A Founding Engineer is often one of the first technical profiles to join a company or startup. They are the ones who turn a vision into a tangible product. Therefore, they play a fundamental role in the creation phase, sometimes on par with a Founder, and may even have their own creation officially recognized within the company. But what exactly do their role and responsibilities entail? Our recruitment agency has decided to help clarify this through this article.
If you are looking to recruit Founding Engineer profiles, the recruitment agency Bessand can assist you in your search.
1 – The Main Responsibilities of a Founding Engineer
What sets a Founding Engineer apart from a Generalist Engineer is their high level of responsibility. They help the company establish the technical foundations of the product, make quick and relevant decisions, and create a first functional version intended for users. That’s why companies wanting to accelerate product development often turn to a recruitment agency specializing in high-responsibility positions, such as that of Founding Engineer.
A Founding Engineer is above all a builder with operational stakes. They take charge of creating the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and the initial versions of the product and can also work on Back-End, Front-End, APIs, or even Mobile or Data development, depending on needs. The Founding Engineer chooses the tools, the stack, the infrastructure, and sets up best practices to prepare for the arrival of future teams. Their versatility is a key asset, as it allows them to cover the entire technical spectrum—from development to DevOps and product functionality testing.
2 – Training to Become a Founding Engineer
There is no single path to becoming a Founding Engineer, but it requires a solid foundation in software development, strong autonomy, and an entrepreneurial mindset. A master’s degree from an engineering school or an intensive bootcamp can provide strong and important technical foundations. Additionally, product knowledge and understanding of the startup environment can be developed through resources or training.
Beyond diplomas and courses, this role mainly relies on practical experience: creating projects “from scratch,” collaborating with Founders, participating in hackathons, understanding user needs, and being able to deliver an MVP quickly. A Founding Engineer also develops a strategic vision close to that of a CTO. If the company grows, they may later be promoted to CTO (Chief Technology Officer).
This position may require specific skills such as knowledge in DeepTech or for new AI-oriented product developments.
3 – What Does a Good Founding Engineer Profile Look Like?
As mentioned earlier, our specialized recruitment agency assists companies in identifying and selecting the technical profiles best suited to their needs. Thanks to Bessand’s expertise, we have compiled a list of skills and qualities to prioritize to ensure recruitment success.
A Founding Engineer excels due to:
- Strong technical expertise (5+ years in software development, ideally in startups or building products from scratch).
- Great versatility: Front-End, Back-End, Data, DevOps…
- Ability to work autonomously.
- Product-mindedness.
- Willingness to commit long-term to the project.
- Good affinity with the founding team.
- Vision for potential evolution toward a CTO role.
Commonly sought technical skills: Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, SQL, Git, GCP, Docker, Bash…
Depending on the product type and experience, the Founding Engineer may have different inclinations based on their specialty.
Our recruitment agency is an expert in hiring for startups and scale-ups, in France and internationally. We help you find the ideal profile, tailored to the needs of your product from scratch.
4 – Compensation & Equity of a Founding Engineer
Compensation depends on the country and the timing of joining the company. The earlier the Engineer joins, the larger their equity stake, sometimes nearly equal with Co-Founders in very early stages.
Salary (often reduced at the start):
- France: €50,000 to €90,000 per year
- USA: $100,000 to $180,000 per year
Equity:
- Early stage: 5% to 30% (sometimes close to a 50-50 split with the Founder)
- After MVP or before fundraising: 2% to 15%, depending on impact and experience
Remember that equity should reflect their role within the team. The more experienced and involved they are, the higher their salary.
Need more details? Our recruitment agency can provide a tailored estimate based on your project.
5 – Differences Between CTO and Founding Engineer
In many early-stage startups, the first Tech hire is called the “CTO” … whereas it is often a Founding Engineer.
A CTO has a long-term structuring mission (recruitment, tech culture, strategy), but usually arrives much later in the company. The Founding Engineer is focused on execution. They build quickly, test, iterate, and move the product forward with limited resources. Their role can evolve toward CTO if the startup grows, but this is not automatic.
The Bessand recruitment agency has written an article about recruiting CTOs. Feel free to read it and contact us if you want to know more.
6 – How to Find the Right Candidates?
There are different ways to find the right candidate to recruit and approach:
- Personal network: ideal but limited. Useful to find people with suitable and reliable skills.
- Targeted job offers: useful but often insufficient alone to attract candidates within the target.
- Direct outreach: time-consuming and resource-intensive.
- Specialized recruitment agency: expert in tech profiles for startups and scale-ups, particularly suitable for those without the time or expertise to recruit.
Bessand, Startup Partner
Recruiting a Founding Engineer is a strategic challenge for any startup wishing to build a viable product from scratch. This profile is rare: they must be technically solid, share the company’s vision, and integrate well with the team. A good Founding Engineer does more than just code. They are a technical entrepreneur, capable of transforming an idea into a concrete product and laying the foundations for a high-performing tech team.
At Bessand, a recruitment agency specialized in tech, we operate in France and internationally, covering a variety of technical profiles: AI, deeptech, SaaS products, etc.
Our mission: to help you find the right profile, at the right time, with personalized support.
