Senior Full Stack Software Engineer - Serial Founder Team (Multiple Exits) *Austin Base Required

Team Overview

Ever felt that entrepreneurial itch? Here's your backstage pass to build something real in AI - no buzzword bingo, just hard tech with heart.

We're two battle-tested founders (Dan & Sean) who've:

✅ Built & sold multiple startups (Pillow → Expedia, Notehall → Chegg)

✅ Raised $$ from investors who actually know our track record

✅ Learned what not to do through glorious failures

Let’s be honest: AI is about to make the internet either incredibly magical or utterly unusable. We’re building for Door #1.

Our answer? An AI-powered platform that fights fire with fire – keeping engagement actually human, and bots facilitate vs replace. Think of it as a digital BS filter for the coming AI chaos. Too vague? Good, we haven't even been on our first date and early-stage stealth mode keeps things interesting. We are based in ATX and would like this all-star we hire to be here as well.

Our vision centers on revolutionizing authentic engagement through an interactive challenge platform, with AI integration at its core. You'll be a key player in bringing the platform to life, scaling our systems, and setting the direction for our future. Join us at the ground level, where your contributions will directly influence our trajectory and success. This role offers a significant hands-on opportunity to be a founding engineer of a startup from the ground up, with opportunities for professional growth, leadership development, and the chance to build a platform that we believe has a lot of purpose and financial upside.

Who you are...

• 5 years of experience as a Full-Stack Developer or in a similar role, with a strong focus on web development.
• Technical Skills: Have built complex full stack web and/or mobile applications with a deep understanding of frontend, backend, and databases. Some technologies we use: TypeScript, Next.js, React, PostgreSQL, Open AI / Gemini.
• UI/UX Design Familiarity: Understanding of UI/UX design principles and the ability to deliver a clean, modern user experience.
• Passion for early-stage chaos and learning on the fly.
• Strategic Thinking: You're a problem-solver who can think outside the box and contribute valuable ideas to the team.
• Communication & Collaboration: Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a proactive and adaptable approach to a fast-paced environment.
• You take your work seriously, but not yourself. You are humble and welcome giving and receiving feedback. You are open minded and strive to create the best solutions you can regardless where they come from.

Tech Stack

• Frontend: TypeScript, Next.js, React
• Backend: Node.js, PostgreSQL
• AI: OpenAI, Gemini, Grok (computer vision experience a plus)
• Cloud: AWS, Vercel

What you’ll do:

• Design, develop, and maintain a full stack web application built with Typescript, React, Next, Postgres among numerous other technologies.
• Collaborate to deliver quality software quickly and iteratively
• Review code, champion best practices, and create a culture of excellence
• Work with Product, Design, and leadership to provide technical guidance and strategy
• Work comfortably with cloud services such as AWS and Vercel for data storage, AI infrastructure, and backend functionality
• Collaborate effectively within an agile framework, emphasizing flexibility and iterative development
• Utilize your experience in integrating AI models, such as OpenAI and Gemini, to enhance our platform's functionality and intelligence

Culture Fit

• Take work seriously but laugh when things break
• Give/receive feedback like a pro (we have PHD in radical candor)
• Believe tacos count as a food group

Bonus Points:

• Experience with video processing and storage solutions.
• Hands-on experience with deploying, fine-tuning, or working with computer vision models in real-time applications.
• Understanding of gamification principles and how to incorporate them into app design for a compelling user experience.
• Familiarity with optimizing AI workflows for scalability, including cloud-based inference and data pipelines.

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation: $140,000-$160,000
• Equity (0.5-2%)
• 10 Days plus recognized holidays
• Pre-define salary bump for subsequent rounds of funding (good for you)
• Benefits will grow as we grow

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $140,000.00 - $160,000 per year

Compensation Package:

• Bonus opportunities
• Stock options

Schedule:

• Choose your own hours
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Application Question(s):

• What's your favorite takeout/delivery grub spot in ATX?
• Explain how you'd handle API rate limiting in a distributed system. Use an analogy involving something non-technical (like traffic, coffee shops, or sports) to describe your approach.

Experience:

• Full-stack development: 5 years (Required)
• TypeScript: 2 years (Preferred)
• React: 2 years (Preferred)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Austin, TX 78702 - 2-3 Days in East Austin Office Per Week