The Ethos
You joined when the codebase was a single repo. When the architecture was whatever you decided it was. When "the engineering team" meant you and maybe one other person.
You weren't the founder. You weren't engineer #47. You were the one they called first — the one who turned a pitch deck into a working product, who shipped v1 when nothing was certain.
First Commits is for those engineers. The first technical hires. The ones who wrote the code that everything else was built on.
Not founders. Not late hires. Founding engineers.
What “First Commits” Means
In software, the first commit is the initial contribution to a codebase. It's the moment an idea becomes code. Before product-market fit. Before the Series A deck. Before anyone knew if it would work.
We believe founding engineers deserve recognition distinct from founders and later engineers. You took founder-level risk without founder-level equity. You wrote the code that everything else was built on.
What You Get
Access
Direct lines to engineers who've been where you are. No cold intros. No performative networking.
Signal
Membership indicates you've shipped the code. A quiet credential recognized by those who matter.
Craft
Intimate dinners, small gatherings, and candid conversations with engineers who've built what you're building. No panels. No pitches.
Network
A curated group of founding engineers from companies you'd recognize. Future co-founders, technical advisors, references.
How It Works
First Commits is invite-only and referral-based. We don't optimize for growth. We optimize for density — ensuring every member has genuinely done the work.
Applications are reviewed by current members. We look for evidence of early-stage engineering: founding team experience, pre-Series A technical contribution, demonstrable impact when the codebase was still taking shape.
We accept applications on a rolling basis. If you're not accepted immediately, you may be added to our waitlist for future consideration.