San Francisco, CA · Hybrid
$170K - $250K/yr
Founded 2019 · 1-10 people (Seed) · Industry: Healthcare AI The Role A Founding Engineer reporting directly to the CTO, owning full-stack product development as the company scales its core platform ...
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San Francisco, CA · Hybrid
$170K - $250K/yr
Founded 2019 · 1-10 people (Seed) · Industry: Healthcare AI The Role A Founding Engineer reporting directly to the CTO, owning full-stack product development as the company scales its core platform ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$120K - $190K/yr
About the Role A seed-stage AI-powered healthtech startup is hiring a Founding Engineer to join a small, fast-moving team building software that modernizes billing and operations for Emergency ...
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San Francisco, CA · On-site
$120K - $190K/yr
About the Role A seed-stage AI-powered healthtech startup is hiring a Founding Engineer to join a small, fast-moving team building software that modernizes billing and operations for Emergency ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$120K - $190K/yr
About the Role A seed-stage AI-powered healthtech startup is hiring a Founding Engineer to join a small, fast-moving team building software that modernizes billing and operations for Emergency ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$120K - $190K/yr
About the Role A seed-stage AI-powered healthtech startup is hiring a Founding Engineer to join a small, fast-moving team building software that modernizes billing and operations for Emergency ...
$160K - $200K/yr
AI Tools The Role Founding Engineer -- engineer number one, helping shape both the product and the company from an early stage. A high-ownership role: you help decide what gets built, how, and what ...
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$160K - $200K/yr
AI Tools The Role Founding Engineer -- engineer number one, helping shape both the product and the company from an early stage. A high-ownership role: you help decide what gets built, how, and what ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site +1
Founding Engineer Job title: Founding Engineer Location: San Francisco, CA (in-person only, relocation available) About the Company They help speech, occupational, and physical therapists build their ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site +1
Founding Engineer Job title: Founding Engineer Location: San Francisco, CA (in-person only, relocation available) About the Company They help speech, occupational, and physical therapists build their ...
$180K - $230K/yr
Founding Engineer San Francisco, CA · On-site · Full-time Compensation: $180,000-$230,000 + equity About the Company Our client is an early-stage (pre-seed) healthcare AI company building referral ...
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$180K - $230K/yr
Founding Engineer San Francisco, CA · On-site · Full-time Compensation: $180,000-$230,000 + equity About the Company Our client is an early-stage (pre-seed) healthcare AI company building referral ...
Palo Alto, CA · On-site
The Opportunity EQL Tech is partnering with PhormAI to hire an exceptional Founding Engineer to join its team as the company builds Darwin, its Physical AI platform for Health & Wellness, into the ...
Palo Alto, CA · On-site
The Opportunity EQL Tech is partnering with PhormAI to hire an exceptional Founding Engineer to join its team as the company builds Darwin, its Physical AI platform for Health & Wellness, into the ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$160K - $270K/yr
PTO
About the Role A well-funded, seed-stage startup building graph-native context and memory infrastructure for AI agents is hiring 2-3 Founding Engineers to work on the core platform. This is not a ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$160K - $270K/yr
PTO
About the Role A well-funded, seed-stage startup building graph-native context and memory infrastructure for AI agents is hiring 2-3 Founding Engineers to work on the core platform. This is not a ...
Menlo Park, CA · On-site
As a Founding Engineer, you will build core modules for a high-performance scientific computing platform, working closely with the founding team to create production software that significantly ...
Menlo Park, CA · On-site
As a Founding Engineer, you will build core modules for a high-performance scientific computing platform, working closely with the founding team to create production software that significantly ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$160K - $270K/yr
PTO
About the Role A well-funded, seed-stage startup building graph-native context and memory infrastructure for AI agents is hiring 2-3 Founding Engineers to work on the core platform. This is not a ...
Quick apply
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$160K - $270K/yr
PTO
About the Role A well-funded, seed-stage startup building graph-native context and memory infrastructure for AI agents is hiring 2-3 Founding Engineers to work on the core platform. This is not a ...
Palo Alto, CA · On-site
The Opportunity EQL Tech is partnering with PhormAI to hire an exceptional Founding Engineer to join its team as the company builds Darwin, its Physical AI platform for Health & Wellness, into the ...
Palo Alto, CA · On-site
The Opportunity EQL Tech is partnering with PhormAI to hire an exceptional Founding Engineer to join its team as the company builds Darwin, its Physical AI platform for Health & Wellness, into the ...
Bodega Bay, CA · On-site
Founding Engineer (Full Stack) Location: San Francisco Bay Area Type: Full-Time Compensation: Competitive salary + meaningful equity (founding tier) Backed by 8VC, we're building a world-class team ...
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Bodega Bay, CA · On-site
Founding Engineer (Full Stack) Location: San Francisco Bay Area Type: Full-Time Compensation: Competitive salary + meaningful equity (founding tier) Backed by 8VC, we're building a world-class team ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$97K - $129K/yr
About the Role Join a pre-seed AI startup as Engineer #4 on the founding team, working directly with the CTO and fellow founding engineers. This is a high-ownership, fast-paced role where you'll ship ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$97K - $129K/yr
About the Role Join a pre-seed AI startup as Engineer #4 on the founding team, working directly with the CTO and fellow founding engineers. This is a high-ownership, fast-paced role where you'll ship ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$200K - $300K/yr
About the Role A fast-moving, early-stage startup in San Francisco is looking for a Founding Engineer to join as one of the first technical hires. This is a rare opportunity to work directly with the ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$200K - $300K/yr
About the Role A fast-moving, early-stage startup in San Francisco is looking for a Founding Engineer to join as one of the first technical hires. This is a rare opportunity to work directly with the ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
As a Founding Engineer, you will build core modules for a high-performance scientific computing platform, working closely with the founding team to create production software that significantly ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
As a Founding Engineer, you will build core modules for a high-performance scientific computing platform, working closely with the founding team to create production software that significantly ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$125K - $175K/yr
Founding Engineer - GovTech Location: San Francisco, CA (In-Office) Partnership: EQL Tech has been exclusively retained by a high-growth technology startup to appoint a Founding Engineer to build ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$125K - $175K/yr
Founding Engineer - GovTech Location: San Francisco, CA (In-Office) Partnership: EQL Tech has been exclusively retained by a high-growth technology startup to appoint a Founding Engineer to build ...
$160K - $220K/yr
AI advertising / consumer AI The Role A Founding Engineer who can blend backend, ML, and traditional system design / infrastructure -- a high-agency, high-slope builder, not a candidate filtered ...
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$160K - $220K/yr
AI advertising / consumer AI The Role A Founding Engineer who can blend backend, ML, and traditional system design / infrastructure -- a high-agency, high-slope builder, not a candidate filtered ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$200K - $300K/yr
About the Role A fast-moving, early-stage startup in San Francisco is looking for a Founding Engineer to join as one of the first technical hires. This is a rare opportunity to work directly with the ...
Quick apply
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$200K - $300K/yr
About the Role A fast-moving, early-stage startup in San Francisco is looking for a Founding Engineer to join as one of the first technical hires. This is a rare opportunity to work directly with the ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$120K - $250K/yr
About the Role This is a founding engineering role at a YC-backed (Seed stage) enterprise AI company building the agentic operating system for businesses. The platform enables companies to deploy ...
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San Francisco, CA · On-site
$120K - $250K/yr
About the Role This is a founding engineering role at a YC-backed (Seed stage) enterprise AI company building the agentic operating system for businesses. The platform enables companies to deploy ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$97K - $129K/yr
About the Role Join a pre-seed AI startup as Engineer #4 on the founding team, working directly with the CTO and fellow founding engineers. This is a high-ownership, fast-paced role where you'll ship ...
Quick apply
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$97K - $129K/yr
About the Role Join a pre-seed AI startup as Engineer #4 on the founding team, working directly with the CTO and fellow founding engineers. This is a high-ownership, fast-paced role where you'll ship ...
$29.6K - $37.5K
2% of jobs
$37.5K - $45.4K
10% of jobs
$50.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$45.4K - $53.3K
20% of jobs
$53.3K - $61.2K
13% of jobs
The median wage is $63.2K / yr.
$61.2K - $69.1K
21% of jobs
$74.2K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$69.1K - $77K
14% of jobs
$77K - $84.9K
7% of jobs
$84.9K - $92.8K
5% of jobs
$92.8K - $100.7K
3% of jobs
$100.7K - $108.6K
2% of jobs
$108.6K - $116.5K
2% of jobs
$29.6K
$68.5K
$116.5K
As a Founding Engineer, you’ll often be tasked with building a product from the ground up while balancing rapid development with long-term technical vision. Resource constraints and evolving product requirements can require creative problem-solving and the ability to prioritize effectively. You’ll work closely with the founding team, making pivotal decisions that shape both technology and culture, so adaptability and a hands-on approach are important. While the environment can be demanding and ambiguous, it also offers unique opportunities to learn, take ownership, and have a major impact on the success of the company.
A Founding Engineer is one of the first technical hires at a startup, responsible for building the company's core products and setting the foundation for its technology stack. They work closely with the founders, making key architectural decisions, writing production-ready code, and often wearing multiple hats across engineering, product, and strategy. This role requires a mix of deep technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and adaptability to thrive in a fast-paced, early-stage environment.
To thrive as a Founding Engineer, you need deep expertise in software development, system architecture, and product design, typically backed by experience with startups or building products from scratch. Familiarity with modern programming languages, cloud platforms, and agile tools such as Git, AWS, and Jira is often essential. Exceptional problem-solving, strong ownership mentality, and the ability to communicate clearly in fast-paced, unstructured environments set standout candidates apart. These skills are crucial because Founding Engineers must quickly turn vision into reality, adapt to changing needs, and help establish the technical foundation of a new company.
The most popular types of Founding Engineer jobs in California are:
For Founding Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
The top searched job categories for Founding Engineer jobs in California are:
Cities in California with the most Founding Engineer job openings:
$170K - $250K/yr
Full-time
Re-posted 8 days ago
San Francisco, CA · On-site · Full-time Compensation: $170,000–$250,000 + 0.5%–1.5% equity
About the CompanyOur client automates patient recruitment for clinical trials using AI agents that coordinate across SMS, voice, and email. Clinical-trial delays cost $600K–$8M per day in a $600B+ market, and the platform helps research sites close that gap. It's already working with 7 of the top 15 research-site networks in the country, battle-tested across 500K+ patient interactions, 190+ sites, and 300+ trials, and is well-backed by a top-tier venture firm and strategic healthcare investors.
Founded 2019 · 1–10 people (Seed) · Industry: Healthcare AI
The RoleA Founding Engineer reporting directly to the CTO, owning full-stack product development as the company scales its core platform and AI-agent capabilities. High-ownership work in a fast-paced, high-intensity environment with no playbook.
Tech stack: TypeScript, Python, AWS, Next.js.
Requirements