Rick Benavidez

LEANSTACK

Co-Founder

• — Joined Ash Maurya (best-selling author of Running Lean) to transform existing entrepreneurship education app into a comprehensive "accelerator-in-a-box" platform, adding cohort management, founder portfolio tracking, and structured learning paths that guide entrepreneurs from concept validation through product-market fit.
• — Built AI coaching agent to support business idea development and model validation. Designed chat-based UX for complex multi-step workflows. Implemented evaluation, observability, and testing strategies; optimized token usage/costs, and integrated customer feedback.
• — Own all technical architecture, infrastructure, and design/UX decisions, building Ruby on Rails backend with advanced JavaScript front-end to deliver intuitive experiment tracking and customer discovery workflows.
• — Coach dozens of startup founders and enterprise innovation teams through structured framework sessions, bridging technical product decisions with customer development methodology.

PhishMe (Cofense)

Software Engineering Manager

• — Managed a team of 8+ engineers across multiple scrum teams in cybersecurity SaaS environment, maintaining accountability for software delivery and sprint velocity.
• — Guided team through 3 major architecture transitions while maintaining zero-downtime deployments and backward compatibility for enterprise customers.
• — Built remote-first team culture supporting career growth through structured coaching, goal-setting, and technical mentorship across multiple time zones.

Student Loan Genius

CTO

• — Built engineering organization from the ground up: hired and supported a 6-person team, established coding standards, implemented full software development workflow and CI/CD pipelines.
• — Achieved ISO 27001 certification and implemented ISMS, enabling enterprise sales and unlocking partnerships with Fortune 500 companies.
• — Represented company in technical due diligence, customer security reviews, and RFP responses, directly contributing to close of key enterprise deals.

Communication Service For The Deaf

Director of Software Development

promoted from Sr. Software Engineer → Manager

• — Led development of first-of-its-kind national online marketplace connecting deaf and hard-of-hearing community to sign language interpreters, managing product evolution from private beta through public launch.
• — Managed and grew team from 3 to 12 engineers, establishing sustainable development practices in HIPAA-regulated environment.
• — Drove technical decisions on WebRTC implementation for video interpreting, handling real-time communication challenges across variable network conditions.

ActiveProspect

Sr. Web Developer

• — Contributed to bootstrapped B2B SaaS platform serving lead generation space, supporting growth from startup through established business with 200+ enterprise customers.
• — Led development of 3 products from initial concept to production: a lead validation API, consent management system, and analytics dashboard.
• — Patent #11610182 for work on an electronic lead verification system.

Early Career

Web Developer & Systems Integration Specialist

• — Web engineering and systems integration roles at Strategic Forecasting (geopolitical intelligence), Mindshare Interactive (non-profit digital agency), EdgeCloud (consulting), and early-stage startups. Experience includes Python, PHP, Perl, MySQL, Drupal, and WordPress development.