Software Engineer Intern - Summer 2026

About Novaflow

Novaflow is the AI data analyst for biology labs. Analytics is the bottleneck for scientific discovery. Biologists have to outsource analysis to expensive bioinformaticians or core services and wait weeks or months for results. We're solving this by putting analysis directly back into the hands of researchers, allowing them to go from raw data to publication-ready insights and visualizations in days instead of months. We're well-funded, growing extremely fast, and backed by leading investors including Y Combinator and BioRender.

About the Role

We're hiring a Software Engineer Intern to help build the backend infrastructure and services that power our platform. You'll work on APIs, cloud infrastructure, databases, and data pipelines that move real genomics data through the system. The code you write will ship to production and be used by scientists.

This is not a sit-in-the-corner internship. We're a small team and you'll work directly with the founders on real problems from day one. We're looking for someone with high agency who takes initiative and doesn't wait to be told what to do. Biology background is not required.

This role can be remote or in-person at our San Francisco office. There is potential to convert to a full-time position based on performance.

What You'll Work On

• Help build and maintain APIs and backend services in Python, Go, or similar
• Assist with cloud infrastructure setup and management on AWS or GCP
• Work with SQL and NoSQL databases, optimize queries, and help design data models
• Build data pipelines and integrations with third-party services
• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, and observability
• Help improve engineering processes and tooling

Requirements

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
• Proficient in Python; familiarity with Node.js is a plus
• Comfortable with SQL databases
• Some experience with cloud platforms (AWS or GCP) or willingness to learn quickly
• Familiar with Git and basic software development practices
• Good communicator who can explain technical decisions clearly

Nice to Have

• Experience with Docker and containerization
• Familiarity with Terraform or infrastructure-as-code
• Experience with microservices or API design
• Exposure to Kubernetes
• Previous startup experience (prior experience either working for or founding a startup)

Why Join Us?

• Competitive intern compensation
• Meals covered when you're in the office (lunch daily, dinner when you're working late)
• Opportunity to convert to a full-time founding team role
• Work directly with the founders with full visibility into product strategy, customer conversations, and fundraising
• Real responsibility from day one at a fast-growing YC company
• If you're curious about being a founder one day, this is your front-row seat.