Founder Associate Intern

Location: San Francisco Department: Engineering Employment Type: FullTime Location Type: On-site

About the Role This internship places you directly alongside the founding team of a pre-seed AI recruiting startup, helping connect exceptional candidates with career-defining roles at top VC-backed companies. You will own real workflows from day one, with a direct impact on candidate experience and placement outcomes. The role is intense, hands-on, and designed for someone who thrives in a small, fast-moving team. What You'll Do

Manage and nurture relationships with a high volume of incoming candidates, ensuring a best-in-class experience throughout the process.

Match and introduce candidates to relevant startup opportunities based on fit, goals, and company needs.

Own end-to-end workflows across talent sourcing, outreach, and candidate coordination.

Identify and drive process improvements to scale recruiting operations more efficiently.

Collaborate closely with founders on cross-functional initiatives spanning operations, growth, and product feedback.

Support automation and optimization of internal workflows to increase throughput and quality.

What We're Looking For

At least 3 months of prior internship experience, ideally in consulting, sales, startups, or venture capital.

Completed Bachelor's degree.

Demonstrated ability to take end-to-end ownership of projects and deliver measurable results.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, with evidence from professional or project work.

Academic high-achiever: strong GPA, selective university, substantial projects, or active open-source contributions.

Comfortable working in informal, fast-moving, entrepreneurial environments.

Willing to relocate to San Francisco and live and work in a shared hacker-house setup with the founding team.

Willing to commit to a 6-day work week for the duration of the internship.

Prior experience in recruiting, talent acquisition, or candidate relationship management is a plus.

Familiarity with the VC-backed startup ecosystem and hiring practices is a plus.

Experience with workflow automation or process optimization tools is a plus.

Social media or content background alongside general operations or founder experience is a plus.

Location On-site in San Francisco, California. The team currently lives and works together in a shared hacker-house, with zero commute and tight daily feedback loops. Visa sponsorship is available.