Founding Full Stack AI Engineer (CTO Track)

Company Description

The Stay Experts is a travel-tech start-up reimagining how people discover and book travel. From curated guidebooks to concierge-style booking to our upcoming AI-powered platform, we help travelers find the world’s best stays, without the overwhelm.

Role Description

We’re hiring a Founding Full Stack AI Engineer (CTO Track) to join our founding team. This is an equity-only role, ideal for a builder who wants to shape something meaningful from the ground up, with the opportunity to evolve into a full-time CTO role as we raise our first round of funding.

You’ll lead the development of our AI-powered platform, starting with an MVP and growing it into a scalable, high-impact product. From integrating early AI functionality to defining our tech architecture, your work will directly shape how people book their perfect stay.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead development of our full-stack AI-powered platform (MVP and beyond)
• Design, build, and maintain front-end and back-end infrastructure
• Integrate AI capabilities (e.g., LLMs, NLP, APIs, vector databases) to create intelligent and seamless user experiences
• Work closely with the founder to translate business needs into technical execution
• Build scrappy but scalable MVP features that deliver real customer value
• Lead core technical decisions, shape our engineering culture, and help grow the team.
• Translate product vision into scalable code

What We’re Looking For

• A long-term partner excited to grow with the company
• Solid experience in full-stack development (front-end + back-end)
• Proficiency in frameworks like React, Next.js, Node.js, Python, or similar
• Understanding of and experience with AI and machine learning is a strong plus.
• Passion for building, fast iteration, and launching MVPs
• A self-starter who thrives in early-stage environments and takes full ownership
• Collaborative mindset, comfortable working in a lean, focused team
• Strong product intuition and the ability to balance speed with scalability
• Bonus: Previous start-up or side-project experience

We’re also open to recent grads or early-career candidates who can show strong potential, drive, and a solid portfolio or projects.

What We Offer

• Equity-only to start, with the potential for paid compensation after funding
• A clear path to CTO as we grow
• Huge creative and technical ownership from day one
• A builder’s playground, your decisions will shape the product, brand, and company
• Flexible hybrid work (with in-person catchups when needed)
• A chance to join early, leave your mark, and build something ambitious

Final Note

We’re not just building tech, we’re building trust and long-term impact. If you’re a builder at heart and this feels like the kind of opportunity you’ve been waiting for, we’d love to talk.

Let’s build the future of curated travel together.