About the Role
This is a founding-level hardware role at a Y Combinator–backed startup building an AI-powered wearable in the emotional intelligence space. The company — a small, fast-moving team of five — is developing a consumer wrist device that reads real-time emotional states using a proprietary AI inference model across audio and biometric signals. Prototypes are already on users' wrists.
As the Founding Electrical Engineer, you will own all things electronics — from schematic to board layout to production handoff. You'll work directly alongside the founder (an ex-Apple hardware product designer) and have a defining impact on the product as the company scales. This is a high-ownership role with meaningful equity.
What You'll Do
Own the full electrical and PCB/board design for the wearable device end-to-end
Drive rapid hardware iteration across device revisions in a fast-paced, prototype-heavy environment
Lead consumer hardware from functional prototype through to mass production
Collaborate closely with firmware and mechanical teams to ensure tight hardware integration
Define and uphold electrical engineering standards and processes as the team grows
Take on a leadership role in the hardware org as the company scales
What We're Looking For
Required
3+ years of hands-on experience in PCB/board design
Demonstrated track record of shipping physical, consumer-grade hardware products
Strong background in consumer electronics and embedded hardware
Experience integrating sensors (biometric, audio, or similar) into compact form-factor devices
Comfort operating at the pace of an early-stage startup — iterating quickly, wearing multiple hats
Nice to Have
Experience at a consumer electronics company (wearables, mobile hardware, or similar)
Background taking devices from EVT/DVT/PVT through to mass production
Familiarity with low-power design and BLE/wireless integration in compact hardware
Experience with signal processing or biosensor hardware
Compensation & Benefits
Base salary: $150,000 USD annually
Equity: Up to 1–2% (founding-level grant)
Seed-stage company backed by Y Combinator (S26)
Location
This is an on-site role, with San Francisco also considered. The primary listed location is New York, NY, USA.
Visa sponsorship: No new visa sponsorship is available. H-1B transfers are accepted.
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