Get in Touch
Joshua Houska

Joshua Houska

Cloud Architect · Systems Builder · Artist

I build things. Cloud infrastructure that serves millions of transactions, intelligence platforms that think autonomously, and watercolors that tell stories no system can capture.

By day I architect scalable cloud systems at True Home. On my own time I build Nexus, a self-hosted intelligence platform that collects, scores, and synthesizes signals using AI. And at Valkarie Gallery in Lakewood, I'm a resident artist working in watercolor and illustration.

Three disciplines, one throughline: understanding complex systems and making something meaningful out of them.

Cloud & Engineering

True Home

Cloud Systems Architect · 2021 – Present

At True Home I architect and build the cloud platform behind SmartBid, a full-stack construction project management and financial system that serves homeowners, contractors, subcontractors, and property management funds. The platform handles project tracking, vendor management, quoting, payments, and financial integrations across web and mobile.

I own the full stack: Django REST backend, React frontend, React Native mobile app for vendors in the field, and the AWS infrastructure underneath all of it. The mobile app is offline-first, queuing mutations and syncing when connectivity returns, because contractors don't always have signal on a job site.

Full Stack
Django, React, React Native, AWS
Offline-First Mobile
Field-ready vendor app with sync
Integrations
QuickBooks, Stripe, DocuSign, Plaid
AWS Python Django React React Native TypeScript PostgreSQL Docker Terraform Redis Celery

Projects

I build systems on my own time. Intelligence platforms, game engines, data tools, and client work. Some of these are personal explorations, some are contract deliverables. All of them are built to work.

Personal

Nexus

Self-hosted intelligence platform that never stops learning. Continuous collection, review, and integration cycles across 6 domains, powered by 9 AI advisors and a knowledge graph that grows smarter over time.

FastAPI · React · Neo4j · Qdrant · Celery
Read more →
Feasibility Study

Innovation Dashboard

Ecosystem platform for state innovation programs. Connecting entrepreneurs, researchers, and administrators with resources, IP licensing, and guided pathways.

Django · React · Elasticsearch · WebSocket
Read more →
Personal

Arcade

Multiplayer card game platform with AI opponents, ELO ratings, and leaderboards. Pure Python game engines, WebSocket multiplayer.

Django · React · Channels · Redis
Read more →
Personal

Void Ball

Always-on multiplayer space simulation. Factions, politics, democratic voting, 36 engine modules. The galaxy ticks forward even when you're offline.

Django · React · Channels · Celery
Contract / Personal

ITS Analytics & Integration

Traffic data platform and integration engine. Multi-tenant analytics across Bluetooth, WiFi, video, and loop sensors. Unified API layer for third-party data collection, storage, and querying.

Django · React · GeoDjango · Elasticsearch · Celery

Art

Resident Artist

Valkarie Gallery & Studio · Lakewood, CO

I work primarily in watercolor and illustration. Figurative, narrative-driven pieces that explore stillness, weather, light, and the weight people carry. The titles matter as much as the images.

Valkarie Gallery is a contemporary art space in Lakewood that champions community creativity and collaboration, winner of Lakewood's 2025 Platinum Award. I'm one of 19 resident artists represented by the gallery.

The Lantern-Tender
2025
The Girl Who Carried Weather
2025
Wind Fish in Flight
2025
Our Shadow
2023
View Full Portfolio

Experience

True Home

Denver, CO
Cloud Systems Architect
2021 – Present

Full-stack ownership of SmartBid, the cloud platform for construction project management, vendor coordination, and financial operations. Web, mobile, and infrastructure.

Freelance / LegacyCoder

Denver, CO
Software Consultant
2010 – Present

Consulting, development, and project rescue. Specializing in stepping into codebases after team departures to stabilize, refactor, and deliver. From on-premise systems to real-time cloud SaaS.

FLIR Systems

Denver, CO
Cloud Application Manager
2018 – 2021

Architected and managed a real-time cloud analytics platform processing high-volume sensor data. Led international engineering teams and managed globally distributed AWS infrastructure.

Acyclica

Denver, CO
UX Engineer
2014 – 2018

Built real-time data visualization platforms for large-scale sensor networks, designing interfaces that made complex, high-volume data streams actionable across devices.

USGS EROS Center

Sioux Falls, SD
Software Engineer
2012 – 2014

Developed public-facing and internal web applications for geospatial data visualization and large-scale scientific datasets.

Education

BS Computer Science & Graphic Design

University of South Dakota
2006 – 2011

Get in Touch

Joshua Houska

I'm available for consulting, freelance engineering, and art commissions. Whether you need cloud architecture, a system built from scratch, or a conversation over coffee, reach out.

I can help with:

  • Cloud architecture & AWS infrastructure
  • Full-stack application development
  • AI/LLM integration & orchestration
  • Legacy system modernization & cloud migration
  • Integration bridges between legacy and modern systems
  • Project rescue, code audits, and technical consulting

Send me an email at jmhouska@gmail.com