Founder Associate Intern

ABOUT THE ROLE This is a hands-on internship embedded directly within the founding team of a pre-seed AI recruiting startup, working to connect exceptional talent with career-defining opportunities at top VC-backed companies. You'll play a pivotal role in delivering an outstanding candidate experience and driving real outcomes at a critical stage of company growth. The role carries genuine responsibility and is ideal for someone who thrives in high-ownership, fast-moving environments. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Manage relationships with candidates end-to-end, from initial outreach through placement. - Identify and engage exceptional talent seeking roles at high-growth startups. - Collaborate directly with founders to match candidates to the right opportunities. - Optimize and automate recruiting workflows to improve speed and quality of outcomes. - Contribute to process improvements across candidate sourcing, screening, and communication. - Support cross-functional initiatives as a generalist on a small founding team. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR - At least 3 months of prior internship experience in a fast-paced environment such as consulting, sales, startups, or venture capital. - Demonstrated ability to own initiatives end-to-end and deliver results with minimal oversight. - Strong written and verbal communication skills, verifiable through professional or project work. - Experience working in entrepreneurial, informal, and rapidly evolving team environments. - Evidence of exceptional academic or professional performance — e.g., strong academic record, selective university attendance, substantial project work, or active technical contributions. - Willingness to relocate to San Francisco and participate in a shared living/working (hackerhouse) setup for the duration of the internship. - Comfortable committing to a six-day work week during the internship period. - Prior experience in recruiting, talent acquisition, or candidate relationship management is a plus. - Familiarity with the VC-backed startup ecosystem is a plus. - Experience with workflow automation or process optimization is a plus. LOCATION On-site in San Francisco, CA. This role operates from a shared hacker-house environment — you will live and work alongside the founding team. Relocation to San Francisco is required. Visa sponsorship is available.