Founder Associate Intern

ABOUT THE ROLE This internship places you directly alongside the founding team of a pre-seed AI recruiting startup, helping connect exceptional candidates with career-defining roles at top VC-backed companies. You will own real workflows from day one, with a direct impact on candidate experience and placement outcomes. The role is intense, hands-on, and designed for someone who thrives in a small, fast-moving team. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Manage and nurture relationships with a high volume of incoming candidates, ensuring a best-in-class experience throughout the process. - Match and introduce candidates to relevant startup opportunities based on fit, goals, and company needs. - Own end-to-end workflows across talent sourcing, outreach, and candidate coordination. - Identify and drive process improvements to scale recruiting operations more efficiently. - Collaborate closely with founders on cross-functional initiatives spanning operations, growth, and product feedback. - Support automation and optimization of internal workflows to increase throughput and quality. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR - At least 3 months of prior internship experience, ideally in consulting, sales, startups, or venture capital. - Completed Bachelor's degree. - Demonstrated ability to take end-to-end ownership of projects and deliver measurable results. - Strong written and verbal communication skills, with evidence from professional or project work. - Academic high-achiever: strong GPA, selective university, substantial projects, or active open-source contributions. - Comfortable working in informal, fast-moving, entrepreneurial environments. - Willing to relocate to San Francisco and live and work in a shared hacker-house setup with the founding team. - Willing to commit to a 6-day work week for the duration of the internship. - Prior experience in recruiting, talent acquisition, or candidate relationship management is a plus. - Familiarity with the VC-backed startup ecosystem and hiring practices is a plus. - Experience with workflow automation or process optimization tools is a plus. - Social media or content background alongside general operations or founder experience is a plus. LOCATION On-site in San Francisco, California. The team currently lives and works together in a shared hacker-house, with zero commute and tight daily feedback loops. Visa sponsorship is available.