Founding Engineer (Firmware/Systems)On-site · Engineering, Product & Tech · Full time San Francisco, California, United StatesDescriptionOur client is a stealth, seed-stage startup building an AI-powered wearable platform for industrial field technicians - running a real-time computer-vision and agentic AI system directly on smart-glasses hardware, live today with major data-center, energy, and industrial customers across multiple countries. Backed by a $5M seed round and founded by researchers from Harvard/NASA (computer vision, published at NeurIPS and ICCV) and MIT (machine learning, ex-quant researcher).The bet: computer vision and agentic vision-language models (VLMs) grounded in real integrations with legacy enterprise systems (ServiceNow, SAP, Salesforce) - not another LLM wrapper. The industrial data this generates is also laying the groundwork for robotics automation down the line.This is the systems seat closest to the hardware: real work on the wearable device itself, plus the backend and edge layers around it. Firmware experience is a genuine requirement here.What you'll doFlash, patch, and adapt vendor firmware; work in embedded Linux/RTOS or device SDKsEvaluate camera/sensor hardware and define specs (FOV, battery, thermal, compute, latency) alongside the hardware ODM partnerBuild backend systems on a modern startup stack, comfortable close to the metal (C/C++/Rust)Own a real-time multimodal pipeline end-to-end: capture/encoding, low-latency transport, low-latency model servingLocation & cultureFully on-site in the SF Bay Area. The founding team lives and works together for the first several months in a shared house before moving to a standard office — expect an intense, in-person, high-ownership culture. Hours flex for exceptional, senior talent; the priority is getting the right person, not saving on salary.RequirementsEssential1–4 years software engineering (more if exceptional); founding-engineer/early-startup experience, or from an intense-culture company (e.g. Tesla, SpaceX, Anduril, top YC)Real firmware/embedded experience: vendor firmware work, embedded Linux/RTOS or device SDKs, hardware spec-writingBack-end-leaning full-stack on a modern stack (AWS, GCP, Supabase, Railway), comfortable in C/C++/RustOwns a real-time multimodal pipeline end-to-endParticularly valuableEdge/on-device inferenceOn-prem/air-gapped deployment experience (aerospace, defense, critical infrastructure)Hardware-to-software integration across wearables, cameras, robotics, IoT, or dronesBenefitsCompensation & benefitsBase: $150K–$200KEquity: 2%–3% (flexed higher for exceptional candidates)Visa sponsorship available (O-1, TN, E-3, H-1B1, H-1B transfer, F-1 OPT/STEM OPT)How to apply: resume plus a short description of a firmware/embedded system you've shipped.
Founding Engineer (Firmware/Systems)
On-site · Engineering, Product & Tech · Full time San Francisco, California, United States
Description
Our client is a stealth, seed-stage startup building an AI-powered wearable platform for industrial field technicians - running a real-time computer-vision and agentic AI system directly on smart-glasses hardware, live today with major data-center, energy, and industrial customers across multiple countries. Backed by a $5M seed round and founded by researchers from Harvard/NASA (computer vision, published at NeurIPS and ICCV) and MIT (machine learning, ex-quant researcher).
The bet: computer vision and agentic vision-language models (VLMs) grounded in real integrations with legacy enterprise systems (ServiceNow, SAP, Salesforce) - not another LLM wrapper. The industrial data this generates is also laying the groundwork for robotics automation down the line.
This is the systems seat closest to the hardware: real work on the wearable device itself, plus the backend and edge layers around it. Firmware experience is a genuine requirement here.
What you'll do
- Flash, patch, and adapt vendor firmware; work in embedded Linux/RTOS or device SDKs
- Evaluate camera/sensor hardware and define specs (FOV, battery, thermal, compute, latency) alongside the hardware ODM partner
- Build backend systems on a modern startup stack, comfortable close to the metal (C/C++/Rust)
- Own a real-time multimodal pipeline end-to-end: capture/encoding, low-latency transport, low-latency model serving
Location & culture
Fully on-site in the SF Bay Area. The founding team lives and works together for the first several months in a shared house before moving to a standard office — expect an intense, in-person, high-ownership culture. Hours flex for exceptional, senior talent; the priority is getting the right person, not saving on salary.
Requirements
Essential
- 1–4 years software engineering (more if exceptional); founding-engineer/early-startup experience, or from an intense-culture company (e.g. Tesla, SpaceX, Anduril, top YC)
- Real firmware/embedded experience: vendor firmware work, embedded Linux/RTOS or device SDKs, hardware spec-writing
- Back-end-leaning full-stack on a modern stack (AWS, GCP, Supabase, Railway), comfortable in C/C++/Rust
- Owns a real-time multimodal pipeline end-to-end
Particularly valuable
- Edge/on-device inference
- On-prem/air-gapped deployment experience (aerospace, defense, critical infrastructure)
- Hardware-to-software integration across wearables, cameras, robotics, IoT, or drones
Benefits
Compensation & benefits
- Base: $150K–$200K
- Equity: 2%–3% (flexed higher for exceptional candidates)
- Visa sponsorship available (O-1, TN, E-3, H-1B1, H-1B transfer, F-1 OPT/STEM OPT)
How to apply: resume plus a short description of a firmware/embedded system you've shipped.
Sales & Engineering professionals: unlock your potential with roles perfect for you.The AI hiring market is evolving fast, and the right opportunity can take your career to the next level.At EQL Tech, we connect the top 1% of Sales, GTM & Engineering talent with the most ambitious and innovative AI-native early-stage startups and rapidly scaling tech powerhouses.Your next step starts here. Let’s make it count.
Sales & Engineering professionals: unlock your potential with roles perfect for you.
The AI hiring market is evolving fast, and the right opportunity can take your career to the next level.
At EQL Tech, we connect the top 1% of Sales, GTM & Engineering talent with the most ambitious and innovative AI-native early-stage startups and rapidly scaling tech powerhouses.
Your next step starts here. Let’s make it count.
