Yildirim Yazganarikan (Leo)

Design Technologist / AI Engineer, architect by training
yy@filemap.info · +90 546 532 14 41 · San Francisco & Ankara · US O-1 petition in progress
yy-designstudio.com (architecture and industrial design) · tech portfolio · filemap.com · linkedin.com/in/yyazgan

I like to design systems, across AI, software, hardware, architecture and industrial design. I started in architecture and industrial design in Washington DC, then moved to San Francisco to build startups: FileMap, an infinite canvas for design teams and a resident of the Autodesk Technology Center, and BioBulb, a modular smart plant system I co-founded. I have lectured at Stanford, METU, and Bilkent on AI, tools, and design. What excites me most is joining rich visual interfaces with conversational AI and agents, for how teams collaborate and how people learn. I am drawn as much to psychology, neuroscience, and memory as to computer graphics and the craft of design and innovation.

Experience
FileMap · Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer2016 - present
San Francisco / Ankara
  • Invented and patented a visual, spatial file manager (US 11,074,219 B2): an infinite zoomable canvas that replaces nested folder hierarchies, with real-time collaboration and sync with Google Drive and local storage.
  • Led an eight-person engineering team through product, fundraising, grants (TUBITAK 1512 and 1507, EU Horizon 2020), and legal.
  • Adopted in design studios at METU, Bilkent, and the University of Maryland; partnership work with Gracious Adegbite (Apple).
MONK · Co-Founder2024 - present
San Francisco / Ankara
  • Conversational AI with a good memory: a personal companion, a channel to your team, and an interface to your apps. Three things it does:
  • Run your daily life.
  • Interface with your team and other people.
  • Log in to apps with your personal AI agent and let it mediate the interaction.
AI Consulting for Companies2023 - present
Remote
  • Consulting and implementing productivity tools for companies: Basic Tools, Asvalin, FileMap, MONK, and custom AI tools.
  • Designed, built, and shipped a portfolio of AI-powered products solo (see Selected Products).
  • Runs long-format AI and Claude Code system-building workshops for designers, where teams build working systems during the sessions.
BioBulb / CREO Design · Co-Founder and CTO2016 - 2020
San Francisco / Turkey
  • Ag-tech hardware startup designing living plant systems as building infrastructure; prototyped as an Innovation Resident at the Autodesk Technology Center, San Francisco (from 2019).
  • Exhibited at Autodesk Gallery SF and Autodesk University; TedX Marin talk; press in VentureBeat, Engineering.com, and Viva Technology.
Teaching and Lectures
  • Stanford University, invited lecture (2024): "Designing Systems for Imagination and Creative Process," invited by Jonathan Antonio Edelman.
  • AI lecture at the University of Maryland (with Hooman Koliji); invited talks at METU, TOBB, and Baskent University; speaker at the RHEA International Architecture Workshop on design process and AI (2024).
  • Conference talk on AI, consciousness, and psychology, built around MONK, the AI voice companion.
Education
M.Arch, University of Maryland
School of Architecture · 2014 - 2016
M.Arch, TOBB University
Ankara · 2016 - 2018
B.Arch, Yeditepe University
Istanbul · 2009 - 2013
Autodesk Technology Center, SF
Innovation Residency (x2) · 2019+
1776 Global Incubator, Washington DC
Startups · 2017 - 2018
Skills
AI / LLM systems
Claude Code agent systems, LLM tool use and function calling, TTS / STT pipelines; high skill in 3D and 2D graphics, UI/UX, and visual tools
Engineering
TypeScript, React, Node.js, Python, Three.js / WebGL, Supabase / Postgres, graphic optimization, UI systems
Design
Architectural design, rapid prototyping (CNC, 3D printing, electronics), UI design
Leadership and teaching
Team leadership as founder and co-founder, several times; teaching at Stanford, Maryland, and METU; private Claude Code mentorship and workshops
Selected products
FileMap
Patented spatial file manager for creative teams
Voxitect
Browser voxel CAD generating plans, sections, renders
Asvalin
Visual canvas for developing creative work
BioBulb
Modular smart plant-wall system, hardware and software
MONK
Voice AI companion with advanced memory
Vox Video Editor
A Claude Code integrated video editor, fine-tuned for personal tools like Voxitect and Asvalin
Basic Tools
Suite of free, focused Windows utilities
yy-designstudio.com
Architecture and industrial design work
Languages: Turkish · English · French