Founding Software Engineer

Job Description

Build From Zero With Proven Founders

We’re an early-stage, self-funded startup operating in stealth mode- founded by two entrepreneurs with multiple successful exits across diverse industries. We’re building a high-impact SaaS platform to disrupt a massive, fragmented market.

We’ve been working on this project for over a year, and we’re getting closer to launch. We’re ready to hire our first full-time team member, and are looking for a rockstar that can step up and play in the big leagues.

This isn’t just another job. It’s a rare opportunity to help shape the product, culture, and trajectory of a company from day one. You’ll work directly with both founders who are extremely active in the business - one a visionary with nonstop ideas and an incredible network, the other a seasoned operator who’s scaled businesses before and knows how to do it again.

We move fast, think deeply, and care deeply about execution. If you’re energized by early-stage chaos, have unending energy and crave a seat at the table, keep reading.

How We Work

We believe in autonomy with accountability. You’ll have the freedom to lead and build—but also the responsibility to deliver and raise the bar. And yes, come on board now and you’ll earn your spot as an owner with equity.

While we support flexibility, we’re big believers in in-person energy. We’ve built our home base in coworking spaces like Industrious and mHUB, because we know the best ideas (and decisions) often come from being in the room together.

We’re keeping the team small and exceptional. No fluff. No politics. Just sharp people doing meaningful work. If that sounds like your kind of place, welcome to the ground floor.

Role Overview

We’re looking for a versatile and motivated developer to join as an early team member at a pivotal moment. You’ll play a key role in helping bring our product to life—collaborating with our external development partner and working directly under the mentorship of a top-tier technical advisor and acting partially as a fractional CTO during the development cycle.

This role is ideal for a technically strong builder who also brings a “second superpower”—another area of passion and skill where you can contribute meaningfully beyond code. Whether it’s digital design, financial modeling, data analysis, had a past life as a paralegal or product strategy, we’re looking for someone who wants to wear multiple hats and grow into a uniquely valuable cross-functional leader.

You’ll be instrumental in shaping our technology, refining the product experience, and helping guide internal decisions on what to build next. You’ll also be exposed to early-stage decision-making across multiple disciplines—perfect for someone with long-term aspirations to lead in both tech and business.

Our current stack potentially includes:

Frontend: Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Zustand

API Layer: Node.js (Nest.js), Express APIs, JWT-based Auth (Auth0/Cognito)

Data Layer: PostgreSQL, Prisma ORM

Cloud Infrastructure: AWS ECS (Fargate) or AWS Lambda for APIs, AWS S3, Redis cache

Hosting: AWS Amplify or Vercel

Third-Party Integrations: Stripe, Twilio, OptaPlanner, Zendesk

Monitoring & Observability: DataDog or CloudWatch

Key Responsibilities

Write, test, and deploy code across the stack to support platform development

Collaborate with our external development firm to ensure clean handoffs and consistent code quality

Contribute to architectural and product decisions in collaboration with founders and advisors

Assist in QA, debugging, and feature refinement post-launch

Leverage your “superpower” to support another key area of the business—this could include:

Digital or print design (UX/UI, branding, etc.)

Financial modeling, analytics, or operations

Marketing tech or product/customer research

Legal/paralegal/contract work

Business operations

Sales and Marketing

…any other area of expertise that will allow you to bring a special talent into the organization

Learn and grow under the guidance of a highly respected technical mentor

Qualifications

3–6 years of experience in full-stack development

Solid working knowledge of modern development frameworks and tools

Demonstrated ability to build and ship products in fast-paced environments

Proven interest and capability in at least one additional functional area beyond engineering

Strong business acumen, common sense, and the ability to align technical decisions with company goals

Curious, collaborative, and comfortable working in ambiguity

Bonus: Experience with AI/ML tools or APIs is a plus

Compensation

Base salary: up to $90,000 depending on experience

Equity: Competitive early-stage equity with meaningful upside and the opportunity to gain more equity via salary trade

Mentorship from a globally recognized engineering leader

In-person role with flexibility, based at mHUB in Chicago, with access to a vibrant, innovation-focused coworking community

Exposure to early-stage product, design, and strategic decision-making

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Full-time