The First Pass #27 — Pick a Startup That Won't Exploit You
Google, CoinDCX, Soma, Webilius, and a checklist for spotting red flags before they spot you.
We recorded an episode this week on a question we get constantly: how do you actually pick a startup to intern at? Not “is the logo cool” or “do they post good memes on LinkedIn”, the real, boring, useful signals.
Here’s what we landed on.
Is the company funded or bootstrapped and profitable?
Not “the founder says it’s going well.” Actual money in the bank, from actual investors, or actual revenue. If you can’t tell, that’s already an answer.
Is there a real team, or are you the entire function?
If you’re the only marketer, or any kind of the only anyone, that’s not an internship, that’s a job with an intern’s salary. Interns and freshers should not be expected to run entire departments.
Are there mentors or senior people around?
Not a Slack channel that says “ask anything,” an actual person who’s done this before and will sit with you when you’re stuck.
Avoid the one-person-decides-everything setup.
If a single founder makes every call with no pushback, no senior counsel, no co-founder to disagree with them, that’s a dictatorship. Second-time founders are usually a better bet.
Check tenure on LinkedIn before you apply.
If everyone who’s worked there leaves in a few months, that’s a pattern, and patterns don’t lie. It means that people are trynna get out the first moment they get.
Watch what the company is actually optimizing for.
A startup that’s constantly announcing features but never talks about customers or revenue is being pretentious. One of us worked for a founder exactly like this once, and the business folded. Lesson learned.
Check out our latest Dossier #2 — How to Evaluate a Startup Before You Join One for a deeper analysis into the “whys” of these.
So that’s the lens. Every role below, run it through this checklist yourself before you hit apply. Funded or profitable, real team, senior mentorship, customers over announcements. Now, the jobs.
Bengaluru
Tech Roles
1. Software Engineering Intern, Summer 2027 — Google ⭐ Top Pick
Internship | 10–12 weeks | May/June 2027 start
Nothing to introduce here.
Why you should apply:
Google.
2. Intern Mobile Development — CoinDCX ⭐ Top Pick
Internship | Bangalore · On-site (WFO) | Fresher
Tech stack: Android (Java/Kotlin), iOS (Swift), Flutter/React Native, REST APIs, Git
India’s first crypto unicorn, valued at $2.45B. Build and maintain mobile applications, collaborate with product, design, and backend teams, implement features, optimize performance, fix bugs. Five-stage hiring process including a take-home simulation round and optional founder conversation.
Why you should apply:
$2.45B valuation, India’s first crypto unicorn. The brand alone opens doors across fintech and web3.
A structured, transparent five-stage hiring process. That’s a real team with real process, exactly the green flag worth prioritising.
Direct access to high-stakes product decisions at a company defining its category in India.
3. Founder’s Office Intern + Design Intern — SuperBryn AI ⭐ Top Pick
Internship | HSR Layout, Bengaluru · On-site | 6 months
SuperBryn AI builds reliability infrastructure for enterprise voice agents — evaluation, observability, self-learning. Co-founded by Nikkitha Shanker and Dr. Neethu Mariam Joy. Backed by Kalaari Capital.
GTM + Ops track: outbound/inbound GTM motions, sales playbook, ICP definition, competitor research, GTM metrics, light content.
Design track: product and brand design across the platform.
Why you should apply:
Two experienced founders, one proven at scale, the other a deep technical researcher. This is the “senior mentorship” green flag, fully present.
Kalaari Capital backing plus a structured, multi-stage selection process, application, screening call, founder interview.
4. Founder’s Office Intern — Potpie ⭐ Top Pick
Internship | HSR Layout, Bengaluru · Hybrid | 6 months |PPO potential
Potpie is building an AI-native development platform for large engineering teams, a persistent engineering intelligence layer for codebases, documentation, tickets, and infrastructure.
Why you should apply:
A genuinely detailed, structured JD with the Head of Engineering, clear deliverables, and explicit “must-haves.”
Mentorship from experienced startup and engineering leaders, plus a clear PPO path based on performance.
5. AI Engineer Intern (+PPO) — Scaler
Internship | Bangalore | ₹50,000–₹60,000/month
Tech stack: Python, LangGraph, LLM APIs, Voice AI, retrieval-based systems
Build autonomous onboarding and conversational AI agents to enhance learner engagement. Develop stateful workflows using LangGraph, design low-latency API services. Production-quality Python and strong AI system design understanding required.
Why you should apply:
₹50–60K/month with PPO for genuinely technical agentic AI work, not a generic “AI intern” title with vague scope.
LangGraph and stateful agent workflows are current, in-demand skills that transfer directly to the broader AI job market.
Non-tech
6. Investment Analyst — Deep-Tech Ecosystem ⭐ Top Pick
Full-time | Bengaluru · On-site | 1–3 years experience
Work with high-potential deep-tech startups across AI, robotics, and emerging technologies. Startup evaluation, market research, investment analysis, portfolio operations, and grant/funding tracking for India’s innovation ecosystem.
Why you should apply:
Deep-tech specifically — AI, robotics, advanced manufacturing. A genuinely differentiated niche from standard VC analyst roles.
1–3 years in VC, consulting, investment research, or startups is the bar. If you’ve got proximity to any of these, apply.
7. Operations Hires — Soma ⭐ Top Pick
Full-time | $5M raised from tier-1 investors | 6 days/week
Soma is an AI-native financial services distributor building in business insurance — one of the most operationally intensive markets in financial services. Looking for 5–10 cracked operators who solve problems end-to-end, talk directly to customers, and build fast.
Why you should apply:
$5M from tier-1 investors and a clear, focused thesis (business insurance distribution) — funded and purposeful, not vague.
High intensity, six days a week — disclosed upfront.
Multiple openings (5–10) means a real team is forming, not one person carrying an entire function alone.
Apply here | Questions — build@somainsure.com
Mumbai
Non-Tech Roles
8. Product Analyst Intern — Nua
Internship | Wadala, Mumbai · On-site | ₹25,000–₹30,000/month | 3–6 months | 5 days/week
A product internship at Nua, immediate joiners preferred.
Why you should apply:
Direct, on-site product exposure at a recognisable consumer brand with a structured short-term commitment.
9. Investment Analyst Intern — Hiring via Metvy ⭐ Top Pick
Internship | Mumbai | Freshers and final-year students
Join a leading investment team for hands-on exposure to investment research, company analysis, due diligence, and thesis building across public and private markets.
Why you should apply:
PPO opportunity explicitly stated. A structured pipeline into a real investing career, not a vague “maybe.”
Public and private market exposure in one internship is rare breadth at entry level.
A genuine team-based investment desk, not a solo function. Exactly the kind of setup worth prioritising.
Gurgaon
Tech Roles
10. Quant Developer Intern — KIV Capital ⭐ Top Pick
Internship | Gurgaon · On-site | ₹80,000/month | CGPA 8.5+ preferred
Tech stack: Python, C++, Java, probability and statistics
Join the quantitative engineering team to develop data-driven trading and research solutions. Build and optimize quantitative models and trading strategies, analyze large datasets, build scalable research and trading tools.
Why you should apply:
₹80,000/month is one of the highest stipends in this issue. Quant roles pay what they pay because the bar is genuinely high.
Real trading strategy development, not adjacent data work. If you have the math and programming fundamentals, this compounds fast.
11. Founder’s Office Intern — Stealth company
Internship | Remote-first (1 meeting/week in Gurgaon) | ₹20,000–₹40,000/month | 1–3 months
A small team building profitable consumer apps — multiple apps launched in 6 months, on track to cross $1M revenue by July, targeting $10M+ this fiscal year. Build and optimize AI workflows, automate reporting and operations, create AI-powered customer support agents. Tools: n8n, Make, OpenAI, Claude, MCPs, APIs.
Why you should apply:
Real, disclosed revenue traction ($1M by July, $10M target) is a concrete signal of an actual business, not just a pitch deck.
Remote-first with only one in-person meeting a week — genuinely flexible for anyone juggling multiple commitments.
Heavy daily AI tooling (n8n, Make, Claude, MCPs) builds a skill set that’s increasingly valuable across every function.
12. AI Software Engineer — Suprhire AI
Full-time | 0–2 years experience
Tech stack: React, TypeScript, Python (Flask/FastAPI), OpenAI, DeepSeek, Whisper, Livekit, WebRTC, AWS/GCP
Suprhire AI is building a voice-first recruitment platform — intelligent voice and chat agents that screen candidates and provide real-time hiring insights. You’ll work full stack: front-end interfaces, back-end services, LLM integration, real-time voice agents.
Why you should apply:
Voice AI + recruitment is a genuinely novel product category. Real-time voice agent work (Livekit, WebRTC) is a specialised, in-demand skill set.
0–2 years experience with full-stack and AI integration ownership. The scope is wide for the seniority level.
Delhi / NCR/ Noida
Non-Tech Roles
13.Multiple Roles — Delhi/Remote
Multiple roles | Remote or Delhi | Applications close first week of July
A founder hiring slowly and deliberately for social, personal branding, copy, and marketing operations. He’s hiring for a Social Media Manager + Personal Branding Strategist + Copywriter + Marketing Op. He wants people who actually write, not paste from ChatGPT and call it a day. Self-driven, accountable, deadline-respecting.
Why you should apply:
“This isn’t a fast hire. I’m taking my time to find the right people.” Slow, deliberate hiring is usually a sign of a founder who’s thought this through.
Remote or Delhi flexibility widens who can apply without relocating.
14. Multiple Roles — Passionfruit
Internship | Saket, Delhi · WFO | Summer
Four tracks, real ownership from day one — interns launch campaigns, hire talent, create content, and solve growth challenges. Not shadow work.
Why you should apply:
Four distinct functions hiring simultaneously signals an actual team structure, not a solo founder offloading everything onto one intern.
Confirm in your interview: ask who you’d report to and how many people are on that team. If the answer is “just me,” that’s worth knowing before you accept.
Email — muskan@getpassionfruit.com with resume + a short note on why you’d be a great fit
15. Founder’s Office Associate — Prustlr
Internship to Full-time | Delhi (Hybrid) preferred
Work closely with the founder across Strategy, Operations, Growth, and Partnerships as the company enters a growth phase. Looking for someone who takes ownership and figures things out without needing management.
Why you should apply:
Direct founder access and breadth across strategy, ops, growth, and partnerships.
Worth flagging: this reads as a solo-founder hire. Ask in the interview whether there’s a broader team or senior advisors backing them.
Email — info@prustlr.com with resume + short note
16. Marketing Intern — Sorted Media
Internship | Delhi NCR
All things marketing, learning directly from the founder. Pitches at Sorted Media.
Why you should apply:
“Paid opportunity, we don’t believe in exploiting.” Said outright, which is rare.
Direct founder mentorship on real client pitches — fast, hands-on marketing exposure.
Email — shubham@sortedin.com with why you’re cool enough
Tech Roles
17. MERN Stack Developer — Webilius
Full-time | Noida · WFO | 10 AM–7 PM | 0–1 year experience
Tech stack: MERN Stack
A fast-growing product company looking for developers who want a seat at the table, not just a job. Ownership from day one, direct exposure to real products and real challenges.
Why you should apply:
0–1 year experience bar means this is genuinely accessible for freshers ready to build immediately.
Before accepting: check LinkedIn tenure of current employees. “Learning compounds faster in a startup” is only true if people are actually staying long enough to learn.
Email — hr@webilius.in
Chennai
Tech Roles
18. DevOps Engineering Intern (+PPO) — PlanYs
Internship | Chennai | ₹30,000/month
Tech stack: Linux, Shell Scripting, Git, AWS, Azure, Docker, CI/CD, Kubernetes
Work on cloud infrastructure, automation, containerization, and deployment pipelines. Linux automation, cloud deployment support, CI/CD pipeline building, Docker and Kubernetes.
Why you should apply:
DevOps fundamentals — Kubernetes, CI/CD, multi-cloud — at intern level is genuinely rare and high-value.
PPO path with hands-on infra work most interns don’t get exposure to until much later.
Email — hrrecruiter@planystech.com (cc: ashokb@planystech.com), subject ‘DevOps Intern application’
19. Software Engineering Intern (+PPO) — Planys
Internship | Chennai | ₹30,000/month
Tech stack: JavaScript, React, Redux, Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, DSA, Git, Linux
Full-stack engineering internship with PPO potential. Strong DSA and coding profile expected.
Why you should apply:
A genuinely broad full-stack tech stack (React + Node + multiple databases) gives wide-ranging exposure in one role.
PPO potential at a company that wants to see your actual coding profile, not just a resume.
Email — hrrecruiter@planystech.com (cc: ashokb@planystech.com), subject ‘SE Intern application’ — include LeetCode/Codeforces/CodeChef/HackerRank profile, GitHub, and notable projects
Remote / General
Tech Roles
20. Software Engineering Intern — Lane
Internship | Remote | ₹15,000/month
Full-stack development across live projects — frontend and backend features, debugging, code reviews, real product development.
Why you should apply:
Lower stipend, but genuinely real product work and a clean entry point for 2026–2028 batches building their first project portfolio.
21. Graduate Apprentice Trainee — Volvo
Apprenhenticeship | Bangalore
Technical role from the Volvo National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) program. For the ones who like big names with bigger goals. People in BE/BTech in ISE, CSE etc. preferred.
Techstack - Python, Java, debugging skills.
Why you should apply:
Volvo.
First reason
That’s 20+ roles across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Gurgaon, Delhi/NCR, Noida, Chennai, and Remote, including Google’s 2027 summer program, a ₹80K/month quant role at KIV Capital, a Kalaari-backed voice AI startup with two seriously credentialed founders.
Meanwhile, SpaceX just agreed to acquire Cursor’s parent company Anysphere in an all-stock deal valued at $60 billion, and the entire internet collectively lost its mind. Cursor’s four cofounders are each set to be worth roughly $2.7 billion when the deal closes. They started the company as MIT classmates in 2022. Nobody’s asking you to build the next $60 billion company by Friday. Just send the one application.
Signing off.
Sahaja and Sourjesh