Skip to content

About Donald Frederick, PhD

Problems ⋂ Solutions

I started in neuroscience — literally wiring brains to understand how decisions are made.

At the University of Chicago, I earned a PhD in Psychology and MS in Computer Science. My dissertation focused on decision-making and brain signals: implanting electrodes, recording neural activity, and mapping how choices are formed. Published research, hands-on neuroscience, and a drive to understand the mechanics of decision itself.

That experience convinced me: every system — biological, organizational, or technical — is only as strong as the signals it exposes and the feedback loops it sustains.

From Academia to Founding

After finishing my PhD, I cofounded a biotech startup in San Francisco, personally funded by Sam & Jack Altman. That first founder stint was my crash course in venture systems under stress.

The experience sharpened two convictions:
1. Mission and profit must align — mission-only efforts burn out, profit-only efforts corrode.
2. Systems matter — weak design magnifies failure.

After that, I joined Harvard as a postdoctoral fellow in the Human Flourishing Program. There, I shifted from neurons to organizations — publishing on job crafting, psychology of work, and flourishing itself. I kept one foot in academia, building Flourishing.app and contributing to high-profile meta-analyses, while the other foot was already back in industry.

Why PropTech

Housing is foundational to flourishing. It's where people live, build community, and feel safe.

In 2022, I intentionally took a step down into a Senior Engineer role at Common, despite prior founder and research leadership experience. I wanted to learn the industry from the inside.

When the VP of Engineering resigned, I became the most senior full-time engineer. Through Common's bankruptcy and its merger with Habyt, I earned the mandate to lead engineering as Director.

At Habyt, I:
• Stabilized €60M+/yr in recurring revenue across 8 Stripe accounts in Europe
• Cut infra costs by 90% (Vercel $60k → $6k/yr)
• Rebuilt systems with Clean Architecture and event-driven design
• Modernized the tenant signing process, reducing tickets by 90%
• Made engineering transparent by piping real-time feedback into Slack instead of hiding behind dashboards

PropTech became a proving ground — complex vendor ecosystems, high-stakes revenue flows, and the chance to apply my philosophy at scale.

Broadening Back Out

PropTech was one vertical. The throughline across all my work is clear:

Problems ⋂ Solutions → cut through accidental complexity, focus on fundamentals
Ship of Theseus modernization → rebuild while running
Black Box → Transparency → systems must be observable, legible, accountable
Systems like nature → modular, adaptive, resilient, observable

Today, I apply the same outlook across AI, lean teams, and flourishing-driven technology:
• Prototyping an AI chatbot at amai.mx
• Using AI tools (Cursor, Copilot, Vercel AI SDK) to keep teams lean and productive
• Continuing statistical consulting and meta-analysis with the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard

Where I'm Headed

I'm based in Austin, TX (remote-first) and open to relocation for the right opportunity (SF, Miami, NYC/Boston for premium packages).

I'm looking for leadership roles where:
Mission and profit reinforce each other
Systems thinking is valued
Technology touches real human flourishing — whether in housing, health, or beyond

Ready to discuss your next systems challenge?