Founding Engineer

New YorkFull-time$150k–$200kPosted Dec 4, 2025
Trata hosts unique buyside conversations pertaining public markets between analysts and portfolio managers who manage billions in AUM. We’re working to kill Bloomberg chat and win this market.
We’re backed by a VC with a higher unicorn rate than YC and Sequoia, Walter Kortschak (prev. CIO of SignalFire and Managing Partner at Summit Partners), Y Combinator, later-stage founders backed by some of the best VCs (Sequoia, Founders Fund, a16z, Accel, Bain Capital Ventures, YC), Pioneer Fund and 10+ hedge funds.
We recently published a benchmark called Hedge-Bench that’s seeing a good amount of buzz (see the paper here: https://arxiv.org/html/2606.03918v1).
The RoleWe’re looking for a Founding Engineer to join us in person in Hudson Yards, NYC. You will ship production features from day 1 and materially shape the platform.
Our engineering team comes from xAI, IMC Trading, Instagram, Meta, and Brex. You will work directly across GTM and Engineering in our lean team. Being good at your work and being enjoyable to work with are rewarded at Trata.
What you’ll do
  • Architect and own core systems: user journeys, AI native features such as search and STT / TTS models, subscription & payments, and platform infrastructure.
  • Take features end-to-end: from database design and APIs to UI and metrics
  • Deeply understand our users (buy-side analysts and PMs) and the business to define what to build and how to build it.
  • Design and scale our APIs and MCPs that power research workflows.

Who you are
  • 1-4 years of full stack experience with a proven track record of shipping complete products to real users.
  • High ownership: You see problems through from discovery to measurable impact.
  • High agency: You find a way forward through obstacles and ambiguity rather than waiting for direction.
  • You move fast and iterate: Ship quickly, learn from feedback, and improve relentlessly.
  • AI-forward: You leverage AI tools for speed while maintaining technical rigor.
  • Based in NYC or willing to relocate—we work 55-65 hours a week

Tech StackTalent and track record matter more than specific stack experience. That said, our current stack includes:
  • Frontend: Next.js, React, TypeScript
  • Backend: FastAPI, Python
  • Database: Postgres, Redis, Pinecone, Algolia
  • Infrastructure: AWS, Terraform, Vercel
  • AI: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Deepgram, Cartesia, ElevenLabs, MiniMax, Pipecat

Why Join Us
  • Rare Opportunity: Build on valuable, proprietary data with a durable moat and a flexible product that has significant expansion potential beyond buy-side analysts.
  • Gain founding experience: a high-upside scaling startup that has yet to scale its team headcount.
  • High autonomy in 0 → 1 product direction and architecture to 10x your learning.
  • $150–200k base salary + meaningful equity.
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance + all meals covered

Interview Steps
  • Screen Interview (30 minutes)
  • Technical Interview (45 minutes)
  • System Design (1 hour)
  • Call with CEO
  • Offer

Let us know of any timelines and we can complete all steps under a week

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