Aerem Software Engineer Interview Experience (2026) — Climate Tech, 3 Rounds

I got the offer. Here's exactly what happened at Aerem's software engineer interview in Mumbai.

• Role: Software Engineer
• Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India (On-site)
• Year: 2026
• Timeline: 2 weeks, application to offer
• Rounds: Technical Screening → System Design → Founder Round
• Difficulty: Medium — climate tech domain knowledge helps
• Outcome: Offer accepted
• Compensation: ₹22 LPA base + ₹3 LPA bonus + ESOPs

Quick Stats

Applied through Aerem's careers portal in January 2026. Being a climate tech startup, the process was more conversational than structured. From first contact to offer took about 2 weeks — faster than I expected for a mission-driven company.

Round 1: Technical Screening

Format: 45-minute video call Interviewer: CTO Duration: 40 minutes What they were testing: Technical fundamentals, problem-solving, interest in climate tech Interviewer approach: Conversational — less about grinding LeetCode, more about real engineering

The CTO started by asking about my background and why I was interested in climate tech. I talked about my passion for sustainability and how technology can help address climate change — which, honestly, is why I applied in the first place.

Then we moved to a coding problem. It wasn't a standard DSA question — they asked me to design a simple carbon emission calculator API. I sketched out the endpoints, data models, and basic logic.

His exact words were something like, "How would you handle data accuracy when different sources give different emission factors?" That's when I realized they care deeply about the problem domain, not just code quality.

Round 2: System Design

Format: 60-minute video call with whiteboard-style discussion Interviewer: Senior Engineer Duration: 55 minutes What they were testing: System architecture, scalability, data modeling Interviewer approach: Collaborative — we designed the system together

The problem was: design a system to track carbon emissions across a supply chain. I started by clarifying requirements — what kind of data? How many companies? What's the update frequency?

I proposed a microservices architecture with separate services for data ingestion, calculation, and reporting. The interviewer pushed me on data consistency — what if two suppliers report conflicting data for the same product?

I suggested a conflict resolution workflow with human review for edge cases. He seemed to appreciate that I didn't try to over-engineer an automated solution for everything.

Round 3: Founder Round

Format: 30-minute video call Interviewer: Founder/CEO Duration: 25 minutes What they were testing: Culture fit, mission alignment, long-term thinking Interviewer approach: Vision-focused — asked about my thoughts on climate tech

This was the most unique round I've had. The founder asked about my views on the future of carbon markets, what I thought about current climate tech solutions, and where I saw the industry going.

I was honest — I said I believed technology alone wouldn't solve climate change, but it could accelerate solutions. He seemed to appreciate the nuance instead of just giving a "tech will save everything" answer.

The Insider Section

Here's something most guides miss: Aerem puts a lot of weight on understanding the carbon accounting landscape. In my system design round, they asked about different carbon accounting standards (GHG Protocol, ISO 14064). If you haven't at least read about these, you'll struggle.

Also, they're a small team — so they look for engineers who can wear multiple hats. The interviewer asked if I was comfortable doing frontend work occasionally, talking to customers, and even helping with product decisions. It's not a pure backend role.

Compensation

The offer was ₹22 LPA base with a ₹3 LPA performance bonus and ESOPs. For a climate tech startup in Mumbai in 2026, this is competitive. The ESOP component was generous — they're serious about building a long-term team.

Honest Assessment

Who this role IS right for:

• Engineers passionate about climate tech and sustainability
• People comfortable working in early-stage startup environments
• Those who want to wear multiple hats and have broad impact

Who this role ISN'T right for:

• Someone looking for structured career progression paths
• Engineers who prefer working on well-defined, stable systems
• People who don't care about the mission and just want a paycheck

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is the Aerem software engineer interview? Aerem's interview is moderately challenging — they focus on system design and domain knowledge (carbon accounting, climate tech) rather than grinding DSA. Less competitive than big tech but more mission-focused.

How long does the Aerem interview process take? From application to offer, expect 1-3 weeks. Being a startup, the process is streamlined and moves quickly once they're interested.

What is the Aerem interview process and rounds? The process typically includes: Technical Screening (domain-focused coding), System Design (climate tech systems), and a Founder Round (mission alignment). Some roles may have an additional cultural fit round.

How to prepare for Aerem software engineer interview in 2026-2026? Focus on system design for data-intensive applications, learn about carbon accounting standards (GHG Protocol), and understand the climate tech landscape. Be prepared to discuss your views on sustainability.

How much do software engineers make at Aerem? Software engineers at Aerem typically earn ₹18-28 LPA total compensation in 2026, depending on experience. The package includes base salary, performance bonus, and ESOPs.