Software Engineer Intern

⚠️ **Important:** We are unable to sponsor visas for this role. Candidates must already be based in or near Tokyo, Japan, or be planning to relocate soon **About Mynago** We're building Mynago, an AI-powered language learning platform rooted in proven polyglot methods. Through real dialogues, cultural context, and spaced repetition, we're creating a product for people who ACTUALLY want to learn. Our mission is to bring effective, learning-first technology to the world. Every lesson is built around the learner: their goals, their level, and their life. No generic content served the same way to everyone. We're looking for a Backend Engineer Intern to help build and ship the services and APIs that power our platform, the infrastructure that makes AI work for real learners worldwide **What You'll Do** * Build and maintain backend services and APIs for an AI-powered language learning app used by learners worldwide. * Work with Supabase (Postgres), Edge Functions, and third-party integrations such as RevenueCat, Stripe, and PostHog. * Debug and optimize AI pipelines, including text-to-speech (TTS), lesson generation, and model routing. * Take ownership of monitoring, bug detection, and proactive fixes to keep our platform reliable **What Makes This Role Special** * **Learn by Doing:** Build and ship production features that reach real users from day one. * **Real Impact:** Your code will directly contribute to product stability and growth. This isn't a sandbox project. * **Startup Culture:** Join a fast-moving, internationally minded team in Shibuya, the heart of Tokyo's tech scene. * **Ownership:** Take end-to-end responsibility for services and projects you can showcase in your portfolio, rather than working on tickets that disappear into a backlog. * **Meaningful Work:** Help build technology that makes language learning more effective and accessible **Who We're Looking For** * A university student or recent graduate based in Tokyo, Japan. * A native or fluent English speaker. Japanese proficiency is a strong plus. * A strong interest in backend development and applied AI. * Familiarity with Git and basic cloud deployment on platforms such as Vercel, Railway, Render, or similar. * A self-starter who takes initiative rather than waiting for instructions. * Someone resourceful who can navigate documentation, debug independently, and bring potential solutions, not just questions. * An independent, detail-oriented, and adaptable problem-solver who enjoys turning ambiguity into working software. * Availability to commit at least 20 hours per week **Bonus points:** Have a GitHub profile, side project, or portfolio to share. We'd love to see what you build on your own time **The Details** * **Commitment:** At least 3 months, with flexible scheduling. * **Work Style:** Hybrid. You'll work in person every working day during the first 2–3 weeks of onboarding, followed by at least one day per week in our Shibuya office for team syncs. The remaining time is flexible and remote. * **Compensation:** This is an unpaid internship, and we want to be transparent about that from the start. In return, you'll have direct access to the founder, meaningful ownership of real projects, and hands-on experience building an AI startup in Tokyo. There is also a potential pathway to a paid role based on performance. * **University Credits:** Available upon request **Company Information** * **Company:** Mynago * **Website:** https://mynago.com * **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/langaholic/ * **Location:** Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan **How to Apply** Send your resume to [email protected] with "Backend Engineer Intern" as the email subject. Even better, include a link to something you've built. A GitHub repository, an API, a side project, or anything that shows us how you think, solve problems, and ship working software. We care about what you can build, how you approach problems, and how eager you are to learn.