Technical Co-Founder / Founding Engineer

Stage: Pre-Seed Location: Hybrid Compensation: Equity + Co-Founder Title About UpStar UpStar is building a skill-first Career Audition Marketplace focused on Cloud and Cybersecurity talent across Southeast Asia and MENA. We replace low-signal resumes with verified skills, real-world projects, and employer-led auditions , helping universities, employers, and early-stage professionals connect through trust and data. We are looking for a Technical Co-Founder to own the technical vision and execution, from first principles architecture to a scalable MVP that supports a multi-sided marketplace. Your Mission Own and build UpStars entire technical foundation , from system architecture and infrastructure to data models and APIs. You will translate product vision into a secure, scalable MVP that can support pilots with universities and employers, and evolve into a production-grade platform. This is a zero-to-one role with full technical ownership. Key Responsibilities Architecture & Platform Foundation Design and implement the core backend architecture for a multi-sided marketplace (employers, universities, candidates, admins). Make pragmatic architecture decisions optimized for speed, scalability, and iteration , not over-engineering. Own infrastructure setup and deployment using cloud-native services (AWS, GCP, or equivalent). Core Product & Data Systems Build and maintain core APIs and backend logic to support: User onboarding and role-based access (students, employers, university admins) Structured skill, project, and profile data Matching and ranking logic between candidates, roles, and projects Implement data pipelines that handle high-signal skill data , not just resumes or keywords. Integrations & Security Integrate with: Secure authentication and identity providers (SSO, OAuth) Third-party APIs for learning, assessments, or analytics (as needed) Ensure data security, access control, and compliance suitable for enterprise and university partners. MVP Delivery & Iteration Lead the build of a demo-ready MVP , including: Core candidate and employer flows University-facing admin views (e.g., Deans Dashboard) Work closely with the founding team to iterate rapidly based on pilot feedback. Balance speed vs quality in an early-stage, resource-constrained environment. Ideal Candidate Profile 8+ years of experience in backend or full-stack engineering. Strong hands-on experience with: Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) REST and/or GraphQL APIs Modern databases and scalable data models Proven experience building data-driven, platform, or AI-enabled products . Comfortable owning decisions in ambiguity and shipping imperfect but functional MVPs. Founder mindset, high ownership, bias toward execution. Bonus (Nice to Have) Experience with: SaaS or marketplace platforms EdTech, HRTech, or hiring-related systems Skill graphs, matching systems, or recommendation engines Previous startup or founding experience (not required). Who This Role Is For Builders who want real ownership , not just a job title. Engineers ready to be accountable for what ships and why . First-time founders or self-taught technologists who want to build something category-defining from the ground up. How to Apply Send your resume or portfolio, along with your LinkedIn profile, to career@upstars.ai, Subject: Technical Co-Founder – UpStar Lets build the infrastructure for skill-first hiring, together.