Founding Principal Engineer [Initially equity pay only]

We are building
Perpetto
– an AI operating system for business.

Not another chatbot. Not another wrapper. Not another swarm of brittle agents.

Perpetto is a policy-bound, self-improving execution layer that can understand a business, plan work, act across APIs and interfaces, verify outcomes, and improve over time. Our goal is to replace fragmented agent stacks with one coherent operating layer built around shared memory, policy, execution, and verification.

We are looking for a
Founding Principal Engineer
to help design and build the core platform from the ground up.

This is an
early-stage, high-conviction founding role
. Compensation is
equity-only initially
, with the expectation of moving to salary once financing or sufficient revenue is in place. This role is best for someone who wants meaningful ownership, deep technical influence, and the chance to help define the architecture of a category-defining system.

What you will build

You will help architect and implement the technical foundation of the platform, including:
• A
domain-agnostic kernelfor goals, planning, execution, verification, and policy-bound decisioning
• A modular
adapter layerfor external systems such as Stripe, Shopify, CRM, cloud, and internal business tools
• A
TypeScript/Node.js monorepowith strict package boundaries and compile-time enforcement
• Multi-tenant application foundations using
Postgres / Supabase, auth, RBAC, onboarding, and billing
• A minimal but high-leverage
governance shellfor oversight, approvals, and system visibility
• A platform designed for real-world execution, not demos – reliable APIs, observability, error handling, rollback logic, and verifiable outcomes

What you will own
• Core architecture decisions
• Backend and platform design
• Technical standards and repo structure
• API and integration patterns
• Engineering tradeoffs between speed, rigor, and extensibility
• Early implementation across platform, services, and product surface
• Helping shape the future engineering team and culture

What we need
• Strong experience building production systems with
TypeScript, Node.js, and modern web architecture
• Proven ability to design modular backend systems, integration layers, and scalable SaaS foundations
• Deep comfort with PostgreSQL
, APIs, authentication, billing, and multi-tenant architecture
• Good judgment around clean architecture, package boundaries, abstraction, and avoiding unnecessary complexity
• Strong product instinct – able to balance elegant design with ruthless practicality
• Willingness to work in ambiguity and build from first principles
• Founder mentality – high ownership, low ego, fast learning, direct communication

Strong pluses
• Experience with
React / Next.js
• Experience with Supabase
• Experience with Stripe
, webhooks, and billing flows
• Experience with infrastructure on
AWS
• Experience building workflow engines, orchestration systems, policy layers, or internal platforms
• Experience integrating LLMs or AI systems into production products, without confusing that with real system architecture

What this role is not
This is
not
a prompt-engineering role.

This is
not
“build a chatbot in a weekend.”

This is
not
a generic agency delivery position.

We need someone who can think like a systems architect, build like a founding engineer, and care deeply about product quality and technical integrity.

Compensation
• Equity only initially
• Expected transition to salary after financing or sufficient early revenue
• Significant influence on architecture, product direction, and technical roadmap
• Compensation is equity-only initially, with the expectation of moving to salary after financing or sufficient early revenue. The core appeal of this role is ownership: the chance to earn a
meaningful stake at the formation stage of a company with very large upside potential.Our ambition is to build a trillion-dollar company.For the right person, that upside can be far more compelling than a basic salary, because you are not merely joining a startup – you are helping create the underlying value from the beginning.

Why join
• You will help define the architecture of an ambitious new AI-native platform
• You will work directly with the founder on product, architectu