Product & Platform Architecture
Designing scalable systems and operational workflows for products that need to survive growth, integrations, and the messy realities of scaling.
I build the operational tools behind serious work.
I'm Artur Sousa, a founder, product architect, and AI implementation strategist. I work from the business decision through the software and operating systems that carry it, across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America.
A career across company building, product architecture, operational software, and applied AI in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America.
What I do
AI Workflow Integration
Embedding practical AI into real operations and products. Privacy-first, human-centered, operationally real — not hype decks.
Operational Software
Tools that organizations actually run on daily. Multi-tenant, role-aware, audit-ready.
Cross-Platform Product Development
Modern SaaS ecosystems spanning web, mobile, and back-office.
Technical Leadership
Helping companies move from idea to scalable execution, with the team to support it.
About
I have spent more than a decade building and operating technology companies. I founded Adopets, a global pet adoption platform backed by Techstars and acquired in 2022. After the acquisition, I joined Pet Loyalty Inc. as Chief Customer Officer and a board member during integration. Today I lead Doers, build GymBud for independent fitness coaches, and develop Shelter OS around the day-to-day realities of animal welfare operations. My work connects business strategy, product architecture, software delivery, and applied AI. I trained in AI strategy at MIT Sloan and Wharton.
What I am building now
Three current threads, one way of working.
My current work stays close to operators. I begin with the decision that needs to be made, then connect it to the product, software, and operating system that can carry it.
01 Leading Doers
I work with leaders when a strategic question has become a product, software, operational, or AI problem. I keep the decision and the delivery in the same room.
See how I lead Doers02 Building GymBud
I am building a connected platform for independent fitness coaches across coaching, business operations, payments, mobile experiences, and AI-assisted support.
Explore GymBud03 Developing Shelter OS
I am applying years in animal welfare technology to a system designed around the records, roles, and daily workflows shelter teams have to manage.
Explore Shelter OS
Selected work
View all work →
GymBud
Operating system for independent fitness coaches — coach dashboard, student app, AI support on WhatsApp.
Founder & CEO · January 2026 — present
Next.js 14TypeScriptTailwindRadix UIMulti-tenant SaaSWhite-label coach public pagesSubscription billing (dual provider)
Adopets
Two-sided pet adoption platform — shelter operations on one side, adopter discovery on the other.
Founder & CEO · 2016 — 2022
ReactTypeScriptiOSAndroidMulti-tenant SaaS (per-shelter)Two-sided marketplace (operators + adopters)Application workflow + status pipeline
My Orbit
Privacy-first community management for organizations supporting vulnerable populations — recovery, mental health, veterans.
Founder & CEO · 2024 — 2026
React 18TypeScriptViteTailwindMulti-tenant SaaS (nested — organizations > orbits > members)Member onboarding and engagement trackingAI-powered content moderation with human oversight
Shelter OS
Operating system for animal shelters — operator dashboard, community app for adopters and fosters, AI orchestrator wired into the data model.
Founder / Product Architect · January 2026 — present
React 19TypeScriptVite 6Tailwind 4Multi-tenant SaaS (per-shelter)RBAC across staff + adopter + foster + volunteerAdoption workflow + Kanban + checkout
Systems I've worked on
These are the recurring systems I have designed, built, operated, or helped rebuild across products and companies.
- Scheduling
- RBAC
- Marketplaces
- Payments & subscriptions
- AI workflows
- Document processing
- Notifications
- Workflow automation
- Admin dashboards
- Search & retrieval
- Mobile + Web ecosystems
- Multi-tenant SaaS architecture
How I work
- 01
Strategy First
Architecture and workflow planning before implementation.
- 02
Fast Iteration
AI-assisted workflows shorten the distance between a decision, a working build, and useful feedback.
- 03
Operational Thinking
Products designed around real business processes, not just interfaces.
- 04
Long-Term Scalability
Foundations that can be understood, operated, and extended as the product changes.
Experience
- Doers Innovation GroupFounder & Chief Builder2024 — present
I lead work across strategic recentering, product transformation, software delivery, and AI orchestration. The point is to keep the business decision, the build, and accountability for the outcome connected.
- GymBudFounder & CEOJanuary 2026 — present
I am building a connected operating system for independent fitness coaches across coaching, business operations, payments, mobile, and AI-assisted support. GymBud is active in Brazil and Latin America and was accepted into NVIDIA Inception in 2026.
- Shelter OSFounder & Product ArchitectJanuary 2026 — present
I am developing an operating-system approach to animal welfare work, connecting the records, roles, and workflows used across shelter, rescue, foster, adoption, medical, and field operations.
- My OrbitFounder & CEO2024 — 2026
I built a privacy-first AI engagement platform for recovery, mental health, veteran, and community organizations. The company wound down in January 2026, and its lessons on nested communities, engagement signals, and human oversight continue to shape my work.
- Northeastern UniversityFounder in Residence2024 — 2025
Mentored early-stage founders inside Northeastern's entrepreneurship ecosystem. Curriculum alignment and venture coaching.
- Pet Loyalty Inc.Chief Customer Officer & Board Member2022 — 2023
Joined post-acquisition to stabilize and rebuild customer trust during integration. Led customer success, support, and retention across enterprise and SMB clients in the pet-care ecosystem.
- AdopetsFounder & CEO2016 — 2022
Founded and led the company as CEO from inception through acquisition in January 2022. Techstars Boston, 2019. Raised capital, built and led the team, ran sales, partnerships, and operations end-to-end across multiple countries. Product built by a team I assembled and led under my product direction.
- MIT SloanAI: Implications for Business Strategy2023 — 2024
Graduate program covering AI strategy, organizational design, and competitive positioning for AI-driven businesses.
- The Wharton SchoolAI for Business2023 — 2024
Executive program on applied AI for product, operations, and growth.
- Hult International Business SchoolMaster's, Project Management & Social Entrepreneurship2013 — 2014
Graduate program covering project management discipline and social entrepreneurship across global cohorts.
- MassChallengeMentorship Manager2016 — 2018
Designed and led mentorship programs supporting early-stage founders across industries. Systems for mentor-startup matching, engagement quality, and accountability.
- KrashExecutive Director2015
Led strategic operations and growth for a venture-backed co-living startup during expansion.
- UniversumGlobal Expansion Manager2014
Selected from 400+ applicants to lead international expansion across marketing, product, operations, and finance from Stockholm.
- Speaking
Invite me to speak
Operational software for scale-survivors, building AI products that actually ship, founder execution, privacy-first AI in sensitive domains, cross-border product building.
- Press
Press & interviews
Three bios, headshots, brand assets, and an interview request form. Reach out for podcasts, articles, video, TV, or radio.
Work with me
Looking for help building operational software, AI-powered workflows, or scalable platforms?
Engagements run through Doers Innovation Group.