--- title: How to hire machine learning and AI engineers at a startup description: To hire ML and AI engineers, decide if you need applied, modelling or infrastructure skills, source from shipped work and test on a problem like yours. image: https://funded.club/hubfs/blog-featured-images/fc-hire-ml-ai-engineers-startup.png --- [![Primary\_logo](https://funded.club/hubfs/Primary_logo.svg)](https://funded.club/) [Book a call](https://funded.club/contact-us) - [Hire](https://funded.club) - [Pricing](https://funded.club/pricing) - [Find a job](https://funded.club/startupjobs) - [Case Studies](https://funded.club/case-studies) - [Locally](https://funded.club/case-studies/locally) - [Supernova](https://funded.club/case-studies/supernova) - [Isolocity](https://funded.club/case-studies/isolocity) - [WeTravel](https://funded.club/case-studies/wetravel) - [Digital Science](https://funded.club/case-studies/digital-science) - [Blog](https://funded.club/blog-results) - [Resources](https://funded.club/resources) - [Predict success](https://signup.predict.ventures/) - [Growth Planner](https://funded.club/growth-planner) - [Glossary](https://funded.club/glossary) - [FAQ](https://funded.club/faq) - [Contact us](https://funded.club/contact-us) [Book a call](https://funded.club/contact-us) - Engagement options: - [Hiring solutions](https://funded.club) - [Pay-as-you-go](https://funded.club/pricing) - Membership plan # How to hire machine learning and AI engineers at a startup ![how-to-hire-machine-learning-and-ai-engineers-at-a-startup](https://funded.club/hs-fs/hubfs/blog-featured-images/fc-hire-ml-ai-engineers-startup.png?width=1200&height=628&name=fc-hire-ml-ai-engineers-startup.png) [Ray Gibson](https://funded.club/blog/author/ray-gibson) Sep 29, 2026, 8:35:11 PM *Updated September 2026* To hire machine learning and AI engineers at a startup, first decide whether you need someone to build products on top of existing models, to train and evaluate your own models, or to run the data and infrastructure underneath. Then source from people who have shipped ML to real users, and assess them on a scoped problem that resembles your data and constraints rather than on textbook theory. ## Define which kind of AI engineer you need "AI engineer" means different things to different candidates. Getting this wrong is the most common reason these searches stall. Most startups need one of three profiles: - **Applied AI or product engineer:** builds features using existing models and APIs, with strong software engineering, prompt and retrieval design, evaluation and cost control. - **Machine learning engineer:** trains, fine-tunes and evaluates models on your data, and takes them to production with monitoring. - **ML infrastructure or data engineer:** builds pipelines, feature stores, training and serving infrastructure so others can move quickly. Research scientists are a fourth profile, useful when your advantage depends on new methods. Few early startups need one before they have product traction. If your product depends on AI but you have no engineers yet, start with our guide on [hiring a CTO](https://funded.club/blog/hire-cto-startup) or a founding engineer first. ## When to hire Hire dedicated ML talent when AI is core to what customers pay for, and when generalist engineers are spending most of their time on model quality, evaluation or data issues. If AI is one feature among many, a strong software engineer with applied AI experience may cover it for a while. Check your data before the search. A machine learning engineer with no usable data, labels or evaluation set will spend their first months on data work, which is fine if you tell them upfront. ## Where to find ML and AI engineers - Engineers who have shipped AI features at startups, visible through product launches, write-ups and conference talks. - Contributors to open source models, evaluation tools and ML libraries. - PhD graduates and postdocs who want to apply their work, for model-heavy roles. - Software engineers who have moved into applied AI and can show working projects. - Referrals from your technical advisers and investors. Competition for experienced ML engineers is strong. Candidates respond to specifics: the problem, the data you have, the compute available and who they will work with. ## How to assess ML and AI candidates - **Project deep dive:** ask them to walk through a system they shipped. Probe how they measured quality, what failed in production and how they handled cost and latency. - **Scoped practical exercise:** a small problem shaped like yours, for example improving retrieval on a sample dataset or designing an evaluation for a feature. Keep it short and pay for it if it is substantial. - **System design:** discuss how they would take a model from prototype to monitored production at your scale. - **Software engineering check:** review code quality and testing habits, because much of the work is engineering. - **Communication:** can they explain model trade-offs to a founder or customer without jargon? Be careful with interviews that reward memorised theory. Many excellent applied engineers learned by building. ## Closing and common mistakes ML candidates weigh the problem, the data and the team heavily. Share what you can about both early, and be clear about compute budgets and who decides on model and vendor choices. Move quickly, because strong candidates tend to have several conversations running. - Writing one job description that mixes research, applied and infrastructure work. - Hiring a researcher when you need someone to ship features. - Starting a search without data or evaluation plans. - Testing only theory and not software engineering. ## How Funded.club helps with AI hiring [Funded.club](https://funded.club/hire) is a fixed-fee recruiting partner for funded startups across North America, Europe and APAC. A dedicated recruiter works with you to define the profile, headhunts candidates and screens them before you spend interview time, with first screened candidates within 7 days. The fee is fixed and agreed upfront, which matters for roles with higher salaries. For an ML engineer at $160,000, a 20 to 25% contingency fee would be $32,000 to $40,000. Funded.club charges $15,900 to $21,900 for roles above $150,000, and $11,500 for roles up to $150,000. Funded.club's customers include Cobalt Robotics and Supernova.io. See [pricing](https://funded.club/pricing). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the difference between an AI engineer and a machine learning engineer? An AI engineer usually builds product features on top of existing models, focusing on integration, retrieval, evaluation and cost. A machine learning engineer typically trains, fine-tunes and deploys models on the company's own data. Titles vary, so define the work in the job description. ### Does a startup need a PhD to build AI products? Usually not. Most startups building on existing models need strong applied engineers. A PhD is more relevant when your advantage depends on new modelling methods. ### How should I test an ML engineer? Use a short practical exercise shaped like your real problem, plus a deep dive into a system they shipped. Include a software engineering check, because production ML is mostly engineering. ### How long does it take to hire an ML engineer? It depends on the profile and market. Funded.club delivers first screened candidates within 7 days and averages 33 days from kick-off to hire. Worth a brief chat about your next hire? [Book a free call](https://funded.club/contact-us). ## Hiring after a funding round? First candidates in 7 days. Fixed-fee, no commission. [See pricing](https://funded.club/pricing) [Book a free call](https://funded.club/contact-us) [Try the Growth Planner](https://funded.club/growth-planner) [![Primary\_logo](https://funded.club/hubfs/funded-images2022/Primary_logo.svg)](https://funded.club) © 2019-2026 Funded.club B.V. All Rights Reserved. Chamber of Commerce: 63083809    VAT (BTW): NL855084844B01 ## Contact Us - [Hiring service](https://funded.club) - [Pricing - Recruiting projects](https://funded.club/pricing) - [Find a job](https://funded.club/startupjobs) - [Our team](https://funded.club/fundedteam) - [Blog](https://funded.club/blog) - [Case studies](https://funded.club/case-studies) - [Startup resources](https://funded.club/resources) - [FAQ](https://funded.club/faq) - [Contact Us](https://funded.club/contact-us) ## Follow Us © 2019-2026 All rights reserved. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/56133290) - [Cookie policies](https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/56133290/cookie-policy) - [Terms of Use](https://funded.club/terms) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@id" : "https://funded.club/#ray-gibson" }, "dateModified" : "2026-09-29", "datePublished" : "2026-09-29", "headline" : "How to hire machine learning and AI engineers at a startup", "image" : [ "https://7828179.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7828179/blog-featured-images/fc-hire-ml-ai-engineers-startup.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://funded.club/blog/hire-ml-ai-engineers-startup", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://funded.club/#organization" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://funded.club/#organization", "@type" : "Organization", "areaServed" : [ "North America", "Europe", "Asia-Pacific" ], "description" : "Fixed-fee recruiting partner for funded startups and fast-growing teams across North America, Europe and APAC. 500+ startups helped since 2019. Fixed fees from $4,900 to $21,900 per hire, averaging 6-9% of salary. First candidates in 7 days.", "foundingDate" : "2019", "knowsAbout" : [ "Startup recruiting", "Fixed-fee recruitment", "Technical recruiting", "Executive search" ], "legalName" : "Funded.club B.V.", "logo" : "https://funded.club/hubfs/Primary%20logo.jpg", "name" : "Funded.club", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/funded-club/", "https://clutch.co/profile/fundedclub", "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/funded-club", "https://www.facebook.com/Funded.club/", "https://x.com/club_funded" ], "url" : "https://funded.club/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "WebSite", "description" : "Fixed-fee startup recruiting for startups and scale-ups. Hire smarter, scale faster with Funded.club.", "name" : "Funded.club", "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://funded.club/#organization" }, "url" : "https://funded.club/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://funded.club/#ray-gibson", "@type" : "Person", "alumniOf" : { "@type" : "EducationalOrganization", "name" : "University of Humberside" }, "description" : "Ray Gibson is the founder and CEO of Funded.club, a fixed-fee recruiting partner for funded startups and fast-growing teams across North America, Europe and APAC. He has more than 25 years of experience in recruitment, HR and startup leadership, and has helped 500+ startups from Seed to Series D hire engineering, product, sales and leadership talent.", "image" : "https://funded.club/hs-fs/hubfs/img-prof_2%20(1).webp", "jobTitle" : "Founder and CEO, Funded.club", "knowsAbout" : [ "Startup recruitment", "Fixed-fee recruiting", "Technical recruiting", "Executive search for startups", "Hiring after a funding round", "Recruiter fees and hiring costs", "Remote and international hiring", "Talent acquisition strategy" ], "name" : "Ray Gibson", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/raygibson99/", "https://www.crunchbase.com/person/ray-gibson", "https://theorg.com/org/funded-club/org-chart/ray-gibson", "https://x.com/SuperRayGibson" ], "url" : "https://funded.club/fundedteam", "worksFor" : { "@id" : "https://funded.club/#organization" } } ```