Full Stack Founding AI Engineer - Claythis

Location: SF Bay Area on-site (no remote)

Commitment: Full-time

About Claythis

Claythis is a VC-backed startup building our proprietary GenAI model that creates 3D assets 1,000x faster and cheaper. We believe the world can be enriched by having more 3D-powered stories because humans naturally see, think, and communicate in 3D context. However, the existing 3D creation workflow is complex, expensive, and time-consuming, requiring steep expertise and effort. With the advent GenAI, we are on the brink of transforming the entire 3D workflow from end to end. At Claythis, we tackle highly technical and complex problems at the intersection of AI and 3D graphics. Led by a proven founder team—including a serial entrepreneur with 2x exits, a PhD from UC Berkeley, a technical advisor with deep expertise in ML/AI. 

This is an incredible opportunity to join us as our very first hire—employee #1—and play a pivotal role by making a direct impact on the future of the company. 

Responsibilities

As an early member of the team, you’ll have full ownership and autonomy to:

• Design and build end-to-end AI products, from backend infrastructure and APIs to user-facing front-end interfaces.
• Train and deploy ML models for our 3D GenAI pipeline.
• Develop and deploy applications leveraging 2D diffusion models and 3D GenAI models.
• Optimize and integrate open-source tools for the 3D workflow, including modeling, posing, rigging, animating, and rendering.
• Collaborate with researchers and designers to prototype and implement new AI models, features, and UIs for mobile and web.
• Integrate third-party SDKs and add-ons to enhance functionality.
• Build scalable systems using cloud platforms such as AWS.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in full-stack engineering with a focus on AI/ML, ideally in gaming, animation, or film production.
• Hands-on expertise with AI frameworks and libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, and OpenCV.
• Strong foundation in full-stack development, including front-end frameworks (e.g., React) and back-end technologies (e.g., Node.js).
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure) and containerization tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• In-depth understanding of database systems (SQL, NoSQL) and experience with big data technologies.
• Knowledge of CI/CD processes and tools for seamless deployment and iteration.
• Proven experience shipping and maintaining full-stack AI projects.
• A strong passion for games, animation, or movies and a desire to redefine interactive entertainment.
• A startup mindset—ready to learn fast, fail fast, and iterate.
• Flexibility to work non-traditional hours and thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.

• You must have valid work authorization to work in the United States (e.g., U.S. citizenship or permanent residency).

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in a VC-backed pre-seed or seed stage startup.
• An MS or Ph.D. in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• Publications in top-tier conferences such as CVPR, SIGGRAPH, NeurIPS, ICCV, or ECCV.
• Expertise in explicit and/or implicit 3D representations (e.g., NeRF, Gaussian Splatting).

Why Join Us?

This isn’t just another job—it’s a chance to leave your mark on the future of 3D storytelling. As employee #1, you’ll trade the comfort of 9-to-5 work-life balance for unparalleled impact and ownership. If the idea of building something transformative from the ground up excites you, we want to hear from you. Let’s redefine the future of 3D creation together.