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How to Actually Get Hired
Who reads applications, which channel gets a reply, and what they screen for.
Don't make these mistakes
Do not lead with generic crypto enthusiasm. Peter was hired by Toronto Stock Exchange at 17 and worked as a quant at a $13B fund; Muhammad built trading systems with 3.3 microsecond latency. They are building institutional-grade infrastructure and will filter quickly for people who understand what that means.
What gets their attention
Y Combinator W26 batch status is the primary signal. Being inside YC W26 means Demo Day is April 2026. That window is the narrowest and most productive outreach moment for any YC batch company. There is no ATS, no recruiter, no job post standing between an applicant and a direct founder conversation.
Why applying the normal way doesn't work
At this size (<50 people), Sequence Markets has no recruiting function. Founders handle hiring alongside everything else. Reach them directly or get lost in the inbox.
Who to contact at Sequence Markets
Founding team
Former quant at a $13B fund; hired by Toronto Stock Exchange at 17; built execution systems that saved tens of millions. Self-describes as 'I LIKE MARKET STRUCTURE' - this is a specific, professional framing that implies prior exposure to how exchanges, brokers, and routing systems work. San Francisco based. The window to become the person who helps define what a good hire looks like at Sequence Markets is open right now and it will not stay open long after Demo Day.
Waterloo engineer and former founding engineer at a unicorn; built high-performance trading systems in C++ and Rust with 3.3 microsecond internal latency. Self-describes as 'I like building cool projects'. Based in Mississauga, Canada. At their apparent age, this is likely a first or second company.
What to show them
Sequence's product is infrastructure that connects exchanges, custodians, and institutional counterparties for stablecoin settlement and collateral management. That means building reliable, low-latency, multi-venue integration systems. Core skills: experience building production financial infrastructure or trading systems; API integrations with exchanges or custodians; reliable messaging and event-driven architectures; familiarity with settlement, clearing, or collateral management concepts. For proof of work, write a short architecture note on how you would design a multi-venue execution and settlement pipeline for stablecoin trades. Address latency, reconciliation, and failure modes. Post it on GitHub or a blog.
A cold email that works at Sequence Markets
What Sequence Markets screens for
Their focus: Y Combinator W26 batch status is the primary signal. Being inside YC W26 means Demo Day is April 2026. That window is the narrowest and most productive outreach moment for any YC batch company. There is no ATS, no recruiter, no job post standing between an applicant and a direct founder conversation.
Tailor your CV to the specific Sequence Markets role rather than sending a general one. Applications that mirror the language of the job description clear automated filters at a materially higher rate.
Mistakes that kill applications
Don't send the same CV you sent everywhere else. At <50 people it's obvious, and it's the fastest rejection there is.
Nobody cares what you want. Start with Tokenized asset markets are at the infrastructure build-out phase that equity markets went through in the 1990s and early 2000s and how you'd help.
Most Fintech applications get ghosted. A day-five follow-up can double your response rate.
Frequently asked questions
How do I apply to Sequence Markets?
Through the roles on our Sequence Markets jobs page, or directly to a founder or department head if you can reach them. At <50 people, direct outreach outperforms the form.
Does Sequence Markets respond to cold emails?
We haven't verified response rates at Sequence Markets yet.
Who is the hiring manager at Sequence Markets?
At this size, hiring is usually run by a founder or department head.
What ATS does Sequence Markets use?
Sequence Markets uses Ashby.
How competitive is it to get hired at Sequence Markets?
Roles at <50-person Fintech companies typically draw 50-100 applicants in the first two weeks. Applying inside 72 hours of a posting going live is the single biggest lever you control.
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