At a Glance
- Tasks: Build innovative AI agents for Excel and design new data reasoning methods.
- Company: Join a fast-paced startup revolutionising how the world uses Excel.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity, free lunch, and a trip to San Francisco.
- Other info: Fast career growth opportunities and a chance to connect with top investors.
- Why this job: Shape the future of AI in spreadsheets and make a real impact.
- Qualifications: Experience in building products from scratch; curiosity about AI is a plus.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 84000 £ per year.
Cascade is building Cursor for Excel. Excel has more than one billion users and is the backbone of how the world works. Yet it is still clunky, manual, and difficult to extend. Our vision is to bring the intelligence of an AI coding copilot directly into Excel so that anyone can model, analyze, and reason with data inside the tool they already know.
We are starting with finance but the surface area is much bigger. Accounting, logistics, operations, supply chain, marketing. Excel is everywhere. The opportunity is massive.
This is also an extremely difficult technical problem. LLMs are not designed to reason over tabular data, time series, or multi dimensional models. We are building new systems from the ground up that make spreadsheets feel alive and intelligent. If you want to work on one of the most important applied AI problems of this decade, this is it.
The team
- CEO: Hannia has almost a decade of experience in technology, from receiving patents at Google to leading product at multiple startups that raised $20M to writing a white paper on real-time payment APIs with the World Bank. Hannia was awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 and received an award from the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
- CTO: Joana was the AI Platform Lead at Unlikely AI, a deep tech started by the inventor of Alexa, where she combined LLMs with symbolic AI for explainable AI. Before that, she was Software Engineer at Freetrade during the Meme Stock era, helping users discover the next stock to buy and understand their portfolio performance. Joana was also founding engineer at Alpher, where she built a robo-investing app from scratch in less than a month.
Why join now
- Fast-moving, ambitious team that has shipped awesome products before
- As founding engineer, you will shape the product direction and the company
- You will own large parts of the technical stack and ship end-to-end
- Backed by tier one VCs
- Opportunity to join us in San Francisco from January - April as part of the a16z Speedrun program, with exposure to top investors and leaders in the tech field
What you will do
- Build the core agents that understand and traverse spreadsheets
- Design new ways for LLMs to reason over messy real-world data
- Ship fast, from backend systems to user-facing features
- Partner with early customers to define workflows that matter most
- Set the technical and cultural DNA of Cascade
You might be a fit if
- Built zero-to-one products and love creating from scratch
- Believe scrappy code used by a million people is better than perfect code used by none
- Curious about generative AI, agents, and LLMs
- Proactive, independent, and thrive in ambiguity. We experiment and iterate constantly.
- Want ownership and impact from day one.
- We use Python, Typescript, and GCP, but no prior experience is required, just a willingness to learn!
- Eligible to work in the UK (we cannot sponsor visas atm)
- We are fully on-site in London
What we offer
- Salary range £70k–£120k, depending on experience
- Significant equity
- Free lunch every day
- Trip to San Francisco from January to April 2026 for a16z Speedrun
- Fast career progression: we believe great people should be rewarded based on impact, not age, tenure, or background. Tell us your goals, whether you want to be a founder, and we can intro you to VCs in our network. Or if you are aiming for a VP role, we’ll help make it happen.
Founding Engineer in London employer: Cascade
Cascade is an exceptional employer for those looking to make a significant impact in the tech industry. With a fast-moving and ambitious team, employees have the opportunity to shape product direction and own substantial parts of the technical stack. The company fosters a culture of innovation and experimentation, offering rapid career progression, significant equity, and unique experiences such as a trip to San Francisco for the a16z Speedrun program.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Founding Engineer in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Cascade or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Cascade.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Cascade.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Cascade that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Founding Engineer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Cascade.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Cascade and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Cascade
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Cascade uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
