A 21-year-old Founding Engineer who built an AI SaaS but is struggling to land the next opportunity

Hi everyone,
I’m a 21-year-old computer science student currently working as a Founding Engineer on an AI product called Codepup. I wanted to share a bit about my journey and also ask for advice from developers who have gone through a similar phase early in their careers.
Over the last year I have been deeply involved in building developer tools and full-stack systems. One of the main things I worked on was Codepup AI, a platform that helps users generate and deploy fully functional websites automatically.
My work focused on the backend infrastructure and engineering side of the product. I built systems such as:
• An AST-based modification engine to update code efficiently while reducing LLM token usage by around 80%
• A containerized sandbox environment that allows users to preview their generated websites in real time
• Backend services using TypeScript, Express, PostgreSQL, and Drizzle ORM
Before this, I also worked with a tech agency where I helped build and deploy websites for different clients and worked on both frontend and backend integration.
Despite building real products and systems, I’m currently finding it difficult to land the next opportunity. Many companies require more traditional industry experience even though I have spent the last few years building real-world projects.
At the moment I’m trying to:
• Transition into a backend / full-stack developer role
• Take on freelance work building MVPs, developer tools, or AI integrations
• Continue improving my engineering skills while contributing to real products
I’d really appreciate advice from developers who have gone through this early-career stage.
How did you bridge the gap between building projects and getting your first strong engineering opportunity?