# DeVaris Brown

> Founder and product leader in Los Angeles. Available for speaking, product and technical consulting, and early-stage advisory. Projects at ontheside.ai.

- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Email: devaris@devaris.com
- Website: https://devaris.com
- Contact form: https://devaris.com/#contact
- MCP server: https://mcp.devaris.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP; tools: get_profile, list_services, send_enquiry)

## I help teams ship products people actually use

Founder and product leader. I've built developer and data platforms from zero, and I now consult, advise, and speak on how to get real software out the door.

## Three ways to work together

### Speaking

Keynotes, conference talks, panels, and internal all-hands.

I speak on building developer and data products, applied AI, and what it actually takes to get engineering and product teams moving in the same direction. Comfortable on a main stage or in a room of twelve.

Topics: Developer platforms, Applied AI in production, Product leadership, Founding and fundraising

Enquire: Book me to speak — devaris@devaris.com (subject: Speaking inquiry)

### Tech & product consulting

Short, sharp engagements for teams that are stuck.

Product strategy and roadmap resets, technical architecture review, developer experience audits, and go-to-market for technical products. Typically a few weeks, scoped to a decision you need to make.

Topics: Product strategy, Architecture review, DevEx audits, Technical GTM

Enquire: Start a project — devaris@devaris.com (subject: Consulting inquiry)

### Advising & investing

Ongoing help for early founders, and checks where I can be useful.

Hands-on advisory for pre-seed and seed teams building technical products — hiring, positioning, first customers, and getting to a shippable v1. I invest in AI infrastructure, developer tools, and dual-use technology.

Topics: Pre-seed & seed, AI infrastructure, Developer tools, Dual-use tech

Enquire: Pitch me — devaris@devaris.com (subject: Advisory / investment)

## About

I'm DeVaris. I've spent my career on the seam between engineering and product — building the tools other builders depend on.

I founded and led Meroxa, a real-time data platform, from an idea to a funded company with paying enterprise customers. Before that I shipped developer products at Heroku, Microsoft, and Zendesk.

That mix is what I bring to consulting and advisory work: I've been the founder raising the round, the PM cutting the roadmap, and the engineer on call at 2am. I know which advice survives contact with a real team.

I'm based in Los Angeles. Sometimes I DJ.

## Now

_Updated August 2026._

- **Building:** New projects under [ontheside.ai](https://ontheside.ai)
- **Consulting:** Product and platform work with a small number of teams
- **Advising:** Early-stage founders in AI infra and developer tools
- **Speaking on:** Applied AI, developer platforms, product leadership
- **Also:** Writing, and the occasional DJ set

## Track record

- **Novera** — FOUNDER & CEO (https://usenovera.com)
- **SPILL** — FOUNDER & CTO (https://spill.com)
- **Meroxa** — FOUNDER & CEO (https://meroxa.com)
- **Twitter** — PRODUCT LEAD (https://twitter.com)
- **Heroku** — PRODUCT LEAD (https://heroku.com)
- **Zendesk** — PRODUCT (https://zendesk.com)
- **Marmalade** — DEV REL
- **Microsoft** — DEVELOPER (https://microsoft.com)

## Contact

Speaking, consulting, or a company you want a second opinion on. Inbound is open.

- Email: devaris@devaris.com
- Form: https://devaris.com/#contact

A line about what you're working on and what you need gets the fastest reply.

## Elsewhere

- ontheside.ai: https://ontheside.ai
- email: mailto:devaris@devaris.com
- twitter: https://twitter.com/devarispbrown
- linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/devarispbrown
- github: https://github.com/devarispbrown