article thumbnail

Startup Mentors

SoCal CTO

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
article thumbnail

Don’t Do Tequila Shots With Your Mentor

InfoChachkie

Mentor relationships are not immune to the laws of human interactions. Without active management on the part of the protégé, the meetings with their mentor will become less frequent and less impactful, ultimately accelerating the end of the relationship. Stages Of A Typical Mentor Relationship. Access part I HERE.

CTO Coach 241
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Startup CTO or Developer

SoCal CTO

I’ve been having discussions with several people recently about the role of the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) in very early stage companies. In December 2007, I described how I commonly take on an Acting CTO Role in a Start-up. I used an image from Roger Smith that describes the varying roles of a CTO as the company matures.

article thumbnail

Why Solving Big Food & Healthcare Problems Will Yield Spectacular Companies

Both Sides of the Table

We believe that it is incrementally harder to differentiate on simple Internet products or mobile apps and while great companies are built doing this, our goal as a fund is to try and fund things that can be 100x returns if they work. We’re not Pollyannaish about this. In short, we’re after venture returns.

Company 207
article thumbnail

Interview with Howard Marks, Start Engine

socalTECH

Are you an entrepreneur hoping to startup a company in the Los Angeles area? The program is basically to take entrepreneurs, pair them with a mentor who is also an entrepreneur themselves, either a CEO or a CTO. It's structured so that they get funding, office space, all of the Internet resources, tools they need from mentors.

CTO Coach 194
article thumbnail

Interview with Michael Wong, MergeLocal

socalTECH

We caught up with co-founder Michael Wong , who told us about how the company is looking to change the model for local check-ins, and also help businesses with getting the word out about their services. What's your background, and how did you decide to start the company? Can you talk about how your company is funded?

CTO Coach 223
article thumbnail

Announcing a Deal I’ve Wanted to Talk About for a Year

Both Sides of the Table

I’m super excited to announce that GRP Partners led the investment in Ethan Anderson’s new company MyTime (link has LA-based merchants but will give you a good feel for the product). BuildOnline (the company I founded) has just announcement plans to be more aggressive in growing in the US. Let me not bury the lede.

CTO Coach 359