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

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Be Careful About Being a Meddling Startup CEO

Both Sides of the Table

So operating at a higher level, helping to set the framework for decision making and then sitting down and watching the game be played, is certainly the way to go.” The way we dealt with this issue is that we took each senior exec in the company (including the CFO and the CTO) and assigned them to important accounts.

Startup 150
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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. Accounting?

CTO Coach 231
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Top 29 Startup Posts May 2010

SoCal CTO

Continuing my series of posts that I’ve been collecting that live at the intersection of Startups and being a Startup CTO : Startup CTO Top 30 Posts for April 16 Great Startup Posts from March here are the top posts from May 2010. &# The classic framework for analyzing a firm’s strategic position is Michael Porter’s Five Forces.

Startup 248
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Working with Developers

SoCal CTO

I’m challenged getting developers to work with me when I can’t pay them market wages. 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.

Develop 280
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On Leadership, Teams, Success & Happiness

Both Sides of the Table

Some investors are team focused, others market focused, others seems to look for product / market fit. Only then can I even care about product, market or their nebulous “fit.&#. “Imagine you were a Phd wireless chip designer out of UCSD and then Qualcomm. Are you looking for a Phd wireless chip designer?&#.

CTO Hire 363