didn't just write code — he drove results. He has a rare talent for balancing robust backend architecture in Django with a seamless user experience. Surafel is the kind of engineer who bridges the gap between technical execution and business goals. I highly recommend him to any team looking for a proactive and skilled developer."
Manifest Automation · different teams · Feb 2026
Contact
Let's work together.
Open to remote roles, freelance projects, and interesting collaborations. Drop a message and I'll get back to you.