I am a self-taught engineer from Vietnam (Global South). I am building Mood Locker, a "Deep Tech" sanctuary disguised as a coffee service.
We live in a world optimized for transactions. But in developing regions, the youth are crushing under the weight of "Old World" expectations (connections, pedigree, status). We have apps for food and banking, but no operating system for our emotional dignity.
Mood Locker creates a physical-digital layer where micro-moments of recognition (being seen) replace discounts. It is powered by the mirror of my own life—a custom-built infrastructure (Splay Tree ORM + Python IaC SDK) that I built from first principles because I felt alone in solving the problem of outlier talent: "I had no privilege. I just wanted a job to serve my family, surviving on that single cup of coffee".
Goal: Build the world’s first Emotional Engine Layer embedded in everyday physical spaces, starting with one small café node. The purpose is not to sell food — but to normalize emotional micro-survival.
My pitch deck: https://bit.ly/mood_locker_desk
My Execution Evidence (Proof of Velocity):
Past projects & velocity proofs
IaC SDK (EC2 auto-recovery demo)
A self-built infrastructure SDK that can recreate EC2 after deletion, with retry-AZ logic and a React-hooks–based component model — something that didn’t exist before.
https://bit.ly/iac_ec2_demo
Gravity Survey Manifesto
A 2-month sprint proving execution speed, emotional model experiments, and community signals.
https://bit.ly/survey_gravity
Even when companies rejected me in many agos because of degree, underdog, self-taught. I kept building — sitting in the corner of a café, shipping one feature at a time. That’s how Mood Locker was born and still get job to work to current.
User → mood → tags → combo suggestions
Bandit algorithm for personalized selection
Micro-discounts only on mood-matched combos
These interactions replace the “cold POS system” with a feeling of being seen.
Weather context (rain/heat → reward multipliers)
Stay-time tracking
Headphone supported if come + offline playlist (action impact in minimal corner)
Weekly point cycle for retention
Helps users develop grounding habits without “gambling dopamine loops”.
Points convert into acts of kindness
“Most touched story of the week or daily” receives a surprise combo
Anonymous global wall of emotional stories
Points reset weekly to maintain momentum
Turns loneliness → community → collective micro-impact.
As the community grows, we extend the Impact Layer into a small Talent Hub inside the app.
This feature helps us hire young underdog talent (students, part-time workers, first-job seekers) to run the physical node sustainably.
Users can unlock profiles of these workers through the Impact Store—supporting them, learning from them, or booking small services (e.g., tutoring, accounting help, creative work).
It creates a tiny, resilient ecosystem where customers, staff, and community uplift one another.
This is a long-term vision, not a launch feature—but it aligns with the mission:
emotional safety, human potential, and accessible opportunity.
I operate on a "Survival Engine" model. Funding is for Velocity, not luxury.
Cost of Living (The Dream): I need enough runway to quit my senior workload job and commit 100% to this mission. This buys me Time.
Engineering Velocity: I plan to hire a close friend (mobile developer) at a low cost because he believes in the mission.
Physical Node (Model-7): As detailed in Slide 10 of my deck (https://bit.ly/mood_locker_desk), I will deploy a low-cost, modular café node in 1-3 months to test in the real world.
AWS Cost: Negligible. My Deep Tech framework (Splay Tree/IaC) is optimized for efficiency, so I don't need microservice scale yet.
Operations: My wife, my sister, and my network of "fire inspiration" youth will support the physical operations.
I am currently a Solo Founder, but not alone in spirit. My background is self-taught engineering from Vietnam’s Global South, where most people don’t get a second chance. I learned by building — not by degrees.
I don’t have a "typical Silicon Valley resume", but I am a "High Variance" human. I know I can fail on this idea, but I never stop.
“For founders like me, MVP matters — but surviving long enough to ship it matters even more. Velocity built in the corner of a café can be more powerful than perfect resources.”
My track record:
Custom IaC SDK (from scratch) have demo:
A fully working Python Infrastructure-as-Code SDK with retry-AZ logic and React-hook–style components. It can recreate EC2 instances after deletion.
Built in 2 months, entirely self-taught.
Splay Tree ORM:
I built my own data structure–driven ORM years ago — not to reinvent the wheel, but because I didn’t have senior engineers around me for support private client needed.
Even in the worst case, this project doesn’t truly "fail."
Because the Dual Engine Model (Slide 9) proves that I can survive by running a simple café while slowly iterating the software. The physical node sustains me.
And if Mood Locker, in its full form, still fails? I will simply build again. I’m not attached to one idea — I’m attached to creating something meaningful. I’ve rebuilt my life many times from a café corner, and I can do it again.
The outcome beyond success or failure: Even a small version of Mood Locker can plant a new ideal in Vietnam’s youth: that emotional dignity, resilience, and self-made paths are possible, even without pedigree or privilege.
So the true risk is not failure. The true risk is never trying.
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