Founder Associate Intern

About the Role

Join a small, high-velocity founding team at a pre-seed AI-powered recruiting startup operating in the $600B global headhunting industry. You'll work directly alongside founders to connect exceptional talent with career-defining opportunities at top VC-backed startups — many in AI. This is a hands-on, high-ownership internship designed for driven overachievers who want to build, not observe.

The team operates out of a shared live/work hacker-house in San Francisco, enabling zero-commute days, tight feedback loops, and strong team bonding. If you thrive in fast-moving, informal, and intensely productive environments, this role is for you.

What You'll Do

• Work directly with founders on day-to-day operations across talent sourcing, candidate experience, and client relationships

• Own end-to-end workflows connecting candidates with startups — from initial outreach to successful placement

• Ensure hundreds of inbound candidates enjoy an outstanding, high-touch experience

• Identify and drive process improvements and workflow optimizations across recruiting pipelines

• Collaborate cross-functionally with founders, candidates, and startup clients

• Take on high-ownership initiatives with real, measurable outcomes

What We're Looking For

Required:

• At least 3 months of prior internship experience in a fast-paced environment (consulting, sales, startups, or VC)

• Demonstrated ability to deliver results with end-to-end ownership in startup or consulting settings

• Strong written and verbal communication skills for cross-functional collaboration

• Experience working in entrepreneurial, fast-moving, informal team environments

• Evidence of exceptional academic performance — top GPA, selective university, substantial projects, or active GitHub contributions

• Willingness to relocate to San Francisco and live/work in a shared hacker-house environment

• Willingness to commit to 6-day work weeks for the duration of the internship

Nice to Have:

• Prior experience in recruiting, talent acquisition, or candidate relationship management

• Familiarity with the VC-backed startup ecosystem and hiring practices

• Experience with workflow automation or process optimization

Compensation & Benefits

• Visa sponsorship available

• Direct access to and mentorship from founders with backgrounds at top-tier firms

• Immersive, high-growth environment with strong team culture

Location

This is a fully on-site role based in San Francisco, CA. The team lives and works together in a shared hacker-house — relocation to San Francisco is required. Remote work is not available for this position.