About

Aashu Vyas

I’m Aashu Vyas. I build software products, design the interfaces around them, and photograph places I keep returning to. Most of my projects begin with something that feels harder than it should, then I stay with it until I understand what is getting in the way.

Right now I am building Tersa and Spindle, two tools for working with AI systems, and continuing Rift, a research project about how different people respond to the same piece of media.

Experience

  1. 2023–Now
    Independent software mentorshipRemote

    Weekly project work with a software engineer and educator. We use whatever I am building at the time to work through technical fundamentals, architecture, and the places where my first approach breaks.

  2. 2024–Now
    Independent product builderSelf-directed

    I design and build my own software products, from terminal tools and browser extensions to research prototypes and local information systems.

  3. 2020–Now
    Photography and visual designIndependent practice

    I photograph landscapes, places, and events, then handle the editing, color, sequencing, and presentation myself.

Recognition

  1. 2026
    Third place, Startup Pitch CompetitionFree Ventures Startup Bootcamp

    Worked with an international team to develop an idea and pitch it to a judging panel.

  2. 2026
    Gold Key in PhotographyScholastic Art & Writing Awards

    Received a Gold Key for photography. The work was later covered by the Brentwood Press.

  3. 2026
    Selected Bay Area exhibitionCalifornia College of the Arts

    Work selected for an exhibition at California College of the Arts.

  4. 2025
    District finalist, Congressional App ChallengeCalifornia’s 10th Congressional District

    Echoes, a voice-driven AI conversation platform, was selected as a district finalist.

Education

  1. 2024–2028Heritage High School

    Coursework in computer science, math, physics, business, history, and writing

Photography

Photography is where I learned to stay with a subject long enough to notice what I keep choosing: the same distance, the same kind of light, the same empty space. That attention carries into how I design software.

View the photography portfolio

Contact and résumé

This page is the current public version of my résumé. I’ll add the downloadable PDF after the next export.

aashutoshvyas2010@gmail.com