The people behind Darkstar.

Matthew Harris is the co-founder of Darkstar Development, where he helps companies build secure, scalable data systems that leaders can actually trust and use to make better decisions.

What makes Matt’s perspective different is the path he took to get here. He started his career on the Walmart floor before moving into leadership roles across retail, manufacturing, software, and enterprise data operations. Along the way, he worked with companies including Kawneer, Jenzabar, and Massanutten Resort. Each role gave him a deeper understanding of how businesses actually operate and how technology impacts the people using it every day.

Today, Matthew works with organizations to modernize their data infrastructure, improve security, and create systems that support smarter decision-making. He believes the companies that will succeed in the next decade are the ones treating data and security as business priorities, not backend IT problems. While many companies are rushing toward AI, Matt sees strong, trusted data as the real foundation that has to come first.

At the core of Matt’s approach is trust. He believes the best consulting relationships are built through consistency, honesty, and doing the work well over time. That mindset is a big part of how he and his co-founder built Darkstar Development and why many of their clients become long-term partners.

Outside of work, Matt spends most of his time around cars, fitness, and heavy metal music. Whether he’s working on a project car, at the gym, or catching a live show, he values the same things in life that he brings to business: discipline, authenticity, and relationships that last.

Justin Carpenter is the co-founder of Darkstar Development, where he helps organizations solve complex business challenges through AI, data engineering, cybersecurity, and modern infrastructure.

Known for his direct communication style and practical approach to technology, Justin focuses on building solutions that create real operational impact. Early in his career, he became frustrated watching strong ideas get stuck behind layers of corporate bureaucracy, which pushed him toward building environments where teams could move faster, solve meaningful problems, and focus on outcomes instead of process for the sake of process.

Today, Justin works with organizations to modernize their systems, improve data visibility, and implement secure, scalable technology that supports long-term growth. He believes the future of AI will belong to companies that prioritize strong data foundations, security, and trust rather than chasing hype or overengineered solutions.

At the center of Justin’s leadership philosophy is character. He and his co-founder built Darkstar Development around honesty, technical depth, and doing the work the right way, even when it is harder. He believes the strongest client relationships are built through trust, transparency, and consistently delivering results.

Outside of work, Justin is passionate about his faith, mentoring younger engineers, and spending time with his family.

Zachary Weller is the Principal Data Engineer at Darkstar Development, where he focuses on data engineering, data modeling, and analytics. He thinks of himself as a business scientist: someone who pairs technical depth with a focus on the business questions the data is supposed to answer, so that every pipeline and model ties back to a decision someone needs to make.

Zach’s path into data started in medical research. Working closely with research data early in his career, he found himself more drawn to the data than anything else, and he shifted his focus to analytics and data science. As the questions he was answering grew more complex, he saw firsthand that the quality of any insight depends on the infrastructure underneath it. That led him to go deep on data modeling techniques and engineering best practices, building the foundations that make reliable analysis possible. He never fully left research behind, and he still contributes to medical research projects from time to time, focusing on data governance, analytics, and statistical analysis.

Before joining Darkstar, Zach worked in the logistics sector and most recently in product development at a higher education software company, where he served as both a developer and a client-facing specialist. Sitting between the engineering team and the institutions using the product taught him how to translate technical detail into plain language, and how to turn client needs into clear requirements engineers can build against. He brings that product mindset to Darkstar: understanding the user first, building iteratively, and making sure what gets delivered solves the problem the client actually has.

Zach believes that strong data governance and well-designed infrastructure are what separate accurate insight from educated guessing. Before an organization can get real value from analytics or AI, it needs data that is modeled well, governed consistently, and built to scale.

Zach is a clear communicator who does his best work in a team environment, whether he is working through a data model with engineers or walking a client through what their data is telling them.

Outside of work, Zach spends his time with his family and out hiking with his dog, and he never turns down a good bourbon.