Md Fahad MiaSoftware Engineer & Forward Deployed Engineer

Md Fahad Mia, known online as Leopard (iamleopard), is a software engineer at Techneth in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He builds web apps, custom CRMs, and AI-powered tools with Next.js, Laravel, and Node.js, co-authored peer-reviewed research on eye-disease detection (IJERT, 2026), and takes on freelance projects for clients worldwide. His full profile is at iamleopard.com/about.

A forward deployed engineer embeds with your team to ship product end to end, rather than picking tickets off a queue. I sit close to the real problem, design the solution, and take it all the way from data model to production — closing the gap between the engineer and the person who actually gets it live.

Most work is project-based with a clear starting price on each service page (web from $3,500, backend from $3,000, AI & automation from $5,000). The final quote comes after a short scoping call, once the work is well understood. Fixed-price projects are paid in four milestones, 25% after each 25% of the work is finished. Ongoing backend or DevOps work can run as a monthly retainer instead.

No deposit. Every fixed-price project is split into four equal milestones. I invoice 25% only after each 25% of the work is finished and you have reviewed it, so nothing is paid up front and you never pay for work you haven't seen. Each milestone has written acceptance criteria agreed in the plan and ends with a working preview, so you judge real progress before each invoice. Monthly retainers are billed per month instead.

Yes. I take on freelance and contract work as a Next.js/React and Laravel/PHP developer, based in Dhaka, Bangladesh and working with teams worldwide. Whether you need a full build or an experienced extra pair of hands on an existing codebase, start with a short call and I'll scope it.

Yes. I'm a web developer based in Dhaka and work with startups and businesses across Bangladesh — in person or remotely — as well as international clients from here. Whether you need a Next.js/React or Laravel developer for a one-off build or ongoing work, the first step is a short call.

Yes. I take on remote projects for startups and businesses across the EU and the UK. When a project touches personal data I work under a GDPR data processing agreement with Standard Contractual Clauses, keep the data in your own EU-region accounts, and build EU AI Act transparency into AI features from the start. Projects are fixed-price and paid 25% per finished milestone, with no deposit.

Yes — AI integration is core to what I do. I add LLM features (Claude, OpenAI, Gemini), retrieval and semantic search, and automations into products you already run, with guardrails and cost controls. I've shipped this in production, including the backend of an AI marketing and CRM platform.

Yes. I did the backend engineering for an AI marketing and CRM platform — multi-tenant, with usage-based billing — and I build custom CRMs and internal tools from Dhaka for clients internationally. When an off-the-shelf CRM doesn't fit how you actually work, a tailored build usually does.

A focused marketing site is usually 2–4 weeks; a full website like the Next Chapter Consultancy build ran about six weeks; every project runs in four milestones, each ending with a working preview. You get a plan and a timeline before I start building.

I'm based in Dhaka, Bangladesh (GMT+6, no daylight saving) and work comfortably with teams in Europe, the UK, the US, and the Middle East. Dhaka is 4–5 hours ahead of Central European Time, so a European morning lands in my afternoon, which leaves roughly three to five shared working hours a day. I keep those hours open for calls, send regular written updates, and stay reachable on whatever channel your team already uses.

It depends on scope. An agency adds account managers and markup; working with a hands-on freelancer means you deal directly with the person writing the code, which is usually faster and more cost-effective for small-to-mid projects. For very large, multi-team programmes an agency's bench helps — and I'll tell you honestly when that's the better fit.

Often off-the-shelf is the right call, and I'll say so — a simple site on WordPress or a store on Shopify can be perfect. Custom earns its cost when your workflow doesn't fit the template, you need control over data and performance, or an off-the-shelf CRM can't model how you actually sell. I build both, so the advice isn't biased toward more work.

Bank transfer, Wise, and card payments via Stripe for international clients, including clients in Europe and the UK. Invoices follow the four-milestone schedule: one 25% invoice as each quarter of the work is finished.

Yes, completely. You get clean, documented code in your own repository, plus a handover, so the project is never a black box that only I can maintain.

Yes. Every project includes a handover and post-launch support, and I offer ongoing monitoring and maintenance retainers if you'd like me to keep an eye on things once you're live.