I’m Aviran Katz, a developer, technical lead, and co-founder of Sofi Cooperative.
I’m looking for software engineering projects in AI safety and other high-impact areas, primarily through Sofi Cooperative. Work with me directly or with a team I lead.
Technical leadership · 2019–present
Helping teenagers understand their work rights.
I direct development of a mobile app that helps teenagers learn their employment rights and interpret their paychecks. It has reached over 150,000 users with response times under two seconds, including during summer peaks when many teenagers start working.
Simulation planning & technical leadership
Helping site operators assess a transition to renewable energy.
Hot Sun helps site operators assess solar generation and battery storage against their electricity needs, financial goals, and backup-power requirements.
I worked with NZO to define what the simulation should model, then led development of the application.
Built by the Sofi team
From product development to clinical evaluation.
The Sofi team built a mental-health app that went on to a clinical trial at an Israeli psychiatric hospital. We were responsible for the software development.
Work with me or a team I lead.
I co-founded a worker-owned software house that has worked on more than 300 projects across areas including clean energy, mental health, workers’ rights, civil rights, and Israeli-Palestinian peace initiatives.
My role: architecture, team leadership, code review, and hands-on development. I also lead development of an AI-agent SaaS product for organizations, including retrieval and summarization workflows.
My tools include React, Next.js, Node.js, PostgreSQL, cloud infrastructure, RAG, and tool calling.
Before Sofi: software development at ESS, deployed at Cyberbit (2016–2017), and QA engineering at Orbotech (2015–2016).
Full experience & technical skills (PDF)I can build internal tools for collecting information and coordinating work. I’d like to work with research teams whose progress is held back by software.
Websites and applications that help people understand complex subjects and act on what they learn.
I can scope the work, choose an architecture, and lead development. I also write and review code.
How can my software experience contribute to AI safety?
I’m an experienced software engineer and new to AI safety. I’m exploring where those skills could be useful to people working on research, governance, and community infrastructure.
I’m planning a Hebrew-language website about AI safety: explaining the risks and helping people find ways to get involved in research, governance, and other safety work.
I’m looking for collaborators and discussing the project’s audience and content. If you work on AI safety or are interested in supporting the project, I’d like to talk.
Discuss the projectSend me a short description of the problem, who it would help, and where you’re stuck.
I’m particularly interested in contracts through Sofi. You can work with me individually or bring in a Sofi team for a larger project. Email me to discuss scope and availability.
I’m based in Israel and work in Hebrew and English. I’m also open to discussing individual roles where there’s a strong fit.
aviran.katz@gmail.com