Crypto Markets Founding Engineer (Python, C++, AI/ML) | Palo Alto | Visa Sponsorship | Up to $300K + Equity

Crypto Markets Founding Engineer (Python, C++, AI/ML) | Palo Alto | Visa Sponsorship | Up to $300K + Equity About the company A 10-person, well-funded startup building AI for markets is hiring three founding engineers. The company trains reasoning systems on social media, Reddit and prediction market data to help its traders read markets faster, and the technology is already live: it trades real money through an internal 8-figure hedge fund anchored by the founder of one of the world's largest proprietary trading firms. The founding team includes engineers from leading AI labs and a top hedge fund, IMO medalists, and top-ranked crypto and prediction market traders. The company is backed by a $20M seed round led by a top-tier fintech and crypto venture firm, with other well-known funds and angels from prediction markets, fintech and a major Chicago trading firm. The team is small by design. No rigid structures, high autonomy, and a strong performance culture. Why crypto and markets engineers should look at this Crypto runs through this company. The team actively trades crypto and prediction markets, and prediction market data sits at the core of its models. Some prediction markets run on crypto rails and settle in stablecoins onchain, while others are regulated fiat exchanges in the US. This role sits across both worlds, so engineers who understand how onchain markets behave and how regulated venues work will feel right at home. The investors have a long history backing crypto exchanges, DeFi protocols and onchain analytics firms, and experience at a crypto-native startup or crypto trading firm is explicitly valued. Unlike most crypto startups, there's no token and no "is this a real business" question. It's a venture-backed company running a live fund. What you'll build Data pipelines that turn messy, real-world signals (social, prediction market and market data) into research-ready inputsTrading signals and the research infrastructure behind themAutomated execution systems and tooling that let the team go from idea to live experiment extremely fastSystems across trading and HFT infrastructure, security and ML, working directly with quant and AI researchersYou'll take projects from first idea through to production and own them end to end. Tech stack Python: data pipelines, signals and research toolingC++: low-latency execution and trading infrastructureAI/ML: building and deploying the reasoning models behind the prediction engine What we're looking for 1 to 5 years of experience as a software engineer or quant developerDegree in computer science, mathematics, statistics or physicsExceptional Python or C++A track record of building and shipping a project end to end, from idea to production, as the ownerStrong statistical intuition and comfort working with noisy real-world dataExperience with AI-driven developmentDeep curiosity about markets and the ability to thrive in ambiguity Backgrounds that stand out Engineers at crypto trading firms and market makers, especially on execution, data or infrastructureMEV searchers and DeFi bot builders with real, measurable resultsBuilders of trading tools, analytics or bots on prediction marketsOnchain data engineers who have also built signals or tradedEarly engineers at crypto-native or fintech startups who shipped entire systemsQuant developers, or interns from firms like IMC, Citadel, Jane Street, HRT or Optiver Exceptional new grads will be considered if they bring real-world exposure such as shipped products, real trading results or serious internships. This role is not A Web3 or smart contract role. No Solidity, protocol design or tokens. Crypto here means crypto markets as a trading venue and data source.A senior or staff positionFrontend, product or business developmentRemote or hybridPure ML research. You'll work alongside researchers as the builder. Location and logistics Location: Palo Alto, CaliforniaWork arrangement: fully onsite, 5 to 6 days a week. This is an intense, in-person team.Relocation: welcomeVisa: open to visa transfers (OPT, H1B transfers) and new sponsorships (new H1B, TN). If you're on J1 or O1, mention it when you apply. Compensation Up to $300K base plus equity plus performance bonus Interview process Intro callTechnical screenTake-homeWork trial Why join A founding seat at a company already trading real capital through an 8-figure fundSerious backing from top-tier fintech and crypto investorsA tiny, elite team where you own what you buildCrypto, prediction market and trading problems without the token riskUp to $300K base plus equity, with visa support available Apply Send your CV with a short note on something you've built end to end, ideally involving trading, quant development or data infrastructure. Let us know your visa status and whether you can be onsite in Palo Alto.