salon.et
A salon operating system for bookings, gift cards, staff schedules, and branded client-facing pages.
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA · EST. 2017
§01 — LEWI BELAYNEH HAILE
I don't ship features. I ship businesses.
Software developer. Startup founder. I turn conversations in cafes into working products people can hold, run, and grow.
§02
§02 — ORIGIN
Started with
bridges.
Ended up
building servers.
Civil Engineering wasn't a mistake. It taught me how systems hold weight, how structure determines what survives. I just realized I wanted to build systems that ran on logic, not concrete.
Since pivoting to software in 2019, I've co-founded startups, trained federal government teams, built inventory systems for businesses across Addis, and shipped an AI-powered exam prep platform used by 12th graders across Ethiopia.
I work alone and in teams. I build backends and I build companies. The throughline is always the same: I find the problem, design the solution, and ship the thing.
§03
§03 — RAW MATERIAL
Code enters
as ore.
Python-first backend work, product interfaces, infrastructure, automation, and enough low-level range to choose the right tool instead of worshipping one.
Python core
Flask APIs
Django systems
JavaScript browser
HTML/CSS surface
SQL data
Docker infra
Git flow
C++ logic
C# apps
WordPress client
ML/AI learning
APIs connect
Automation leverage
§04
§04 — THE FORGE
Six fires,
one workshop.
My companies are not resume ornaments. They are working rooms: services, hosting, education, incubation, and the lessons left by ventures that have already burned hot.
Adwa Dynamics
My software development company for local Ethiopian businesses that need working systems more than theatre.
Yenante Host
Managed hosting and game server infrastructure I run close enough to the metal to understand what production actually demands.
DevShop Studio
A full-stack studio I co-founded with six others, built around shipping client products with a builder's bias for delivery.
Promethean Enclave
The Forge: my incubator and project parent, named for the craft of turning pressure, fire, and raw ideas into tools.
Elevate
An EdTech startup I co-founded, tested, and wound down with the kind of lessons only shipped attempts can teach.
§05
§05 — PRESSURE
The work
left marks.
From individual modules to complete businesses.
I have moved through the full product stack: backend architecture, databases, deployment, user-facing workflows, operations, and client delivery.
Local businesses, real constraints.
Hospitality, fuel, laundry, workspace management, inventory, education, and commerce systems built for organizations that needed tools they could use immediately.
Teaching the database layer.
Trained federal technology teams in database fundamentals, translating abstract systems thinking into durable operational knowledge.
Running infrastructure, not just renting it.
Managed hosting and game server operations made deployment a lived discipline: uptime, configuration, support, and the quiet work after launch.
§06
§06 — TOOLS EMERGING
Products,
not props.
Each card is a forged tool: a specific problem, a working interface, a backend that keeps the business moving.
PROJECT · 01
salon.et
Most recent venture: a salon SaaS for bookings, gift cards, employee scheduling, and client-facing pages.
SaaSbookingssalons
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PROJECT · 02
Food Gallery
Digital menu system for Ethiopian hospitality operators.
hospitalitymenusweb
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PROJECT · 03
Fueler
Real-time fuel tracking system for operational visibility.
trackingreal-timeops
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PROJECT · 04
Maraki Workspace
SaaS for workspace, lease, and tenant management.
SaaSleasesadmin
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PROJECT · 05
Ocean Laundry
Order management for a premium laundry business.
ordersserviceworkflow
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PROJECT · 06
Squeeze Juice Bar
Order portal for food and beverage customers.
F&Bordersportal
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PROJECT · 07
PROJECT · 08
mssaba
AI-powered national exam prep for Ethiopian 12th graders.
AIeducationexams
Discuss similar work
§07
§07 — NEXT HEAT
Bring raw material.
Bring me a problem, a half-formed product, or a business process that still lives in chat messages and spreadsheets. My work begins where the vague thing needs to become a system.