Founding Engineer
$95k – $105k • 3.0% – 5.0%
**We are hiring a founding engineer to join our team at Elsa.
Location: New York City **Type: **Full-time, In-person, Founding Team Role
About ELSA At Elsa, we're building the first true IRL social network for insiders. We're gamifying guest lists at NYC's premier bars, restaurants, and clubs to create a platform around what matters in real life: where you are right now, where you're going tonight, and where you were last night.
Founded by Sawyer Hall and David Litwak, owner of Maxwell Tribeca—an elite social club that has hosted everyone from Anna Wintour to Prince Harry—we're bringing years of IRL social experiments and insights to build something fundamentally new. We believe the next generation social network won't be about followers or algorithms, but about real-world social capital and what actually happens offline
What We're Building Gamified Guest Lists: Making getting into the right places and being seen there a core social experience IRL Social Graph: Starting with NYC's top 100 bars and restaurants, expanding to house parties and private events Direct Venue-to-Customer Relationships: Helping venues own their data and communicate directly with regulars
We're tapping into a fundamental shift: 85% of Gen Z already shares their location, and "Find My Friends is my favorite social network" is a common refrain. We're building the platform they actually want
The Role As our Founding Engineer, you'll be the first technical hire working directly with the founders to build Elsa from the ground up. This is a true 0-to-1 opportunity where your decisions will shape our technical foundation and company culture. You'll: Architect and build our mobile-first platform (iOS) from scratch Design systems that tap into people's desire to share where they are and what they're doing Build location-based features that feel native to how people actually socialize Create tools for venues to manage guest lists, track engagement, and communicate with patrons Develop our social features: check-ins, photo sharing, and friend discovery Own the entire technical stack and make critical infrastructure decisions Work closely with Maxwell Tribeca as our testing ground for rapid iteration and A/B testing Help recruit and build the engineering team as we scale
Technical Challenges You'll Solve: Real-time location sharing and friend discovery at scale Building engaging mechanics that drive retention without feeling forced Creating a seamless venue management system Photo sharing infrastructure (potentially integrating professional photography) Building an accurate IRL social graph Privacy and security around location data
You're A Great Fit If You: Must-Haves: 4+ years of software engineering experience with significant mobile development expertise Proven track record shipping consumer social or location-based products Strong full-stack capabilities (mobile, backend, infrastructure) Experience with real-time systems and location-based services Comfortable with ambiguity and rapid iteration in a startup environment Deep intuition for what motivates people in social contexts—you understand that our initial power users will be the ones most driven by social capital and being recognized as insiders **** Nice-to-Haves:**** Experience building features that drive organic sharing and virality Background in B2B2C platforms or marketplace products Previous founding engineer or early-stage startup experience Understanding of NYC social scene and hospitality industry Experience with photo/video sharing platforms
**** Why Join ELSA?**** Founding Role: Shape product, culture, and technical direction from day one Unfair Advantage: Maxwell Tribeca as our testing lab with direct access to elite venues and the types of early adopters who understand the value of offline social capital Real Problem: Addressing the loneliness epidemic—25% of millennials report having no close friends Market Timing: Gen Z is already sharing location; we're building what they actually want Competitive Equity: Founding engineer compensation package
Our Belief We believe the next true social network will be built around physical location and real-world connections—not follower counts or viral content. If you want to build the social network that gets people off their phones and into the real world, let's talk.
To Apply: Apply here and send your resume, GitHub/portfolio, and a note about why you're excited about IRL social networks and what you'd build first at ELSA to [email protected].
ELSA is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Top Skills
What We Do
At Elsa, we're building the first true IRL social network for insiders. We're gamifying guest lists at NYC's premier bars, restaurants, and clubs to create a platform around what matters in real life: where you are right now, where you're going tonight, and where you were last night.
Founded by Sawyer Hall and David Litwak, owner of Maxwell Tribeca—an elite social club that has hosted everyone from Anna Wintour to Prince Harry—we're bringing years of IRL social experiments and insights to build something fundamentally new. We believe the next generation social network won't be about followers or algorithms, but about real-world social capital and what actually happens offline.
Why Work With Us
We are a highly talented, well-funded, young team searching for another founding member to lead product engineering. One significant advantage we have is Maxwell Social Club to iteratively test features on users before publicly launching. We're building the future of consumer social and are looking for people aligned with this mission to join us!
