--- title: 'Backend Developer at Safari AI' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/backend-developer-safari-ai-north-america-03m0zr260s5b' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-07' --- # Backend Developer at Safari AI - **Company:** Safari AI - **Location:** North America - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-07-14 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/safariai/jobs/5186521007 ## Job description ## About Safari AI Safari AI's vision is to Automate Action of the leading companies in the physical economy, from Entertainment, Live Venues, QSR's, Retail and beyond. The company uses computer vision AI to Measure, Alert and provide AI-generated Recommendations at the operations of leading enterprises such as Merlin/Legoland, 7-11, Tanger Outlets, Charlotte Hornets, Tennessee Titans, and more. Leadership & Culture Safari AI is founded by Ali Vahabzadeh, who has a meaningful exit under his belt and has managed large, high-performing Go To Market and Engineering teams. The company is headquartered in Miami with the Engineering team co-located in Vancouver. About You And How You Succeed At Safari AI You're excited to build a product and invent a market that hasn't existed before. You read documentation first and are not afraid to ask for help when uncertain. You're looking to take ownership/run a singular project and take advantage of the freedom and culture an early stage startup can provide. You are looking to see through the fluff of the modern AI landscape and explore new ways of achieving measurable ROI. Enjoy a small team size ~10, project team of 1-3. ## What you'll do - Build and scale our ML data live streaming analytics platform (Python) - Lead and contribute to greenfield internal projects to extend and optimize existing real time processing needs (Python and/or Rust) - Design and implement reliability backend services (Python) ## What we're looking for - 4+ years software experience in Python - Proficiency with live data streaming and real-time analytics, (Kafka/Pulsar/InfluxDB) - Experience in AWS cloud infrastructure and services - Experience migrating services to Rust for improved performance and reliability - Experience with Kubernetes and tools for orchestration ## What we provide - Opportunity to shape an early-stage, mission-driven startup and revolutionize how Enterprises use Computer Vision AI - Professional growth at a fast-growing, venture-funded start up with a proven founder and leadership team - Competitive salary and meaningful equity for early team members - Unlimited vacation days - Generous health benefits (Health, Vision, Dental) - 401k for US team members - Brand new, top of the line hardware and whatever else you need to help you win Note: We are not considering any recruiters or agency. Please do not contact. Why bet on Computer Vision and Safari AI? - Huge opportunity hiding in plain sight: leveraging already-installed cameras to automate and real-time action on operational data - Already the market leader in enterprise CV by working with industry leaders with billions in revenue - Large chasm between customer knowledge and market availability, i.e. customers don't know what is available in the market...yet. - Early leader in computer vision; everyone is small and unbranded (i.e. no Amazon or Google in the room to compete with) - Very modular, allowing Safari AI and its customers to invent whole new use cases on a regular basis - Developed the tech and data pipelines over three years and invested several million dollars and is now ready to scale ## About Safari AI ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Safari AI converts existing camera feeds into real-time operational metrics, alerts, and automated actions for physical operations in industries like theme parks, live venues, quick-service restaurants, and logistics. - **Entity Type**: Private (VC-funded; $14M total capital; profitable as of Q4 2025) - **Headquarters**: Miami, Florida, United States - **Founded**: 2022 (original entity named curbFlow; rebranded to Safari AI) - **Founders**: Ali Vahabzadeh (Co-Founder & CEO), Kaiwen Yuan (Co-Founder & Head of Engineering) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Vision AI for Physical Operations / Computer Vision SaaS - **Target customers**: B2B Enterprise — theme parks & attractions, live venues (stadiums/arenas), QSR, retail, commercial real estate, logistics, manufacturing - **Mission**: Drive Speed of Service for clients using "Safari Scores" as the benchmark for operational excellence, enabling operators to understand performance in real-time and automate action. ## Products & Services - **Safari AI Platform (Vision AI for Physical Operations)**: A proprietary AI engine that ingests clients’ existing video feeds, recognizes objects (people, vehicles) and their behavior in time and space — all in real-time. It converts video into business metrics, insights, alerts, and recommendations. - **Speed of Service Solution**: Measures throughput, wait times, and guest flow to optimize service speed in venues like theme parks, stadiums, and QSRs. - **Staff Optimization Solution**: Tracks staff engagement, zone occupancy, and operational KPIs on factory floors, loading zones, and retail environments — dispatching recommended actions to named owners. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding of $14M; company is profitable as of Q4 2025; annual revenue estimated at $1.0M–$5.0M (LinkedIn estimate) - **Notable Investors**: General Catalyst, Initialized Capital, and other esteemed partners (raised $13M in a prior round) - **Growth Signals**: - Profitable as of Q4 2025. - 19 employees (+8% YoY headcount growth). - Expanding from core theme park and live venue industries into shopping centers, QSR (Taco Bell), logistics, and commercial real estate (JBG Smith). - Named enterprise clients include Taco Bell, 7-Eleven, Brightline, Charlotte Hornets, Calgary Flames, Anakeesta, Herschend Family Entertainment, Summit One Vanderbilt, Reconext, Legoland/Merlin Entertainments, Goodwill, Manhattan Mini Storage. - SOC 2 Type II certified. - **Notable Partners/Clients**: Taco Bell, 7-Eleven, Brightline, Charlotte Hornets, Calgary Flames, Ariel Anakeesta, Herschend Family Entertainment, Summit One Vanderbilt, Reconext, Merlin Entertainments, JBG Smith, Goodwill, Manhattan Mini Storage. ## Competitive Advantages - **No custom hardware** — runs on clients’ existing IP camera networks, enabling rapid deployment within days. - **SOP-grounded recommendations** (not generic alerts) that are tied directly to a client's Standard Operating Procedures. - **Closed-loop automation in under 60 seconds** — from frame capture to dispatched action with named owner and dollar outcome attribution. - **Proprietary AI engine** built by founding team with deep expertise (Kaiwen Yuan was founding member of Serve Robotics, led perception/prediction/ML). - **Focus on measurable outcomes** (throughput uplift, recovered staff hours, revenue impact) rather than vanity metrics. ## Strategic Focus - **Expand beyond core verticals** (theme parks/live venues) into QSR, retail, commercial real estate, logistics, and manufacturing. - **Deepen the "Action Loop"** — moving from measurement/alerting to automated dispatching and outcome attribution, all within 60 seconds. - **Continue building the "Safari Score"** as the industry benchmark for operational excellence in physical operations. - **Scale enterprise sales** across global brands in multiple verticals. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Fast-moving, mission-driven startup environment focused on solving a tangible problem — automating manual operational tasks. The leadership emphasizes "Automate Action" as the core vision. - **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Hybrid/in-office presence. Physical offices in Miami (HQ), Arlington (VA), New York (NY), and Vancouver (BC). Some roles are listed as "Remote" (e.g., GTM Engineering Intern, MBA Intern, certain client success roles). Miami-based roles expect on-site presence. - **Notable Perks & Engineering Culture**: - Founders with strong technical pedigrees (ex-Uber/Serve Robotics founding engineer; ex-Ford/Chariot founder). - Profitable startup with strong product-market fit — stability for a growth-stage company. - Exposure to cutting-edge computer vision AI deployed at massive scale (theme parks, stadiums, QSR chains). - SOC 2 Type II certified — strong emphasis on security and enterprise readiness. - Open roles include: Engineering, Go-To-Market, Sales, Client Success, Partnerships, and an "Opportunity Hire for ex-founder/founding engineer" (suggesting openness to hiring entrepreneurial talent). - Headcount is small (19 people) — high ownership and impact per individual. ## Sources 1. [getsafari.ai](https://www.getsafari.ai/) 2. [Safari AI About Page](https://www.getsafari.ai/about) 3. [LinkedIn Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/safariai) 4. [Built In Company Profile](https://builtin.com/company/safari-ai) 5. [Greenhouse Careers Page](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/safariai) ## Other roles at Safari AI - [GTM Engineering Lead (Miami candidates only)](https://feeny.ai/job/gtm-engineering-lead-miami-candidates-only-safari-ai-miami-gzs889941sw3) — Miami, FL - [Head of Partnerships](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-partnerships-safari-ai-north-zr85jpcxnfy4) — North, United States - [Sales Development Representative (Miami candidates only)](https://feeny.ai/job/sales-development-representative-miami-candidates-only-safari-ai-miami-florida-t5yat6dz93zk) — Miami Florida, United States - [GTM and Business Operations Lead (Miami candidates only)](https://feeny.ai/job/gtm-and-business-operations-lead-miami-candidates-only-safari-ai-miami-ffbt2c3e2y9f) — Miami, FL - [Head of Client Success (East Cost candidates only)](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-client-success-east-cost-candidates-only-safari-ai-east-coast-1fjksdb0b1n3) — East Coast, United States - [Backend Developer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-developer-pattern-brno-b2x86g2wpgxx) — Brno, Czech Republic - [Backend Developer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-developer-terra-bilbao-nc536waqg0br) — Bilbao, Spain - [Backend Developer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-developer-bjak-portugal-h4ksk5wddw90) — Portugal - [Backend Developer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-developer-bjak-ireland-7a4cg9c5pstq) — Ireland - [Backend Developer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-developer-bjak-spain-dq6d61ef70fd) — Spain