SoCal CTO
APRIL 2, 2012
Using my StartupRoar as a radar, I came across a great post by Gabriel Weinberg Do you really need a full-time hire for that? Hiring seems to be the preferred use of seed funds (by investors and founders), whereas I'd prefer a focus on customer acquisition. The startup founder is definitely not ready to hire a CTO.
Austin Startup
SEPTEMBER 18, 2017
As a CTO, I can definitely say without a doubt that few people understand what a CTO does. When I tell someone I’m a CTO, I’m often met with a blank stare. Even when someone is aware of what a CTO does, they often have limited context due to the wide variety of CTO roles.
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Steve Blank
APRIL 23, 2014
More often than not the results of these acquisitions are disappointing. In response, venture capital firms like Sequoia and Andreessen/Horowitz are hiring new partners just to work with their portfolio companies and match them to corporations. The goal is to get a corporate investment or an outright acquisition of the startup.
SoCal CTO
SEPTEMBER 27, 2011
For your first key hires, three, five, maybe as much as ten, you will probably not be able to use any kind of formula. For example, suppose you're just two founders and you want to hire an additional hacker who's so good you feel he'll increase the average outcome of the whole company by 20%. n = (1.2 - 1)/1.2 =.167. and we have 11.1%
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 16, 2014
Eventually you need a VP of Product to handle your product roadmap, a CTO for engineering leadership and VPs of sales, marketing & biz dev. You hire great people. You motivate, cajole, reassign tasks, hire, fire and push the organization forward. Do you hire more sales people? You set direction. You course correct.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 7, 2013
Because I am true to the hiring practices I preach, I wanted a strong exec who would “ punch above their weightclass ” by taking a job they hadn’t yet done but would hugely aspire to and thus work harder to out perform. RedBeacon went on to sell to HomeDepot in what was considered a very successful acquisition on all sides.
ConversionXL
JUNE 16, 2022
Think about your playbook from the perspective of a new hire. Your primary audience is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) who has the spending power to buy your product. Though your marketing is aimed at the CTO, an accountant who shares the same interests might see your ad. Lay out the key challenges and expected results.
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