Founding AI Engineer

About the role

About the Role Join the founding team of an AI-first consumer startup tackling one of Gen Z's most pressing challenges: loneliness. The company organizes AI-powered small-group in-person hangouts every week, helping thousands of young people build real friendships — no app, no swiping, no ghosting. AI agents handle the entire experience end-to-end: onboarding, profiling, matching, logistics, reminders, follow-ups, and continuous learning. The team is expanding rapidly across hundreds of university campuses across the United States. As a Founding AI Engineer , you will be one of the earliest technical hires, working directly at the intersection of machine learning, social graph intelligence, and conversational AI agent infrastructure. This is a high-ownership, high-impact role for someone who thrives in fast-moving, ambiguous environments. What You'll Do AI Matching & Social Graphs Build a novel social graph grounded in real-world interaction data, processing millions of data points across a growing user base Design and iterate on group-matching algorithms that surface highly compatible friend groups Implement collaborative filtering, graph embeddings, and ranking systems to drive personalization Apply reinforcement learning from real-world outcomes to continuously improve match quality Discover patterns in social data that lead to meaningful, lasting friendships Multi-Channel AI Agent Experiences Design and build AI agent workflows that operate natively across channels users already use (e.g., Instagram, iMessage, WhatsApp, TikTok) Orchestrate a suite of specialized AI agents handling distinct stages of the user journey Integrate third-party messaging APIs and services into a cohesive, reliable agent infrastructure Build scalable backend infrastructure to support AI workloads and multi-channel agent orchestration Craft human-AI interaction patterns that feel natural, effortless, and trustworthy What We're Looking For Required 0–4 years of hands-on experience building AI/ML systems in production, ideally in recommender or matching domains Proven ability to build large-scale AI systems processing millions of data points Strong proficiency in collaborative filtering, graph embeddings, and ranking systems Experience applying reinforcement learning from real-world feedback to personalization problems Experience designing AI agent experiences across multiple messaging channels and handling API integrations Ability to architect scalable infrastructure for AI workloads and agent orchestration Strong cross-functional communication skills; comfortable collaborating with product, design, and data science Founding mindset: you ship fast, own problems end-to-end, and thrive in ambiguity Must be eligible to work in the United States without visa sponsorship Nice to Have Prior experience with social graph platforms or large-scale personalization systems Familiarity with multi-agent orchestration frameworks Background in consumer social or community-focused products Compensation & Benefits Salary: $150,000 – $200,000 USD per year Equity: Meaningful founding equity package Competitive benefits commensurate with an early-stage, well-resourced team Location This is a fully on-site role based in San Francisco, California . The team works together in person. Visa sponsorship is not available ; candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.