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. That’s why Roger Smith puts the focus of the CTO on programming for the earliest stage.

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Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2010

Because more technology people probably read startup blogs I’m guessing this post will come under more scrutiny. The terms “CTO&# and “VP Engineering&# have such stigmas associated with what they are that I’m sure some people will feel uncomfortable with the definitions I’ve put forward.

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SoCal CTO

MAY 21, 2012

So, here goes: Dr. Tony Karrer Over the past 15 years, Tony has been a part-time CTO for more than 30 startups. Most notably, he was the original CTO for eHarmony for its first four years making him partly responsible for more than 4% of the marriages every year. Tony has a Ph.D.

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TechEmpower

JULY 24, 2023

Still, if you’re a business leader and your developers haven’t asked you these questions, look for a Fractional CTO to help navigate the critical early stage of development. Do you have a custom algorithm or other technology? The innovator/developer relationship needs to be a conversation. Where’s the mystery?

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SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2012

Using my StartupRoar as a radar, I came across a great post by Gabriel Weinberg Do you really need a full-time hire for that? Hiring seems to be the preferred use of seed funds (by investors and founders), whereas I'd prefer a focus on customer acquisition. In other words, they come in asking for help with sourcing and hiring.

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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.

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SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 10, 2012

It was like having a bunch of mini- Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions all in one room. Structure development contracts appropriately or directing the in-house team appropriately. Structure development contracts appropriately or directing the in-house team appropriately. Would you create contracts without an attorney?

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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

MAY 13, 2014

You can’t afford and don’t want to hire a full-time CTO or architect. While Bob’s post focuses on Technology Advisors and the Startup Founder Developer Gap , we also discussed advisors more broadly. This might be technology, marketing, sales, operations, international expansion, etc.

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SoCal CTO

MAY 15, 2009

Just a quick note that I'll be moderating a Technology Council Event : Social Networking as a Business Strategy May 19, 2009 - Culver City Social networking media are used on a daily basis to grow businesses and expand career opportunities. Majid Abai, CEO of Pringo Majid Abai is the Chief Executive of Pringo, Inc.

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SoCal CTO

MARCH 5, 2007

Common revenue streams are consulting, training, support, customization, upgraded versions for corporate applications, etc. He has twenty years’ experience as a CTO. He has been the CTO for several start-ups, most notably eHarmony. ► February (2) CTO Founders / Cofounders Part-Time Startup CTO?

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Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 1, 2015

Sure, there are roles like CTO or CIO, but the input and decision making process has remained fairly static. Technology is author of the boardroom revolution. Many of today’s younger generations, as with previous generations have become eager to make a difference through advancements in technology. Today’s boardroom.

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socalTECH

JANUARY 2, 2014

It''s never a great time: you figure out you have a legal problem, and need to find a lawyer. The old way was difficult, time consuming, and often expensive; referrals, calling up lawyers, going through initial consultations. They''re actually initial consultations, ranging from divorce to DUI. But, how do you start?

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Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Most of them are completely mundane such as choosing which: bank, office space, 1-year lease vs. 2-year lease, logo, URL, pricing structure or which VC. The technology team disagrees on direction and wants resolutions. So we discussed his ideas several times. Your head of sales thinks she should fire somebody.

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socalTECH

MARCH 26, 2014

For a couple of years, I was the head of a boutique software consulting firm based in El Segundo. I founded that with the former CTO of my first company, Kevin Smilak, who now works at Google. We were hired by a company that did outsourced medical billing and consulting for physicial medicine and rehab doctors.

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 5, 2010

They often make great team members such as head of products, CTO, head of sales, CFO, etc. He was from South America but living in Switzerland and had launched a startup while holding down a day job at a consulting firm (McKinsey if memory serves). Your financial risks of starting most technology companies these days are so low.

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Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 3, 2012

A technology that will surely revolutionize how viewers interact with content and television in the very near future. The implications of what types of new interactive experiences can be made utilizing this technology are phenomenal. All of this is made possible by Coincident’s ScreenSync TV technology. Cool, right?

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SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

If you do not break it down into small pieces, its hard to make progress with part-time resources, freelancers, etc. Equity-Only CTO and Equity-Only Developers Technology Roles in Startups Want to Know the Difference Between a CTO and a VP Engineering? Third party products are used appropriately.

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SoCal CTO

MARCH 4, 2010

I’ve worked with 30+ early-stage companies in all sorts of capacities (and spoken to many, many more), so I thought it might be worthwhile trying to classify the various ways that I’ve engaged in different technology roles in startups. It depends on the business, people, technologies, etc. Each situation is just a bit different.

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socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2010

On the SAT/ACT side, in classroom tutoring, we have used our technology to automate the back office. That's a big part of it. It might not be problems in geometry, it might be because students can't add fractions in algebra. Ramit Varma: We talk about it in two different ways.

Software Review 178

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SoCal CTO

APRIL 28, 2014

I.e., they need a developer more than they need a CTO. What happens when you have a really good developer is that a gap exists where you may not ask the right questions to specify the right system, consider appropriate 3rd party technologies, etc. Many are not interested in 3rd party technologies that can streamline development.

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SoCal CTO

APRIL 9, 2013

They''ve been in talks with some consulting companies, but don''t quite the know the criteria for evaluating them and things like references(and where to get them). Are there particular technologies or platforms involved? Have they used the technologies that are involved in your project? Or are you starting from scratch?

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InfoChachkie

JULY 14, 2011

This is especially true for companies with expensive and complex products or services that are more consultative in nature, like insurance, financial services, home services, education and travel, etc. At CallWave, Colin was CTO, Jason was CFO and I was in charge of product marketing and customer acquisition.

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SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

I continue to collect great content that is the intersection of startups, products, online and technology. Equity-Only CTO and Equity-Only Developers - SoCal CTO , November 1, 2010 I had a recent email dialog with the founder of a company looking for a CTO for their startup. Call it facts for hire.

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Frank Addante

JUNE 4, 2006

the Rubicon Project (Internet Advertising Technology) Status: Pre-Launch Visit the Rubicon Project Website Startup 5.0: Wireless & Voice Application Software) Exit: technology acquired Lesson: Timing is critical. Wireless & Voice Application Software) Exit: technology acquired Lesson: Timing is critical.

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