TechEmpower

AUGUST 14, 2023

The Strategic Technical Advisor looks at the business and determines what makes sense from a technology perspective in the short-term and longer-terms. The Tactical Technical Advisor stays on top of the development team to ensure that they’re team is building the right thing in a high-quality, efficient manner. And Maybe You Need Two!

Technical Review 260

Technical Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO Software Review 260

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

I've posted quite a few things on the topics associated with being a Startup CTO. Here are some resources that come from other sources: Want to Know the Difference Between a CTO and a VP Engineering? Lessons Learned: What does a startup CTO actually do? Lessons Learned: What does a startup CTO actually do?

CTO Hire 175

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Startup Equity 175

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

I've posted quite a few things on the topics associated with being a Startup CTO. Here are some resources that come from other sources: Want to Know the Difference Between a CTO and a VP Engineering? Lessons Learned: What does a startup CTO actually do? Lessons Learned: What does a startup CTO actually do?

CTO Hire 175

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Startup Equity 175

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

I talk to roughly 2 or 3 new startups every week who need advice from an experienced CTO. Of course, I provide part-time CTO services. So, I wanted to use this post to make it official - we are offering free startup CTO consulting sessions. Maybe you are wondering if you have a Weak Development Team ? What Is This?

Fractional CTO 264

Fractional CTO CTO Hire NDA Technical Review 264

SoCal CTO

APRIL 27, 2011

Several people have recently come to me to help them source and/or hire full-time CTOs for their startup having found me through my post that looks at: Startup CTO Salary and Equity Data. The first thing I do is suggest they explore if they really need to hire a full-time CTO for their startup and if so, what kind of CTO they need.

CTO Hire 282

CTO Hire Los Angeles Hiring Technical Review 282

TechEmpower

MARCH 4, 2024

TechEmpower has been instrumental in developing chatbots like these, utilizing generative AI to sift through internal documents and user manuals, enabling them to provide precise answers to customer service questions. It also facilitates rapid prototyping, allowing for quicker iterations and thus shorter development cycles.

Generative AI 295

Generative AI CTO Hire Fractional CTO Software Review 295

SoCal CTO

APRIL 27, 2011

Several people have recently come to me to help them source and/or hire full-time CTOs for their startup having found me through my post that looks at: Startup CTO Salary and Equity Data. The first thing I do is suggest they explore if they really need to hire a full-time CTO for their startup and if so, what kind of CTO they need.

CTO Hire 225

CTO Hire Los Angeles Hiring Technical Review 225

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

I talk to roughly 2 or 3 new startups every week who need advice from an experienced CTO. Of course, I provide part-time CTO services. So, I wanted to use this post to make it official - we are offering free startup CTO consulting sessions. Maybe you are wondering if you have a Weak Development Team ? What Is This?

Fractional CTO 259

Fractional CTO CTO Hire NDA Technical Review 259

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 18, 2011

I received an inquiry from a reader of my blog and thought I would provide some thoughts, but would definitely welcome input: I am an unpaid CTO of a small startup. Find a lawyer and someone who does CTO searches for VC backed companies in your area. Do they recognize any Startup Founder Developer Gap ? What type of shares?

CTO 167

CTO CTO Hire Equity Vesting 167

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 18, 2011

I received an inquiry from a reader of my blog and thought I would provide some thoughts, but would definitely welcome input: I am an unpaid CTO of a small startup. Find a lawyer and someone who does CTO searches for VC backed companies in your area. Do they recognize any Startup Founder Developer Gap ? What type of shares?

CTO 150

CTO CTO Hire Equity Vesting 150

SoCal CTO

MAY 21, 2012

So, here goes: Dr. Tony Karrer Over the past 15 years, Tony has been a part-time CTO for more than 30 startups. Most notably, he was the original CTO for eHarmony for its first four years making him partly responsible for more than 4% of the marriages every year. Tony has a Ph.D. He is a frequent speaker at trade and industry events.

Fractional CTO 175

Fractional CTO CTO Hire Startup Social Network 175

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.

Fractional CTO 54

Fractional CTO CTO Hire CTO Technical Review 54

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Are you a non-technical startup founder who’s about to go have a conversation with a Chief Technical Officer (CTO) or Technical advisory type person? Maybe you are going for a reality check on your current situation - wondering if you have a Weak Development Team or a Startup Founder Developer Gap.

Fractional CTO 211

Fractional CTO Conversion NDA Early Stage 211

SoCal CTO

APRIL 18, 2012

Todd Gitlin of Safire Partners - a go to resource here in LA for recruiting C-level positions at startups - was nice enough to compile some data again this year (see last year's Startup CTO Salary and Equity Data ). Or they are looking at Hiring a CTO and want to see what salary and equity ranges look like.

CTO Hire 294

CTO Hire Salary Equity Los Angeles 294

SoCal CTO

MAY 21, 2013

I''m spending more of my time recently working with non-technical startup founders who are having challenges with their software/web/mobile development teams. Common Signals I''ve written previously about Symptoms of a Weak Development Team. Rogue developers with their own agenda. One of your better developers leaves.

Fractional CTO 219

Fractional CTO Developer Founder Architecture 219

dontbesoanalytical.blogspot.com

MAY 13, 2012

Daddy, What Does a Chief Technology Officer Do? I’ve seen openings for a “CTO” whose responsibilities include maintaining servers and managing the help desk. I’ve seen openings for a “CTO” whose responsibilities include maintaining servers and managing the help desk.

CTO 40

CTO Technical Review Technology Software Review 40

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2010

Because more technology people probably read startup blogs I’m guessing this post will come under more scrutiny. The terms “CTO&# and “VP Engineering&# have such stigmas associated with what they are that I’m sure some people will feel uncomfortable with the definitions I’ve put forward. Experience.

Fractional CTO 400

Fractional CTO CTO Hire Fractional VPE Part-Time VPE 400

SoCal CTO

APRIL 23, 2010

I’ve come to realize that I have lots of posts around startup software development scattered around in different posts. How to Work With a Contract Web Developer How To Bootstrap Your Startup Thought it would be good to capture them in one spot and also include links to related posts from other sources.

CTO Hire 219

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Los Angeles Developer 219

SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2012

When I talk with early-stage companies, often the discussion starts with them asking me about Hiring a CTO for Your Startup , or Finding a Technical Cofounder for Your Startup or How to Find Programmers for Your Startup. In many cases, during my Free Startup CTO Consulting Session with them, we discuss where they are in in the process.

CTO Hire 205

CTO Hire Technical Cofounder Fractional CTO Los Angeles 205

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 19, 2012

He wanted to get input from me on what he's doing, and he wants to begin to ask developers what it would take to build his product. I asked some of the same questions I ask in my Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions and then I get to a very common conversation: Me : Do you have specs? Founder : Ummm. what do you mean? Founder : Ummm.

Developer 354

Developer Technical Review Fractional CTO Software Review 354

Up and Running

OCTOBER 13, 2022

Chief financial officer (CFO): As the name implies, the CFO is responsible for major financial tasks. Chief technology officer (CTO): This executive ensures technology initiatives are running smoothly and supporting overall business goals. What’s important to them?

CTO Hire 163

CTO Hire Fractional CTO CTO Hiring 163

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 30, 2010

Funny graphic by @shanesnow that captures the difference between web designers vs. web developers: Like the issue of Startup CTO or Developer , often startup founders who are less technical have this same question. Do I need a designer or a developer?

Web Development 278

Web Development Web Design Developer 278

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Based on my posts Startup CTO or Developer and Acting CTO , Chris O’Meara wrote an interesting post Startup CTO: Could It Work? Common sense says you'd do your best to hire or otherwise permanently engage that lead developer. Even with this almost mythical person is there a possible Founder Developer Gap ?

CTO Hire 150

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Startup Architecture 150

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 25, 2010

This is not only sad but incredibly frustrating, because it is so easy to see how a great technology can be developed and commercialized if only - if only the CTO hadn't been impulsive and insecure and brought on a business partner too early in the game. … And it’s not just inexperienced CTOs. Lack of confidence?

Technical Cofounder 150

Technical Cofounder Cofounder CTO Hire Founder 150

www.reincubate.com

FEBRUARY 1, 2010

Email us or call +44 (0) 844 3579899 home about services blog labs Chief Technology Officer job description (for web, start-up or corporate) « Upgraded your iPhone to OS 3 but files are missing? Some companies look for a more strategic or a more hands-on CTO. Firstly, theres no one-size-fits-all description.

CTO 40

CTO Fractional CTO Technical Review CTO Hire 40

TechEmpower

AUGUST 21, 2023

We hear them explain that their current software development is expensive, deliveries are rarely on time, and random bugs appear. Common Signs You Need a Technical Review We’ve already mentioned the most common signs that you might need a technical review: Slow or late delivery: “I’ve authorized two new developers, and we’re still behind.”

Technical Review 260

Technical Review Development Team Review Software Review Architecture 260

SoCal CTO

MAY 27, 2010

I was just interviewed by Frank Peters - Tony Karrer and the Founder-Developer Gap. I received a follow-up question from an early-stage startup about the Founder Developer Gap that I’ve described before and that was part of the interview with Frank. This is somewhat the heart of what a CTO does. Do not hire a CTO at this point.

CTO Hire 170

CTO Hire Developer Founder Startup 170

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 30, 2008

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Tuesday, September 30, 2008 What does a startup CTO actually do? What does your Chief Technology Officer do all day? So what does CTO mean, besides just "technical founder who really cant manage anyone?" So I initially gravitated to the CTO title, and not VP of Engineering.

CTO 168

CTO Fractional CTO CTO Hire Technical Review 168

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

There's an old adage in software development that I refer to all the time: The first 90% of development takes 90% of the time. And I use it all the time now when I get the kind of message that I received: I'm looking for a web developer to continue work on my website. The funds have been used up on the existing development.

Software Developers 175

Software Developers Software Development CTO Hire Software 175

TechEmpower

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Do you participate in professional development workshops, or perhaps enjoy problem-solving puzzles in your downtime? To get to what’s right for you, you need a tech partner with a deep understanding of your business needs, software development experience, data engineering skills and AI expertise.

Generative AI 295

Generative AI Artificial Inteligence Houston America 295

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2022

The reason is that good attributes apply equally well to “external” partners, as they do to internal partners, like a co-founder or CTO. If both of you are experts at software development, even though one loves design and the other loves coding, that still won’t get the marketing done. Brings complementary skills and experience.

Partner 385

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Cofounder 385

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2021

I like their recommended framework for emerging firms, as well as large multinationals, to help build an optimal growth strategy for your company: Evaluate internal development versus external sourcing. Building through internal development, or organic growth, makes the most sense when you have a core set of skilled internal resources.

CTO Hire 330

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Merger Non-Compete 330

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 4, 2011

Almost every day I'm talking to early stage startup founders (see Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions ) about what they plan to do. Many of these founders have talked with several developers or development firms about their plans. Team – is there or will there be multiple segments in the development team? Wireframes?

Developer 396

Developer Founder Viral Oauth 396

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 4, 2011

Almost every day I'm talking to early stage startup founders (see Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions ) about what they plan to do. Many of these founders have talked with several developers or development firms about their plans. Team – is there or will there be multiple segments in the development team? Wireframes?

Developer 384

Developer Founder Viral Oauth 384

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 10, 2012

It was like having a bunch of mini- Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions all in one room. Structure development contracts appropriately or directing the in-house team appropriately. Structure development contracts appropriately or directing the in-house team appropriately. Do you really have control of the development?

Technical Review 332

Technical Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO Software Review 332

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 7, 2009

I've helped organize the Los Angeles CTO Forum for almost 10 years. As part of doing that, I've had the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of different chief technical officers from different kinds of companies over those years. Yes, there are some events around particular technologies. But not really CTO events.

Southern California 150

Southern California Software Developers Software Development California 150

mashable.com

MAY 9, 2011

This is especially true when it comes to tech companies hiring the wrong chief technology officer. Today, CTOs are multi-taskers that aren’t just coders locked in some basement — they play a vital role in a tech company’s strategic plan and growth. Lisa Nicole Bell , Inspired Life Media Group.)

CTO Hire 73

CTO Hire Fractional CTO CTO Technical Review 73