Engineer • Analyst • Founder

Tadiwa Mbuwayesango — Computer Engineer, Financial Analyst, and Founder of LEARN-X.

LEARN-X is an AI system that turns professor-uploaded lectures, slides, and PDFs into adaptive micro-lessons for individual students, now in private beta with 84 users. I also lead the AI@ISU Innovation Challenge (100+ students), serve on Iowa State Student Government's Finance Committee, and co-host TechNologia Talks on AI and systems thinking.

Tadiwa Mbuwayesango — Computer Engineering student at Iowa State University and founder of LEARN-X
TM

Tadiwa Mbuwayesango

Computer Engineering @ Iowa State University

At a glance
Name
Tadiwa Mbuwayesango
Education
Computer Engineering @ Iowa State University · B.S. expected May 2028 · GPA 3.80 · Dean's List · Honors Program
Minors
Economics · General Business
Founder
LEARN-X — AI edtech, RAG pipeline with pgvector + LangChain, Canvas LMS integration, 84 beta users
Leadership
Project Lead @ AI@ISU Innovation Challenge (100+ students) · Finance Committee Senator, ISU Student Government ($2.6M)
Media
Co-host, TechNologia Talks with Elvis Kimara — podcast on AI, startups, systems thinking · Builder's Network
Tech
Python · C · Verilog · TypeScript · React · Next.js · Tailwind · LangChain · PostgreSQL (pgvector) · AWS
Finance
FINRA SIE · Adventis FMC II · CFA Research Challenge (GIS equity) · Bloomberg Market Concepts · CFI Corporate Finance · AWS Academy ML Foundations
Contact
tmbuwa09@gmail.com · explicit@iastate.edu · linkedin.com/in/tadiwa-mbuwayesango
About

Bridging engineering rigor with finance discipline — in service of students.

I founded LEARN-X after watching students drown in course material that no one had time to personalize. The product turns any lecture, PDF, or slide deck into adaptive micro-lessons in seconds — built on a Retrieval-Augmented Generation pipeline and Canvas LMS integration now serving 84 beta users across partner institutions.

My background is deliberately hybrid. I pair Computer Engineering coursework (C, Verilog, systems) with two years of finance: FINRA SIE, Adventis FMC II, CFA Research Challenge on General Mills (NYSE: GIS), and VC deal-sourcing at igniteXL Ventures. That blend lets me architect an AI system in the morning and defend its unit economics in the afternoon.

Outside LEARN-X, I lead the AI@ISU Innovation Challenge (100+ students, partnered with the Provost's Office), sit on the Iowa State Student Government Finance Committee helping manage $2.6M in student fees, and co-host TechNologia Talks with Elvis Kimara (MS in AI, CEO of Throwly) — a podcast on AI, startups, and systems thinking that also runs Builder's Network, connecting students and early-career builders to startup founders.

Core Pillars

A hybrid operator across AI, finance, and student leadership.

Every project reflects a cross-disciplinary mindset: understanding markets, building intelligent tools, and mobilizing teams to launch them.

💻

Technical Intelligence

Computer Engineering + Applied AI

  • Founder @ LEARN-X — RAG pipelines, pgvector, Canvas LMS integrations
  • Team Leader at Ivy Hackathon — shipped a real-time collaborative prototype in 24 hours
  • Prototyping intelligent agents that personalize study content
💼

Financial Acumen

SIE, Adventis, CFA Research Challenge

  • CFA Equity Research Analyst valuing General Mills across DCF, DDM, Monte Carlo
  • Venture extern @ igniteXL Ventures sourcing and sizing frontier startups
  • Investment research on green bonds and emerging markets
🎓

Leadership & Initiative

Student Government + AI@ISU

  • Directed 100+ students in the AI@ISU Innovation Challenge
  • Finance Committee Senator helping manage $2.6M in student fees
  • Scoping partnerships to deploy LEARN-X across campuses
Spotlight Projects

Selected experiences proving the fusion of AI fluency and financial insight.

These case studies show how I bridge technical execution with business outcomes— from building product architecture to translating valuations for stakeholders.

LEARN-X

Founder & CEODec 2024 – Present

AI-driven platform transforming classroom materials into adaptive micro-lessons so students get personalized practice in seconds.

what
AI edtech platform converting lectures, slides, and PDFs into adaptive micro-lessons per student
stack
Next.js, Python, LangChain, PostgreSQL (pgvector), Canvas LMS API, AWS
output
Personalized lesson paths, quizzes, and comprehension analytics for professors
status
Private beta · 84 users · university partnership pipeline
insight
Grounding AI tutoring in a professor's own syllabus beats generic chatbots
  • Architected a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipeline with pgvector and LangChain to ingest syllabi, slides, and PDFs.
  • Deployed Canvas LMS integration so faculty can auto-sync assignments into structured, bite-sized study paths.
  • Scaled private beta to 84 early adopters, collecting qualitative feedback and building a university partnership pipeline.
Visit learn-x.co
LEARN-X dashboard showing AI-generated micro-lessons

AI@ISU Innovation Challenge

Project LeadMay 2025 – Present

Directing a university-wide AI competition in partnership with the Provost's Office and Student Government, engaging 100+ students across disciplines.

what
University-wide AI competition for interdisciplinary student teams
stack
Partnership with ISU Provost's Office + Student Government, PR & Events Committees
output
Student-built AI prototypes addressing campus safety, accessibility, and efficiency
status
100+ students active · demo day cycle underway
insight
Cross-disciplinary teams produce sharper AI prototypes than CS-only cohorts
  • Directed 100+ students across engineering, design, and business to design AI prototypes addressing campus challenges in safety, accessibility, and efficiency.
  • Oversaw event logistics, outreach, and marketing strategy with PR and Events Committees to secure broad participation.
  • Guided interdisciplinary teams through ideation, prototyping, and demo day presentations showcasing innovative AI solutions.
AI@ISU Innovation Challenge showcase presentation

igniteXL Ventures

VC Deal Sourcing ExternshipJul 2024 – Aug 2024

Conducted market research and financial analysis to identify investment opportunities in emerging industries for venture capital funding decisions.

what
VC deal-sourcing externship covering early-stage startups in emerging industries
stack
Market sizing, revenue projections, investment memo frameworks
output
Investment theses and memos presented to senior investors
status
Completed · Jul–Aug 2024
insight
Tight market sizing beats pitch polish when diligencing early-stage rounds
  • Conducted comprehensive market research and financial analysis to identify high-potential investment opportunities across emerging industries.
  • Developed revenue projections, market sizing models, and investment theses to evaluate startups for VC funding.
  • Presented concise investment memos to senior professionals, demonstrating strong analytical and presentation skills.
igniteXL Ventures investment research
Credentials

Professional development that compounds.

Series 7 SIE • Adventis Financial Modeling • CFA Research Challenge (Equity Analyst) • CFI Corporate Finance • AWS Academy ML Foundations • Bloomberg Market Concepts

Finance & Investment

  • Built three-statement models and investment memos with Adventis certification.
  • Led CFA Research Challenge team in fundamental analysis, winning university selection round.
  • Designed market sizing and Monte Carlo simulations for venture diligence decks.

Technical & Product

  • Proficient in Python, C, Verilog, TypeScript, React, LangChain, Postgres, AWS.
  • Ivy Hackathon Team Leader — shipped a real-time collaborative platform in 24 hours.
  • Canvas LMS developer advocating for accessible education technologies.
Structured dataMachine-readable profile for AI agents, recruiters' screeners, and LLM crawlers.
{
  "name": "Tadiwa Mbuwayesango",
  "url": "https://tadiwa.co",
  "role": "Founder, Engineer, Financial Analyst",
  "location": "Ames, Iowa, USA",
  "education": {
    "school": "Iowa State University",
    "major": "Computer Engineering",
    "degree": "B.S.",
    "expected": "May 2028",
    "gpa": 3.8,
    "minors": [
      "Economics",
      "General Business"
    ],
    "honors": [
      "Dean's List",
      "University Honors Program"
    ]
  },
  "projects": [
    {
      "name": "LEARN-X",
      "type": "AI EdTech",
      "url": "https://learn-x.co",
      "role": "Founder & CEO",
      "tech": [
        "Python",
        "Next.js",
        "LangChain",
        "pgvector",
        "Canvas LMS API",
        "AWS"
      ],
      "users": 84,
      "status": "private-beta"
    },
    {
      "name": "AI@ISU Innovation Challenge",
      "type": "University Program",
      "role": "Project Lead",
      "participants": "100+",
      "status": "active"
    },
    {
      "name": "TechNologia Talks",
      "type": "Podcast",
      "role": "Co-host",
      "cohost": "Elvis Kimara",
      "status": "active"
    },
    {
      "name": "CFA Research Challenge",
      "type": "Equity Research",
      "subject": "General Mills (NYSE: GIS)",
      "methods": [
        "DCF",
        "DDM",
        "relative valuation",
        "Monte Carlo"
      ],
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "name": "igniteXL Ventures",
      "type": "VC Externship",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ],
  "leadership": [
    {
      "role": "Finance Committee Senator",
      "organization": "Iowa State Student Government",
      "responsibility": "Help manage $2.6M in student fees"
    }
  ],
  "skills": {
    "technical": [
      "Python",
      "C",
      "Verilog",
      "TypeScript",
      "React",
      "Next.js",
      "Tailwind",
      "LangChain",
      "PostgreSQL",
      "pgvector",
      "AWS"
    ],
    "finance": [
      "Financial Modeling (DCF, DDM, LBO)",
      "Valuation",
      "Market Sizing",
      "Bloomberg Terminal"
    ]
  },
  "certifications": [
    "FINRA SIE",
    "Adventis FMC II",
    "Bloomberg Market Concepts",
    "CFI Corporate Finance",
    "AWS Academy ML Foundations"
  ],
  "contact": {
    "email": [
      "tmbuwa09@gmail.com",
      "explicit@iastate.edu"
    ],
    "linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/tadiwa-mbuwayesango/"
  }
}

Let's collaborate on the future of intelligent learning.

Open to partnerships, research, venture diligence, speaking engagements, and student collaborations on AI-enabled education and accessible finance.

tmbuwa09@gmail.comexplicit@iastate.eduLinkedIn Profile

Based in Ames, IA · available for remote and on-campus collaborations.

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