Who should your startup hire next?
Build the team your next milestone needs. Get a practical starting brief based on your stage, technical leadership, priorities and salary budget.
How to choose your next technical hire
Your next milestone should shape your hiring brief. A founding engineer, an AI specialist and an engineering leader solve different problems. Start with the work that needs an owner, the team already in place and the decisions that cannot wait.
Founding engineer or CTO?
A founding engineer usually focuses on building and shipping the early product. A CTO takes broader responsibility for technology strategy, technical risk and leadership. Early startups sometimes need a hands-on leader, but the title alone does not define the job. Agree on delivery expectations and decision-making authority before searching.
Hiring without a technical founder
Prioritise clear communication, evidence of shipping products and sound technical judgment. Independent technical assessment can help you evaluate candidates and review architecture. A fractional CTO or adviser may complement your first full-time engineer.
AI engineer or ML engineer?
Building features with existing models calls for product engineering, integrations and evaluation skills. Developing custom models adds different requirements around data, experimentation and deployment. Define the actual AI problem before choosing the title.
Frequently asked questions
Does seed funding mean we should hire a CTO?
No. Funding stage is one input. Consider your current engineers, the next product milestone and who owns technical decisions. A hands-on founding engineer may be a better first full-time hire when product delivery is the immediate need.
Is the salary budget a market benchmark?
No. Your answer is your planned annual base salary for one hire in US dollars. It excludes equity, employer costs, benefits and recruitment fees. Validate a complete package for the location and role before opening a search.
Do I need to provide an email address?
No. You can view and download your brief without registration. Answers stay in this browser tab and are not submitted by this plugin. If you choose to contact Big Wave Digital, copy your brief into the existing enquiry form.
When should we talk to a specialist recruiter?
Consider support when a critical search has stalled, founder sourcing is taking time away from building, or you need a specialist network. You can also begin by refining your brief and using your existing network.
Specialist recruitment for your next stage
Big Wave Digital helps founders, operators and scaling teams recruit across founding engineering, AI and machine learning, software, platform, data and technical leadership.
Discuss your hiring needs →This advisor provides an indicative starting point, not a hiring guarantee, salary survey or recruitment quote. Complex, regulated or research-intensive products may need additional specialist review.
