Hiring Your First Developers: Complete Startup Guide 2025

50% of startups make the wrong initial tech hire. Cost: 6 months lost + €50K. Here's the complete guide to hiring your first 3 developers.

Before Hiring: Ask Yourself These 5 Questions

1. Do You REALLY Need a Full-Time Employee?

Less Risky Alternatives:

Option	Cost	Commitment	Ideal For
No-code (Bubble, Webflow)	€500/month	0	Validate the idea
Senior Freelance	€500/day	1-3 months	Quick MVP
Agency	€50-80K	3-6 months	Complete v1
Junior + Mentor	€38K/year	12 months+	Limited budget
Senior Full-Time	€55K/year	24 months+	Product-market fit found

"We hired too early. Our senior dev left after 4 months because not enough traction." - SaaS Founder

Ideal Time for Full-Time Hire:

• ✅ Product-market fit validated (100+ paying customers)
• ✅ Raise >€500K secured
• ✅ Clear 12+ month roadmap
• ✅ Technical founder capable of onboarding

2. What Profile for Dev #1?

The 3 Archetypes:

A. The Swiss Army Knife (Senior Fullstack)

Profile:

• 5-10 years experience
• Fullstack (front + back + infra)
• Has already built an MVP autonomously
• Product mindset, not just code

Salary: €50-65K + 1-3% equity Ideal For: Pre-seed startup without technical CTO

B. The Specialist (Frontend OR Backend)

Profile:

• 3-5 years experience
• Expert in 1 domain (e.g., React, Node.js)
• Not autonomous on the other stack

Salary: €42-55K + 0.5-1.5% equity Ideal For: Technical founder who handles the other stack

C. The Promising Junior

Profile:

• 0-2 years experience
• Bootcamp or self-taught
• Motivated but needs supervision

Salary: €35-42K + 0.5-1% equity Ideal For: Limited budget + senior technical founder

3. Freelance or Full-Time?

Decision Matrix:

Criteria	Freelance	Full-Time
Year 1 Cost	€60K (4 months x €15K)	€70K (€55K + taxes)
Flexibility	✅ Stop whenever you want	❌ 24 months minimum
Commitment	❌ No skin in the game	✅ Equity = motivation
Availability	❌ Parallel projects	✅ 100% dedicated
Expertise	✅ Senior immediately	⚠️ Ramp-up time
Knowledge Transfer	❌ Risk of sudden departure	✅ Long-term build

Recommendation:

• Phase 0-6 months (ideation → MVP): Freelance
• Phase 6-18 months (MVP → PMF): Full-Time #1
• Phase 18 months+ (scale): Full-Time Team

Tech Salary Grid 2025 (Île-de-France)

Developers

Profile	Exp	Annual Gross Salary	Equity
Junior Fullstack	0-2 years	€35-42K	0.5-1%
Mid Fullstack	2-5 years	€45-55K	0.5-1.5%
Senior Fullstack	5-10 years	€55-70K	1-3%
Lead Dev	8+ years	€65-80K	1.5-3%
Frontend Specialist	3-5 years	€48-58K	0.5-1.5%
Backend Specialist	3-5 years	€50-62K	0.5-1.5%
Mobile (React Native)	3-5 years	€50-62K	0.5-1.5%
DevOps	4+ years	€55-70K	1-2%

Employer Taxes: +45% (e.g., €50K gross = €72.5K total cost)

Total Year 1 Cost (Example €50K dev)

Item	Monthly	Annual
Gross Salary	€4.2K	€50K
Employer Taxes	€1.9K	€22.5K
Employer Subtotal	€6.1K	€72.5K
Equipment (MacBook, monitor)	-	€3K
Licenses (GitHub, Figma...)	€50	€600
Coworking Space	€300	€3.6K
Training	-	€1.5K
TOTAL YEAR 1	€6.5K	€81.2K

Realistic Budget: €80-85K for a €50K gross dev

Hiring Process: 6-Week Timeline

Week 1: Job Description Writing

Job Description Template:

## 🚀 SaaS Startup Looking for Fullstack Dev #1

**Who We Are?**
[Name] revolutionizes [industry] with [value prop].
Seed raise of [amount]€. Team of [X] people.

**The Role (Dev #1)**
- Build MVP from A to Z (Next.js + Node.js + Postgres)
- Ship one major feature/week
- Participate in product decisions
- Full autonomy on technical stack

**Profile Sought**
- 5+ years fullstack experience (React + Node)
- Has already built an MVP alone
- Loves startup pace (ambiguity, pivots)
- Product mindset > perfect code

**We Offer**
- Salary: €55-65K based on experience
- Equity: 2-3% (BSPCE)
- Remote 3 days/week
- Learning budget €1.5K/year
- MacBook M3 + setup

**Process**
1. Culture fit interview (30min)
2. Technical test (2h, paid €200)
3. Tech deep dive interview (1h)
4. Team meeting (30min)
5. Offer within 48h

**Apply**
Send GitHub + CV to [email]

Distribution Channels:

• Welcome to the Jungle (free for early stage)
• LinkedIn (post + network distribution)
• Twitter/X (detailed thread)
• Malt (available freelancers)
• École 42, Le Wagon (alumni)

Week 2-3: Active Sourcing

Strategy: Don't wait for applications

Actions:

1. LinkedIn Recruiter Lite (€80/month)

   • Filters: "Fullstack", "Startup", "Paris"
   • Message 50 profiles/week

2. GitHub Search

   • Recent Next.js/React repos
   • Active contributors
   • Direct message

3. Network

   • LinkedIn post + ask for shares
   • Contact tech school alumni
   • Tech meetups (React Paris, Node.js Paris)

4. Freelancers → Full-Time

   • Senior Malt profiles
   • Proposal: 3-month mission then full-time

Goal: 20-30 qualified applications

Week 4: Phone Interviews (30min)

Evaluation Grid:

Culture Fit Criteria (60%)

Questions:

• "Why startup vs scale-up/corporate?"
• "Describe your most accomplished personal project"
• "How do you handle ambiguity?"
• "Last tech thing you learned?"

Red Flags:

• ❌ Wants structured HR processes
• ❌ Never built personal projects
• ❌ Focus on "work-life balance"
• ❌ No tech curiosity

Technical Criteria (40%)

Questions:

• "Current stack? Why this choice?"
• "Architecture for a simple SaaS?"
• "How do you handle auth + payments?"
• "Deployment process?"

Goal: Shortlist 5-8 candidates for technical test

Week 5: Technical Test (2h, Paid)

Recommended Format: Build realistic feature

Example Test:

Mission: Create "Task List" page with:
- Add/delete tasks
- Filter (all / active / completed)
- Persistence (localStorage or mock API)
- Polished UI (TailwindCSS ok)

Required Stack: React/Next.js + TypeScript
Duration: 2h max
Delivery: GitHub repo + deploy README

Evaluation Criteria:
- Code readability (40%)
- Functionality (30%)
- UI/UX (20%)
- Tests (10% bonus)

Compensation: €200 for 2h (professional and differentiating)

Evaluation:

Criteria	Weight	Score /10
Code Quality	40%
Functionality	30%
UI/UX	20%
Tests	10%
TOTAL	100%	/10

Validation Threshold: 7/10 minimum

Week 6: Final Interviews + Offer

Tech Deep Dive Interview (1h):

• Review technical test (15min)
• Architecture questions (30min)
• Situational questions (15min)

Architecture Questions:

• "How would you scale this app to 10K users?"
• "Where would you add caching?"
• "Database design for [feature]?"

Situational Questions:

• "Prod bug: API down, how do you debug?"
• "Urgent feature requested by client: process?"

Team Meeting (30min):

• Casual coffee with founders
• Mutual vibe check
• Candidate questions

Offer within 48h:

Subject: Fullstack Dev #1 Offer - [Startup]

Hi [First Name],

Great discussions this week! We want to offer you to join [Startup] as first developer.

📋 Offer:
- Position: Lead Fullstack Developer
- Salary: €60K gross/year (€5K/month)
- Equity: 2.5% (BSPCE over 4 years, 1 year cliff)
- Start: [Date]
- Contract: Full-time, 4-month trial period

🎁 Package:
- MacBook Pro M3 + monitor + setup (€3K)
- Remote 3 days/week
- Meal vouchers (€11/day)
- Alan health insurance (100% covered)
- Training budget €1.5K/year

📅 Next Steps:
- Response expected: [Date] (1 week)
- Signature: [Date]
- Onboarding: [Date]

Available for a call if questions!

[Founder First Name]

Equity Package: BSPCE Explained

What is BSPCE?

BSPCE = Bon de Souscription de Parts de Créateur d'Entreprise

• Option to buy shares at fixed price
• Favorable taxation (30% flat tax vs 55%)
• Standard vesting: 4 years, 1 year cliff

Standard Equity Grid

Role	% Equity	€10M Valuation	Exit Gain
Dev #1	2-3%	€200-300K	€200-300K
Dev #2-3	0.5-1.5%	€50-150K	€50-150K
Lead Dev	1.5-3%	€150-300K	€150-300K
CTO	3-8%	€300-800K	€300-800K

Vesting Schedule Example:

• Year 1: 0% (cliff)
• Year 2: 25%
• Year 3: 50%
• Year 4: 100%

Strike Price: Current valuation / number of shares

• Example: €1M valuation, 100K shares → €10/share
• Dev #1: 2% = 2K shares x €10 = €20K to invest at exercise

Equity ROI Simulation

Startup valued at €10M after 5 years scenario:

Profile	Equity	Shares	Strike	Cost	Value	Net Gain
Dev #1 (2%)	2%	2K	€10	€20K	€200K	€180K
Taxes (30%)						-€54K
FINAL GAIN						€126K

ROI: 6.3x over 5 years = +26% annualized

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake #1: Hiring a Friend

Symptom: "My best friend codes, I'll hire him" Problem: Hard to manage/fire a friend Solution: Standard HR process, even for close ones

❌ Mistake #2: Focus on Degrees

Symptom: "I want an X-Mines graduate" Problem: Best ones are often self-taught Solution: Evaluate on personal projects, not CV

❌ Mistake #3: Below-Market Offer

Symptom: "€45K + 5% equity is generous" Problem: Good devs have 5 offers at €60K Solution: Pay market rate OR compensate with ultra-motivating mission

❌ Mistake #4: Corporate HR Process

Symptom: 6 interviews, personality tests, 2-month delay Problem: Good profiles sign elsewhere in 2 weeks Solution: Max 3-step process, decision in 1 week

❌ Mistake #5: No Trial Period

Symptom: "We'll test 3 months freelance before full-time" Problem: No commitment, dev leaves at first better offer Solution: Full-time with 4-month trial period (framework)

Alternatives to Full-Time: Comparison

Option 1: CTO as a Service (me 👋)

Formula:

• 2-4 days/week (€890/day)
• Build MVP + recruit/manage team
• Mentor junior if needed

Cost: €7K-15K/month Ideal For: Non-technical founder, need quick MVP

Option 2: Development Agency

Formula:

• Team of 2-4 devs
• €50-80K fixed price for MVP
• Delivery 3-6 months

Cost: €50-80K one-time Ideal For: Clear specs, no iterations

Option 3: Bootcamp Partnership

Formula:

• Bootcamp junior (Le Wagon, Ironhack)
• €35K/year + mentor 2 days/week
• Fast skill ramp-up

Cost: €40-45K/year all-in Ideal For: Limited budget, time to train

Onboarding: 30-Day Checklist

Day 1: Welcome

• MacBook setup (GitHub, Figma access, etc.)
• Team introductions
• Vision/mission presentation
• Tools access (Slack, Notion, Linear)
• First commit (fix typo) to validate setup

Week 1: Discovery

• Read docs (architecture, roadmap)
• Run project locally
• Bug fixing (1-2 simple tickets)
• Daily standup with founder

Week 2-3: First Features

• Complete feature (spec → code → deploy)
• Pair programming with founder
• Client demo participation
• Mid-path 1-on-1 feedback

Day 30: Review

• Review: what did you learn?
• Feedback: how to improve onboarding?
• Next quarter goals
• Decision: validate trial period

Overall Hiring Budget for Dev #1

Item	Cost
Sourcing
LinkedIn Recruiter (2 months)	€160
Job board ads	€0 (free early)
Process
Technical tests (5 x €200)	€1K
Interview expenses (coffee, lunch)	€200
Onboarding
Equipment (MacBook, monitor, keyboard)	€3K
Tool licenses (year 1)	€600
Coworking (year 1)	€3.6K
Year 1 Salary
Gross + taxes (€55K base)	€72.5K
TOTAL YEAR 1	€81K

Budget to Plan: €80-85K cash to hire + onboard dev #1

Conclusion

Hiring your first dev is the most critical hire. Take the time (6 weeks minimum), pay market rate, and evaluate culture fit first.

Mistake = 6 months lost + €50K. Better to invest €5K in solid HR process.

Need help hiring?: I can source, evaluate, and onboard your dev #1 (CTO-as-a-Service formula).

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About: Jérémy Marquer has hired 30+ developers for early-stage startups. Trial period success rate: 95%.