# Jason "Jbear" Brower

> Technical Product Owner & Co-founder. Senior developer turned product owner with 20+ years building products from prototype to revenue. Based in Pälli, Muhos, Finland. Open to Technical Product Owner, CTO, and Innovation roles.

## Quick Facts
- **Location:** Pälli, Muhos, Finland (remote-first; Oulu on-site possible; Helsinki hybrid workable)
- **Languages:** English (native), Finnish (conversational, not working level)
- **Open to:** Technical Product Owner, CTO, Head of Innovation, Senior Engineering Manager, Co-founder. Advisor/fractional also fine alongside current founder commitments.
- **Currently:** Co-founding Kirppishaku and Founders of Oulu; Ambassador for Polar Bear Pitching since 2013
- **Status:** Actively looking
- **Contact:** encompass@gmail.com (fastest), LinkedIn DM

Site: https://jasonbrower.fi/  
Availability & FAQ: https://jasonbrower.fi/availability.html  
Email: encompass@gmail.com  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/encompass/  
GitHub: https://github.com/encompass  
GitLab: https://gitlab.com/encompass1

## FAQ
### What roles are you open to?
Primary interest: Technical Product Owner, CTO, Head of Innovation, Senior Engineering Manager, or Co-founder. I'm a senior developer who shifted into product ownership, so I work best where the role blends technical depth with people leadership and product discovery.

### Where are you located? Will you relocate?
Pälli, Muhos, Finland. I work fully remote by default, am easily in Oulu for on-site days, and Helsinki is workable for hybrid roles. Relocation within Finland is negotiable for the right team.

### What's your availability?
Actively looking. Happy to start conversations immediately; start date negotiable on a typical Finnish notice timeline. TODO: refine with a concrete earliest-start date.

### What's your language situation?
English is my native language. I'm conversational in Finnish but not at a working level — the role, team, documentation, and meetings should operate in English.

### Do you have founder and equity experience?
Yes. Currently co-founding Kirppishaku (solo-built, in production) and Founders of Oulu (5 events and seminars taught in month one). Previously CEO of Encompass Solutions and CTO of three companies; 20+ years of founder and co-founder roles.

### What domains and industries are you strongest in?
Product discovery and innovation management, AI-assisted development, full-stack web (Python/FastAPI, Vue/React, Tailwind), DevOps (Docker, Hetzner, AWS), plus the people-facing side: public speaking, voice acting, hosting, teaching, community building. Strongest where engineering, product, and people leadership overlap.

### Are you open to freelance, advisor, or fractional roles?
Yes for advisor and fractional roles that fit alongside the existing founder commitments. Freelance project work case-by-case — the founder ventures stay the primary commitment.

### What's your compensation expectation?
Open to discussion. Senior leadership roles at market rates for Finland; equity-heavy compensation considered for early-stage founder roles. Share the role and the budget and we'll find out fast whether it fits. TODO: refine or remove this answer once a target range is set.

### What's the fastest way to reach you?
Email: encompass@gmail.com. LinkedIn DM also works. Same-day responses on business days.

### Can I use your CV content in an AI-generated job match or summary?
Yes — explicitly opted in. robots.txt welcomes major AI crawlers, and /llms.txt is the canonical machine-readable summary of this site. Quote freely.

## Currently Building
- **Kirppishaku** — Founder, since Jan 2026. A search platform for Finnish second-hand marketplaces. Built solo end-to-end with AI-assisted development (Python/FastAPI · Vue · Docker). (https://kirppishaku.fi/)
- **Founders of Oulu** — Co-founder, since Jan 2026. Co-founded an Oulu founder community. Within month one: 5 events and seminars taught. Revenue rolls forward into new founder initiatives. (https://foundersofoulu.com/)
- **Trusted Cofounder** — Co-founder & Community Manager, since Dec 2025. Help founders connect with the teams they need. I run education, evangelism, and events that match builders with the right people. (https://trustedcofounder.com/)
- **Polar Bear Pitching** — Official Ambassador, since Sep 2013. Long-running ambassador role for one of the most distinctive startup pitching events in the Nordics. (https://polarbearpitching.com/)

## Professional Experience
### Founder — Kirppishaku (Jan 2026 - Present)
Founded Kirppishaku, a search platform for Finnish second-hand marketplaces. Built solo end-to-end with AI-assisted development (Claude Code, Gemini): Python/FastAPI backend, Vue/Tailwind frontend, SQLite, and Docker-based deployment to Hetzner with managed SSL.
*Skills:* Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, Negotiation, Product Owner, Product Discovery, User Experience, Project Management, AI-Assisted Development, AI Integration, Python, FastAPI, Vue, Tailwind, Docker, Hetzner, SQLite, SSL/TLS Certificates, Javascript, HTML, CSS, Claude, Gemini
*Related:* [kirppishaku.fi](https://kirppishaku.fi/)

### Co-founder — Founders of Oulu (Jan 2026 - Present)
Co-founded Founders of Oulu, a community for startup founders in the Oulu region. Lead networking, community, and education. Within the first month, landed and taught 5 events and seminars — revenue is rolled forward into new and innovative ways for the association to create business.
*Skills:* Entrepreneurship, Networking, Innovation Management, Public Speaking, Hosting, Teaching, Project Management, Community Management
*Related:* [foundersofoulu.com](https://foundersofoulu.com/)

### Co-founder & Community Manager — Trusted Cofounder (Dec 2025 - Present)
Co-founded Trusted Cofounder. As Community Manager, I educate, evangelize, and promote events and services that help founders connect with the teams they need to build and grow.
*Skills:* Entrepreneurship, Negotiation, Networking, Public Speaking, Teaching, Hosting, Community Management, Innovation Management, Podcasting
*Related:* [trustedcofounder.com](https://www.trustedcofounder.com/)

### Chief Technology Officer — Alvidiotech (Jan 2025 - Jan 2026)
Led technology strategy and development. Drove +€300/month in additional sales within the first month of joining. Particular focus on Kimberlite, a B2B machine and website for second-hand products and stores — took it from paper prototype to first bills.  Pitched investors, negotiated with customers, and presented product at booths and events.
*Skills:* AI Integration, Automation, Digital Fabrication, Innovation Management, Negotiation, Networking, Product Discovery, Project Management, Product Owner, Public Speaking, User Experience, Bash, Claude, FastAPI, Gemini, HTML, Javascript, PostgreSQL, Python, React, Tailwind

### Official Ambassador — Polar Bear Pitching (Sep 2013 - Present)
Official mascot. Build brand, morale, and help select and interview startups. Media forward roll with a lot of public appearance skills needed. One fun side project was developing the trophies for the winners.
*Skills:* Community Management, Entrepreneurship, Film Acting, Hosting, Networking, Public Speaking, Voice Acting
*Related:* [polarbearpitching.com](https://polarbearpitching.com/)

### Innovator and Developer — Roihuan Oy (Dec 2021 - Jun 2023)
Grew and developed new products in partnership with large industries. Worked with 10+ clients on next-generation product designs — including several high-pressure projects to set new direction and recover from difficult development situations.
*Skills:* Automation, Innovation Management, Bash, Javascript, PostgreSQL, React, Typescript, Vue, WordPress CMS
*Related:* [pohde.fi](https://pohde.fi/), [tosibox.com](https://tosibox.com/)

### Chief Technology Officer — Attractive Experiences Oy (Jan 2020 - Sep 2021)
Created an AI that found user experience and accessibility issues in websites. Led a small team of 3 — developing alongside the team and managing the project end-to-end.
*Skills:* AI Integration, Automation, Digital Fabrication, Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, Project Management, Networking, Scrum, User Experience, AWS, Bash, HTML, PostgreSQL, Python, Vue

### Chief Technology Officer — Kuulu Oy Digital Marketing (Feb 2019 - Dec 2019)
Created digital marketing and financial automation solutions for both internal and external user. Created wordpress and hubspot websites for customers and did voice acting as well. Still do occasional voice acting as needed as a side hustle.
*Skills:* Automation, Networking, Voice Acting, User Experience, Bash, HTML, PostgreSQL, Python, Vue, Hubspot CMS
*Related:* [kuulu.fi](https://kuulu.fi/)

### Senior Developer — Industryhack (Oct 2016 - Jan 2023)
Worked with developer community and industry leaders to create a platform improving the industryhack innovation process. Helped inspire development teams to come up with bold products for very large industry leaders. Company eventually acquired by Spinverse.
*Skills:* Entrepreneurship, Networking, Public Speaking, CSS, Django, HTML, PostgreSQL

### Business Developer — Oulu Business School (May 2016 - Sep 2017)
Worked with Avanto Accelerator on early stage ideas, taught technical courses in HTML, CSS, Python and Javascript to students and public.
*Skills:* Entrepreneurship, Public Speaking, Teaching, CSS, HTML, Javascript, Python

### Architect and Senior Developer — elfGROUP Cyber Security (May 2015 - Oct 2016)
Worked with ideas and developed products for large and small companies.  Developed deployment technologies and worked with a small team to create consistent releases according to specifications from the customer.
*Skills:* Scrum, Bootstrap, Flask, HTML, Javascript, Python

### CEO, Developer — Encompass Solutions Oy (2009 - Sep 2014)
Helped startups progress by developing high-end platforms in the latest technologies faster and more affordably than competitors. Created a hackathon-style sales model to establish strong client relationships. Developed our own product InterestID — a conferencing networking tool that connected thousands of people at events — eventually sold to Yrittäjät.
*Skills:* Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, Negotiation, Scrum, AWS, HTML, PostgreSQL, Python

### Chief Technical Officer — Minus Degree Mobile Oy (Apr 2013 - Aug 2014)
Managed development team for mobile app with heavy web backend, created analytics and UI elements using Free Software. Managed a small team in creating the mobile front end for Melodigram.
*Skills:* Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, Scrum, AWS, HTML, Javascript, PostgreSQL, Python

### Senior Software Developer / Product Owner — Codemate Ltd (Mar 2011 - Jul 2012)
I programmed various things for various customers. I like gluing things together to make the system as a whole work better.
*Skills:* Scrum, CSS, HTML, Python

### Senior Software Developer — Xemec Oy (Oct 2009 - Feb 2011)
Fullstack developer for an automated paint tinting machine. Handled all communication between the customer and the mixer.
*Skills:* Scrum, CSS, HTML, Python

### Backend Developer — Profoundic Technologies (Mar 2009 - Oct 2009)
Some subcontract work with KONE. Developed solutions that impacted all elevators, escalators, and sliding doors worldwide. When leaving, I also hired and trained the new employee.
*Skills:* Scrum, HTML, Jython, Python, TCL

### Webpage Developer — Queen Bee Radio (Jan 2005 - Jan 2011)
Created the webpage for WGLR radio, a country radio station from Wisconsin. Built a simple chat room for the morning show. Developed many new concepts to bring more people to the site and radio station. The logo I designed for them is still in use nearly 20 years later.
*Skills:* Innovation Management, Scrum, HTML, Javascript, PHP
*Related:* [wglr.com](https://www.wglr.com/)

## Selected Projects
### Polar Bear Badges — Builder, Founders of Oulu (Mar 2026 — present)
Live-print event badges from any browser. Attendees edit their own info before check-in and scan each other's badges to connect — no more rummaging through stacks of pre-printed name tags.
*Outcome:* Built for Founders of Oulu events. Removes the 1+ minute per attendee typically lost finding the right pre-printed badge at the door.

### Kirppishaku — Founder, Independent (2026 — present)
A search platform for Finnish second-hand marketplaces — find listings across multiple kirppis sites in one place.
*Outcome:* Solo-built end-to-end with AI-assisted development (Claude Code, Gemini). Shipped production v1 in months.
*Link:* https://kirppishaku.fi/

## Education & Achievements
### Bachelor of Business Information Technology — Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (2009)

### Haaga-Helia Linux Club — Founder and President (2007 - 2009)
Created the Haaga-Helia Linux Club, organized classes for real credits and conferences for students

### Intern Developer — Participatory Culture Foundation (May 2008 - Nov 2008)
Google Summer of Code - Worked on Miro developer recruitment and development of Miro Guide and Player

## Skills Breakdown
**Programming & Scripting Languages:** Bash, Java, Javascript, Jython, PHP, Python, TCL, TypeScript
**Frameworks & Tools:** Bootstrap, Django, FastAPI, Flask, Hubspot CMS, Node, React, Tailwind, Vue, Web2py, WordPress CMS
**Databases:** PostgreSQL, SQLite
**DevOps & Infrastructure:** AWS, DNS Management, Docker, Hetzner, Logging, Nginx, SSL/TLS Certificates
**Document Development:** CSS, HTML, Jinja, Markdown, PDF, SVG
**Software Tools:** Audacity, ffmpeg, Gimp, Git, Google Suite, Inkscape, OBS Studio, Office 365, Trello, VS Code
**AI Tools:** ChatGPT, Claude, Claude CLI, Gemini, Gemma, Jan, Ollama, Vertex AI

**General Expertise:** AI-Assisted Development, AI Integration, Automation, Community Management, Digital Fabrication, Entrepreneurship, Film Acting, Hosting, Innovation Management, Negotiation, Networking, Podcasting, Product Discovery, Product Owner, Project Management, Public Speaking, Scrum, Teaching, User Experience, Voice Acting

## Testimonials
> Jason is an exceptional developer and product owner. His unique approach to innovation has helped us achieve remarkable results.
> — Maja Terning, Specialist in Arctic Business, Business Oulu

> Jason Brower, a pioneer in browser innovations, turning forks into startups and boldly stepping into lands where others haven't even dared to dream. The world needs more people like Jason - BIG HEART! ❤️
> — Pekka Aarikallio, Investor, Q-Stock Founder

> If people skills had a name, it would be Jason. I had the chance to work with him at Fab Lab, where I saw not only his ability to turn ideas into working prototypes, but also his natural talent for connecting with people effortlessly
> — Gleb Buligin, Super Fab Lab Oulu

> Jason combines extensive experience in software and innovation with a proven ability to launch and grow multiple projects. His strength lies in solving complex problems with both strategic business understanding and creative thinking, making him a reliable and impactful contributor to any team.
> — Viera Karam, Head of Polar Bear Pitching, Business Oulu

> Jason is the most people-centric person I know, equally at ease with a first-time student founder and a seasoned exec in the boardroom. It's the same instinct behind Trusted Cofounder and the podcast he hosts: read people clearly, draw them out, match them to what they actually need.
> — Curtis Thomas, CEO, Trusted Cofounder

> I've known Jason for years and he has been a force of nature ever since. He is friendly, helpful and extremely curious person. It also means he is always the first to know newest technologies and has the rare insight how to use them in the real world.
> — Tuomas Jomppanen, Startup Whisperer at Business Corner