Hi, I'm Marcin Szczodrak - CEO at Refract Systems
I am driven by the challenge of making cyber-physical systems more efficient. I thrive when building tools that bridge the gap between AI and hardware, where I can turn complex, slow manual processes into fast ones.
At a glance
Curated signals on strengths, focus areas, and how they can help.
Delivered advanced technical solutions for hardware-software integration at Tesla, Google X, and Google Brain.
Leads a company focused on creating deterministic software infrastructure to accelerate firmware testing for physical edge systems.
Offers deep expertise in systems architecture, simulation technology, and streamlining complex engineering workflows for builders.
🚀 Career trajectory
Academic Foundation
Completed PhD at Columbia focusing on distributed systems and low-power device optimization.
✦ Distributed Systems
✦ Computer Science
Big Tech Scaling
Led high-stakes technical projects at Tesla, Google X, and Google Brain.
✦ Hardware-Software Co-design
✦ Staff Engineer
Founding Vision
Launched Refract Systems to revolutionize firmware simulation for autonomous and embedded machines.
✦ Founder
✦ CEO
💪🏻 Superpowers
Deterministic Engineering Architect
Building robust infrastructure for reliable cyber-physical systems.
✦ Architects high-fidelity virtual environments for firmware validation.
✦ Eliminates hardware-in-the-loop dependencies through precise software simulation.
✦ Optimizes complex embedded systems for AI agent compatibility.
Pragmatic Technical Operator
Driving results through direct, deliverable-based collaboration.
✦ Prioritizes functional proof-of-work over abstract conceptual planning.
✦ Enforces high-efficiency protocols to reduce wasted development cycles.
✦ Identifies and resolves critical hardware-software integration bottlenecks.
Innovation Lifecycle Expert
Transitioning research-grade systems into scalable production tools.
✦ Bridges the gap between distributed systems research and practical application.
✦ Leads multi-disciplinary teams across hardware and software domains.
✦ Designs scalable architecture for the next generation of robotics.
I'm excited about
✦ Exploring synergies between autonomous agent tooling and embedded hardware systems.
✦ Connecting with builders who prioritize shipping production-grade technology over theoretical models.
✦ Validating new market applications for high-fidelity instruction-accurate simulation environments.
I can help with
✦ Providing expert guidance on hardware-software co-design and system-level optimization.
✦ Reviewing architectures for cyber-physical systems and complex robotics platforms.
✦ Advising on the transition from conceptual research to high-performance software infrastructure.
I would love your help on
✦ Sharing real-world firmware simulation bottlenecks faced in robotics and industrial automation.
✦ Identifying specific use cases where deterministic software sandboxes could replace physical hardware testing.
✦ Providing feedback on product workflows for developers building at the intersection of AI and hardware.