Carlos
Zapata

Collections on autopilot: reminders, one-tap payments, payment plans, recovery and reconciliation.

• •Built the collections platform end to end, from data model to customer-facing payment flows
• •Engineered onboarding that turns a single invoice export into live, reconciled accounts
• •Developed a multi-channel reminder engine (SMS and email) using the Claude API to personalize messages in the client's voice, stopping automatically on payment
• •Shipped one-tap pay links with self-serve payment plans governed by client-defined rules
• •Automated reconciliation with deterministic matching of every payment to its invoice
• •API-first architecture designed to integrate with or replace existing billing systems, with no vendor lock-in

AI file clerk for school districts. Every answer is cited to the source page.

• •Built a document ingestion pipeline (OCR, parsing and embeddings) for budgets, audits, levies, board minutes and state reports
• •Designed an ontology linking districts, documents, metrics and fiscal periods, backed by a validated facts registry so figures come from verified data, never from the model
• •Developed a multi-tenant RAG system on the Claude API with isolated vector workspaces per district
• •Shipped an MCP server that connects to Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini, returning citation references to the exact source page

Founded and led StudentFlow, an innovative PK-12 operations platform focused on billing, payments, programs, and family communication.

• •Designed and implemented end-to-end solutions encompassing product development, architecture, and go-to-market strategies.
• •Achieved significant operational efficiencies, saving over 80 hours per billing batch and accelerating billing cycles by up to 6 weeks.

AI, accounts receivable and operations systems for hospitality, healthcare, consumer brands and public institutions.

• •Discovery first: I interview your team and get close to the operation to find the real pain points
• •AI that's deterministic by design: ontology-based systems, validated data, no guesswork
• •Integrate or replace: built around your current tools, with no vendor lock-in
• •Clients get back 15 to 30+ admin-hours a week. Every milestone shipped on schedule.

Co-led daily operations of a $2M+ Michelin-starred restaurant; earned a Michelin star in year one.

• •Led and trained the service team on standards, guest experience and operations
• •Launched a membership program with seasonal prix fixe ticket promotions, generating $250K+ in revenue; led design and strategy alongside the owners and shareholders
• •Built the restaurant's websites and membership system

Co-founder of Bardot, then contract operations leadership at The French Laundry (3★ Michelin), Vail Resorts – Beaver Creek, Gruppo Chiarello and Mission Point Resort.

• •Co-founded and launched a restaurant and bar from zero: operations, hiring, systems and launch
• •Ran service operations for up to 400 guests a day in $5–20M operations
• •Implemented and integrated POS, accounting, purchasing and scheduling systems
• •Owned P&L review, payroll accuracy and daily finance reporting
• •Built and led training programs for teams of 25+