Hey builders,
This week, I watched a solo engineer build a robot that handwrites your speech on paper (See video below).
There was no funding round, no launch party, just a clever idea and the skills to ship it.
It’s a good reminder that the gap between “side project” and “headline (potentially funding)” has never been smaller.
In this week’s newsletter.
New Startup Spotlight: Sauron is bringing self-driving precision to home security.
AI News Recap: Video of self-handwriting AI, Dashverse’s $13M raise, and GPT-5’s release.
Recent Job Postings: Exciting roles at FleetAI, Extend, and Sonauto are worth a look.
Let’s go.
19
Engineer spots left this month
Each month, I work with a curated group of cracked 0→1 engineers. The kind founders want to hire or co-found with.
As of this issue, only 19 spots remain.
If you’re building something on the side, bored at Big Tech, or just too good to be cold applying, book a call with me below.
🔍 Startup Spotlight
Sauron
Sauron is reimagining home security by bringing the perception systems of autonomous vehicles into your living room, literally.
They’re building a 3D model of your home, wrapped in a beautifully designed iOS and web app, so homeowners can interact with their property and security systems in an entirely new way.
For engineers, this is an opportunity to work across frontend, backend, and iOS while shaping a product that will exist in millions of homes.
It’s a rare blend of high-end consumer UX, robotics-level perception, and security-first engineering, shipped by a team with roots at Tesla, Apple, Google, and Zipline.
TL;DR
— $22M seed from Atomic, 8VC, and Flock Safety’s CEO
— Building a 3D home model app for iOS + web
— Stack: Python, React, SwiftUI (bonus for Unity/Unreal/OpenGL)
— Consumer-grade design meets robotics-grade perception
— High ownership in a small, senior team shipping to market
Megan’s Take
Few roles let you work on something this visual, technically deep, and consumer-facing at the same time. It’s a great opportunity to have a huge impact. Book a call with me or click the link above to apply.
🤖 AI / Industry Recap
🧠 Engineer Debuts AI That Writes Handwritten Notes from Speech
Ajay H revealed an AI-powered tool that listens to your voice and produces handwritten text in real-time, with uncanny accuracy. The demo sparked a wave of attention.
🚢 Dashverse secures $13M to produce AI short-form entertainment
The company's mission? To generate compelling episodic content—30-second micro stories—through AI.
🔐 GPT-5 officially launched — and it's powerful
It offers faster performance, smarter reasoning ("thinking mode"), a massive 256 K token window, and integrations with Gmail and Google Calendar.
Megan’s Take
Every week, there’s another proof that the best ideas aren’t coming from big labs, they’re coming from people who just decided to build. That should make you excited… and maybe a little uneasy if you’ve been sitting on the sidelines.
Recent job posting in
NewYork
jobTitle Member of Technical Staff_
{
// TLDR: Build RL environments, realistic simulated data, and core infrastructure for embodied agents.
// Company: FleetAI;
// Location: Manhattan, NYC (SanFran also available)
// Base: $120k - $240K;
// Funding: $2M seed from Sequoia, Menlo Ventures, SV Angel;
}
OUTPUT:
Recent job posting in
NewYork
jobTitle Sales Engineer_
{
// TLDR: Be the primary technical interface for customers running POCs with Extend.
// Company: Extend;
// Location: New York (On Site);
// Base: $175k - $225K;
// Funding: $17M from Homebrew, Innovation Endeavors, Character, and angels;
}
OUTPUT:
Recent job posting in
SanFrancisco
jobTitle Software Engineer, Generalist_
{
// TLDR: Build a 3D home model app for iOS + web that blends consumer-grade design with robotics-grade perception; high ownership in a small, senior team.
// Company: Sauron;
// Location: Manhattan, NYC (SanFran also available)
// Base: $155k - $185K;
// Funding: $22M seed from Atomic, 8VC, and Flock Safety’s CEO
}
OUTPUT:
Recent job posting in
SanFrancisco
jobTitle ML Engineer/Researcher_
{
// TLDR: Train and ship large-scale generative music models to production; audio model and music production experience are a plus.
// Company: Sonauto;
// Location: San Fran (On Site);
// Base: $120k - $230K;
// Funding: Bootstrapped, 0.25%–2% equity;
}
OUTPUT:
Want to see more roles that might be more suitable?
Let me know what you’re into and I’ll see if I can help. It only takes 30 seconds.
AMA
Question:
How do I get more ownership as a mid-level engineer?
Answer:
1️⃣ Volunteer for the hard projects no one wants (if you can solve them).
2️⃣ Speak up with solutions, not just problems.
3️⃣ Make your manager’s job easier, and they’ll give you more to run with.
— This question was from Lou.
Send me your question by replying to this email.
💡
Thought Prompt of the Week
What’s one problem you can’t stop thinking about, even when you’re off the clock? Worth building?
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Megan found me the right role and just as equally important to me, the right team! It was a pleasure worrking with her.