

What should be the skill set of the founders for a start-up in the early stages? - JohnnyRB

What should be the skill set - programming, design, marketing, etc. - for a start-up in the early stages? Put differently, what are the skills that should be present in the founders (and what would be the ideal distribution among them)?
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cstejerean
I think one of the most important thing in the early stages (of a tech
startup) is building a prototype to show others what the idea is really about.
I think this requires a good mix of programming and design. Most of the time
good design is not needed for the initial prototype but that depends on what
you're making.

To fully answer your question I'll say that it depends on the way you plan on
creating value and what you need to prove your idea. If you have a new idea
for a better way for people to interact with the cable TV then design will
probably be the most important first step. If you plan to revolutionize a
business process by bringing it online then a good understanding of the
business and enough programming ability to build a prototype (you're not
trying to solve a hard problem here, just create a decent website) is far more
important then the design. For example I currently work for a company that has
product that looks terrible (by my standards) and yet it's doing great in
terms of growth because it solved the right problem.

