Lead the work.
Team development, customer relationships, budgets and day-to-day operations. Experience taking responsibility for both the plan and its execution.
- Hiring & coaching
- Operations & P&L
- Project coordination
Business leadership · Product development · Mentoring
Derek Sparta.
Build the business.
Develop the idea.
Help people grow.
I bring hands-on business experience to the way I lead teams, build software and mentor students. Based in Austin, I’m connecting a career in entrepreneurship with new work in technology and education.
Austin, Texas
What I bring
Business sense.
Builder’s mindset.
From managing a company to developing a prototype, I focus on the people, the process and the practical result.
Build useful things.
Turn a need into requirements, workflows and working prototypes. Use AI-assisted development with human review, testing and refinement.
- Product planning
- Application development
- Workflow improvement
Share the experience.
Help others develop ideas, make decisions and communicate clearly. Bring real business questions into student entrepreneurship and classroom work.
- Entrepreneurship
- Student mentoring
- Marketing & communication
Experience
Built through doing.
Business ownership, independent development and a growing commitment to education.
2024–present
Independent App Developer
CurrentIndependent projects · Austin, Texas
I define product requirements, roadmaps and workflows, then build and refine web and mobile prototypes using AI-assisted tools, testing and human review.
2000–2024
President & Owner
Sparta Graphics, Inc. · California & Texas
Led a B2B marketing and manufacturing business with responsibility for sales, pricing, budgets, customer delivery, hiring and team development. Coordinated projects from customer requirements through production and delivery.
2015–2018
Founder
Digital Print Brands · Concurrent venture
Led market validation, positioning, partnership development and launch planning. Raised $1 million in capital to support the venture.
Selected projects
Ideas I’m building.
Three independent software projects, each exploring a different way to help people organize their work.
In development
SpartaOS
Student entrepreneurship
A platform for student teams, teachers and mentors to organize ventures, collaborate and develop ideas. Inspired by my involvement with INCubatoredu.
Planning · Collaboration · Mentoring
In development
StatVoice
Sports statistics
A voice-assisted approach to recording youth and high-school sports statistics. Spoken observations become proposed events that can be reviewed and corrected.
Voice workflows · Data · Human review
In development
ScriptPhoenix
Screenplay development
A writing workflow that connects scene planning, drafting, review and revision. Designed around source tracking, clear checkpoints and the writer’s decisions.
Creative tools · Structure · Revision
Independent prototypes in development. Illustrations represent each project’s focus, not product screenshots.
Education & mentoring
Experience worth
passing on.
I’m bringing real-world business experience into the classroom while continuing to build and learn myself.
Leander ISD
Substitute teacher since August 2026, working primarily with high-school students.
Vandegrift High School
Mentor and classroom observer in the INCubatoredu program, helping students develop ventures and pitches.
iTeach Texas
Passed the TExES Marketing 6–12 exam. Completing observation requirements toward teacher eligibility; teaching certification has not yet been issued.
University of Arizona
Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts, Film & Television.
Let’s connect
Start a conversation.
Interested in business operations, product development or education?
I’d welcome the chance to talk.