Hey builders,
Hey builders,
ICYMI - It’s been 2 weeks since Zuck waved a $250M golden handcuff, I mean, check in a kid’s face, and I’m still not over it.
Imagine grinding 80-hour weeks with your co-founders, only to peace out…
Can’t blame the kid, but damn.
Would you take the cash?
In other news, ex-Twitter (I refuse to call it X) CEO Parag is back with a $30M “ChatGPT-killer” seed round.
A bold move for a guy last seen getting ousted by Elon.
In this week’s newsletter.
New Startup Spotlight: Paraform is changing how companies hire talent, taking a sledgehammer to LinkedIn’s spam factory and building a recruiting marketplace that actually works.
AI News Recap: Parag’s comeback, IVIX’s $60M fraud-fighting raise, and Meta’s quarter-billion poach.
Recent Job Postings: Roles at Soma Capital, Agentio, and FleetAI.
Let’s go.
17
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 17 spots remain.
If you’re building something on the side, bored at Big Tech, or just too good to be cold applying, this is your sign.
🔍 Startup Spotlight
Paraform
Paraform is taking on a problem and solving it in a way that hasn’t been done before…
— Recruiting marketplace backed by $20M Series A (Felicis)
— ARR jump: $5M → $50M in 8 months
— Customers include Shopify, Coinbase, Palantir, Ramp, and 500+ more
— Hiring a product-minded Software Engineer with end-to-end ownership
— Comp: $130K – $250K + 0.05% – 0.3% equity, on-site in SF
Megan’s Take
Recruiting is one of those universal bottlenecks that every company experiences. You’re not building another job board, you’re aiming to replace them. This is the kind of role that could set you up as the engineer who re-architected how people get hired.
🤖 AI / Industry Recap
🎯 Parag Agrawal’s New Bet
Ex-Twitter CEO just raised $30M for Parallel, an AI startup aiming to outsmart ChatGPT-5.
💰 IVIX Raises $60M
The NYC startup builds AI tools to help governments track down financial fraud and hidden assets from crypto laundering to offshore accounts.
🔥 ICYMI Meta’s $250M Hire
A 24-year-old founder walked away from their own startup after Meta threw down a quarter-billion package.
Megan’s Take
On one hand, startups are pulling insane traction. On the other hand, Big Tech is writing blank checks, snagging talent from their own startup. It’s the wild west, and I’m here for it.
On the fence about your next move?
Let me know what you’re into and I’ll see if I can help. It only takes 30 seconds.
AMA
Question:
Meg, should I chase equity or a higher salary when looking at startup offers?
Answer:
Ideally, both.
If you can afford the risk, chase equity; there is more upside. If you need stability, take a salary.
A good test is… Would you still take the role if the equity went to zero?
If not, don’t.
— This question was from Mo.
Send me your question by replying to this email.
💡
Thought Prompt of the Week
When you look back in 10 years, will you be glad you played it safe, or that you placed the bet only you could see?
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Meg actually listened. She cared more about what I wanted next, rather than filling that role that’s been open for months. That’s rare in recruiting.
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