The challenge
Sponsored — founded by a DigitalOcean co-founder — needed a self-serve marketplace where podcast creators and advertisers could transact directly. The build required:
- Two-sided marketplace architecture for podcasters and advertisers
- Stripe Connect for marketplace payments and payouts
- Campaign management with performance analytics
- A custom analytics pixel for tracking ad results
- Smooth onboarding for both sides of the market
The approach
I came in as the external engineering consultant to architect and build the core platform.
Marketplace build
- Designed the database schema for users, campaigns, and analytics
- Built APIs for onboarding, campaign management, and reporting
- Integrated Stripe Connect for payments between advertisers and creators
- Developed a custom analytics pixel tied into Google Analytics
Product & quality
- Led implementation of the React frontend for both sides of the marketplace
- Worked directly with the founder translating business requirements into specs
- Automated testing and code review discipline throughout
- Delivered on schedule and earned post-launch engagement for ongoing work
The results
- Launched to production on schedule
- Seamless Stripe Connect integration for marketplace payments
- Custom analytics giving advertisers real campaign performance data
- Repeat business for ongoing post-launch improvements
Stack
- Ruby on Rails
- React
- Stripe Connect
- PostgreSQL
- Google Analytics API
Andrej and team did a fantastic job building a production grade application for our SaaS business.
Mitch Wainer
Founder, Sponsored