TL;DR
Clearspace, a YC W23 startup building tools to reduce compulsive phone use, is hiring a founding network engineer to build and run a VPN and first-hop policy proxy. The San Francisco–based, on-site role lists $170K–$230K salary, 0.5%–1.0% equity, and requires strong networking and systems skills.
What happened
Clearspace, a five-person startup from Y Combinator’s W23 batch, has posted an opening for a founding network engineer to own the company’s VPN and the first-hop policy proxy that supports its AI agent. The company describes its product as a system that filters and processes device network traffic against human-language rules to help users reduce compulsive phone use. The role is full-time and based in San Francisco; the listing specifies U.S. work-authorization requirements. Compensation is advertised at $170,000–$230,000 with 0.50%–1.00% equity. The team seeks an engineer with solid systems and networking experience — the public listing shows an experience field of 1+ years but the qualifications specify 3+ years building and operating high-throughput networking or edge systems. Required skills include proficiency in Go and comfort with low-level debugging and packet captures; TypeScript and Unix familiarity are also listed. The company highlights mission alignment and on-site collaboration with its founders.
Why it matters
- The role sits at the intersection of consumer privacy, traffic control and AI-driven policy enforcement, signaling Clearspace’s technical focus.
- A founding engineering hire will shape foundational networking infrastructure (VPN/proxy) that affects product performance and user privacy.
- The listing shows YC backing and media attention for the product, which can influence hiring and early adoption dynamics.
- Building region-aware routing and real-time policy enforcement at consumer scale involves engineering trade-offs in performance, reliability and privacy.
Key facts
- Company: Clearspace, founded 2022, YC W23 batch; team size listed as 5.
- Role: Founding Network Engineer, full-time, based in San Francisco; on-site work required.
- Compensation: $170,000–$230,000 salary and 0.50%–1.00% equity.
- Authorization: U.S. citizens or holders of appropriate U.S. visas only (listing indicates visa/US-only).
- Primary technical focus: own a global VPN and first-hop policy-aware proxy that applies human-language rules to traffic.
- Qualifications: listing shows Experience 1+ years but also specifies 3+ years building/operating high-throughput networking or edge systems.
- Required skills: proficiency in Go; familiarity with TypeScript and Unix noted; strong packet-capture debugging and systems engineering fundamentals required.
- Nice-to-have experience: VPNs/tunneling (WireGuard, IPsec/IKEv2, StrongSwan, OpenVPN), proxy/L7 gateways, traffic classification/DPI, mobile networking constraints, eBPF or kernel-adjacent tooling.
- Company mission: build technology to reduce compulsive phone usage by giving users control over what their devices see.
What to watch next
- Rollout and public availability of Clearspace’s global VPN and policy-aware proxy (not confirmed in the source).
- Hiring progress for this founding engineering slot and whether the company expands its on-site team in San Francisco (not confirmed in the source).
- Plans for product expansion, platform integrations or additional funding rounds that would affect scaling (not confirmed in the source).
Quick glossary
- VPN (Virtual Private Network): A service that creates an encrypted tunnel for network traffic between a device and a remote server, often used to protect privacy and route traffic.
- Proxy: An intermediary server that forwards client requests to other servers and can inspect, filter or modify traffic at various protocol layers.
- Packet capture: The process of recording network packets traversing an interface for analysis and debugging of network protocols and traffic flows.
- eBPF: A Linux kernel technology that enables running sandboxed programs in the kernel for high-performance observability and network processing.
- L4/L7: References to layers in the OSI model: L4 is the transport layer (e.g., TCP/UDP), L7 is the application layer (e.g., HTTP), important distinctions for routing and proxy logic.
Reader FAQ
What is the advertised salary and equity?
The listing states $170K–$230K in salary and 0.50%–1.00% equity.
Is the position remote?
The company asks that candidates be willing to work onsite in San Francisco.
What technical skills are required?
Proficiency in Go is required; TypeScript and Unix skills are listed. Strong networking debugging experience and packet-capture skills are also expected.
Who are the founders?
The listing names Oliver Hill and Royce Branning as founders.
What is the application deadline or hiring timeline?
Not confirmed in the source.
AboutCompaniesStartup JobsFind a Co-FounderLibrarySAFEResources Apply Clearspace Eliminate compulsive phone usage Founding Network Engineer at Clearspace $170K – $230K • 0.50% – 1.00% • San Francisco, CA, US Job type Full-time…
Sources
- Clearspace (YC W23) Is Hiring a Founding Network Engineer (VPN and Proxy)
- Jobs at Clearspace
- hckr news – Hacker News sorted by time
- Founding Designer at Clearspace
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