About the team that actually knows tech.
A 13-year CIO, a former USAF combat communications officer, and an Oracle database expert who ship real AI products. Not just another web agency – we’re engineering-first, founder-led, and senior-only.
About Jesse Kranz, Founder & CEO
I started SmarterNerd because I saw a gap in the market. Too many web agencies don’t understand technology. Too many tech people don’t understand business.
After more than a decade as a Chief Information Officer – and before that, as a USAF Captain engineering combat communications that couldn’t fail under fire – I realized I could bridge that gap. So I did.
Today we build solutions that actually work, because we understand both sides: the engineering and the business impact. When we say we ship real AI, we mean it – we build and run Minesweeper.org, a live AI-driven game on web, iOS, and Android.
About Gisela Velazco, Chief AI Officer
Jesse doesn’t work alone. Gisela Velazco is SmarterNerd’s Chief AI Officer and second technical principal – an Oracle database administrator with deep enterprise data and infrastructure experience.
Where Jesse brings executive technology leadership and full-stack engineering, Gisela brings the data discipline that makes AI and automation actually reliable. Together, they’re two technologists who don’t just talk about AI – they build and run it.
That combination is rare: a husband-and-wife team with genuine enterprise credentials, shipping real products, applying that same rigor to every client engagement.
Our philosophy
Engineering First
Every decision is backed by technical rigor. We don’t cut corners. We don’t take shortcuts. Your solution works because it’s built right.
Results Driven
Success isn’t about deliverables. It’s about impact. We measure ourselves by your traffic, rankings, conversions, and revenue – not hours worked.
Founder-Led
You’re not working with a team of junior developers. You work directly with the founders. No account managers. No hand-offs. A direct relationship.
Senior-only, with deep expertise on call.
When a project calls for it, we draw on a bench of collaborators that includes former CERN and Fermilab physicists – the same people we build our AI products with. You get a small, senior team with serious technical depth, not a rotating cast of juniors. Learn more about what we do or see our work.
Ready to work with people
who actually know tech?
Book a free consultation. No fluff. Just honest technical expertise. Contact us today →