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.

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SoCal CTO

JANUARY 26, 2010

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.

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socalTECH

AUGUST 2, 2013

Are you a startup founder wishing you could find someone more experience to help meet other entrepeneurs, get some advice, and help you figure out the issues you face? According to Diep, the group is now holding one event a month to connect mentors and mentees. READ MORE>>.

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SoCal CTO

MARCH 9, 2010

In my post, Technology Roles in Startups , I described some of the different ways I engage with startup companies such as CTO Founder , CTO , Part-Time CTO , Acting CTO , Consultant, Advisor and Advisory Board Member. Now, most often technical advisors are part of a broader advisory board.

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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. Of course, that doesn’t help here. Actually, I should start by saying – I’m not a lawyer and you might want to get someone who can help you understand your position here.

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SoCal CTO

MAY 19, 2008

Andrew Warner from Mixergy posted - Before Looking for Funding, Get an Advisor. Of course, it's sometimes hard to find advisors. Like Christian Gammil (who I recommend as an advisor) working with entrepreneurs is something I really enjoy. eHarmony for start-up / advisor relationships? That's great advice.

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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. My general answer is “no.”

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

He had an idea for a startup that would help consumers better book service jobs and would take on Service Magic, which he believed had a business model that could be disrupted. I acted as the occasional mentor, advisor and coach to Ethan. When Ethan was considering leaving Google we talked about it. So there you have it.

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SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Equity-Only CTO and Equity-Only Developers Technology Roles in Startups Want to Know the Difference Between a CTO and a VP Engineering? In this talk, we spent most of our time on Technical Advisors: Every Web/Mobile Startup Must Have One and how they should be helping you: Specify the right things to be built.

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SoCal CTO

MAY 21, 2013

These are often the same things that cause a founder to reach out to me about helping their CTO, VP Engineering, tech team, off-shore development, etc. CTO Knowledge and Skill I personally believe that the best CTOs will have a technical/developer background. Some of the top symptoms are: Frequently missed deadlines.

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SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2012

In the mean time, if you need some extra help, get some contractors to test out specific things. 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. Far from it.

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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. Of course, that doesn’t help here. Actually, I should start by saying – I’m not a lawyer and you might want to get someone who can help you understand your position here.

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CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach Equity 150

SoCal CTO

APRIL 28, 2014

I just need you for a few hours to help me move this weekend.” I.e., they need a developer more than they need a CTO. Ideally, you would have had a technical advisor, had better up-front definition, had more iteration, then you would not be in this situation. You also should never say something like, “We just need to add X.”

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SoCal CTO

MARCH 12, 2012

" Typically, this requires quite a bit more information for me to be able to respond and provide real help. Your technical advisor can likely help. They often can help a lot in navigating to expertise and to possible resources. Do you have dollars to pay for development? Ask around for ideas on where they hang out.

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SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

Some really great stuff in 2010 that aims to help startups around product, technology, business models, etc. 500 Hats , February 1, 2010 When to Use Facebook Connect – Twitter Oauth – Google Friend Connect for Authentication? 500 Hats , February 1, 2010 When to Use Facebook Connect – Twitter Oauth – Google Friend Connect for Authentication?

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Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

You’ll get sales information from your VP of Sales, marketing information from your VP Marketing, tech information from your CTO and so on. But I knew that to be a good decision maker I needed first hand knowledge rather than just a summary from my CTO. But as a CEO you can’t rely solely on this information.

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socalTECH

JUNE 1, 2012

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. It helps local businesses, events, and brands to promote themselves, based on the location of their users. What is MergeLocal?

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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.

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SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

We have a number of startups (or pre-startups) that we are helping get launched. We are not “finders” and usually serve the role of advisor and attorney. Sometimes we draft business plans and coach the entrepreneurs on their pitch, and sometimes we even help develop a business model. What are you working on now?

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SoCal CTO

MAY 27, 2010

And there are all sorts of different kinds of technical people who might help with getting that product to happen. There are a bunch of questions in Startup Software Development – Do Your Homework Before You Develop Anything and in Startup CTO or Developer. This is somewhat the heart of what a CTO does. It’s a painful situation.

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SoCal CTO

MARCH 1, 2007

skip to main | skip to sidebar SoCal CTO Thursday, March 1, 2007 Entreprenuer Network Great post by Ben Kuo - The Importance of the “Network&# to Entrepreneurs - the informal connections between people in the technology industry here who have a vested interest in helping entrepreneurs take their companies to the next level.

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SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Beware of Mentors. " Today I had two conversations with early stage startups (see Free CTO Consulting ). In both cases, I was the mentor telling the person that the idea, as I understood it was "not great." I saw a great post from Tristan Kromer Pivoting on Investor Feedback a.k.a Either: "That’s interesting.

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socalTECH

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

In what has been an unprecedented surge in interest in helping entrepreneurs, there have been more than a half dozen accelerators--most patterned after the successful YCombinator and TechStars programs elsewhere in the country--established in Southern California in the last month or so. How many companies will you be helping in each class?

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Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2014

I will soon announce a few fundings (not yet closed, sorry) and I’m beginning to help them think about how to ramp up their engineering teams. And I spoke with the CTO of another great company I used to be on the board of and enlisted his support in potentially being an advisor to one company. How did I get here?

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Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2014

Many startups now go through accelerators and have mentors passing through each day with advice – usually it’s conflicting. Of course triangulation is a mathematics term that is used in sailing and other activities to help you better navigate when you don’t have your bearings. What is a founder to do? For example: 1.

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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. Yes, I know it’s my job as the CEO to be the coach for people and that’s fine. but there are some people you just take an (extra) liking to and want to help. he asked.

Entrepreneur 414

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SoCal CTO

MARCH 20, 2007

skip to main | skip to sidebar SoCal CTO Tuesday, March 20, 2007 Kevin Federline Search Engine Just saw a post - Sleep with a pop star, get your own branded search engine. Disclosure: we helped build the system that is behind these.) He has twenty years’ experience as a CTO.

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SoCal CTO

MARCH 12, 2007

skip to main | skip to sidebar SoCal CTO Monday, March 12, 2007 MyShape Article - Analyst Misses the Point The NY Times did a piece today on MyShape, a start-up in Pasadena - Log in Your Measurements, and the Clothes May Fit. Having help narrowing choices is what its going to be about going forward.

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socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Earlier this month, Los Angeles-based LifeCrowd (www.lifecrowd.com) unveiled its service to help connect people with real life activities. Tony Adam is an advisor, he was formerly at MySpace. Another guy who is helping is Richard Yen, who is at Saban Capital, and has joined as an advisor.

Startup 271

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SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 17, 2007

skip to main | skip to sidebar SoCal CTO Saturday, February 17, 2007 A Different Kind of Incubator - The Hive I recently met with The Hive a new incubator in Orange County. What can they do for funding, where can they go for help? He has twenty years’ experience as a CTO.

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SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

But I thought I at least needed to do a post that made a few suggestions on how to avoid this situation: Keep your Eyes Open for the Symptoms of a Weak Development Team Hire a Part-Time CTO , Technology Advisor , or Acting CTO to help you keep an eye on what's going and increase your chances.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2013

He joined when Maker was a small, chaotic organization and helped bridge our talented creative team with the outside world of investor, brands, partners & press. Another major hire was Ryan Lissack who joined as CTO. Ynon started as shareholder, board member & advisor and switches to full-time executive.

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InfoChachkie

JANUARY 23, 2012

1) Get A Mentor. "I Given Facebook's numerous corporate governance mistakes during its early days, Mark would have been well served to have cultivated a mentorship with one or more savvy Advisors. " I recently performed a 360-Review on two Co-Founders who were the company's CEO and CTO. " [Tweet this quote].

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

Understanding where your VC partner sits in their respective fund and where their fund is in the cycle of its investment lifecycle will help you understand your VCs behavior. In addition to helping manage the board Chris also helps represent the interests of the angel investors / common stock holders.

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SoCal CTO

MARCH 22, 2007

skip to main | skip to sidebar SoCal CTO Thursday, March 22, 2007 Discussion Creation Among Bloggers - LinkedIn, Blogging and Discussion Groups Ive been participating in a Yahoo Group that are users of LinkedIn and who are Bloggers: [link] Its an interesting group of folks from diverse backgrounds. Maybe this meme will help.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

Our founder, Yves Sisteron, was my mentor and board member at my first startup. Stuart Lander has joined Upfront Ventures to help us run operations. We brought Ryan Lissack down from San Francisco to become Maker’s CTO and the rest is history. Mafias matter a lot to me, as well. In a way my firm at Upfront is mafia.

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SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 3, 2009

Please join LA Scrum Club and Rally Software for a special evening on Monday, February 9th with local Agile luminaries: Christophe Louvion, CTO of Gorilla Nation, Scott Downey, ScrumMaster at MySpace, and George Schlitz, Principal Coach at Big Visible Solutions.At

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