Cartesian · Boston
Software Engineeringposted 2d ago
Cartesian is building spatial intelligence for indoor environments to drive operational efficiency. We’re tackling one of the biggest challenges in the $35T global retail industry: in-store inventory visibility. Our platform delivers accurate indoor positioning and actionable product location insights, helping retailers streamline operations, optimize workflows, and reduce inefficiencies. Leveraging wireless signals, we provide a uniquely scalable, infrastructure-free solution already deployed by international fashion brands.
Founded by an MIT engineering professor and alum behind the award-winning, patented core technologies, Cartesian spun out in 2023. Originally backed by the prestigious SBIR Award from the US National Science Foundation, we've bootstrapped to a live product that's now deployed in over a dozen countries and have been aggressively scaling in the market.
Our first product is the only indoor inventory positioning system that operates on existing handheld devices. Mobile provides the critical interface between users and our system: you will build both SDKs and end-user apps that collect high rates of data from on-devices and peripheral sensors, provide real-time feedback and help users spatially locate items in stores.
We’re actively adding new customers and expanding our product portfolio, so our work spans the full lifecycle of development, from early scrappy prototypes of a whole new app to thoroughly-tested production systems. Importantly, we work extensively with peripheral hardware - connecting to RFID scanners, barcode readers, and third-party integrations. Thus, our mobile applications need to seamlessly integrate with, connect to, and stream data from a wide array of hardware.
Our team is still small, and there’s no dedicated PM assigning out tickets. Engineers are expected to closely collaborate with all aspects of the business to figure out what needs to get done, pull in the right people for prioritization and sign-off, and move projects forward autonomously.
The team works in-person 5 days a week by default, right in Kendall Square next to MIT and the Charles River.
Engineers succeed at Cartesian not based on what they know, but how they approach problems, learn what they don’t know, and continuously make the product, team, and company better. Our interview process aims to assess the engineering principles and judgment (why and how) that you’ve refined through experience, rather than the experience itself.
We look for the following traits:
For the mobile role in particular, you should be deeply passionate about mobile development, diving deep into why things work a certain way (e.g. the data from this output doesn’t look correct), focusing on simplicity, and building seamless interactions for users.
We’re a fast-moving MIT startup at an important inflection point for our product growth and direction. We are building a talent-dense team of engineers and applied researchers to solve hard, high-impact problems in retail operations.
You will have outsized ownership and autonomy. You will grow extremely quickly and make important contributions to our product, engineering culture, and company direction. We will push you to become a better engineer, and we will expect the same from you.
The typical interview process takes 2-3 weeks from start to finish. We can move more quickly for candidates who might have a short timeline or competing offers.
$120,000 - $180,000 annually + equity