# Keno Leon

## EARLY-OPERATIONALIZER

AI Systems • Quant Finance • Forecasting • Python • Ethereum Infrastructure

[me@k3no.com](mailto:me@k3no.com) • k3no.com • linkedin.com/in/kenoleon • github.com/KenoLeon
Mexico City • Remote

# POSITIONING

Frontier AI and quantitative systems builder with a 30-year implementation history spanning machine learning, systematic trading, Ethereum infrastructure, developer tooling, and neuroscience-grounded software research.

Repeatedly entered emerging technical domains before mainstream adoption and produced operational public artifacts:

* Ethereum developer tooling in 2017
* Live ML forecasting systems in Numerai since 2017
* Cognitive architecture research in 2018
* LLM workflow tooling in 2023

Output across that period includes:
195 published technical articles, 4 books, 39 public repositories, 100+ ML models, and nine years of weekly live ML scoring with real financial stakes.

# WHAT I BRING

* Build AI and quantitative systems from research concept to operational implementation
* Prototype quickly under ambiguity with minimal management overhead
* Develop forecasting, backtesting, and systematic trading pipelines grounded in real deployment conditions
* Evaluate AI hype cycles with practical skepticism informed by live ML competition and market exposure
* Translate complex technical systems into scalable educational infrastructure — articles, documentation, tutorials, and developer-facing communication
* Operate independently across multiple parallel technical workstreams
* Bridge research thinking, engineering implementation, and market-oriented execution
* Explain technical systems clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

# EXPERIENCE

## Independent AI / Quant Systems Builder — k3no.com

2010 – Present

* Sustained nine years of live production ML scoring in the Numerai quant tournament using 100+ regression and forecasting models with real financial exposure
* Built systematic trading and market-analysis infrastructure for Binance and Polymarket workflows including backtesting, forecasting, and automation pipelines
* Developed and shipped LLM tooling products including BubbleUI (local-first multi-model LLM interface with context injection) and Context-Kit (LLM workflow context framework)
* Contracted directly by Numerai for frontend development and technical documentation
* Conducted neuroscience-grounded cognitive architecture research across a 22-part article series, published book, and multiple runnable Python implementations
* Built experimental AI systems including NeuronPlayground, STMToWM, and crowcrow, a parametric articulatory speech synthesizer based on vocal tract physics
* Produced an early Ethereum onboarding ecosystem including a published Solidity book, 12-part technical series, smart contract security forensics, ERC20 infrastructure examples, and a 43-star GitHub repository
* Built the Quant Matters YouTube channel focused on quantitative finance, forecasting systems, market structure, and ML-first trading approaches

## Front End / Web Developer & Designer — k3no.com (US clients)

2003 – 2010

* Delivered frontend engineering, UI/UX, and product consulting for agencies and startups across California
* Built MVPs, CMS systems, SEO infrastructure, research pipelines, and web applications for media, biotech, and digital product clients
* Worked across frontend architecture, branding systems, interaction design, and early-stage technical product development

## Junior Research Assistant / Analyst — ING Barings

1997 – 2000

* Rotated across equities research, trading desk operations, money markets, risk, compliance, and back office functions
* Built internal bond market analytical tooling that became the foundation for later quantitative finance and forecasting work
* Developed institutional finance literacy across trading operations, market structure, and financial systems analysis

# TECHNICAL STACK

Python, JavaScript, Solidity, TensorFlow/Keras, OpenCV, Three.js, Web3.js, Hardhat, PyAudio, FFT signal processing, ML pipelines, forecasting systems, quantitative backtesting, systematic trading infrastructure, LLM tooling, developer tooling, Ethereum systems, financial modeling, technical writing, cognitive architecture research

# SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

* *Continuity — 2026 Foundational Edition* (2026)
* *Conscious Artificial Intelligence: Part 1. Foundations* (2018)
* *Ethereum, Tokens & Smart Contracts* (2017)
* *Making a Simple Neural Network: An Illustrated Guide* (2017)

# SELECTED SIGNALS

* 195 published technical articles with hundreds of thousands of reads
* 39 public repositories spanning AI systems, quant infrastructure, Ethereum tooling, and neuroscience-grounded software
* 9 years of live Numerai ML competition participation
* 100+ ML forecasting and regression models built
* 43-star Ethereum developer tooling repository
* Published Solidity and neural network books before mainstream adoption cycles
* 30-year cross-domain implementation history spanning finance, software systems, AI, and technical education

# EDUCATION

## ITAM (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México)

Economics (incomplete), 1993–1995

## AMIB (Asociación Mexicana de Intermediarios Bursátiles)

Securities & Investment Certificate, 1999

## Self-Directed Study

Ongoing research in machine learning, quantitative finance, AI architecture, neuroscience, forecasting systems, and industrial design