SoCal CTO

JULY 13, 2011

This site aggregates and filters content from thought leaders who talk about topics such as Marketing , Sales , Design , Revenue , Hiring , Social Media , Business Models , Metrics , PR , Venture Capital , Angel Investors , Bootstrapping , Incubators , Agile and many others.

Content 175

Content Startup Social Media IP 175

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2017

As a long-time business advisor and angel investor, I’m a believer that “two heads are better than one” in building a new business. The reason is that good attributes apply equally well to “external” partners, as they do to internal partners, like a co-founder or CTO. Carry minimal historical baggage.

Software Review 56

Software Review CTO Hire Outsource Development CTO Coach 56

SoCal CTO

JULY 23, 2012

I seem to encounter a lot of people who want to attach a CTO label to me as I'm the only programmer on the founding team of three. While I do fill that role at the moment, I'm a little hesitant to refer to myself as a CTO as we still haven't launched a product, acquired a single user, or turned or a penny in profit. Who will do that?

CTO Coach 231

CTO Coach CTO Hire Outsource Development Develop 231

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2013

VCs and Angel investors like to see a startup that is running lean and mean, with no more than three or four of the conventional C-level or VP titles. The most common ones I see and salute are CEO, CFO, and CTO. More executives, or other more creative titles are seen as a big red flag. Chief Human Resources Officer (VP Personnel).

Startup 97

Startup Invest CTO Hire Cloud Computing 97

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

You’re sales person is getting blocked by the CTO who says she shouldn’t go above him but the CTO isn’t approving the deal. A couple of quick stories / examples: 1. There’s a guy in Los Angeles that I met at several tech networking events. Should she take a chance and potentially ruffle feathers?

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

socalTECH

MAY 2, 2017

For example, if they were working a deal, they would have to wait until it closed to get another deal. He's the former CTO at Stocktwits, and he did the analysis and found out a lot of stuff. What we've done a lot is really focused on hiring. We said, huh, are there any patterns these top agents were doing that others weren't?

Sales 145

Sales Startup Email Tool 145

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 1, 2010

VCs and angel investors like to see a startup that is running lean and mean, with no more than three or four of the conventional C-level or VP titles. The most common ones I see and salute are CEO, CFO, and CTO. More executives, or other more creative titles are seen as a big red flag. Chief Human Resources Officer (VP Personnel).

Startup 90

Startup CTO Hire Cloud Computing CIO 90

socalTECH

JUNE 9, 2014

Los Angeles-based Jukin Media (www.jukinmedia.com) thinks it has figured that out, and instead of trying to create viral videos, has been buying up the rights to those videos--before they really go viral--to create not just a one-hit, viral video wonder, but a sustainable business. We can bring in a clip, cleared in about eight hours.

Media 235

Media Content Startup IP 235

socalTECH

MARCH 31, 2014

Bitvore is based in Irvine, and is backed by serial entrepreneur Yuri Pikover, as well as other angels. A good example of this, we can keep track of a supply chain. I was hired to head up strategy, marketing development, and product management. It wouldn''t be covered in the Los Angeles Times, and not by the San Diego papers.

Orange County 245

Orange County Startup News IBM 245

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

That means skip the jargon and include explanations and examples. A CEO who has “been there and done that” is traction, especially if teamed with a financial lead (CFO) and a product lead (CTO). Funding for pre-revenue startups used to be the domain of angel investors, but they have moved up-stage.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

That means skip the jargon and include explanations and examples. A CEO who has “been there and done that” is traction, especially if teamed with a financial lead (CFO) and a product lead (CTO). Funding for pre-revenue startups used to be the domain of angel investors, but they have moved up-stage.

Startup 104

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

That means skip the jargon and include explanations and examples. A CEO who has “been there and done that” is traction, especially if teamed with a financial lead (CFO) and a product lead (CTO). Funding for pre-revenue startups used to be the domain of angel investors, but they have moved up-stage.

Startup 101

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

That means skip the jargon and include explanations and examples. A CEO who has “been there and done that” is traction, especially if teamed with a financial lead (CIO) and a product lead (CTO). Funding for pre-revenue startups used to be the domain of angel investors, but they have moved up-stage.

Tips 88

Tips Startup CTO Hire Press 88

Tech Zulu Event

JUNE 16, 2014

For example, take someone who is developing a travel solution as a mobile application. How did you identify what you needed, and how did you come to hire the right people? Our co-founder and CTO, Josh Fester and I met each other online and within a month he moved from St Louis to LA. We’ve been working on Miigle ever since.

SoCal 104

SoCal Southern California Startup Platform 104

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

aka: An Open Letter to the Next Big Social Network) - 500 Hats , November 1, 2010 I've held off writing this post for a long time, because I couldn't quite get my head around all the issues. Want to know, for example, why Foursquare uses MongoDB to store check-in information? Call it facts for hire. Hiring The Right Candidate.

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Startup Product Technology 175

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

August was a slow month in terms of traffic and I was away for a lot of the month, but there were some really great posts at the intersection of startups, technology, product and being a Startup CTO. Every time I see my graduate students try to teach for the first time, it’s usually so painful I bite my lip. Example: Netflix).

Startup 191

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Hire 191

Frank Addante

JUNE 4, 2006

We initially hired him as our in-house recruiter. Tim did such a great job of hiring the best, brightest people so quickly that our company infrastructure wasn’t keeping up. Our IT group was not able to support all of the new people we hired. As CTO, it was my job to solve this problem. Tim was my right arm at L90.

Startup 40

Startup Venture Capital Email CTO Hire 40

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 5, 2010

Great content again in September that meets at the intersection of startups, technology, product and being a Startup CTO. 8220; His three things (worth reading his whole post anyway) are set vision/strategy and communicate broadly, recruit/hire/retain top talent, and make sure there’s enough cash in the bank. It’s great advice.

Startup 191

Startup Product Technology Venture Capital 191

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2012

Sacrifice and time commitment. A part-time commitment, while holding down a “real” paying job, is obviously not the same as a full-time executive role, especially if the cash compensation is nonexistent, deferred, or at high risk. Who will be the CEO, CFO, and CTO?

Startup 101

Startup Entrepreneur Equity CTO Hire 101

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2010

Sacrifice and time commitment. A part-time commitment, while holding down a “real” paying job, is obviously not the same as a full-time executive role, especially if the cash compensation is nonexistent, deferred, or at high risk. Who will be the CEO, CFO, and CTO?

Equity 91

Equity Startup CTO Hire CTO Coach 91

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 5, 2010

CEO, VP Products and CTO must all be in the physical location. This is a topic that comes up often in Los Angeles because many CEOs are tempted to hire their tech teams in the Bay Area. I prefer the first sales hires to be in the home office. Here are my personal biases: 1. If they’re not I won’t fund.

Technical Advisors 335

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Offshore Startup 335