Things, things, things: These startups are making actual stuff you can put your hands on (and they have jobs, jobs, jobs)
Exclusive on how to get noticed at Meter, courtesy tips from CEO Anil Varanasi
Today’s edition is all about startups making things. Here they come, screaming across the sky! Big things, small things, consumer things, enterprise things, manufacturing things, transportation things, wearable things, autonomous things, drilling things! And they’re all hiring.
It’s a short work week here in the U.S. thanks to 🦅 Independence Day 🦅 on Friday. But I hereby give everyone around the world license to take a long weekend. Because you’re worth it. 💄
Party on, responsibly ofc,
Jordan
PS. Can I make a request of you? When it comes to job searching, what’s a sneaky little strategy that’s worked for you? Send me your tips and I might include them in a future newsletter.
Company spotlight: Meter
Today’s newsletter hero is Meter! The company makes enterprise internet infrastructure, and they’re in the business of both hardware and software. They’re backed by $170 million courtesy of savvy investors like Sam Altman and David Solomon. Meter is hiring engineers at its SF HQ. But if those roles don’t speak to you, email Meter directly at jobs@meter.com.
Meter’s CEO Anil Varanasi slipped me some exclusive intel on how to get noticed.
What makes engineers who work at Meter different from engineers elsewhere?
Being able to work on things end to end. We work on everything above the silicon. They’re writing the firmware, operating systems, distributed systems, APIs, applications, and training the models that power a big piece of that. They’re people with what my colleague James likes to call “dissatisfied anxiety”—those who care deeply and have the agency to act with ambitious autonomy. Every day, they’re looking for the most important problem for Meter that they can go and solve themselves. And they go and do that. Surprisingly, very few people find the agency to move things forward like that.
What’s more important to you in a new hire: enthusiasm or experience?
Can I say neither? We look for colleagues that have an abundant level of kindness and ambition. It’s one of the strongest levers that we’ve identified to raise the ceiling for our whole team. Somehow these two have become antonyms—you can either be kind or you can be ambitious. But there are a group of people that can be both, and that’s who we’re looking for. People who are ready to build for the long-term, take ownership without being asked, and do what it takes to make things work. But just as importantly, they do it with humility and a deep respect for the whole team. We think that’s how you do great work.
What qualities are most difficult to find today, even among great engineers?
The qualities I listed above—kindness and ambition—are also the hardest to find. That combination of initiative and generosity is rare.
Best advice for applicants who want to grab your attention?
Just reach out. I think you might be surprised how many people respond to cold emails, DMs, etc. If you have a thoughtful take, questions, ways you would do things differently or contribute…whatever it is. You should just reach out. That always paid dividends for me. If you’re interested enough in something, you’ll have something interesting to say to the person behind it to get a conversation started.
Open jobs
Okay, let’s get you a new job.
Founded by SpaceX alums and backed with $$ from Nvidia and Boeing, Freeform builds cutting-edge 3D metal printing machines. Among the perks of working at Freeform: 100% employer-funded healthcare, pre-IPO stock, free lunch, and a dog-friendly office. Lots of engineering jobs plus some in manufacturing operations.
I never thought we’d be on the point in the timeline to see sexy rail transport, but here we are, and Intramotev has invented it. Their battery-electric, self-propelled, zero-emission rail cars make moving materials safer, faster, and better for the world. They’re hiring in St. Louis, MO.
Speaking of sexy ways to get around: Solar-powered, autonomous aircraft are here thanks to Skydweller Aero. The goal: perpetual flight. Skydweller is hiring in Oklahoma City, OK, in the US, and in Madrid. Yes, please!
More planes! Regent has built the first passenger-carrying seaglider to propel zero-emission, high-speed coastal travel. They’re hiring in idyllic North Kingstown, RI.
Airloom Energy makes next-generation wind turbines that can be produced at scale. The Bill Gates–backed startup just broke ground on its first turbine in June and plans to pilot its first commercial-scale operation in 2027. Airloom is hiring engineers at their Laramie, WY, headquarters.
Infinite Machine makes the sickest scooters I’ve ever seen. It’s like the Cybertruck of scooters without the political baggage. Their Olto machine is bike-lane legal and requires no license or insurance—so the market size is big. They’re looking for a Mandarin-speaking technical program manager and a handful of other non-tech roles that would benefit from a tech background.
Okay, it’s not exactly an early stage startup, but WHOOP, maker of one of the most popular wearables on the market, is hiring for a bunch of open positions right now, including 12 engineering roles in Boston. Tech news is going absolutely bananas over WHOOP these days, which has a $3.6 billion valuation.
Sun Metalon makes machines that turn metal waste into revenue. Their high-tech oven thingies let manufacturing companies turn the metal shavings from the machine shop floor (here’s a new SAT word for you: swarf) into briquets with no CO2 emissions. With a total backing of $39.8 million, Sun Metalon has a few open jobs in Wood Dale, IL.
Sesame has two goals: 1) make a natural-sounding AI voice companion, and 2) make sick eyewear that gives you access to that companion all day. They have open hardware and software engineering roles in SF.
Durin builds and operates automated drill rigs. It’s a good time for a company like this, as drilling is slow, dangerous, and run by a workforce that’s quickly retiring. Durin is hiring for engineering roles in El Segundo, CA.
TobyTalks (expert advice on landing that next j.o.b.)
Today’s bonus job-search tip comes to us courtesy of Angela Lau: To get attention on your resume, you might need to “translate” your job title.
Must-reads
Robin Guo over at The Bird’s Nest wrote about “The 10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Lost College Student,” and tbh you really don’t need to be all that young or all that lost to enjoy his advice, like this little reminder: “Your time is fucking valuable.”
Stripe’s former growth lead Joe Kinvi has a new startup, Borderless, that lets the African diaspora invest in African startups. Tage Kene-Okafor reports for TechCrunch that “since launching in beta last year, the UK-based platform has processed over $500,000 in transactions.” No open jobs there yet—but we’ll be keeping an eye out for you.
Read enough tech news and you could get the dystopian feeling that AI is about to replace all of us, from interns to CEOs, and will be running companies without our consent or input. But that just ain’t true, of course. Case in point: Anthropic let Claude run a “store,” and the result was a spectacular failure. Read the VentureBeat story.
*Sigh* That’s all for today.
👨🏻💻 Thanks for reading. You mean the world to me.
PS: Want to get matched directly with hiring startups? Well, I can do that for you. Apply to the a16z talent network and real people with real beating hearts will look at what you send us and find good matches for you.