Founding CTO / Protocol & Settlement Architecture Cofounder

About the project Qelliptic

Qelliptic is a pre-seed venture in formation, currently self-funded. The protocol and certificate logic already exist. The current system is Python + Lean 4 (formal verification), with a Rust production rewrite in progress. The cryptographic layer uses post-quantum signatures (SQISign, Falcon-512). There are 1,600+ tests, 210+ machine-checked theorems, and zero mocked cryptography.

About the Role

We are looking for a Founding CTO / Engineering Cofounder. This is not a generic engineering-manager role. This is not a pure research role. This is not a Web3 dApp role. We are building settlement assurance infrastructure for existing wholesale rails: a system that issues portable, post-quantum signed, independently verifiable finality certificates for cross-network wholesale settlement. The goal is not to replace every rail with one new chain. The goal is to add a portable finality layer to the rails institutions already use.

Responsibilities

• Production architecture from protocol to pilot-ready infrastructure
• The first live external integration path
• Deployment, reliability, observability, and security posture
• The engineering path for interoperating with existing payment / tokenization / institutional DLT rails
• The first engineering hires
• The translation of a mathematically unusual protocol into real infrastructure without flattening what makes it unique

Qualifications (Must have real depth in at least two of):

• blockchain protocol / L1 / consensus architecture
• cross-chain / messaging / interoperability infrastructure
• regulated payments / capital-markets / post-trade systems

Required Skills (Must have at least three of):

• Strong plus: tokenization and settlement-asset design
• DeFi architecture with institutional awareness
• wallet, custody, MPC / multisig / key-management systems
• security-critical distributed systems

Preferred Skills (Not the right fit if you are):

• a generic engineering manager without blockchain / settlement depth
• a pure researcher who does not want to ship
• a pure application developer with only dApp-layer experience
• someone who treats all "blockchain" work as the same

Compensation Structure

Qelliptic is still at a pre-company / pre-funding stage. For that reason, this opportunity is currently suited only to someone open to an equity-first founding role rather than a cash-salary role. This can be structured as:

• a true engineering cofounder position with founder equity in the future company, subject to definitive agreements, vesting, and IP assignment; or
• a founding CTO path with equity participation aligned to scope, commitment, and stage, with any later cash compensation to be determined once the company is formed and financing allows.

Equal Opportunity Statement

What matters here is not title inflation. It is the ability to help build serious infrastructure.

To reach out

Please send:

• a short note on relevant background
• links to systems / protocols / integrations you built or led
• and 3-5 sentences on why this role fits you

Location: Israel or remote (with regular in-person sync). Strong overlap with Israel / EMEA time zones preferred.