Founding Engineer - Electron + Node.js
Summary
Founding engineer at a stealth, pre-seed AI startup building an 'invisible, ambient' desktop product. You would architect an Electron + Node.js/TypeScript desktop app with real-time, low-latency local systems, working directly with founders for equity-only compensation until the seed round closes.
Compensation: 0.3% – 3.0%
The Opportunity Most software today still feels reactive. We believe the next generation of professional tools will feel invisible, ambient, and deeply intelligent. That shift is coming faster than most people realize. We are building something ambitious in the intersection of AI, real-time systems, and productivity - but intentionally staying quiet about the details for now. The people joining at this stage will help define not just the product, but the category itself. We are looking for a Founding Engineer who can move extremely fast across Electron, Node.js, desktop architecture, performance optimization, and product thinking. This is not a maintenance role. This is not "join and execute tickets.: This is a build-the-future-from-zero role. What You’ll Work On Architect and build a premium desktop application using Electron Build high-performance backend and local runtime systems using Node.js Work on real-time communication pipelines and low-latency interactions Design systems that feel native, fast, and invisible Help shape the engineering culture, architecture, and technical direction Collaborate directly with founders on product strategy and execution Build internal tooling and infrastructure from scratch You will have unusually high ownership from day one. What We’re Looking For Core Technical Skills Strong experience with Electron.js Deep understanding of Node.js and asynchronous systems Strong TypeScript / JavaScript fundamentals Experience building polished desktop applications Understanding of IPC, memory management, and performance optimization Experience with local-first or offline-capable architectures is a plus Familiarity with real-time systems, streaming, or AI-integrated workflows is a bonus Experience shipping production products end-to-end Engineering Mindset Fast execution without sacrificing taste Strong product intuition Obsessed with UX quality and responsiveness Comfortable operating with ambiguity Can independently own systems from architecture to deployment Builder mentality > resume prestige What Makes This Different You will not be joining a company with layers of management and slow-moving roadmaps. You will be: One of the earliest engineers Working directly with founders Influencing every major technical decision Helping define the future engineering org Building a product people will talk about The work will be intense. The expectations will be high. The upside will be meaningful. Compensation Before Seed Round Equity-only compensation Meaningful founding-team equity stake Transparent discussions around ownership and long-term incentives After Seed Round Highly competitive salary package Equity refresh opportunities Long-term leadership growth within the company We are looking for people optimizing for impact and ownership - not short-term comfort. Ideal Background You might be: An early engineer at a startup Someone who built and shipped side projects obsessively A cracked indie hacker A systems-minded frontend engineer A desktop-performance nerd Someone tired of building incremental SaaS dashboards Pedigree is respected. Actual building ability matters more. Technologies We Care About Electron Node.js TypeScript React IPC / Native integrations WebRTC / Streaming SQLite / Local-first systems AI-integrated workflows Performance engineering