Your startup has customers, or at least people using it, and the founders can no longer build everything themselves. The first engineer you bring in will shape the product, the code and the culture for years. Here is how to get it right.
Decide what you are hiring: a cofounder, a first hire or a contractor
- A cofounder owns a large share and makes the big decisions with you. Right if nobody on the team can lead the technical side.
- A first hire gets a salary and a smaller share. Right if someone already sets the technical direction and you need more hands.
- A contractor is paid for a defined piece of work. Right for one clear project, or to test someone before a bigger commitment.
Mixing these up is the most common mistake: offering a first-hire share for a cofounder-sized job, or expecting a contractor to care like an owner.
Write the role around the first three months
A list of technologies tells candidates little. Say what they will actually build first, who they will work with, and what “done” looks like. For example: “Rebuild our booking flow so gyms can fill a class in two taps, ship it to our first 20 gyms, then own the mobile app.”
Be clear about what you offer
Say whether it is salary, shares or both, roughly how much, and how shares are earned. Many startups give shares over four years with a one-year cliff. Early engineers take a risk by joining, so they usually expect a share that reflects it. If money is tight, be honest about when a salary can start.
Show why your startup is worth joining
Good engineers have choices. Show real progress: users, revenue, growth, what customers say. On Sapnora, a startup that connects Stripe gets a tick and shows revenue read straight from Stripe, so candidates can see the numbers are real.
Look in more than one place
- Your own network and your customers’ networks.
- Developer communities and build-in-public circles online.
- Local tech meetups and university groups.
- Sapnora: post the role, and developers who like what you are building ask to join. You choose who to talk to, in private.
Test with a small paid project
Interviews only tell you so much. A short, paid project shows how someone thinks, communicates and finishes. Keep it small and real, and pay for it. On Sapnora you can post the project under Needs building, agree the terms in private, and the finished work stays locked in the Vault until it is paid for, which protects both sides.
Make the first week count
Before day one, write down how the product works, where the code lives and who to ask about what. Give them something small to ship in the first week. Early wins build trust on both sides.
Still at the idea stage?
If you do not have a product yet and need someone to build it with you, read how to find a technical cofounder.