Cole Segura
I build things
that should exist.
Products, audiences, research. I follow curiosity, use taste as a compass, and make things real.
Selected Work
Topographica
Product Design / AI / Geographic Intelligence
A platform for understanding places deeply. AI-generated guides that go beyond Wikipedia or travel blogs, with interactive maps, streaming infrastructure, and a command center. Born from my time as a raft guide, where I fell in love with understanding landscapes, wildlife, and how humans interact with the land.
topographica.ioHorizonFrame
iOS App / Startup / Witt Fellows Capstone
A personal development app for building success-oriented mental infrastructure. Goal visualization, mental conditioning, structured reflection.
Took it through the full pipeline: built the product, competed in the ALDAG Business Plan Competition at The EDGE, got accepted into the Crimson Entrepreneurship Academy. Had early users and testimonials.
Pivoted when I realized it wasn't the right long-term fit. The experience taught me the full product lifecycle and the maturity to walk away when something isn't right.
@blinkcheckpoint
Content Creation / Audience Building / TikTok
Found a playlist of old nature documentaries. Used FFMPEG to clip them into segments. Started matching clips to music with precise visual pacing. Not a formula. Taste plus technical execution. Labels came to me because the content moved numbers for their artists.
@blinkcheckpoint on TikTokUAP Disclosure
Independent Research / Government Transparency
I follow the UAP transparency movement as an independent open-source researcher. In July 2023, I was in Washington, D.C. for the House Oversight Committee hearing where David Grusch testified under oath about non-human intelligence and classified government programs.
The UAP question sits at the intersection of national security policy, government transparency, scientific inquiry, and public trust. I go where the important questions are, do my own research, and show up.
House Oversight Committee, July 26, 2023
About
The curiosity came first.
The building followed.
I'm a Computer Science senior at the University of Alabama, graduating May 2026. But the degree doesn't tell the story. The things I've built do.
I spent years as a raft guide trip leader in East Tennessee, leading groups of up to 70 people through the rivers of Southern Appalachia. That job required developing a genuine appreciation for the natural landscape, the wildlife, the history of outdoor recreation, and the people who shaped it. That curiosity became a defining part of how I see the world, and it's the direct thread that led to Topographica.
I'm a Witt Fellow (2021-2025), four years of coursework on community development and project design, plus a capstone project that became a real startup. I earned a Minor in Social Innovation and Leadership through the program.
I taught myself cinematic mobile shooting with Filmic Pro and ND filters on an iPhone. That visual sensibility is what led to @blinkcheckpoint, and it runs through everything I make.
I manage complex product builds through AI-native workflows. Not "using ChatGPT to write emails." Full development cycles: architecture, implementation, iteration, debugging, deployment. The way I work is closer to a creative director than a traditional developer.
Let's talk.
Building something interesting, have an opportunity, or just want to connect.
cwsegura@protonmail.com