Role: Co-founding CTO for an AI-native Content Startup
Founded by an ex-Silicon Valley unicorn builder · Seed round backed by top VCs · Latest valuation > $25M · MVP built · Launching soon · Team of ~15 (10 engineers) · Founding equity (post-MVP)
We’re building an AI-native product for high-value readers — business executives, managers, founders, investors, finance professionals, and researchers — to help them cut through noise and stay truly informed.
The MVP is built and ready. Early users love it.
We’re looking for a co-founding CTO — not just a tech lead, but a partner who can own architecture, drive velocity, and help shape the product as it goes to market. You’ll lead engineering, steer key decisions, and turn raw capability into a real, daily-use experience.
This isn’t a “build what you’re told” role — it’s a seat at the table, with real ownership, real users, and real momentum.
Location: SF Bay Area, and/or Asia (where most of our R&D folks are based for now). You can expect some frequent travels if you're based in the SF Bay Area.
Language: English, with Mandarin fluency being a plus.
🧠 What You Will Own:
- Architect and evolve a lean, scalable AI-native stack
- Drive RAG, embedding search, multimodal + LLM workflows
- Translate product goals into smart, shippable engineering
- Set the pace, not just follow it
- Code that’s clean, fast, and serves UX — not just specs
🧬 We're Likely a Fit if You:
- Have shipped real AI products — not just wrappers or weekend demos
- Experience / built products in the news / feed / short-videos / recommendation spaces
- Write clean code, care about craft, and set a high bar without being precious
- Switch easily between system design and terminal — you lead, but you build too
- Think like a product owner: UX, latency, and edge cases are your problem, not someone else’s
- Want speed, quality, and to ship something people actually use
- Say things like: “Don’t just give me a spec — I’ll figure out the smartest way through.”
🧑🤝🧑 Who We Are:
- Founded by a repeat entrepreneur — the last U.S. startup reached unicorn valuation
- Backed by top global VCs — Seed round nearly closed, millions already committed
- Clear product direction, strong early signal — already soft-launching via LinkedIn / Discord / Product Hunt
- Fast, focused, and allergic to drift — we value clarity, ownership, and real output
💼 What You'll Get:
- Deep ownership across tech, product, and company direction
- Real users, real feedback, fast iteration — no building in a vacuum
- Tight collaboration with product and growth — not a siloed tech org
- A seat at the table. This is your company, too.
- Competitive base salary + founding-level equity — meaningful, not symbolic
