Founding Engineer - Electron + Node.js
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
- Not disclosed
- Location
- San Francisco; Bengaluru
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- Not specified
- Category
- Software engineering
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 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 shipping production products end-to-end
- Strong product intuition and obsession with UX quality and responsiveness
- Comfortable operating with ambiguity
- Can independently own systems from architecture to deployment
Nice to have
- Experience with local-first or offline-capable architectures
- Familiarity with real-time systems, streaming, or AI-integrated workflows
Full description
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.