SoCal CTO

MAY 21, 2013

I''m spending more of my time recently working with non-technical startup founders who are having challenges with their software/web/mobile development teams. Common Signals I''ve written previously about Symptoms of a Weak Development Team. Delivery of code/product that clearly has not been tested. Is there a lot of rework?

CTO Coach 219

CTO Coach Develop Development Startup 219

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 19, 2012

I was talking with an early-stage founder who has a product vision and wants to get it built. 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. Me : Product definition, use cases, feature list, wireframes, comps, really whatever you have.

Develop 354

Develop Development Technical Review CTO Coach 354

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Based on my posts Startup CTO or Developer and Acting CTO , Chris O’Meara wrote an interesting post Startup CTO: Could It Work? They tend to know where to find good help in terms of employees and consultants. Common sense says you'd do your best to hire or otherwise permanently engage that lead developer.

CTO Hire 150

CTO Hire Startup Guide Examples 150

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.

CTO Hire 400

CTO Hire Fractional VPE Startup Outsource Development 400

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Are you a non-technical startup founder who’s about to go have a conversation with a Chief Technical Officer (CTO) or Technical advisory type person? Maybe you are going for a reality check on your current situation - wondering if you have a Weak Development Team or a Startup Founder Developer Gap.

CTO Coach 211

CTO Coach Startup Web Guide 211

TechEmpower

AUGUST 21, 2023

We hear them explain that their current software development is expensive, deliveries are rarely on time, and random bugs appear. Common Signs You Need a Technical Review We’ve already mentioned the most common signs that you might need a technical review: Slow or late delivery: “I’ve authorized two new developers, and we’re still behind.”

Technical Review 260

Technical Review Development Team Review Software Review TechEmpower 260

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. He is a frequent speaker at trade and industry events.

CTO Hire 175

CTO Hire Startup Metrics eHarmony 175

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 11, 2012

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 -- Managing Your Product/Service Lifecycle. Your product is just about to go out the door. But how do you ensure that your product or service is what the customer really wants, needs and will pay for? Youre reviewing your launch plan and task assignments. See [link] (more)

Product 100

Product Services TechEmpower Competition 100

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 10, 2012

I did a presentation recently for a graduate class from The Founder Institute around getting online/mobile products out the door. It was like having a bunch of mini- Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions all in one room. Third party products are used appropriately. Plan for past the initial MVP. Tactical Technical Advisor.

Technical Advisors 332

Technical Advisors CTO Coach Technical Review CTO Hire 332

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. Do you transact immediately or on delivery of some product or service? Wireframes?

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. Do you transact immediately or on delivery of some product or service? Wireframes?

Develop 384

Develop Development Startup SEO 384

SoCal CTO

APRIL 9, 2013

I''ve written before about finding Web Development Firms in Los Angeles. I just got an email asking about exactly this: I''m with a new company that needs some software built, but doesn''t need (or have the resources for) a large staff of software developers. You will find firms that are design/interface heavy and light on development.

Web Development 204

Web Development Web Develop Development 204

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2021

Every entrepreneur tries to maximize his startup growth by building and selling more product and services for the widest geographic area that he can support. Building through internal development, or organic growth, makes the most sense when you have a core set of skilled internal resources. External scanning for resources.

Organization 132

Organization CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 132

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. Through this he defined aspects like “deep dives into our marketing strategy” and “product feedback and product strategy.”

CTO Coach 241

CTO Coach Startup CTO Hire Template 241

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 10, 2009

He has a really interesting background as a product manager and now an entrepreneur. Like many product managers, my background is fairly eclectic. That's where I learned I enjoyed interacting with customers and working with development teams to build and launch products. Tell me a bit about your background.

Product 150

Product Entrepreneur Social Media Google 150

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 15, 2009

Steve Gilison worked as a market researcher and product manager at a startup where my company, TechEmpower , did the software / web development. I have about 11 years in the technology sector including roles doing market research, sales and product development. Most people think they can do product design.

Los Angeles 179

Los Angeles Product Angel Startup 179

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 6, 2011

" Today I had two conversations with early stage startups (see Free CTO Consulting ). " One was an enterprise software product. Would it take more work to sell the enterprise product than they could make on it? The other was a consumer play with possible viral growth. Neither felt like a slam dunk.

Customer 227

Customer Custom CTO Coach Startup 227

SoCal CTO

MAY 15, 2009

Social networking sites and microblogs are used not only to build company brands, but to foster productivity; social media tools help build communities around the question, "What are you working on?" Formerly, he was Managing Director of both Product Management and of Business Development at Los Angeles Times Interactive.

Social Network 150

Social Network Networking Yammer CTO Hire 150

socalTECH

AUGUST 5, 2013

Unlike those, however, one of the latest projects, ActiveReplay (www.activereplay.com) has some serious, experienced executives behind it, who have the experience in designing hardware devices--in the form of CEO Dr. Anatole Lokshin, who helped create the consumer GPS market as the CTO of Magellan Navigation. How did that happen?

Startup 166

Startup Examples Design Product 166

SoCal CTO

MARCH 5, 2007

There are quite a few other Software Development Companies in Southern California working on open source and/or freemium business models. Common revenue streams are consulting, training, support, customization, upgraded versions for corporate applications, etc. He has twenty years’ experience as a CTO.

Southern California 150

Southern California CTO Coach CTO Hire Social Media 150

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 what you can without development? Ask a few CTO type people. Is it big data?

Guide 349

Guide Startup Mobile Framework 349

SoCal CTO

APRIL 28, 2014

There was a lot of passion in the room last week when I presented Working with Developers at the Stubbs Precellerator. I guess it should not be a surprise that Founders have lots of challenges working with developers. But my developers want to go into way too much detail. In fact, they often don’t really understand the business.

Develop 280

Develop Development CTO Coach CTO Hire 280

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2013

Every entrepreneur tries to maximize his startup growth by building and selling more product and services for the widest geographic area that he can support. Building through internal development, or organic growth, makes the most sense when you have a core set of skilled internal resources. External scanning for resources.

Acquisition 88

Acquisition CTO Hire Startup Outsource Development 88

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 what you can without development? Ask a few CTO type people. Is it big data?

Guide 296

Guide Startup Mobile Framework 296

socalTECH

JANUARY 2, 2014

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. That''s how we ended up developing this technology, to take that initial step out of the process. But, how do you start?

Help 240

Help Startup CTO Hire Pricing 240

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Every entrepreneur tries to maximize his startup growth by building and selling more product and services for the widest geographic area that he can support. Building through internal development, or organic growth, makes the most sense when you have a core set of skilled internal resources. External scanning for resources.

CTO Hire 91

CTO Hire Startup Outsource Development Resource 91

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 25, 2011

The invitation-only attendees included founders, business development leaders, and marketing directors from companies big and small, including NBCUniversal, Mobclix, DDB Los Angeles, Airpush, adly, Mobile Roadie, Disney Animation Studios, BetterWorks, and more. Having previously worked at notable companies including Myspace, PayPal, Yahoo!

Social Media 71

Social Media Mobile SEO Media 71

SoCal CTO

MARCH 18, 2010

Vince: I’m an author, speaker and management consultant with a special expertise in online media sales. Today I lead a small consultancy that helps advertising supported develop and scale the revenue producing sides of their businesses. Our current focus is Actors and Actresses and we are moving into other verticals.

Startup 225

Startup Los Angeles Social Network Twiistup 225

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 15, 2011

Tony is currently Founder/CEO for Eventify, an LA-based startup creating a venue marketplace, and Visible Factors, an SEO consulting company. Matthew’s passion is partnering with brands to help build community, optimize operations, and develop a strong digital strategy. Tony has previously worked for organizations like PayPal, Yahoo!

SEO 85

SEO CTO Coach Conference Social Media 85

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. But “he didn’t have the budget to hire a developer until he had raised money!&#. He went out and found a developer and built a product. He looked stunned.

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

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. They’re deep into Customer Development ,” he said. Innovative. Disruptive. We get it! Here’s why.

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

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. With the trend to higher technology needs and the youth who are involved in the development of new technology, it is no longer unusual to walk into a board meeting and see a CTO in his early 40s.

Technology 40

Technology CTO Hire Conference Education 40

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 3, 2012

Hours after the panelists debated the future of content distribution at the Silicon Beach @ USC conference, across campus at the Annenberg Innovation Lab a remarkable product demo was taking place by Coincident.TV. A technology that will surely revolutionize how viewers interact with content and television in the very near future.

Screening 109

Screening Content CTO Hire Platform 109

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 22, 2014

While we have become more productive as a society, with the advent of computers aiding our work, physical inactivity has become a high risk factor in contributing to chronic illnesses. Three and a half million people die because of chronic complications developed as a result of sitting too much. We need to sit less, and move more.

USC 104

USC Southern California Activity Study 104

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 23, 2013

The fitness professional network develops business tools that make it easier for fitness professionals to run their businesses and keep their clients engaged between training sessions. TechZulu caught up with Michael Piermont, amSTATZ Chief Executive Officer and this is what he revealed. Why did you venture into fitness?

Social Network 92

Social Network Networking Training Summary 92

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

One of the readers asked my opinion around sharing your startup concept: My first question has always been - how do you protect your idea while shopping around for feedback, partners, developers, etc.? You’ll learn about competitive products that exist or are being built. Lots of thoughts here.

Startup 211

Startup IP Ideas Patents 211

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

One of the readers asked my opinion around sharing your startup concept: My first question has always been - how do you protect your idea while shopping around for feedback, partners, developers, etc.? You’ll learn about competitive products that exist or are being built. Lots of thoughts here.

Startup 198

Startup IP Ideas Patents 198