An Inside Look at Early Roles in High-Growth AI Startups

Most engineers want to join early. Very few know how.

This AI Collective event is a practical, no-fluff breakdown of what it actually takes to become a founding engineer at a high growth AI startup.

The session features a keynote and workshop with Xinchi Qi, who joined Revamp as its founding engineer and later grew into CTO and cofounder, not by chasing titles, but by doing the work that early companies need most.

We’ll cover:

What founders look for in their first technical hires
How to position yourself for founding engineer roles
The skill gaps that separate senior ICs from early builders
How to evaluate whether a startup is worth joining before the hype

Built for engineers who want real ownership, real influence, and a seat at the table from day one.

Please be advised: Unfortunately, space is very limited at these community events and we can not always accept everyone we would like to. If you are not accepted to this event, please keep applying! We appreciate your application tremendously and we are looking forward to seeing you at a future event very soon!

The AI Collective is a global non-profit building the human layer for the AI age. We unite 150,000+ leaders, builders, and stakeholders across 100+ forums worldwide to democratize the frontier, build trust, and coordinate how society navigates the rapid acceleration of technological progress.

All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct.

The AI Collective San Francisco | How to Become a Founding Engineer