Chief Technology Officer

Antler; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 400,000 - 453,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to co-found a venture-scale startup. The role involves driving technical vision, building products at speed, and leading a tech team. Ideal candidates will have a strong engineering background and a passion for entrepreneurship.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in software engineering or technical product development.
• Proficiency in modern programming languages or frameworks.
• A hands-on approach to product and technical leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead product development from day zero and shape the product roadmap.
• Work with a commercial co-founder to validate customer needs.
• Hire and lead a technical team post-funding.

Skills

Software engineering

Technical product development

Automation

Communication

Collaboration

Problem-solving

Education

University-level education or equivalent experience

Job description

Join to apply for the Chief Technology Officer role at Antler

Join to apply for the Chief Technology Officer role at Antler

This is a full-time commitment as a founding executive of a new venture, with the expectation that you will assume a leadership role and begin drawing a salary in line with early-stage startup norms as the company is capitalized.

About the Role

We’re looking for entrepreneurial technologists to become the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of a venture-scale startup built from scratch. This role is about far more than just writing code — it's about owning the technical vision, shipping product at speed, and building the engineering team from the ground up.

You’ll join forces with a commercial co-founder and work in close partnership with Antler to identify and validate a scalable idea, launch an MVP, and build the foundations of a company that can scale.

You’ll be part of a global community of fellow builders, and benefit from hands-on support, capital, and coaching as you go from zero to one.

What You’ll Do

• Lead product development from day zero: from rapid prototyping to building a functional MVP
• Shape the product roadmap and tech stack with an eye toward speed, scalability, and future hiring
• Work closely with your co-founder to validate customer needs and iterate toward product-market fit
• Hire and lead a technical team post-funding
• Operate as the CTO of the company after incorporation and investment

About You

We’re looking for technical founders who are product-minded, pragmatic, and love solving real-world problems with code. Successful candidates typically have:

• 3+ years of experience in software engineering, technical product development, or automation
• Proficiency in one or more modern programming languages or frameworks — you're comfortable shipping fast
• A background in building tools, automating workflows, or launching products, either professionally or as side projects
• A hands-on approach and a desire to own both product and technical leadership
• Strong communication and collaboration skills — you enjoy working with non-technical people and translating needs into product
• A builder's mindset: you taught yourself to code because it was fun, and because it helped you move faster in your work
• A track record of creating leverage through automation — e.g., turning manual work into software that replaces entire workflows

Formal degrees are not required, but most successful candidates have completed a university-level education or equivalent experience.

Why Build with Antler

Antler backs exceptional individuals from day zero. As a Co-Founder, you’ll work alongside a diverse cohort of future founders and gain access to a global network of experienced operators, expert advisors, and early-stage investors. We act as a long-term partner from idea to incorporation, and beyond.

To date, Antler has helped launch 1,500+ companies across 25+ cities worldwide.

Compensation

Founders typically begin drawing a salary after incorporating and securing pre-seed funding, in line with compensation benchmarks for early-stage startups.

Some examples of successful companies that were built with Antler and have gone on to raise substantial investments are as follows:

• Airalo - World’s first eSIM store that gives you access to eSIMs for 190+ countries worldwide at affordable prices.
• Reebelo - Your trusted marketplace for refurbished tech & sustainable lifestyle products.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Not Applicable

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Engineering, Information Technology, and Strategy/Planning

• Industries

  Technology, Information and Media and Software Development

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