Strala is completely rebuilding the foundation of the world’s largest industry - Insurance Claims Processing.
In just three months, we reached six-figure ARR and raised a 13x oversubscribed $3.8M seed round from Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, led by the partner who was early in OpenAI and Scale AI, and Emergence Capital. Our team comes from the top AI labs at Oxford, Cambridge, and ETH Zurich.
Problem Solver - You love solving hard problems (and have a history of doing so).
High Agency & Ownership - You take charge and force things into existence - bonus points if you’ve been a CTO or founding engineer.
Proven Builder - 5+ years in Python and backend development, including 2+ years in startups (<50 people).
Infrastructure & Databases – Expert in PostgreSQL, vector databases, cloud (GCP, AWS), and Docker.
Scalability & Performance – Previously scaled systems 100x and shipped foundation model-based products.
APIs & Systems Design – Extensive experience with REST, GraphQL, GCP, AWS, Docker.
Bonus – Strong knowledge of LLM agents, including limitations, robustness, tools, and function calling.
Ship from Day 1 - You deploy to production on your first day and take full responsibility for your code.
Ownership - You create specs, figure shit out, build features & core infrastructure - all with a focus on scalability.
Leadership & Hiring - You find, hire, and lead a team of top-tier engineers.
Ambition: We want to win, and we need to be the best.
Performance: Speed, system thinking, efficiency.
Ownership: When we see a problem, we take ownership of it, and we solve it.
Spirit: Clarity, optimism, meritocracy.
Impact - Shape a company, redefine an industry, and make your code impact millions.
Intensity - Complex problems, ownership, 9-9-6 in-person in SF - we are here to solve problems and win.
Reward - Interesting work, top quartile salary, founding equity.
Team - Everyone on our team considers themselves the most competitive and intense person they have ever met - and we all come from the world’s best institutions.
Zero Barriers - We want the best people and will do whatever it takes. That includes full relocation support, covering all meals, and paying for any product that makes you more productive.
If an employer mentions a salary or salary range on their job, we display it as an "Employer Estimate". If a job has no salary data, Rise displays an estimate if available.
At Strala, we're on a mission to revolutionize the insurance claims processing industry, and we're looking for a Founding Senior Engineer to join our dynamically growing team in San Francisco. If you have a knack for solving complex problems and a proven record of building innovative software solutions, this is the role for you. As a Founding Senior Engineer, you'll have the rare opportunity to deploy code from day one and take complete ownership of your work. We value engineers who can think critically and act decisively, which is why we're keen on candidates with a strong background in Python and backend development, especially those who have experience in startups. Your role will involve developing scalable systems using tools like PostgreSQL, AWS, and Docker, while also honing in on APIs and systems design. In this position, you won't just code; you'll create specs, lead engineers, and influence the company's direction from the ground up. Our team consists of exceptional talent from top-tier institutions, and we offer an intense work culture that emphasizes ambition and performance. If you're ready to shape a company, redefine an industry, and deploy impactful code, we’d love to hear from you. Get ready for an exhilarating experience with a competitive team that thrives on solving tough problems every day.
Subscribe to Rise newsletter