SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 19, 2012

He wanted to get input from me on what he's doing, and he wants to begin to ask developers what it would take to build his product. I asked some of the same questions I ask in my Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions and then I get to a very common conversation: Me : Do you have specs? Founder : Ummm. what do you mean? Founder : Ummm.

Develop 354

Develop Development Technical Review CTO Coach 354

SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2012

Hiring seems to be the preferred use of seed funds (by investors and founders), whereas I'd prefer a focus on customer acquisition. In many cases, during my Free Startup CTO Consulting Session with them, we discuss where they are in in the process. The startup founder is definitely not ready to hire a CTO. Far from it.

CTO Hire 205

CTO Hire Outsource Development CTO Coach Develop 205

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. Experience.

CTO Hire 400

CTO Hire Fractional VPE Startup Outsource Development 400

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. What is our lifetime customer value and how can we drive that up?

CTO Hire 175

CTO Hire Startup Metrics eHarmony 175

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 6, 2011

I’m going to take that thought out into the field and validate it with my customers." I’ve spoken to dozens of customers, I have a validated customer persona, built an MVP to test key behavioral hypotheses, and the data doesn’t back what you’re saying." Customer Validation 101. " OR… "You’re wrong.

Customer 227

Customer Custom CTO Coach Startup 227

TechEmpower

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

So instead, we fill it with a completely custom blurb, written just for him: Hello! Thanks to his custom blurb, instead of closing his browser and feeling inadequate for the rest of the day, Mark completes his bio and becomes a happy customer. Which means better conversions and happier customers.

Generative AI 295

Generative AI Artificial Inteligence TechEmpower Tips 295

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

Los Angeles-based startup Emotive, which develops conversational text messaging software, said this morning that it has raised $50M in its Series B funding round. Along with the funding, the company said it has named two executives, naming Adam Waid as Chief Customer Officer and Oleg Pylnev as Chief Technology Officer.

Chief Technology Officer 113

Chief Technology Officer SpaceX Commerce Los Angeles 113

SoCal CTO

MAY 18, 2010

Continuing my series of posts that I’ve been collecting that live at the intersection of Startups, Startup Development and being a Startup CTO. Here are a couple of the other collections: 16 Great Startup Posts from March , Startup CTO Top 30 Posts for April. SaaS Conversion: Which metrics matter?

Startup 150

Startup SaaS Metrics Patents 150

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 4, 2011

Almost every day I'm talking to early stage startup founders (see Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions ) about what they plan to do. Many of these founders have talked with several developers or development firms about their plans. Think of these as the big upfront questions: Who are the customers? Are there specs?

Develop 396

Develop Development Startup SEO 396

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 4, 2011

Almost every day I'm talking to early stage startup founders (see Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions ) about what they plan to do. Many of these founders have talked with several developers or development firms about their plans. Think of these as the big upfront questions: Who are the customers? Are there specs?

Develop 384

Develop Development Startup SEO 384

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 30, 2021

The company, founded by ex-Google engineers and colleagues behind the unrequited Bookbot , was formed to develop market-ready tech in self-driving, AI-powered robotics and delivery operations in 2019, but the team has kept operations under wraps until now. With this announcement, Cartken officially comes out of stealth mode.

Google 189

Google Technology Artificial Inteligence Chief Technology Officer 189

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 7, 2009

I've helped organize the Los Angeles CTO Forum for almost 10 years. As part of doing that, I've had the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of different chief technical officers from different kinds of companies over those years. Yes, there are some events around particular technologies. But not really CTO events.

Southern California 150

Southern California Software Development Software Develop 150

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

Kranz, who initially came on board as the company’s chief technology officer, took over the day-to-day operations of Canoo after Stefan Krause, Canoo’s co-founder and chief executive, stepped away from the company in August for personal reasons, as The Verge previously reported. .

Chief Technology Officer 237

Chief Technology Officer Los Angeles Design Outsource Development 237

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 9, 2009

I just had an all-too common conversation with the founder of a startup who had spent more than a year working with a software development company who had produced a mess. The mess really comes from a developer who was willing to get started on a product that was not fully thought out. Who are the customers?

Software Development 292

Software Development Develop Development Startup 292

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 17, 2007

skip to main | skip to sidebar SoCal CTO Saturday, February 17, 2007 Finding Good Developers in Los Angeles? Im part of a CTO group that meets once a month to discuss various topics. About 18 months ago, the entire group began to mention that they were having more difficulty finding good developers.

Los Angeles 150

Los Angeles CTO Hire CTO Coach Develop 150

socalTECH

DECEMBER 2, 2015

Irvine-based AutoAlert , a provider of data mining and lead generation tools for auto dealerships, said Tuesday that it has acquired MotoFuze , a company developing customer experience management software for the auto industry. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed.

Chief Technology Officer 100

Chief Technology Officer Equity Sales Tool 100

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2013

Slavin was previously a developer of real estate in the Los Angeles area, and according to the firm is a managing partner at private equity firm Napias Group. According to Privlo said the new funding will go to expand on its recently pilot of its platform, which helps match up private lenders and mortgage borrowers. READ MORE>>.

Chief Technology Officer 215

Chief Technology Officer CitySearch Ticketmaster Santa Monica 215

socalTECH

AUGUST 19, 2019

Los Angeles-based private equity investor OpenGate Capital announced this morning that it has acquired Chicago-based InRule Technology , a developer of decision management and business rules management software. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. READ MORE>>.

Capital 113

Capital Technology Equity Acquisition 113

socalTECH

JANUARY 31, 2018

Long Beach-based Funraise , which develops nonprofit fundraising software, has raised $9.7M Funraise was founded by Justin Wheeler (CEO), Tony Sasso (CPO), and Jason Swenski (CTO). The company said it already has 28 full time employees, and nearly 400 customers. Funraise has now raised $13M in total. READ MORE>>.

Long Beach 113

Long Beach Customer Custom Capital 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 9, 2017

Los Angeles-based Exym , which develops cloud-based EHR software used by outpatient behavioral clinics, has received an investment from private equity investor Alpine Investors. Terms of the deal were not announced. According to Exym, the transaction is with Alpine Investors V, VI, and VI-A, LP. Exym was founded in 2004. READ MORE>>.

Funding 113

Funding Equity Los Angeles Software 113

socalTECH

JUNE 27, 2011

San Diego-based Nirvanix , the developer of cloud storage services, has snagged Google's former Head of Global Data Center Infrastructure, the firm said today. Nirvanix said it has appointed Paul Froutan as its Chief Technology Officer, reporting to President and CEO Scott Genereux. READ MORE>>.

Google 133

Google Chief Technology Officer San Diego Report 133

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 1, 2019

Using its proprietary printing technology, Relativity says it can slash the time it takes to develop a rocket from design to launch by up to two years. Relativity Space chief technology officer Jordan Noone next to one of the company’s 3-D printers. ” .

Chief Technology Officer 168

Chief Technology Officer SpaceX Los Angeles Venture Capital 168

socalTECH

JULY 28, 2017

Irvine-based CrowdStrike , which develops endpoint protection software, said earlier this week that it has launched a new search engine for cybersecurity data, called CrowdStrike Falcon Search Engine. CrowdStrike is led by security veteran and former McAfee CTO George Kurtz. Pricing on the new offering was not announced.

Southern California 113

Southern California Research Pricing Tool 113

TechEmpower

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Enhancing Front-End Product Search We also developed a front-end search tool that revolutionized the way users search for products. cto , infotech , innovation , product , project , saas This has significantly reduced the time team members spend searching for information, enabling them to stay focused on their core tasks.

Generative AI 346

Generative AI Artificial Inteligence Tool Knowledge Base 346

socalTECH

APRIL 9, 2018

Manhattan Beach-based SPIDR Tech , which is developing software for law enforcement which provides customer relationship management (CRM)-type features for police departments, has raised $2.5M The company was founded by Rahul Sidhu (CEO) and Kenaniah Cerny (CTO). in a funding round.

Manhattan Beach 100

Manhattan Beach Software Activity Report 100

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

At Silicon Beach Fest Hollywood 2012 Kevin Winston organized a panel called “How to Find and Hire a Developer”. Always have a developer do a test project before hiring them to make sure they deliver quality work. This means selling at least 5-10 customers in advance, before it is even built. Ask for is code samples.

CTO Hire 81

CTO Hire Outsource Development Develop Development 81

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 2, 2018

Bitvore has created an intelligence gathering and analysis system--originally developed for secretive intelligence agencies--but is now being used by finance and Wall Street customers to mine data for tracking investments. The company's President, Jeff Curie, was also an executive at Access360, IBM, and SupplyFrame.

Artificial Inteligence 170

Artificial Inteligence Tech Coast Angels Funding IBM 170

SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2013

I'm going to be looking at aspects like: Things to consider before building your MVP Features often overlooked when documenting an MVP for developers Understanding important metrics you want to measure Risks and challenges in developing an MVP. Have you conducted Problem, Solution and Feature Interviews with customers?

CTO Coach 219

CTO Coach Metrics Framework Software Development 219

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2022

The reason is that good attributes apply equally well to “external” partners, as they do to internal partners, like a co-founder or CTO. If both of you are experts at software development, even though one loves design and the other loves coding, that still won’t get the marketing done. Conflicting visions won’t work.

Software Review 154

Software Review CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 154

socalTECH

APRIL 24, 2013

Newport Beach-based software defined networking (SDN) technology developer Jeda Networks has announced its first product, the Fabric Network Controller (FNC). Jeda said its product sill start shipping to early customers in May, with general availability in summer. Berman is the former CTO of Emulex. Jeda is backed by U.S.

Networking 147

Networking Product Miramar Software 147

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. Accounting?

CTO Coach 231

CTO Coach CTO Hire Outsource Development Develop 231

socalTECH

AUGUST 9, 2012

The startup--which is backed by Foundry Group, Highway 12 Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners and others--lists software engineering, big data, customer support, online marketing, and other positions in Anaheim, a location it added in August of last year. SendGrid is based in Boulder, Colorado. READ MORE>>.

CTO Hire 157

CTO Hire Orange County Email Software Engineering 157

socalTECH

MARCH 24, 2011

CrowdGather said Scherzay joins from Elexity Systems, where he was co-founder and CTO. Elexity was behind the DentalSenders.com patient communications systems which was acquired by Futuredontics. The firm also said that Scherzay has served at Alcatel-Lucent, Clarent, and Spirent Communications.

Woodland Hills 154

Woodland Hills Social Network Web Networking 154

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

The conversation centered around a founder who's key question is "Where Do I Find a Developer for My Startup?" His goal was to find a programmer who would come in as an early partner and work as an Equity-Only Developer. Have you tested the concept with customers using paper? Have you signed some test customers?

Guide 349

Guide Startup Mobile Framework 349

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 27, 2007

skip to main | skip to sidebar SoCal CTO Tuesday, February 27, 2007 Stanford Podcasts - eHarmony - Greg Waldorf I was just pointed to a set of great podcasts done by Stanford B-School and particularly, I just listed to the podcast by eHarmonys Greg Waldorf. He has twenty years’ experience as a CTO.

eHarmony 150

eHarmony CTO Coach CTO Hire Southern California 150

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. By going on sales calls you pick up directly the feedback of what customers want and also what they’re telling you about competition.

Startup 308

Startup CTO Coach Technical Review CTO Hire 308

SoCal CTO

MARCH 20, 2007

Tony Karrer is CEO/CTO of TechEmpower , a Los Angeles Web Development firm, and is considered one of the top technologists in e-Learning. 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?

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Guide CTO Coach Southern California 150