Toma AI Seeks Founding Engineer to Bridge AI Gap in Automotive Industry

Toma AI, a Y Combinator W24 startup, is seeking a Founding Engineer to help build AI products for underserved industries, starting with automotive dealerships. The company recently raised a $17M Series A from Andreessen Horowitz and is assembling a team of engineers, product managers, and leaders from companies like Scale AI, Uber, and Microsoft.

The Opportunity

The role offers a unique chance to work on bridging the gap between agentic AI innovation and real-world applications. While LLM usage has grown rapidly, Toma identifies a significant divide in practical deployment, particularly in industries like automotive and healthcare where legacy systems, high-stakes consequences, and barriers to entry have slowed AI adoption.

As a Founding Engineer, you'll take ownership of net-new AI features and products, including dashboard development, real-time voice AI, and support tooling. The position requires hands-on development with production-grade TypeScript across the stack (Next.js, Bun), and offers the autonomy to influence product direction while working closely with customers to translate feedback into improvements.

Technical Stack and Requirements

Toma is looking for engineers with experience in:

• TypeScript, low-level Node.js (Bun)
• T3 Stack (Next.js, React, Prisma, PostgreSQL, NextAuth, tRPC)
• 1+ years building and scaling full-stack web applications

The ideal candidate should be comfortable with end-to-end ownership in a fast-paced environment, have a passion for learning and shipping high-quality features quickly, and be eager to continuously improve their craft.

Compensation and Benefits

The role offers competitive compensation of $140,000-$220,000 plus meaningful equity (0.20%-1.00%). Additional benefits include:

• MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max or equivalent
• Free daily in-office lunch and dinners
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Weekly team outings and customer visits
• Unlimited PTO

Company Culture

Toma describes itself as building something "unorthodox" - a fully AI-driven platform reshaping how 18,000 car dealerships operate nationwide. The team includes founders who've never owned cars, a pro Valorant player, robotics champion, and motocross racer, reflecting the company's diverse and unconventional approach.

The interview process includes an intro screen, 45-minute technical screen, 6-hour onsite, and a flexible work trial.

Why This Matters

Toma's mission addresses a critical gap in AI adoption. While consumer-facing AI applications have proliferated, enterprise and industry-specific implementations remain challenging due to integration complexity, reliability requirements, and the need for domain expertise. By focusing on underserved industries like automotive, Toma is positioning itself at the intersection of AI innovation and practical business transformation.

For engineers looking to make a significant impact early in a company's lifecycle, this role offers the rare combination of technical challenge, business impact, and the opportunity to shape how AI transforms traditional industries.

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