@ Nero
This is the highest-priority hire. Nero is at an early stage and looking for someone who operates like a co-founder — not a cog. The bar is extremely high on both technical and cultural dimensions.
Hard Requirements • Full-stack experience preferred but not mandatory • Existing work authorisation required — no full visa sponsorship – Acceptable: TN (Canada), OPT, or OTE status • Degree from a Western country (US, UK, AU, CA) strongly preferred for cultural alignment
Candidate Archetype — What CEOIs Looking For The target profile is a 'cracked', high-output builder with strong social skills and creative personality. Specifically: • Background: Builder mentality – Ex-founders or developers who've shipped real consumer apps (~2,000+ users preferred) – Personal projects with evidence of craft and ownership • Personality: Creative pursuits outside of work are essential – Videography, YouTube, sports, music, high-level gaming (e.g. Valorant ranked), modelling — anything showing they have a life and interests beyond coding – One active candidate example: spent 2 years as a high-level professional model • Social fit: Passes the 'Airport Test' – Could you sit with this person for 2 hours during a delay and have a good conversation? • Culture: Humility is non-negotiable – Gabe has high aversion to arrogant/pompous engineers – Distinction between healthy confidence vs. elitism — filter for the former • Design: Strong design taste – Personal website aesthetics used as a primary filter — outdated '2015-style' sites are an immediate disqualifier – Must produce clean, aesthetically strong UI/UX — not just functional code
Red Flags — Auto-Disqualify • Arrogance, superiority complex, or condescending tone on first call • Poor or non-existent personal website / portfolio • Candidates who look 'good on paper' but fail the phone screen — Gabe has been burned by this before • No evidence of interests or pursuits outside of pure engineering • Cannot hold a normal conversation — social competency is required • Unresponsive or slow to engage during outreach