how to hire first engineer startup: The 2025 Founder-to-Founder Playbook

Last updated 2025

TL;DR

Find candidates fast: mine alumni & investor networks, GitHub, YC jobs, niche boards (Wellfound, SeekLab).

First engineer = senior generalist who ships 0→1 code, sets culture, not a strategist CTO.

Hire full-time when validated roadmap + 6+ months runway; else use paid project → contract → equity.

Quick start: 1-scorecard, 2-source, 3-screen, 4-work trial, 5-reference, 6-offer in 2 weeks.

Download the 1-page checklist → Flowjam.com and start outreach today.

Opening

You typed “how to hire first engineer startup” because speed to PMF is slipping while burn ticks up. This hire can 10× velocity or sink the company—mis-hires cost 6-12 months and 5–10 % equity you’ll never get back. Below is the exact sourcing map, decision filter, and closing script I’ve used as a three-time founder (two exits) and that YC, First Round, and Forbes keep reprinting. Follow it and you’ll sign a senior, mission-aligned engineer within 30 days—without recruiters or inflated titles.

What is a first engineer at a startup?

A first engineer is the earliest full-time builder who codes 0→1 product, architects scalable culture, and reports directly to founders—owning technical execution while the company is still pre-product-market fit.

They are not a CTO; strategy stays with founders. Expect senior-level scope: backend, frontend, infra, QA, DevOps. Ideal background: 3-7 yrs, startup alumni, open-source commits, shipped side projects. Reference: YC guide.

how to hire first engineer startup — Download & Quick Start

Grab the printable checklist → [Flowjam checklist URL] then run this 7-step loop:

Scorecard: 3 must-have outcomes (e.g., “Ship MVP in 8 weeks”, “Set CI/CD”).

Source: warm intros, GitHub stars, alumni Slack, YC jobs, Wellfound, SeekLab.

Outreach: 2-sentence email—problem, impact, equity.

Screen: 30-min call—map past 0→1 work to your scorecard.

Work trial: 1-week paid project, real ticket, repo access.

References: 2 peer, 1 manager—ask “Would you hire again?”

Offer: 48-hr deadline, 0.5-2 % equity 4-yr vest, 1-yr cliff.

How to use it (step-by-step)

1. Role Scorecard

Outcomes > tech stack.

Split must-haves (ship, own infra) vs nice-to-haves (AI chops).

2. Sourcing Channels

Warm intros: ask investors for 3 names each.

GitHub: filter by language, >5 repos, recent commits.

LinkedIn: “startup AND full-stack NOT staff” + alumni filters.

Communities: YC’s Work at a Startup, Unusual Ventures talent list.

3. Outreach Templates

Subject: “Founding engineer—0→1 product, 1-2 % equity”Body: 2-line problem, 1-line traction, 1-line ask.Send 25/day; expect 8-12 % reply.

4. Interview Loop

30-min screen

60-min architecture white-board (real system you need)

1-week paid trial ($2–3 k)

Founder-fit dinner

Rubrics: shipping velocity, communication, bias-to-action.Deal breakers: no 0→1, lone-wolf, title-hungry.

Founders often miss this — skipping reference checks because “they seemed great.” Call two peers anyway; one bad apple wrecks culture and codebase.

5. Compensation

Cash: 75–90 % market.

Equity: 0.5-2 %, 4-yr vest, 1-yr cliff (Carta early-stage data).

Accelerated refresh after Series A.

6. Offer & Close

Deliver within 24 h post-trial.

Zoom + Notion page: mission, equity calculator, growth path.

48-hr expiry; ask for verbal yes same call.

Full-time first engineer

Best if you have a validated roadmap and at least six months of runway. Hiring a full-time engineer takes moderate time and carries a high long-term cost, but you gain full quality control and cultural alignment. The risk is moderate, yet this path is equity-efficient and foundational for company culture.

Contract-to-hire

Ideal when you need speed but have a limited budget. You can move fast with medium cost and partial quality control, while keeping risk low. A typical setup is a three-month contract with the option to convert to full-time if there’s a good fit.

Dev agency

Best for quickly shipping a prototype or dealing with regulated MVPs. Agencies deliver very fast but at a very high cost and low control over quality. The risk of tech debt and vendor lock-in is high.

Marketplaces (e.g., Toptal, Arc)

Useful for short-term projects or filling skill gaps without adding to payroll. Speed is fast, hourly cost is high, and quality can vary. Risk is medium, but it’s a solid option for handling temporary workload spikes.

CTO first

Makes sense only if your startup is deeply technical or needs a strong technical narrative for fundraising. This route is slow, the cost is highest, and while you gain full quality control, risk is also high. Avoid over-titling early hires unless absolutely necessary.

Use contractors only until features freeze; then hire full-time to own debt and scale.

Practical Tips & Cautions

Move fast on yeses: top candidates have 2-week windows.

Define outcomes, not tasks: “Cut page load 50 %” > “Use Redis.”

Reference deeply: ask for code review samples, incident write-ups.

Avoid partial cofounder titles: reserve “CTO” for post-Series A.

Default to senior generalists pre-PMF; specialists later.

Red flags: won’t do support tickets, pushes for 3 %+ day one, no live product demos.

FAQs

When should I hire vs outsource?

Outsource until roadmap is stable; hire once you can write a 90-day OKR set.

What exactly do I look for in a first engineer?

0→1 shipped product, comfort with ambiguity, excellent written communication, and a bias for weekly releases.

How much equity is standard?

0.5-2 % for post-seed, 1-yr cliff, 4-yr vest; increases with seniority and salary trade-off.

Where can non-technical founders find candidates?

Investor intros, GitHub search, alumni Slack groups, YC’s Work at a Startup, niche boards like Wellfound and SeekLab.

CTO vs first engineer — who comes first?

Need hands-on builder? Hire first engineer. Need strategic roadmap + fundraising tech narrative? Hire CTO after product traction.

Remote or onsite?

Remote widens talent 10×; insist on 3-hr overlap for pairing and user calls.

How long should the process take?

Target 2 weeks sourcing → 2 weeks interviews → 1-week trial → offer. Total 5 weeks max.

How do I evaluate without a technical co-founder?

Use paid trial + external advisor code review (budget $1 k). Reference past products and GitHub history.

Conclusion

Mastering how to hire first engineer startup is less about flashy perks and more about ruthless clarity: what must ship, what you’ll pay, and how you’ll decide. Run the scorecard-trial-reference loop, close in 30 days, and you’ll turn early code into compounding velocity. Download the checklist → Flowjam.com and start sourcing tonight.

Grounded in YC, First Round, and verified startup hiring sources.