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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.

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What Startup Advisors Do I Need?

SoCal CTO

You can’t afford and don’t want to hire a full-time CTO or architect. But, advisors, coaches, and mentors can often fill the bill. For me, if I can help you within a couple hours Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions , I’m happy to do that and I don’t expect compensation or equity for that. That’s great advice.

CTO Coach 241
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Lead Developer to CTO at a Startup

SoCal CTO

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
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Advice for CTO Founders: Don't Let Business Kill the Business

SoCal Delicious

Main February 23, 2010 Advice for CTO Founders: Dont Let Business Kill the Business Founding a technology company is an amazing thing. I have met dozens of brilliant technologists with fantastic ideas, ideas requiring nurturing, mentoring and support. So my advice to CTO / Founders? Vaultive « Are Derivatives the Real Problem?

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

Both Sides of the Table

Because I am true to the hiring practices I preach, I wanted a strong exec who would “ punch above their weightclass ” by taking a job they hadn’t yet done but would hugely aspire to and thus work harder to out perform. I acted as the occasional mentor, advisor and coach to Ethan. The company was called Red Beacon.

CTO Coach 359
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Los Angeles Startup Weekend August 2011 | The Complete Breakdown

Tech Zulu Event

We also had awesome group of mentors that included: David Waxman (Co-founder of PeoplePC, Spot Runner and Firefly Network), Paige Craig (CEO of BetterWorks ), Josh MacAdam (Co-founder/CTO at Ming.ly is also hiring. Guests, visitors and teams mingled away enjoying appetizers and snacks along with this LASW’s 3rd keg. Rob Maigret.

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Miigle Revisited | A SoCal Startup With a Global Mission

Tech Zulu Event

You can be an entrepreneur and at the same time you can be a mentor or an investor to someone else’s project. Back then we invested very little in design. I’ve spent time building a team and now we have absolutely a great cast of people. How did you identify what you needed, and how did you come to hire the right people?

SoCal 104