Contrario (YC W25) is building the AI-powered recruiting engine for startups. We place top talent at companies like Eight Sleep and Slash through a managed network of 100+ high-performing recruiters and boutique agencies. We’re profitable, growing quickly, and scaling toward $1M+ ARR.

About the Role

About Contrario
Contrario (YC W25) is building the modern, AI-powered recruiting marketplace connecting elite startup recruiters with fast-growing companies through AI-powered matching and operational tools. We’ve raised $2.5M from Y Combinator and Nexus Venture Partners, with angels from Hudson River Trading, Stanford, and OpenAI. Our customers include 50+ YC and venture-backed startups hiring across engineering and GTM roles.

The Role
We’re hiring a Growth Intern to join us in-person in San Francisco for Summer 2026. You’ll work directly with the CEO and the operations team to run and own unconventional growth experiments that drive new customer acquisition and brand awareness. You’ll be given real marketing budget and full ownership to test, execute, and iterate on creative ideas — from sending personalized doormats to YC founders to organizing pop-up events in the Mission or even running a Fortune cookie factory stunt.

You’ll help Contrario grow by any means necessary — scrappy, fast, and creative.

What You’ll Do

• Design and execute bold, high-impact growth experiments in San Francisco and online
• Identify and acquire new startup customers through creative outreach and marketing tactics
• Manage and track marketing budgets, campaigns, and ROI on experiments
• Support warm intros, customer events, and founder meetups over the summer
• Collaborate directly with the CEO and Chief of Staff on GTM strategy, sales ops, and partnerships
• Iterate quickly on ideas — test what works, cut what doesn’t, and scale what hits

What We’re Looking For

Required:

• Current Stanford (or equivalent-tier) student with a strong entrepreneurial drive
• Exceptionally high agency — you don’t wait for permission, you make things happen
• Interest in startups, sales, marketing, or growth hacking
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong creative instincts and ability to operate independently
• Excitement to work in-person in San Francisco and be part of the startup grind this summer

Nice to Have:

• Experience running or participating in marketing/growth campaigns
• Previous startup or venture experience
• Familiarity with YC/startup ecosystem
• Hands-on experience with CRM or outreach tools (HubSpot, Apollo, etc.)

What You’ll Get

• Housing stipend for the summer
• All meals covered in the office
• Dedicated marketing budget to run your own experiments
• The chance to see your wild ideas directly translate into real business growth

We’re building a scalable platform for high-volume data transfers between recruiters and companies. Our full-stack application helps manage candidate interactions, application submissions, and more. Alongside that, we’re developing AI-native sourcing tools, powered by the latest ML research, to make recruiters 10x more efficient.