Asin Sayed Ali  ×  a16z speedrun

A product proposal for the speedrun talent network

Job hunting
sux less.

I used the talent network as a job seeker. These are the problems I hit, and how I’d solve them: first by improving what’s already there, then by building something new.

two working demos inside, plus some memes. you’re welcome ✌

You asked: show us how you’d move one of these

Here’s what you’re trying to do. Here’s where each idea lands.

my bet: start with 01. better fits for job seekers are what grow 02 and attract 03.

Part 01

Improve what exists.

The salary data, filters and personalised ordering are already good. My fixes make them easier to decide with: more of the right detail, explained, in more places.

  1. 1.1Job cards that earn the click
  2. 1.2Industry filters that match
  3. 1.3Suggestions for me, not just similar
  4. 1.4Company profiles with context
  5. 1.5Founding roles, decoded
  6. 1.6Roles for You → weekly shortlist
me, improving the job board instead of rebuilding it from scratch
SpongeBob happily hammering a plank
1.1/jobs · job cardsgoal 01

Six cards called “Founding Engineer.” Which one is backend?

!The problem

“I keep opening jobs just to find out whether the work, pay and location actually fit me.”

  • Same broad title on many cards. The title alone doesn’t say what the work is.
  • Salary shows on some cards and not others. Equity never shows.
  • “Matches a profile skill” is a great start, but which skill?
every “Founding Engineer” card, trying to tell me which one is backend
Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man Founding EngineerFounding Engineer
Jobs board search for Founding Engineer showing near-identical cards
today · searching “Founding Engineer”
1.1✓The fix · toggle it →

Keep the card. Add one row of facts I decide with.

  • Role focus + 2–3 key skills: Backend · Python · PostgreSQL.
  • Pay with currency and period, and equity on its own line.
  • Where I can actually work: “Remote · US only” isn’t “work from anywhere”. Visa if stated.
  • A specific match reason, plus the conflict: “Python + API work matches; starts later than you said.”
  • Missing data says “Salary not listed” / “Equity not listed”. Never a guess, never “no equity”.
mockup · sample roles
L
Founding Engineer
Ledgerline · San Francisco, CA · Full-time
APPLY →
BackendPythonPostgreSQL
Pay$120–160k / yr
Equity0.25–0.5%
WhereRemote · US, IN
Visanot stated
✓Your Python + API work matches the core of this role!Starts Jan 2027, later than your availability
Q
Founding Engineer
Quillcraft · Remote · Full-time
APPLY →
AI / MLVoice agentsPython
Paynot listed
Equitynot listed
WhereRemote · Global
Visan/a
✓You’ve shipped voice agents to production
1.2/jobs · filters/companiesgoal 01

The companies page says “AI Infra.” The job filters have never heard of it.

!The problem

“I can see which industry a company is in, but I can’t use that industry to find its jobs.”

  • /companies groups companies into 13 industries: AI Infra, Frontier AI Labs, Dev Tools & Infra, Fintech…
  • The job board’s filters are job functions: Engineering, Hardware & Manufacturing, Operations, Sales… and even inside All Filters there’s no option for the industries /companies uses.
  • “Backend at AI Infra companies” means browsing company by company, though the public API already takes an industry parameter. This may be mostly UI work.
me trying to find AI Infra jobs using Engineering · Sales · Operations
Patrick sitting confused with a plank nailed to his head
Job board function filters
today · function filters on /jobs
1.2✓The fix

One vocabulary. Jobs filtered through their company.

  • Add a company-industry filter using the exact categories from /companies, with live role counts.
  • Industry ≠ function ≠ role focus. “Backend at an AI Infra company” uses all three, independently.
  • Role focus inside Engineering: Backend, Frontend, Full-stack, Infra, AI/ML.
  • Deal-breaker filters: where I can work, salary floor (same currency only), equity listed.
  • A “show roles with unknown pay or eligibility” switch, so nothing good silently disappears.
  • Clicking “AI Infra” on a company page opens /jobs already filtered.
mockup · real category names
Function · exists today
Engineering 4150Hardware & Mfg 2860Operations 2535Sales 1491
Company industry · new, same list as /companies
AI Infra 278Frontier AI Labs 3192Dev Tools & Infra 376Fintech 493+ 9 more
Role focus · new
BackendFrontendFull-stackInfraAI / ML
Deal-breakers · new
Can work from: India≥ $120k / yrEquity listed
Include roles where pay or eligibility isn’t listed (labelled)
1.3/jobs/[role] · suggested rolesgoals 01 · 03

“Similar roles” is nice. Roles that fit me are better.

!The problem

“The job page suggests similar titles. I want the roles that fit me, starting with others at this company.”

  • Detail pages suggest roles similar to this one, not roles matched to my profile.
  • If this company has 20 openings, I can’t see which of the other 19 fit me without leaving.
  • There’s no quick way to say “not for me, because of pay / location / focus”.
me on a job page that isn’t quite right
Distracted boyfriend meme other roles here that fit me me similar titles, anywhere
1.3✓The fix

Split suggestions in two, and explain them.

  • “More at this company, for you” right on the job page and tile: the other roles there that fit my profile.
  • “Matches your profile” across the network vs. “Similar to this role”, clearly labelled.
  • Each with a reason and a conflict, never a mystery percentage.
  • One-tap “Not relevant: pay · location · focus” that tunes future suggestions.
  • Logged out? You still see “Similar”. Matching is a reason to join, not a wall.
mockup · job page sidebar
More at Ledgerline, for you2 of 9
L
Backend Engineer, Payments✓ Python + Postgres · remote India ✓
$110–140k
L
AI Engineer, Risk✓ Python · ! onsite SF
not listed
Matches your profileacross the network
N
Infrastructure Engineer✓ you deploy on Cloudflare Workers
$140–170k
P
Backend Engineer, Platform✓ API work · ? India eligibility not stated
$130–150k
Not relevant? PayLocationRole focus
Similar to this role12
Founding Engineer · Founding Backend Engineer · …
1.4/companies · collections & profilesgoals 01 · 03

67 open roles. But what do they build?

!The problem

“I found a company in an industry I care about, but I still don’t know what it builds, who’s building it, or which of its jobs fit me.”

  • Collections already show rank, stage, remote policy and role count, with good filters.
  • But not a single line about the product, and no count of roles that fit me.
  • Company profiles have little founder info and no clear way to reach the team.
me, reading a company card with 67 roles and zero words about the product
Monkey puppet looking away awkwardly
AI Infra collection with stage, remote policy and role counts
today · AI Infra collection
1.4✓The fix

One line of context, then the roles that fit.

  • A one-sentence product summary on every card, from the official description. No invented traction.
  • “3 match you · 67 roles” next to the total count.
  • On the profile: For you and All open roles tabs, using the improved cards from 1.1.
  • Verified founders with public profiles, and an approved contact route only if the company offers one. No guessed emails.
  • Company “remote first” is context; eligibility comes from each role.
mockup · match counts are examples
1
Exaa16z portfolio
San Francisco · Growth · Onsite leaning
3 match you67 roles →
A search engine and API built for AI applications.
For you · 3All open roles · 67Team
E
Backend Engineer✓ APIs + Postgres · ! onsite SF
pay · equity
E
Applied AI Engineer✓ shipped LLM agents · ? visa not stated
pay · equity
Foundersverified names + public profiles
Talk to the teamonly via an approved route
1.5/founding-engineer-salarygoal 01

83 founding roles. Equity listed on almost none.

!The problem

“Founding Engineer can mean very different work and pay. I can’t tell from the title whether to open it.”

  • The salary tool is genuinely useful: median $198k and a real dilution calculator.
  • But the role list below it is title · company · city · pay. Only 34 of 83 roles post a band, and the page itself says essentially none post equity.
  • The list can’t be filtered by role focus, remote or equity, or by what fits me.
me, waiting for a founding role to list its equity
Skeleton waiting on a bench
1.5✓The fix

Reuse the 1.1 cards and 1.2 filters right here.

  • Each row gets role focus, a one-line “what you’d build”, remote/eligibility and company stage.
  • Equity always has a slot: the % if disclosed, otherwise “Equity not listed”. Then the calculator can run on a real role.
  • Filters: focus, remote, salary listed, equity listed, plus “founding roles that fit me”.
  • Not a separate feature: same card component, same data.

no new system, just the same cards used on one more page.

mockup · sample rows
Engineering · 38BackendAI / MLRemote OKEquity listed
Founding Engineer · Ledgerline$120–160k
BackendSeedRemote · US, IN0.25–0.5% equity
Founding AI Engineer · Quillcraftnot listed
AI / MLPre-seedSan FranciscoEquity not listed
Founding Engineer · Northwind$185–250k
InfraSeries ANew YorkEquity not listed
1.6Roles for Yougoals 01 · 02

Ten worth considering. Then you’re done for the week.

!The problem

“These are supposed to be for me, but I still sort through different networks and open each role. Give me a small set I can finish.”

  • Matching and refresh already exist. But wider market, startup universe and a16z roles sit in one list.
  • No way to narrow to speedrun or a16z only without leaving the page.
  • Roles start in 2027, but it never asks when I can start.
“refreshed as new roles post”
me, on hour three of reviewing them:
Hide the Pain Harold smiling at a laptop
Roles for You list mixing networks
today · Roles for You
1.6✓The fix · try it →

A weekly shortlist you can actually finish.

  • Up to 10 roles a week, fewer if fewer fit. Never padded; the live board still has everything.
  • Scope right there: speedrun · a16z portfolio · everywhere. Plus start date and preferences.
  • Save, Skip, Undo and a list view. Swipe is just a shortcut on phones.
  • Save isn’t apply; skip isn’t reject. An optional “why skip?” tunes the future only if I say so.
  • “You’re caught up”, saved roles and the next refresh date. An ending, not a feed.
speedrun-talent-network.com · Roles for Youlive demo
Scope
Next refresh · Mon 23 Nov
0 saved
Why skip? (optional)

You’re caught up.

Next shortlist on Monday 23 Nov. Here’s what you saved:

    Sample roles, not real vacancies.

    Part 02

    Build something new.

    Your public API and MCP server already do the hard part. These ideas put AI inside the job seeker’s portal, give their agent memory, and take speedrun applications off the Ashby detour.

    1. 2.1AI job finder inside the portal
    2. 2.2AI interview & direct apply
    3. 2.3One-step agent setup
    4. 2.4Your agent, with memory
    AI agents ✨ inside the job portal ✨
    SpongeBob making a rainbow with his hands: imagination
    2.1new · /jobs and Roles for Yougoals 01 · 02

    Describe the job you want. See the filters it picked.

    !The problem

    “I know the work, stack and pay I want, but I don’t want to translate that into a dozen filters or set up an external agent.”

    • The portal has no chat or AI search today.
    • The right roles exist, but reaching them takes a lot of filter clicks.
    finding a remote backend role at a speedrun company
    Drake meme: rejecting the top, approving the bottom clicking 12 filters and still not sure what I set “backend, Python, 120k+, remote from India”
    2.1✓The idea · watch it →

    Chat in, real filters and real cards out.

    • Runs on your existing public search API. No second jobs database.
    • Turns my words into visible, editable filters, using only valid values from the live facet list.
    • Asks instead of guessing: “120k in USD per year?” “Is Postgres a must?”
    • “Remote” ≠ “can work from India.” Unknowns are shown, labelled, never assumed.
    • No matches? It says which filter is blocking, and asks before loosening it.
    • Guests can use it. “Save as my shortlist preferences?” is an offer, never a gate.
    speedrun-talent-network.com/jobs · Askconcept
    Backend roles, Python + Postgres, at least 120k, speedrun companies only. I’m in India and want remote, no relocating.
    Here’s what I understood · tap any filter to edit
    speedrunBackendPythonPostgreSQL≥ $120k / yr?Remote · can work from India
    “Remote” doesn’t always include India. 2 roles confirm it, 3 don’t say.
    Founding Engineer · BackendLedgerline · $120–160k✓ Python, Postgres · India confirmed
    Backend Engineer, PlatformParcelbase · $130–150k✓ Python · ? India not stated
    + Include TypeScriptOnly dev-tools companiesWhy did this match?
    Refine your search…
    2.2extends · /join + Applygoals 02 · 03

    Interview once. Apply without the Ashby detour.

    !The problem

    “A form doesn’t show what I know. And every Apply sends me off to Ashby to type the same things in again.”

    • Joining the network is a form: no room to show real knowledge or the story behind the work.
    • Apply on a speedrun company redirects to Ashby, Greenhouse and the like. New account, re-upload, re-type, every time.
    • Founders get a pile of applications with little signal; candidates wait weeks for a silent no.
    applying to a speedrun company today
    Gru's plan four-panel meme find the perfect speedrun role click Apply redirected to Ashby type my whole resume in again
    2.2✓The idea

    AI interview at signup → one-click apply → AI screens → founder, or a clear answer.

    • Signup ends with a 10-minute AI interview (text or voice) about my real projects. One interview, reused for every application.
    • Apply to speedrun companies without leaving: resume + interview summary attached. It can still sync into the founder’s Ashby via its API.
    • AI screens each application against the must-haves the founder sets: stack, experience, location, visa.
    • Match → handed to the founder with the why and interview highlights. Not a match → a clear status with the reason, in days.
    • Kept fair: only the founder’s criteria, never accent, school or polish; human review on request; founders can spot-check rejections.
    ① AI interview · at signupquestion 3 of 6 · ~10 min
    You said you shipped voice agents. How did you keep latency low on live calls?
    We streamed STT → LLM → TTS instead of waiting for full turns, and cached the first response…

    ② apply, without leaving

    Founding Engineer · Ledgerlinespeedrun
    📄 resume🎙 interview summarypreferencesno Ashby redirect
    1. AppliedMon
    2. AI screenTue
    3. With foundernow

    ③a match → founder

    Asin S. · Founding Engineer
    • ✓ Python APIs in production
    • ✓ real-time voice pipeline
    • ✓ remote from India OK
    3 of 3 must-haves · ▶ clips

    ③b not a match → candidate

    Not moving forward

    This role needs 3+ years of Go in production; your interview didn’t cover Go.

    Request a human review →
    2.3extends · /developersgoal 02

    Connecting an agent shouldn’t need a config file.

    !The problem

    “I want to connect my agent without hunting for the right config file or pasting a JSON block.”

    • Claude Code already has one command, and Claude web has a custom-connector URL. Both great.
    • Other local clients mean finding and hand-editing config files.
    every non-technical job seeker, reading MCP docs
    Boromir: one does not simply one does not simply find the right config file
    2.3✓The idea

    Client tabs, a copy button, and an optional guided installer.

    • Keep Claude Code’s one command and the Claude connector URL front and centre.
    • For other local clients, an installer that asks which client, previews the exact change and asks before writing.
    • Backs up the config, is safe to re-run, can uninstall, and checks the connection at the end.
    • Installing never collects a password or grants permission to apply.

    small, and only worth building if setup is where people drop off.

    Connect · pick your clientClaude Code · Claude web · other
    # exists today, from your docs $ claude mcp add --transport http speedrun-talent https://mcp.speedrun-talent-network.com/mcp # proposed, for other local clients (package doesn't exist yet) $ npx @speedrun-talent/mcp-setup install ? Which client should I configure? › Cursor ~ will edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json (backup saved first) ? Apply this change? › yes ✓ connected · try “backend roles at speedrun companies”
    2.4extends · MCP servergoals 01 · 02

    Let my agent do the searching. I decide where to apply.

    !The problem

    “I already live in Claude and ChatGPT. Let them search with my real preferences and send me a short list.”

    • Your MCP server already searches live roles with the board’s filters. No auth, no keys.
    • But my agent forgets me: no saved preferences or roles shared with the site.
    • Nothing comes to me: no weekly shortlist unless I ask.
    • Applying is manual, and should stay my decision.
    the only kind of “auto-apply” I’d ship
    Anakin and Padme four-panel meme my agent applies to jobs for me after I approve each one, right? … right?
    2.4✓The idea

    Connect once, get a weekly shortlist, apply after a review.

    • Sign in with scoped permissions (OAuth, never a password in chat): read approved profile fields, search, save.
    • Same preferences and saved roles on the site and in the agent. One shortlist, from 1.6.
    • Optional weekly digest sent by the server, not a chat left open. Job info only in the email.
    • Prepare, then I approve: drafts use only facts I’ve approved; then one-click apply for speedrun companies (2.2), or the employer’s form elsewhere.
    • Job listings are untrusted text: they can’t change permissions or trigger anything.
    Connect your agentconcept · OAuth
    Claude wants access to:
    • Read approved profile fieldsskills, focus, location · not contact info
    • Search & save to your shortlistsame list as Roles for You
    • Weekly digest by emailverified address · opt-in
    • Submit applicationsoff by default · approved per job
    speedrun talent · Mon 23 Nov · 4 roles this week
    L
    Founding Eng · Backend✓ Python, APIs · India ✓
    Q
    AI Engineer · Voice✓ voice agents · ? visa
    Review on speedrun →
    Prepared for review
    Role
    Founding Eng · Ledgerline
    Resume
    asin-backend-v3.pdf
    Why you?
    from your approved facts
    Work auth
    you tell us, never guessed
    Apply on speedrun →🔒 auto-submit · later
    That’s my link

    Let’s build it together.

    Fix what’s there first, then build what’s new on the same cards, filters and matching. Less time opening tabs, more time on roles that fit.

    Asin Sayed Ali
    Hi, I’m Asin.Backend & AI engineer from Kerala. I’ve shipped AI voice agents to production and I’m building Nodes2Cloud. Also a job seeker, which is how this page started.
    me and the speedrun team, hopefully, ready to build
    SpongeBob and Patrick in hard hats

    Independent concept by a candidate.