Co-founder & CTO · Skillful AI

Agentic AI that works
in production

I'm the co-founder and CTO of Skillful AI — building enterprise agentic AI systems for companies in LATAM, Europe, and North America. I also take on a limited number of consulting engagements with teams working on complex AI architecture problems.

Track recordIntel·Apple·Skillful AI ↗

Many moving parts.
One coherent system.

Services

Engineering that spans
the full stack

From ML models to production infrastructure. I build systems designed for real constraints—not demos.

Machine Learning & Analytics

Predictive models that drive decisions — forecasting, classification, recommendations, anomaly detection.

Model developmentFeature engineeringValidation pipelineDeployment
2-6 weeks

LLM Applications & Agents

Chatbots, RAG systems, agent workflows, and AI-powered features built on foundation models.

Prompt engineeringTool integrationMemory patternsGuardrails
1-4 weeks

Data Engineering & Pipelines

ETL workflows, data lakes, feature stores, and the infrastructure that feeds your models.

Pipeline architectureData validationOrchestrationMonitoring
2-4 weeks

Cloud Architecture & Backend

Scalable APIs, serverless patterns, CI/CD, and production infrastructure on AWS.

System designIaC templatesSecurity hardeningCost optimization
1-4 weeks

Intelligent Automation

Workflow automation, business process AI, and channel integrations that reduce manual work.

Process mappingIntegration designHandoff logicAnalytics
2-6 weeks

Full-stack Development

End-to-end product development — from database to UI — when AI is just one piece of the puzzle.

ArchitectureAPI developmentFrontendTesting & deployment
2-8 weeks
Emanuel Hernández Castillo

Available

2 engagements · Q2

About

Emanuel Hernández Castillo

I'm the co-founder and CTO of Skillful AI, an enterprise AI platform serving clients across the automotive, healthcare, and digital commerce verticals in LATAM, Europe, and North America.

My work centers on agentic AI systems that work under real enterprise constraints — regulated environments, latency ceilings, messy legacy data, and the expectation that agents don't hallucinate when money is on the line.

Before Skillful AI: Intel (GPU software engineering), Apple (data science for App Store and Apple TV+), and a decade of ML work across growth-stage companies. Based in Costa Rica. Working across time zones.

I also architect AI systems as a consultant for a small number of teams per year — particularly in healthcare, mobility, and financial operations — when the problem is genuinely complex.

LLM agent design and tool contracts
RAG evaluation and grounding strategies
Production FastAPI and AWS delivery
Multimodal pipelines for business channels
Observability, cost controls, and reliability testing

Projects across LATAM, US, and EU

Skillful AITalboost

Case studies

Real systems, real outcomes

Production systems I've designed and delivered.

My company
Skillful AI

Skillful AI

Agent Platform & Workflow Engine

Problem

Building a platform that combines agents, workflows, integrations, and measurable outcomes for diverse business use cases.

Solution

Created a platform approach with standardized agent templates, tool calling patterns, memory design, and comprehensive observability.

PythonFastAPIAWSRedisVector DBs

Outcomes

Reusable agent templates
Standardized tool contracts
Built-in observability
Multi-channel support

What I delivered

Agent template system
Tool calling standards
Memory design patterns
Observability strategy
Lina

Lina

WhatsApp Lead Routing + Media AI

Problem

A fashion retailer needed intelligent lead routing across 13 store locations, B2B wholesale, and e-commerce—plus handling images and voice in real conversations.

Solution

Built an AI assistant that routes leads to the correct WhatsApp channel, identifies fabrics from photos, and handles voice interactions.

FastAPIAWS LambdaWhatsApp APILLM VisionVector DB

Outcomes

~2,000 chats/month handled
~20,000 messages processed
13 locations routed accurately
High automation success rate

What I delivered

Conversation flows & routing policy
Fabric identification module (vision)
Voice interaction pipeline
Evaluation + analytics dashboard
Talboost

Talboost

AI-Powered Recruitment Platform

Problem

A recruitment startup needed AI-driven workflows for candidate screening, feedback generation, and role-based portal management.

Solution

Designed product architecture with AI feedback loops, scalable candidate flows, and intelligent scoring systems.

Next.jsFastAPIPostgreSQLLLMsStripe

Outcomes

Automated candidate scripts
Real-time AI feedback
Role-based access control
Scalable multi-tenant design

What I delivered

Product architecture design
AI feedback loop implementation
Scalability & multi-tenant plan
Payment integration flows

Want this for your business?

Book time

How I work

A clear path from idea to production

Reduce uncertainty with a structured process designed for AI systems. Four stages, each ending in a concrete artifact.

01

Discovery

Goals, users, channels, data, latency and cost constraints, risk.

Requirements doc
Risk assessment
02

Architecture

System design, tool contracts, data flows, roadmap, acceptance criteria.

Architecture diagram
Task backlog
03

Implementation

Build, integrate, instrument, test for failures and edge cases.

Working prototype
Test coverage
04

Launch

Monitoring, evals, cost controls, continuous improvements.

Production release
Observability plan

Pricing

Clear, decisive pricing

Pick the option that fits your timeline and scope.

$200/hr Consulting

Get unstuck today. Leave with a plan and next actions.

$200/hour

Best for

Architecture review, debugging, design decisions, fast implementation sessions

Includes

  • Session notes
  • Action plan
  • Follow-up support via email
Book $200/hr
RECOMMENDED

50-Hour Block

Ship a full feature with priority support and dedicated focus.

$10,000/ 50 hours

Best for

Building a full feature, shipping to production, or iterative sprints

Includes

  • Priority scheduling
  • Async support
  • Weekly syncs
  • Documentation
Apply for 50-hour block

Requires qualification via discovery call

Free Discovery

Answer a few questions to qualify, then book 15 minutes.

Free15 min

Best for

Qualifying fit and clarifying scope before committing

Includes

  • Scope assessment
  • Fit evaluation
  • Recommended next steps
Start discovery form
NDA available on requestPayment upfront for blocks

FAQs

Common questions

Projects where software meets intelligence — ML models, data pipelines, LLM applications, automation, or traditional backend/full-stack work. I focus on systems that need to work reliably in production under real constraints.

Yes. I often work embedded with engineering teams—pairing on architecture, reviewing PRs, and unblocking technical decisions. I can also work independently and deliver complete features.

Yes, NDAs are available on request. I handle sensitive projects across industries and understand confidentiality requirements.

Session notes documenting what we covered, decisions made, and an action plan for next steps. For implementation sessions, you get working code and any relevant documentation.

Both. I can advise on architecture and review existing systems, or I can implement complete features from design through deployment. The 50-hour block is ideal for end-to-end delivery.

Python for ML and backends (FastAPI, scikit-learn, PyTorch), AWS for infrastructure, and modern AI tooling. I also work with Next.js/React, PostgreSQL, Redis, and various data tools depending on the project.

We define scope upfront and document acceptance criteria. For hourly work, changes are straightforward—we adjust as needed. For blocks, we maintain a backlog and reprioritize together during weekly syncs.

I'll tell you directly and recommend next steps or refer you to someone better suited. The discovery call exists to ensure we're aligned before any commitment.

Free discovery

Qualify for a 15-minute call

A few details so I can prep before we talk. High-signal answers beat long ones.

Ready to ship

Book time and start shipping
this week.

Most engagements start with a single paid hour. Architecture review, debugging, or a design decision — leave with a written plan.