You've just closed your funding round. The money's in the bank. Your investors are excited. And now comes the question that keeps non-technical founders up at night:
"How do I find and hire a developer who can actually build this?"
It's one of the most common — and most stressful — first hires for funded startups. A bad first developer can set you back 6-12 months. A good one can turn your MVP into a real product in weeks.
Here's what we've learned from helping dozens of funded startups make this exact hire.
This is the most important distinction. Most early-stage founders say "developer" when they actually need different things depending on their situation:
You need a developer if:
You need a CTO or technical lead if:
If you need a CTO, read our CTO Hiring Checklist — it's a different hire with different stakes.
Before writing a job post, answer these questions:
What are you building?
What's already built?
Use our Growth Planner to estimate costs. As a rough guide for the Netherlands:
For salary benchmarks across all roles, see our Dutch Startup Salary Benchmarks 2026.
The best first hires almost always come through personal connections:
Traditional recruiters typically don't understand startups. They'll send you enterprise developers who expect corporate processes and fixed requirements.
A startup hiring partner (like funded.club) understands:
Salary: Be competitive. Reference our salary benchmarks for your market.
Equity: Your first developer should receive meaningful equity. Typical ranges:
Read our detailed guide: How Many Stock Options Should You Offer?
❌ Hiring the cheapest option
You get what you pay for. A €40K developer who takes 6 months is more expensive than a €70K developer who ships in 6 weeks.
❌ Not offering equity
If you want someone to care about your startup like a co-founder, they need to own a piece of it.
❌ Rushing the hire
This is your most important early decision. Take 4-8 weeks to find the right person, not 4-8 days.
We specialise in helping funded startups hire their first technical team members. We understand equity conversations, startup culture, and what makes a developer thrive at an early-stage company.
No percentage fees. Just flat project pricing that works for startups.
Related reading:
• CTO Hiring Checklist for Startups
• Salary Benchmarks for Dutch Startups 2026
• How Many Stock Options Should You Offer?