Francisco (Daniel) Saldana

Francisco (Daniel) Saldana has worked in the engineering and product development fields for over 14 years. In 2007, they began their career as a CNC Machinist & Programmer at Buks Tool Company, Inc. where they operated CNC machines, performed QC inspections, and created CNC programs. In 2013, they moved to Unipixel Displays Inc. as a Product Development Engineer. In 2016, they joined Rebellion Photonics as a Mechanical Engineer, where they were part of a team of two engineers and four technicians responsible for the design and manufacturing of Gas Cloud Imaging (GCI) Camera Systems. Francisco (Daniel) also designed all mechanical components including shutter drive mechanisms, aluminum frame, enclosures, germanium lens housing, cable management brackets and mounting plates. In 2018, they joined Zewski Corporation as an Engineering Manager and Senior Mechanical Engineer, where they managed a team of engineers and technicians in the conceptualization, design, and testing of class 1 & 2 medical products while concurrently overseeing 10+ projects. Most recently, they joined Starling (YC W22) as a Lead Mechanical Engineer in 2022.

Francisco (Daniel) Saldana attended The University of Texas at Austin from 2009 to 2011, where they completed the Business Foundations Program. Francisco (Daniel) then transferred to the University of Houston, where they earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2013. In 2014, they obtained an EIT (Engineer in Training) certification from the NCEES.