SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2007

I generally am working as an acting CTO for about 3-4 start-ups or other companies at any one time. I also found this interesting graphic of the changing needs around the CTO role in different size/type companies that somewhat echoes my experience. During Stabilization, often the focus is transitioning to a full-time CTO.

Startup 231

Startup CTO Hire Technical Advisors Technical Review 231

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. I'd suggest: Startup CTO or Developer , Startup Founder Developer Gap , Part-Time CTO , Technology Advisor , CTO Founder , Acting CTO.

CTO Hire 282

CTO Hire CTO Coach Technical Review Startup 282

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

I talk to roughly 2 or 3 new startups every week who need advice from an experienced CTO. And I try my best to point them to resources that can help them longer term. And I try my best to point them to resources that can help them longer term. Of course, I provide part-time CTO services. What Is This?

CTO Hire 264

CTO Hire Startup Technical Review Development Team Review 264

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

I talk to roughly 2 or 3 new startups every week who need advice from an experienced CTO. And I try my best to point them to resources that can help them longer term. And I try my best to point them to resources that can help them longer term. Of course, I provide part-time CTO services. What Is This?

CTO Hire 259

CTO Hire Startup Technical Review Development Team Review 259

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. I'd suggest: Startup CTO or Developer , Startup Founder Developer Gap , Part-Time CTO , Technology Advisor , CTO Founder , Acting CTO.

CTO Hire 225

CTO Hire CTO Coach Technical Review Startup 225

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 Equity Demand Resource 294

SoCal CTO

MARCH 2, 2015

As the organizer of the LA CTO Forum , I get lots of inquiries by job seekers and people looking for CTO / VP Engineering talent. I’ve written quite a bit about aspects of this topic, especially from the perspective of startup founders looking for talent – you can find these in: Startup CTO.

CTO Hire 150

CTO Hire CTO Coach Los Angeles Angel 150

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

Todd Gitlin of Safire Partners was nice enough to compile some data on CTO Equity and Compensation at Venture Backed Companies for the LA CTO Forum and present last year. Todd is a go to resource for people looking for talent in startups. CTO Founders in India, have a very low equity stake.

CTO Hire 273

CTO Hire CTO Coach Equity Company 273

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

San Diego-based Stemson Therapeutics , a startup working on therapies to cure hair loss, has raised $7.5M Stemson said that the initial seed funding will go to expanding its management team and R&D resources, adding Meghan Samberg, Ph.D. as Chief Technology Officer. in a seed funding round. READ MORE>>.

Chief Technology Officer 124

Chief Technology Officer Seed Funding San Diego Resource 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2021

Every entrepreneur tries to maximize his startup growth by building and selling more product and services for the widest geographic area that he can support. Building through internal development, or organic growth, makes the most sense when you have a core set of skilled internal resources. M&A is “buying” resources for growth.

Organization 132

Organization CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 132

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 10, 2012

It was like having a bunch of mini- Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions all in one room. This is exactly the kind of thing I'm doing as a Part-Time CTO or Technical Advisor for startups. I was very worried for several startup in the room. CTO Founder - Do they really still need a technical advisor?

Technical Advisors 332

Technical Advisors CTO Coach Technical Review CTO Hire 332

SoCal CTO

MARCH 12, 2012

I've recently received several emails from people looking for a technical cofounder for their startup. Make sure you go through the 32 Questions Developers May Have Forgot to Ask a Startup Founder. You should definitely hit up the Startup Weekend events as well. Here's an example of that kind of email.

CTO Hire 211

CTO Hire CTO Coach Startup Equity 211

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2020

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. You need to find the skills or experience you don’t have in business, technology, or money. The value in a startup is all about tangible results, so I see no equity value in the idea alone.

Startup 174

Startup Equity Patents CTO Hire 174

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

I was asked by a reader how much equity he should give out to early employees and to service providers in a very early stage startup. Founders vs. Early Employees To help with this discussion, let me start with a definition of "early employee." the better the startup will be. Risk Premium on Equity Compensation?

Equity 391

Equity CTO Hire Startup Examples 391

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 2, 2013

I've had several Startup CTO Consulting sessions recently where it became apparent that the Founder needed help with the business and product as much or more than the technology. Then we discussed how they could go about finding this startup business advisor. Do you have any suggestions for how to find a good mentor?

CTO Coach 259

CTO Coach Mentor Startup Technical Advisors 259

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

The conversation centered around a founder who's key question is "Where Do I Find a Developer for My Startup?" The situation is pretty common it got us to riff a bit around how to get programmers to help him build out a proof-of-concept version for his startup. Ask a few CTO type people. Is this a Wordpress hack?

Guide 349

Guide Startup Mobile Framework 349

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 16, 2014

One of the vivid memories I have from being a startup CEO is the feeling that most people in your company have a look in their eyes that like they can do your job as well as you. In the early days the CEO is the jack-of-all-trades, doer-of-all, famously the “chief janitor” or coffee maker. Startup life. Engineering?

Entrepreneur 385

Entrepreneur CTO Hire Startup Sales 385

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

The conversation centered around a founder who's key question is "Where Do I Find a Developer for My Startup?" The situation is pretty common it got us to riff a bit around how to get programmers to help him build out a proof-of-concept version for his startup. Ask a few CTO type people. Is this a Wordpress hack?

Guide 296

Guide Startup Mobile Framework 296

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2023

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a cofounder or two. You need to find the skills or experience you don’t have in business, technology, or money. The value in a startup is all about tangible results, so I see no equity value in the idea alone.

Equity 99

Equity Patents CTO Hire Startup 99

socalTECH

MAY 29, 2018

Marina Del Rey-based startup Guardian Circle , the developer of a social-based system and app that helps people summon help from their friends, said last week that it has added futurist Peter Diamandis as an advisor as part of a "token sale" the company is running. International Space University, and Planetary Resources.

CTO Coach 100

CTO Coach Marina Del Rey CTO Hire Mahalo 100

socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2015

Santa Monica-based Campus Steps , a new startup aimed at college counseling, said this morning that it has raised $3M in a funding round. The company''s Chief Technology Officer is Dave Meyer (Free Credit Report, eNeighborhoods), and its Chief Product Officer is Jeanne Anderson (DogVacay). READ MORE>>.

Chief Technology Officer 100

Chief Technology Officer Santa Monica Venture Capital Demand 100

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

One of the readers asked my opinion around sharing your startup concept: My first question has always been - how do you protect your idea while shopping around for feedback, partners, developers, etc.? Especially if the idea could be whipped-up by a few 24-year olds in a few weeks? Lots of thoughts here.

Startup 211

Startup IP Ideas Patents 211

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Continuing my series of posts that I’ve been collecting that live at the intersection of Startups and being a Startup CTO : Startup CTO Top 30 Posts for April 16 Great Startup Posts from March here are the top posts from May 2010. It is to out friend. Enjoyed this post? Disruptive. We get it! I Be specific.

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

One of the readers asked my opinion around sharing your startup concept: My first question has always been - how do you protect your idea while shopping around for feedback, partners, developers, etc.? Especially if the idea could be whipped-up by a few 24-year olds in a few weeks? Lots of thoughts here.

Startup 198

Startup IP Ideas Patents 198

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

Are you an entrepreneur hoping to startup a company in the Los Angeles area? The latest to enter the scene is Los Angeles accelerator Start Engine (www.startengine.com), which was created by Howard Marks and Paul Kessler. Howard Marks: We're a startup accelerator, which will help entrepreneurs become successful in 90 days.

CTO Coach 194

CTO Coach Startup Mentor Activision 194

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2018

You race back to the office to tell everybody how well it went and you wait for the follow-up call to have a partners’ meeting or talk about term sheets or at least dip into due diligence. You left the meeting dreaming about money and finally having resources to do all of the things you wanted to do. What do I do now?

Software Review 381

Software Review Startup Email Conference 381

SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2013

What's Going to Go Wrong A lot of founders don't really understand Lean Startup principles. They look at the following high level definition of Lean: and they interpret that as write up an executive summary with your ideas and hand it to developers to build. Do you have a Technical Advisors: Every Web/Mobile Startup Must Have One ?

CTO Coach 219

CTO Coach Metrics Framework Software Development 219

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2013

Every entrepreneur tries to maximize his startup growth by building and selling more product and services for the widest geographic area that he can support. Building through internal development, or organic growth, makes the most sense when you have a core set of skilled internal resources. M&A is “buying” resources for growth.

Acquisition 88

Acquisition CTO Hire Startup Outsource Development 88

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 19, 2012

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? In fact, let me provide an important warning: If you create these documents, don't have input from a technical resource, take it to a development shop and they provide you a price.

Develop 354

Develop Development Technical Review CTO Coach 354

socalTECH

MAY 9, 2019

For our interview this morning, we caught up with Alonso Vargas , the CTO and co-founder of Runtriz (www.runtriz.com), a Los Angeles company which has been powering the mobile apps and experiences for Radisson, Best Western, a lot of boutique brands. How did you end up building these apps? What does Runtriz do?

Mobile 113

Mobile Startup Platform Web 113

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

Startups are hard. You join teams that got good write-ups on TechCrunch, have great VCs, have star CEO’s, whatever. We tell startup stories. Our founder, Yves Sisteron, was my mentor and board member at my first startup. Stuart was a co-founder at my first startup company and ended up running global operations.

CTO Hire 320

CTO Hire Startup CTO Coach Venture Capital 320

SoCal CTO

JULY 13, 2011

For example: Entrepreneurship as a Science – The Business Model/Customer Development Stack Customer Development for Web Startups How To Get Your First 1,000 Users Similarly, when you look at IP / Intellectual Property for Startups, it's dominated by Jill Hubbard Bowman 's wonderful content.

Content 175

Content Startup Social Media IP 175

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Every entrepreneur tries to maximize his startup growth by building and selling more product and services for the widest geographic area that he can support. Building through internal development, or organic growth, makes the most sense when you have a core set of skilled internal resources. M&A is “buying” resources for growth.

CTO Hire 91

CTO Hire Startup Outsource Development Resource 91

SoCal CTO

MARCH 28, 2013

Startup Founders really need to see these numbers. Important Implications Well I'm currently working with startup founders on their systems in JRuby, Django, PHP and Java. Most startups do not get a chance to move from one framework to another. And I hope you are not running on Cake PHP when you see these numbers.

Framework 175

Framework Web PHP EC2 175

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2016

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. You need to find the skills or experience you don’t have in business, technology, or money. The value in a startup is all about tangible results, so I see no equity value in the idea alone.

Equity 62

Equity Startup Patents CTO Hire 62

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

I had just left Salesforce.com where I was VP, Products, after they had acquired my second startup. VC is a long-term business Some businesses are overnight successes but few of them really move immediately up and to the right. We have invested in every round and as a result our ownership has actually gone up over time.

Venture Capital 223

Venture Capital IP Startup Google 223

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Southern California has seen a surge in accelerators and incubators looking to spawn new startups in the region. Among those startups is Sandalbay Life , a new healthcare IT firm which is resident at Los Angeles-based StartEngine, the accelerator being run by Howard Marks. I was then recruited to eMind as CTO, which we sold to Kaplan.

Startup 164

Startup Platform Southern California CalTech 164