Backend Engineer Intern (TypeScript)

Salary Unpaid

Are you our new Backend Engineer Intern?

Build the engine behind Spuddle

We’re building the “Duolingo for Excel”, and we’re looking for a backend intern who wants real responsibility from day one. Spuddle is a small, ambitious startup. Our app is live in development, and the backend is already running in production-like conditions. Now we’re looking for someone who wants to help us build it properly, and grow while doing it.

About the Role

Spuddle’s platform has been in active development for 3 months. You’ll work primarily on our monolithic TypeScript backend service, with occasional exposure to our React Native mobile app, helping us:

Design and implement real API endpoints used by real users
Translate product ideas into scalable backend logic
Design and evolve database schemas
Write and optimize SQL queries
Handle migrations and schema changes
Integrate third-party services
Participate in code reviews and architecture discussions

We’re targeting users across geographically distributed regions (especially in Asia), so you’ll gain hands-on experience with:

Latency-aware architecture
Efficient data access patterns
Performance optimization
Reliability under real-world network conditions

You’ll work closely with our CPO and founders, translating product ideas into real server-side logic. This is not a “watch and learn” internship. You’ll ship code that matters.

Our Technical Stack

Back-End

Bun
Hono
Drizzle ORM
PostgreSQL

Front-End (exposure helpful)

React Native
Expo
TanStack Query
Zustand

What We’re Looking for

Required

Proficiency in TypeScript
Experience building REST APIs or similar web services
Understanding of relational database design and SQL
Experience with API design principles (request/response patterns, error handling, validation)
Familiarity with Git and version control
Ability to write clean, maintainable code
Strong communication skills and eagerness to learn
Comfortable working collaboratively in a small team

Nice to Have

Experience with Bun and Hono,
Experience with Drizzle ORM or similar TypeScript ORMs
Knowledge of PostgreSQL features and optimization techniques
Understanding of authentication and authorization patterns
Experience with third-party API integrations (payment providers, cloud services)
Familiarity with database migrations and schema evolution
Understanding of caching strategies and performance optimization
Experience with API documentation (OpenAPI/Swagger)
Exposure to cloud platforms (Google Cloud, Azure, AWS)

What We Offer

Real ownership and responsibility
Direct collaboration with founders
A flat structure and honest feedback
Flexibility around studies
A chance to build production systems

The Practicalities

The position is unpaid. We’re flexible on start date, hours, and duration.

If this sounds like the kind of challenge you want, send us a few words about yourself and something you’ve built.

We review applications continuously.

For more information or questions please contact us at info@spuddleapp.com

Perks and benefits

This job comes with several perks and benefits

Flexible working hours

Near public transit

Remote work allowed

Free coffee / tea

Gamified office

Central office

See all 8 benefits

Working at
Spuddle

See company profile

Spuddle is developing a Duolingo-style app for Excel to help young professionals boost their digital confidence and career readiness by turning complex skills into fun, bite-sized learning. Our secret sauce? Gamification, microlearning, and a community-driven approach that makes Excel something you actually want to practice. Across the world, more than a billion people use Excel and yet most have never been taught how to use it properly. For young professionals and recent graduates, this creates a huge barrier: they’re expected to “just know” Excel, but in reality many feel insecure, waste time on manual tasks, or miss out on opportunities because of weak digital skills. This gap affects productivity, confidence, and employability and it’s widespread across industries, especially in early career roles where Excel is a daily tool. We’re building a mobile app that makes learning Excel engaging and accessible, like Duolingo, but for spreadsheets. Instead of long, boring tutorials, users complete short, gamified exercises that fit into their everyday routines. The app adapts to their level, rewards progress, and helps them practice consistently until Excel becomes second nature. Beyond Excel, our vision is to expand into other workplace tools, becoming the go-to microlearning platform for digital skills. Spuddle started as a side project on social media. We shared quick Excel tips on Instagram and TikTok, and within six months had over 200,000 followers. The overwhelming response showed us just how many young professionals struggle with these skills and how much they crave accessible, fun learning. What began as a hobby quickly grew into a mission: to make digital skills education less intimidating and more empowering. We’re building Spuddle because we’ve lived the problem ourselves, and we believe mastering the basics should feel motivating, not overwhelming.