Founding Engineer Jobs at Startups
The first engineering hires at a startup, usually around the seed round: building the first versions of the product, choosing the stack and setting the habits everyone after inherits.
181 live roles123 companies hiringChecked dailyUpdated
What it pays
The median advertised range for founding engineer roles at startups, across 29 live roles that list pay in US dollars, as of October 2026.
What these roles ask for
Across 124 founding engineer postings we've indexed, including roles that have since closed.
- TypeScript41%
- Python35%
- LLMs35%
- AWS31%
- React31%
- PostgreSQL20%
- Google Cloud12%
- Kubernetes12%
- Next.js11%
- Docker10%
What they offer
Measured across 124 postings.
Live roles (181)
Newest first. Every link re-checked this refresh.
- Founding Engineer, Applied AIClera · San Franciscoyesterday
- Founding Sales EngineerMintive · San Francisco, CAyesterday
- Founding Engineer, Environments and DataClera · San Francisco, CAyesterday
What is a founding engineer?
A founding engineer is one of the first engineers at a startup, usually hired before or around the seed round and often while the founders are still writing code themselves. You build the first versions of the product, choose the stack and set the engineering habits everyone after you inherits.
The usual trade is a lower salary than a big tech offer in exchange for more equity, more ownership and a much steeper learning curve. Good founding engineers are generalists who can ship end to end, talk to users and work without a spec.
Companies hiring founding engineers
138 companies have posted this role here, across 252 listings.
Clera37
True Talent Solutions Partners14
Pillar Space10
MLabs7
Continuum Resource Network6
Raydar5
Parisi Labs4
Scope Labs4
Hera4
Teamified3
Weave3Scope3clerra3
JeffreyM Consulting3
Atmos Clinic2
Soren2
Employvision2
Mintive2
Manufact2
FlowGen Labs2
General Compute2
Rockstar2
peano ai2
Intessera2
Solum Health2
SentiLink2
Koreon AI2
Huzzle2
Docebo2
Malkolm2
Deffai2
CTX2
Bolder Apps2
Taskclan2
Weekday AI2
Ternion Security2
Astranis
Davis AI
limrun
Noto
Cefense
Backpack
Browser Use
Pallet
Broccoli AI
Lemrock
Voltaire Legal
goodlane logistics
ohohoh.ai
aurora genesis
Wellfound
Floe
Aran Industries
Superpower
Orchard Robotics
Mezuro
valkai
EQL Tech
Docura Health
neugence technology
Eventual
The Legendary Lab
Earthinia Company Services
reducto
pear vc
Ficus Platforms
Rhoic
nectar social
Heron
Lightsage
Utilyze
Eklan
GreenSand AI
ROE
Glot
Mona
Sola
Skiffra
taru.money
AUTOPILOTCommon questions
How many founding engineer roles at startups are open right now?
181 as of October 23, 2026, at 123 companies. The Anti Job Board checks every listing against the company's own careers page each day, so these are roles still taking applications.
How much do founding engineer roles at startups pay?
As of October 2026, the median advertised pay for founding engineer roles at startups is $175K–$230K a year, across 29 live roles that list pay in US dollars.
Which companies are hiring founding engineers?
The most live roles right now are at Clera (16), Pillar Space (10), MLabs (6), Raydar (4) and Scope Labs (4). Every company on this page links to its open roles and how to reach the team.
How much equity does a founding engineer get?
It varies a lot with stage, salary and how early you join, and few postings state it. Ask for your number of shares, the total shares outstanding and the latest valuation, so you can work out your percentage and what it's worth today.
Is a founding engineer the same as a CTO?
No. A founding engineer is an early hire; a CTO is usually a co-founder, or the person accountable for the whole technical organisation. Some founding engineers grow into the role.