Technical Founder · CMU MIIPS Enrolled Fall 2026 · Available for Select Engagements

Wole Idowu

CMU ECE alum, co-founder & CTO of Toyz Electronics, and completed Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute Pathways Fellow (2025–2026). Enrolled in CMU's MIIPS program, Fall 2026. I build production-grade cross-platform systems — Unity, AR/VR, AI, full-stack — and I've been doing it since I was 15.

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12+
Years building production systems
10
Platforms DahVarsity ships on
40+
Intern developers led per cohort
10+
Years STEAM education & community

About

I build things that actually ship — at scale, across platforms, with teams.

I started college at 15, graduated CMU with a degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering at 20, and have been building production systems since before I graduated. DahVarsity — our AI-powered workforce training platform — runs on iOS, Android, Xbox, Windows, macOS, WebGL, Apple TV, Chromebook, Meta Quest, and UEFN/Fortnite. 10 platforms. A decade of decisions made under real constraints.

I've led multiple intern cohorts of 40+ developers from UVA, UChicago, Howard, and CMU. I've raised capital from Innovation Works and the Richard King Mellon Foundation. I've been featured in national press for my work building technology and community for underserved students.

When I take on contract work, I bring the judgment of a founder — not just the execution of a developer. Available for fixed-price project engagements, hourly contracts, and speaking engagements at schools, universities, and corporate events.

3
CMU Swartz Innovation Scholars mentored
10+
Years mentoring students into elite institutions
CMU, USC
Student placements
Consulting & speaking available for technical founders, university students, and teams hiring at the intersection of engineering, AI, and product. Also available for fixed-price project work — Unity, XR, AI integration, full-stack. Three consecutive students I've mentored became CMU Swartz Center Innovation Scholars.

What I Build

Seven disciplines, one builder.

01

Cross-Platform Development

Production Unity builds across 10 platforms: iOS, Android, Xbox, Windows, macOS, WebGL, Apple TV, Chromebook, Meta Quest (Alpha Track), and UEFN/Fortnite (Fortnite Creator, live). Platform-specific optimization, store submission, and runtime differences handled.

UnityC#WebGLXboxiOSAndroid
02

AR / VR / XR & 3D

Extended reality experiences across headsets and mobile. Digital twin creation, 3D asset integration, spatial UI, and interactive simulation environments.

AR/VRDigital Twins3D DesignUEFNPlayFab
03

AI Integration & Models

Deployed AI models for personalized learning, mentor matching, skill assessment, and recommendations — inside live, production game environments.

AI/MLPersonalizationRecommendationAssessment
04

Full-Stack Engineering

Front-end and back-end development for customer-facing production systems. Four years building commercial software at Capital One in the Fortune 500 space.

ReactNodeAzureAWSREST APIs
05

Curriculum & Education Tech

10+ years designing and delivering STEAM curriculum for K–college. Co-developed curriculum with CMU's METALS program, deployed at scale across Pittsburgh and DC.

Curriculum DesignEdTechSTEAMWorkforce Dev
06

Technical Leadership

Engineering team management, intern cohort leadership (40+ devs), technical hiring assessment, and product architecture decisions as CTO of a funded CMU startup.

CTOTeam BuildingArchitectureFundraising
07

Hardware & Embedded Systems

ECE foundation in circuit design, electromagnetics, and embedded computing. Built physical hardware including wearable devices, fall-detection systems, dynamic microphones, and smartwatch prototypes — from breadboard to production.

ArduinoCircuit DesignSolderingSensorsWearablesRaspberry Pi

Select Work

Shipped, sponsored, and in production.

Digital twin of Sherri McCleary, 'Aluminum Woman,' inside DahVarsity
Digital twin: Sherri McCleary, Director of the Digital Foundry at Penn State New Kensington
Toyz Electronics · 2014–Present

DahVarsity — AI-Powered Workforce Platform

Cross-platform metaverse shipping on 10 platforms (iOS, Android, Xbox, Windows, macOS, WebGL, Apple TV, Chromebook, Meta Quest, UEFN/Fortnite). AI models for skill assessment, mentor matching, and personalized learning paths. Built for Gen Z workforce readiness in robotics, manufacturing, and automation. Industry professionals appear in-game as "superheroes" — like digital twin Sherri McCleary, CMU Engineering alum — to inspire students with their stories.

dahvarsityai.com Watch demos ↓
PPG Paints interactive car showroom in DahVarsity
In-game showroom: car model, video, and floor content change per brand selection
PPG Paints · Sponsored Integration

Interactive Brand Experience in DahVarsity

Built a fully dynamic in-game branded experience where car model, company video, and floor-level content update based on user selection. Real-time color customization powered by PPG sponsorship.

▶ Showroom demo
AI Agents demo in Hyundai factory simulation
Hyundai · Demo Integration

AI Agents in Factory Simulation

Deployed AI agent demo inside DahVarsity simulating a Hyundai factory floor. Showcased autonomous learning pathways and skill assessment in an advanced manufacturing context.

DahVarsity racer running inside Fortnite via UEFN
DahVarsity assets live inside the Fortnite ecosystem
Epic Games Ecosystem · UEFN

DahVarsity Ported to Fortnite

Ported a version of DahVarsity to Fortnite using UEFN, collaborating with another developer. Built systems where weather and music respond to engaging with in-game "obstacles" and "villains," and integrated our original assets into the UEFN ecosystem — published on the platform's Creator program.

DahVarsity in-game music library with DLC soundtracks
Music studio DLC — live on iOS, macOS, Android, Chrome, and Windows
Toyz Electronics · Monetization & UGC

In-Game Music Studio, IAP & User-Generated Content

Built DLC soundtrack delivery into DahVarsity's music studio, where users record stories and customize their own soundtracks — using PlayFab In-App Purchases and User Generated Content. The same UGC pipeline powered ToyzHacks hackathons, where students built custom avatars and DLC contributing to a larger project, transforming our tooling toward Microsoft titles like Minecraft to help students build interactive portfolios.

ToyzHacks GitHub repo
Capital One · 2018–2022

Production Commercial Banking Software

Front-end and back-end engineering for customer-facing commercial banking systems. Fortune 500 clients. Production-grade, high-stakes UX at scale across the Commercial Tech division.

CMU METALS · NSF iCorps · 2020

Workforce Development Curriculum

Co-developed STEAM workforce curriculum with CMU's METALS program following NSF I-Corps customer discovery. Deployed at the SAMS Pre-College program at Carnegie Mellon and across Pittsburgh and DC community partners — students built and shipped their own work from our instruction.

Curriculum & courses ▶ Student demo reel
EA Sports · Electronic Arts · 2015

Madden NFL — VR Experience

Built a virtual reality experience for Madden NFL in collaboration with a senior developer — putting players inside the game through early VR. Presented directly to senior executives and stakeholders across multiple EA studios. Reported to the GM of Madden NFL. One of the earliest VR prototypes built on the Madden franchise, a decade before XR became mainstream.

CMU Robotics Institute Pathways Fellowship · 2025–2026

Engineering Education Simulation System

Built a proprietary methodology to transform complex technical concepts into playable, engaging, assessment-ready simulations. Delivered a production DC circuits simulation with multiple difficulty tiers, behavioral telemetry, and alignment to industry certification pathways. Tested with CMU students across engineering, CS, and business. Methodology now integrated into DahVarsity AI's curriculum framework.

Fellowship announcement

Video Demos

Don't take my word for it — watch it run.

Feature demos I built and shipped as CTO, captured from live builds of DahVarsity across platforms. Click any video to play it right here.

AI Agents demo in Hyundai Factory

AI Agents — DahVarsity AI v5 in Hyundai Factory

Autonomous AI agents inside an advanced-manufacturing simulation.

DahVarsity v6.0 AI model demo

v6.0 — AI Model for Personalized STEAM Learning

Interests + earned points drive recommended resources near the student's location.

DahVarsity v6 personalized AI demo

v6 — AI Adapts to Player Interest

Personalized model surfaces superhero bases & jobs matched to each player.

DahVarsity v7.9 registration demo

v7.9 — College Student Registration & Talent Profiles

New profile creation flow for the talent feature.

DahVarsity Racer PPG showroom demo

DahVarsity Racer — PPG Paints Showroom

Enter the showroom and pick car colors, sponsored by PPG Paints.

DahVarsity walkthrough Hyundai experience

Walkthrough — Become a STEAM Superhero (Hyundai Experience)

Full profile-creation walkthrough through the Hyundai experience.

Sherri McCleary Aluminum Woman in DahVarsity

Digital Twin — Sherri McCleary, "Aluminum Woman"

Director of the Digital Foundry at Penn State New Kensington, in-game as a superhero.

DahVarsity student demos playlist

Student Demos — SAMS Pre-College @ CMU

What students produced from our curriculum, co-developed with CMU METALS.

Full student demo playlist → ToyzHacks 2025 GitHub repo → Teaching curriculum → DahVarsity platform →

Press & Recognition

The work gets noticed.

TEQ Magazine cover: 'Dynamic Duo! Toyz Electronics Gamifies STEAM Education'
TEQ Magazine · Pittsburgh Technology Council · 2024

"Dynamic Duo!" — Cover Story

Featured on the cover of the Pittsburgh Technology Council's TEQ Magazine with my co-founder, for our work empowering Gen Z for the future of work.

Read the cover story →
CBS News Pittsburgh segment on ToyzSTEAM
CBS News Pittsburgh

ToyzSTEAM: turning kids into superheroes through video games

 ABC7 News DC segment at the Washington Auto Show
ABC News DC (WJLA)

Group uses Washington Auto Show to teach kids STEM

 Technical.ly RealList Engineers 2023 article
Technical.ly

Pittsburgh RealList Engineers 2023 — one of 15 influential technologists building the best of Pittsburgh tech

 CMU Swartz Center front page featuring startup success stories
CMU Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship

Front-page success story — long-standing member of the Swartz Center & Project Olympus ▶

 CMU Robotics Institute Pathways Fellowship announcement naming Obawole Idowu
CMU Robotics Institute

Pathways Fellow — building simulations and training students in robotics, advanced manufacturing, and automation
MIT SolveFinalist — Anti-Racist Technology category
Thiel Fellowship · CNBC + 60 Minutes20 Under 20 Finalist at age 15 · Featured on CNBC & 60 Minutes documentary
BNY Mellon UpPrizeSemifinalist — Social Innovation Challenge · 2019 & 2022
Intel + Lady Gaga #HackHarassmentAmbassador & Grant Winner
Innovation Works · RKMFVenture funded by Innovation Works & Richard King Mellon Foundation
NSF iCorpsCustomer discovery program — workforce curriculum

Community & Speaking

A decade of building builders.

Scientists Like Me — Carnegie Science Center

Speaker at Carnegie Science Center's Scientists Like Me, inspiring other neurodivergent people in the community as a founder who is neurodivergent myself.

Wole Idowu presenting on the BodyStage at Carnegie Science Center
On stage at Carnegie Science Center
Scientists Like Me — Obawole Idowu part 1
'Scientists Like Me' — Part 1
Scientists Like Me — Obawole Idowu part 2
'Scientists Like Me' — Part 2

Toyz Nation Gaming League (TNGL)

As founder of TNGL, a CMU student org built with IDeATe, we hosted hackathons that inspired students from multiple universities to switch into — and stay in — computer science fields. Events ran with corporate sponsors and supporters including EA Sports, Autodesk, Google Wearables, Oculus, and Intel's #HackHarassment campaign with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation and Vox Media.

TNGL Spring 2016 Hackathon Winners
TNGL Spring 2016 Hackathon winners
TNGL November 2016 Wearables Winners
TNGL Weekend Nov 2016 — Wearables winners
TNGL Presents #HackHarassment event at CMU Hunt Library
TNGL Presents: #HackHarassment — with Intel, Born This Way Foundation & Vox Media
Roy Harvey of EA Sports appearing in DahVarsity
Hosting Roy Harvey, then GM of EA Sports — now integrated in-game as a "superhero" ▶

TNGL Weekend 4 — Creative Arts & Technology Hackathon →

From Beltsville to Carnegie Mellon

One of my first roles as CTO & co-founder was working with students in the DC area, including the Betterville Mavens — teaching engineering basics through our hardware products and busing kids to CMU's Entertainment Technology Center for playtest day. One of the first students I mentored personally over the years, Timothy Brown, is now a graduating senior at CMU's Tepper School of Business and a Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship Innovation Scholar.

Toyz Electronics community work with the Betterville Mavens
Community programs with the Betterville Mavens, Beltsville MD
Hardware-first STEAM education: Android smartwatches, gaming phones, smart glasses, and TV boxes we built ourselves — used to teach kids ages 4–13 prototyping, programming, and interaction design.

toyzelectronics.com/community →

Research & Projects

The depth behind the production work.

Undergraduate research, ECE capstones, and personal builds — the hardware, software, and systems depth behind the production work. Started in 2013; never stopped building.

Research · CMU ECE

New Technologies for Medication Dispensing

Android-based medication management platform built with Professor Asim Smailagic (CMU ECE / Lab for Interactive Computer Systems). Designed patient and medication management UI, fabricated algorithms for medical data management, and integrated sensor-based monitoring for consumers.

AndroidJavaPythonUX DesignWearable Systems
Personal Project
Emotion recognition detecting 'Happy' on the smart mirror

Mood Music Smart Mirror

Smart mirror system that auto-switches Spotify playlists based on the user's detected emotional state. Integrated open-source emotion recognition software with Spotify's API and Raspberry Pi hardware to create an ambient, mood-aware music experience that activates on approach.

▶ Watch the demo
Computer VisionRaspberry PiSpotify APIEmotion RecognitionPython
ECE Capstone

Dynamic Microphone

Team build of a functional dynamic microphone from first principles. Developed the electromagnetic generator component responsible for converting sound waves to electrical energy. Analyzed frequency response and energy conversion efficiency to validate theoretical models against real recorded output.

Circuit DesignElectromagneticsSignal ProcessingHardware Build
ECE Team Project

Walker Improvement System — Fall Prevention

Modular attachment system for standard walkers combining fall detection and real-time remote notification. Built a gyroscopic orientation sensor using Arduino to detect falls via tilt and acceleration changes, and designed a Bluetooth alert system to notify a caregiver within seconds of a fall event.

ArduinoGyroscopeBluetoothEmbedded SystemsHealthcare Tech
Startup · Hardware R&D

Android Hardware Prototyping — TNGL Wearables

Designed and prototyped a line of Android-based wearable devices for Toyz Nation Gaming League, including a production smartwatch. Used these to run TOYZSTEAM education programs — teaching children ages 4–13 hardware prototyping, basic programming, and interaction design using devices we built ourselves.

Android HardwareWearablesPrototypingSmartwatchSTEAM Education
Personal Project

Game of Life — Python Simulation

Full virtual replica of Hasbro's Game of Life built in Python and Tkinter — one of the earliest personal projects, written at 16. Implemented custom data structures for game state management and applied object-oriented design across multiple interacting classes. The game ran end-to-end with full UI and game logic.

PythonTkinterOOPData Structures
Available Now

Let's build something worth building.

I take on select contract engagements in Unity development, AR/VR/XR, AI integration, full-stack, and technical consulting — including fixed-price project work with 50% upfront. I also speak on STEM education, entrepreneurship, and building technology for underrepresented communities, for schools, universities, and corporate audiences. Engagements starting May 2026.

Book a Discovery Call obawoleidowu@gmail.com