Ex-Founder - Technical

Retell AI is using the first principles to reimagine the call center with cutting edge voice AI.

We believe voice is still the most natural way humans communicate, yet it has been trapped in outdated call centers for decades. Our mission is to bring intelligence, empathy, and speed to every phone conversation between businesses and their customers.

Today, thousands of companies use Retell’s AI voice agents to handle sales, support, and logistics calls that once required large teams of human agents. Backed by Y Combinator, Altman Capital, and other leading investors, we have scaled to $30M ARR with a team of 20 people.

Now, we’re scaling fast, and we’re looking for bold, ambitious people to help us build the gold standard for voice automation. If you want to work on deeply technical challenges, move fast, and make an outsized impact at one of the fastest-growing Voice AI startups in the world, you’ll love it here.

Let’s build the future of voice automation together!

• We’re a top 50 AI app in a16z list: https://tinyurl.com/5853dt2x

• We're also one of the top ranking startups on: https://leanaileaderboard.com/

• Build the Dream Team: We hire high performers who work onsite in the San Francisco Bay Area, move fast, and collaborate deeply. Feedback is open, direct, and constant.

• Customer obsession. We start with the customer and work backwards. Every job and task matters only if it ultimately benefits the customer.

• Insist on the Highest Standards: We ship products you’re proud to show everyone — even if it means spending more time perfecting them.

We like to keep it real, we move fast, build fast, and change fast. That’s part of the fun for us, but we know it’s not for everyone.

As an Ex-founder - Technical, you’ll join Retell AI as a versatile, high-impact leader, shaping our AI voice platform in its earliest stages. Leveraging your startup experience, you’ll wear multiple hats—spanning product, engineering, and strategy—to drive innovation and execution. You’ll collaborate closely with the founding team to tackle ambiguous challenges, build scalable solutions, and define the future of voice automation. This role offers unparalleled ownership and the chance to shape a category-leading product from the ground up.

• Drive 0→1 initiatives, from ideation to execution, across product, engineering, or growth, adapting to the company’s most pressing needs.

• Build and iterate on core platform features, such as voice agent APIs, integrations, or developer tools, using languages like Python, JavaScript, or TypeScript.

• Collaborate with co-founders to define product strategy, prioritize roadmaps, and align on technical and business goals.

• Tackle ambiguous problems, prototyping solutions and shipping production-ready systems under tight timelines.

• Mentor early team members, fostering a culture of ownership, speed, and craft.

• Translate customer and market feedback into actionable product improvements and strategic recommendations.

• Have founded or co-founded a tech startup, navigating the 0→1 phase with hands-on technical and business responsibilities.

• Are a generalist with 2+ years of experience in software development (e.g., Python, JavaScript, TypeScript) and startup operations.

• Thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments, juggling multiple roles with grit and adaptability.

• Take ownership like a founder, moving fast and caring deeply about impact.

• Communicate clearly, aligning teams and making tough decisions with confidence.

• Learn quickly, embracing new challenges and tools to deliver results.

• Have founded or co-founded a product-led startup, owning the go-to-market strategy from 0→1.

• Bring 2+ years in PLG, growth, or GTM roles (e.g., product marketing, growth ops, customer success, sales-led + PLG hybrid).

• Thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments, juggling experiments in acquisition, activation, retention, and expansion.

• Take ownership like a founder—designing growth loops, running campaigns, and iterating on onboarding experiences to move key metrics.

• Communicate clearly, aligning teams around GTM insights and making tough strategic calls with confidence.

• Cash: $215k – $290k

• Equity: 0.2% – 0.6%

• Location: Redwood City, CA, US

• US Visas: Retell AI is open to sponsoring work authorization for qualified candidates, including H1B/H-1B, TN, L-1, E-3, F-1 (OPT/CPT), and O-1 visas.

• 100% coverage for medical, dental, and vision insurance

• $70/day DoorDash credit for unlimited breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks

• $200/month wellness reimbursement (gym, fitness classes, etc.)

• $300/month commuter reimbursement (gas, Caltrain, etc.)

• $75/month phone bill reimbursement

• $50/month internet reimbursement

• Best Offer Upfront: Choose from three cash-equity balance options; no negotiation needed.

• Top 1% Talent: Above-market pay (top 5 percentile) to attract exceptional builders.

• High Ownership: Small teams, >$1M revenue/employee, and significant equity.

• Performance-Based: Offers tied to interview performance, not experience or past salaries.

• Conversations With Co-Founders: You'll go through several focused conversations with Retell's co-founders. We go deep on product thinking, technical ability, and cultural alignment. We move quickly, keep things respectful and transparent, and treat every candidate like a potential future teammate.

• Since this role is more founder-focused, you'll have the opportunity to dive deeper into these details depending on the specific position you're targeting.

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Join Retell AI to shape the future of voice automation, leveraging your founder experience to build a category-defining platform.