Technical Cofounder – AI & Distributed Systems (Full-Time, NJ-Based)
Location: Must live in New Jersey
Compensation: Equity + monthly stipend (via NJIF income replacement, pending approval)
Stage: Pre-seed
About Us
We're building the foundation for smarter systems. DreamEngine AI is creating software that can think, coordinate, and act more like a team than a tool.
We've already built a working prototype and are preparing to apply for the New Jersey Innovation Fellows (NJIF) program — a state-funded initiative that provides income replacement to first-time founders so they can build their startup full-time without needing outside employment.
We're looking for a technical cofounder based in New Jersey who's ready to help take this system from prototype to real-world scale.
Who We're Looking For
We're looking for someone who's ready to build from the ground up. To be eligible, you must:
- Live in New Jersey - Have graduated from a New Jersey college, or be on track to graduate in 2025 (required for NJIF)
- Be ready to commit full-time
- Be comfortable in fast-moving, high-ambiguity environments
- Be serious about helping shape a long-term product and platform.
Technical Skills We're Looking For
You don't need to check every box - but this is the kind of work we're doing:
- Solid experience in one or more major programming languages (Python, Go, Rust, C++, etc.)
- Familiar with writing concurrent or asynchronous systems
- Strong understanding of object-oriented programming and modular architecture
- Able to build, test, and run distributed systems across multiple servers
- Exposure to large language models or frameworks like PyTorch, Hugging Face Transformers, or ONNX Runtime - Experience working with APIs (FastAPI, Flask, etc.) and real-time systems (WebSockets, pub/sub, messaging queues)
- Comfortable with databases (SQL, NoSQL, or data lakes)
- Experience using containers (Docker) and deploying to cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.)
- Familiar with version control (Git) and basic testing
- Bonus: experience in early-stage startups, research teams, or 0->1 product development
What You'll Be Doing
You'll be a builder and technical lead from day one.
- Help lead development of our core platform
- Make the system more secure, scalable, and production-ready
- Co-author the NJIF application and build alongside the founder
- Shape technical decisions and long-term roadmap
Why This Role Matters
This isn’t just a job; it’s a chance to co-create something meaningful. You’ll join as a real cofounder, not just an early hire. NJIF provides state-backed support to build a full-time team. The technical foundation is ready, so we’re not starting from scratch. You’ll grow into a CTO-level role as the company scales.
If interested, send a short message about: - Your work or projects - Why this opportunity excites you. We don’t seek perfection; we seek the right person to collaborate with.
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