The challenge
GigSocial needed a complete two-sided marketplace connecting brands with influencers and athletes for sponsored content across every major social network. The platform had to handle:
- Inventory and dynamic pricing for social media posts across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube
- Secure payment processing with protection for both buyers and sellers
- An escrow and digital wallet system managing funds end to end
- Global payouts to sellers via multiple rails
- Dispute resolution workflows and platform commission handling
- Infrastructure that could scale with rapid growth
The approach
I led product and engineering across the full build, from greenfield schema design to live operations — a multi-year ownership, not a handoff.
Platform architecture
- Rails API backend with Redis, Elasticsearch, Sidekiq, and AnyCable for real-time features
- Next.js/React frontend with mobile-responsive design and admin panels
- Azure infrastructure with Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform
- Python serverless functions for computer-vision features
Payments & money movement
- NMI gateway integration with cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay
- Custom escrow and digital wallet system with complete transaction tracking
- MassPay integration for global influencer payouts across card and ACH rails
- Dispute flows, automated commissions, and platform fee handling
Product ownership
- Worked directly with the founding team on roadmap and prioritization
- Code reviews across Ruby, Python, and JavaScript repositories; mentored junior developers
- Demoed the platform to investors and presented at industry conferences
The results
- Launched from zero to tens of thousands of active users
- Thousands of transactions processed monthly through the escrow system
- Platform demos contributed to successful investor fundraising
- Years-long ongoing partnership — still building together today
- Scalable infrastructure that absorbed growth without re-platforming
Stack
- Ruby on Rails
- Next.js
- React
- NMI
- MassPay
- Elasticsearch
- Azure
- Kubernetes
They built our entire marketplace from scratch — escrow payments, seller payouts, the whole thing. Three years later, we're still working together and the platform handles thousands of transactions monthly.
Tyler Thompson
CEO, GigSocial