SoCal CTO
DECEMBER 1, 2007
My role is to work as part of the team to (1) understand related technologies and technical opportunities, (2) understand and help drive alignment around a vision of where the business should go, and (3) mesh those together to help make disciplined, proactive technical decisions. Then, we come to an agreement on terms.
Startup Professionals Musings
FEBRUARY 21, 2020
Many of the entrepreneurs I advise or invest with spend considerable time on the Internet, keeping up with technology, customers, and competitors, but very few feel the need for an early personal presence. Consistently review and respond to relevant online feedback. Reach out to friends and supporters for positive mentions.
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Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 19, 2009
I spent nearly a decade building software for large companies and then advising companies on the same. The technology team disagrees on direction and wants resolutions. There’s a guy in Los Angeles that I met at several tech networking events. Good entrepreneurs have a penchant for doing vs. over-analyzing.
InfoChachkie
NOVEMBER 17, 2011
Despite this technical glitch, I opted to publish our discussion, given the high-quality content of his comments. Len remains an active advisor to several startups. In this regard, I asked him to share the lessons from his early days of online marketing that remain relevant to the startups he currently advises.
Startup Professionals Musings
JANUARY 30, 2023
Your time is precious, so don’t waste a minute of it on useless activities or dreaming. In my own experience with technical startup founders, I still find it hard to name one who was also good, or even interested in financials or business operations. Then pursue the people and education you need to build a winning business.
Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 28, 2014
Your goal is to invest in engineering (to maintain your product lead), new offices / locations (to capture markets before others), marketing (to capture consumer attention before others do) … all of these activities consume cash often in advance of the revenue they generate. Valuation. You really need to subtract the final month.
SoCal CTO
MARCH 4, 2010
I’ve worked with 30+ early-stage companies in all sorts of capacities (and spoken to many, many more), so I thought it might be worthwhile trying to classify the various ways that I’ve engaged in different technology roles in startups. It depends on the business, people, technologies, etc. Each situation is just a bit different.
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