TL;DR
Carma, a YC company, says it has a live AI platform used by multiple Fortune 500 clients to automate fleet maintenance, repairs, approvals and pricing. The startup is post-revenue, has raised a $5.5M seed, is planning a Series A around mid-2026, and is hiring on-site engineering founders in San Francisco with equity offers.
What happened
Carma is positioning an AI-driven platform to replace manual fleet operations processes — such as maintenance scheduling, repair workflows, approval routing and pricing — that the company describes as still managed with phone calls, PDFs and spreadsheets. The product is already in use by several Fortune 500 customers across the U.S., the company says, and it reports ongoing enterprise sales activity with new clients added monthly. Carma has closed a $5.5 million seed round and says a Series A is on track for mid-2026. The startup is recruiting founding engineering hires to work on-site in San Francisco; open roles include a Head of Engineering and a Full-Stack Engineer with stated cash and equity packages. The engineering stack listed includes React, NestJS, PostgreSQL and AWS, and the team emphasizes that engineers’ code runs in production and receives same-day operational feedback.
Why it matters
- Fleet operations represent a large addressable market the company sizes at $500 billion; automating manual workflows could reduce friction for large operators.
- Enterprise adoption — if sustained — signals early commercial traction for AI applied to logistics and field operations.
- Founding engineering roles with equity indicate the company is seeking senior technical hires to shape product and infra at an early stage.
- A planned Series A in mid-2026 suggests the company intends to scale revenue, engineering and customer operations in the near term.
Key facts
- Product: AI platform aimed at automating fleet maintenance, repairs, approvals and pricing.
- Customers: Reported live usage by multiple Fortune 500 clients nationwide.
- Revenue stage: Described as post-revenue and in active enterprise sales, adding clients monthly.
- Fundraising: $5.5 million seed round closed; Series A expected around mid-2026.
- Engineering: Tech stack includes React, NestJS, PostgreSQL and AWS.
- Work environment: Roles are on-site in San Francisco.
- Hiring: Open founding roles — Head of Engineering ($250K cash + 5% equity) and Founding Full-Stack Engineer ($200K cash + 3% equity).
- Operational feedback: Engineers’ changes reportedly run in live fleet operations and receive same-day feedback.
- Contact: Applications via YC job links or direct email to muhammad at joincarma.com.
What to watch next
- Progress toward the announced Series A round and its timing around mid-2026 (confirmed in the source).
- Customer growth and retention metrics as Carma adds enterprise clients each month (partially confirmed in the source).
- Expansion of hiring beyond the current on-site, San Francisco roles — not confirmed in the source.
- Broader deployment across different fleet operators and geographies — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Fleet operations: The set of activities involved in managing a group of vehicles, including maintenance, repairs, scheduling, compliance and cost control.
- Seed round: An early stage of venture funding intended to help a startup develop its product and initial market presence.
- Series A: A later early-stage funding round aimed at scaling product development, hiring and market expansion after initial traction.
- Equity: An ownership stake in a company, typically offered to founders, employees and investors as shares or options.
- Product-market fit (PMF): The degree to which a product satisfies a strong market demand, often demonstrated by repeatable revenue and customer usage.
Reader FAQ
Is Carma’s product live and being used?
Yes — the company reports a live product used by multiple Fortune 500 clients nationwide.
Where are the engineering roles located?
Roles are on-site in San Francisco.
What compensation is being offered for founding engineering roles?
Stated packages include a Head of Engineering at $250K cash plus 5% equity and a Founding Full-Stack Engineer at $200K cash plus 3% equity; the broader posting references $200K+ cash base and 3%+ equity for early hires.
How much funding has the company raised?
$5.5 million in seed funding; a Series A is described as on track for mid-2026.
What is Carma’s valuation or revenue run rate?
not confirmed in the source
TL;DR: Live product used daily by Fortune 500 clients; post-revenue, real operations, solving a real problem today. We are growing fast, hiring founding engineers, $200K+ cash base + 3.00%+ equity,…
Sources
- Carma (YC W24 clients, A in 6mo) Eng hiring: Replace $500B human fleet ops with AI
- Marketplace Startups funded by Y Combinator (YC) in the …
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