Founding Engineer
No salary listed
Mid, Senior
Seattle, WA, USA
In PersonThe posting states that the role is in-person in San Francisco, while the raw ATS location is Seattle.
Software EngineeringBackend Engineering, Full-Stack Engineering
About the job
Requirements
- 4–7 years of software engineering experience with strong fundamentals across backend and infrastructure.
- A demonstrated track record building and scaling production systems.
- Comfort working in early-stage ambiguity and defining problems, not only solving them.
- Fluency with modern artificial intelligence development tools such as Claude, Cursor, and Codex alongside traditional engineering practices.
- A high-ownership mindset and a bias toward shipping.
Responsibilities
- Architect and build scalable backend and infrastructure systems that power the core product.
- Work across the full stack as needed, owning problems end-to-end rather than handing them off at boundaries.
- Establish engineering standards, tooling, and practices that will scale with the team.
- Collaborate closely with founders on product direction and technical trade-offs.
- Leverage modern artificial intelligence coding tools to move faster and build more.
Desired Qualifications
- Prior startup experience or experience at a high-growth engineering organization, such as a hyperscaler or company with a strong engineering culture.
About the company
PSL operates as a hybrid startup studio and early-stage venture capital fund in Seattle. It co-creates and funds tech startups, offering capital and hands-on operational support. The startup studio builds companies from the ground up while the VC fund backs promising early-stage ventures with funding and strategic guidance. Revenue comes from equity stakes in portfolio companies, aligning PSL’s success with the startups' growth, with the goal of turning bold ideas into scalable, world-changing businesses.
Company Size
11-50
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
$165.1M
Headquarters
Seattle, Washington
Founded
2015
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- PSL's feed showed Tin Can raised $12 million in August 2026.
- PSL launched Lev, an AI co-founder, in 2026, tightening its creation loop.
- Outgo exited on May 15, 2025, while Kevala and Dropzone raised follow-on capital.
What critics are saying
- PSL's model depends on studio winners; 33 spinouts since 2015 mask concentrated hits.
- If Lev standardizes company creation, competitors copy PSL's core advantage by 2027.
- Any weak 2026 exit market strands studio equity, compressing returns across funds.
What makes Pioneer Square Labs unique
- PSL's 2023 Studio III raised $20 million, backing company creation from scratch.
- PSL Ventures manages $180 million, combining studio control with traditional seed investing.
- Seattle hub at 240 2nd Ave S co-locates founders, operators, and capital.
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Benefits
- Company Equity