
CTOs are the new PANDAs - gumbo
http://blog.hiddenfounders.com/ctos-new-pandas/
======
LordIllidan
HN effect:
[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://...](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://blog.hiddenfounders.com/ctos-
new-pandas/)

------
alphadevx
Interesting read. I've been approached by non-tech founders for CTO roles many
times, and the main reason I turn them down is that I don't believe in their
products, but don't have the heart to trample on someone else's dreams.

Having worked for a failed start-up before, I'll only go back to that madness
for a very solid product offering, and a sizable financial reward given the
risks.

~~~
yeka
I'm curious about the non-tech founders who approached you, was it the good
old PPT pitch or they have actual TRACTION ?

~~~
alphadevx
Most of them had working prototypes to be fair, one even with dedicated
hardware, but no market traction. A lot of them were trying to create new
markets, which is always risky as hell. Anyone tries to hit me with a PPT-only
and it's an immediate "no thanks".

------
jandrewrogers
While it is not clear from the article, I would point out that being a
technical cofounder is not necessarily a CTO, which is a specific type of
role. I have seen plenty of startups with technical founders and a lot of
engineers that still had a desperate need for a CTO. Also, not every kind of
startup really needs a CTO to execute well.

Part of the reason that there is a shortage of CTOs, particularly outside of
technology hotbeds, is that it is difficult to develop the skills required for
the job if you have not been immersed in a technology hotbed for many years.
This leads to a strange phenomenon I've noticed where non-CTO types in Silicon
Valley are pressed into service as CTOs in other cities; relative to the local
talent in those cities, the've developed more of the required experience by
proximity even if it is not their core competency than technical people that
have been far out on the periphery of technology development. It is not enough
to simply be an experienced software engineer.

------
joncooper
Tips for the prospective founding CTO working from a clean slate with a non-
technical cofounder:

* Get it in writing, and sooner rather than later.

* Do not work for free. A business cofounder should be in charge of finding money. If they can't get enough to pay you to build a PoC, you shouldn't work with them.

* Work together to set near-term goals for the non-technical party, and assess whether they can deliver. If they can't: beware.

* Do not accept less than a 50/50 split unless the other party has decades of experience in a vertical, glowing references, and an astounding Rolodex. A few years at McKinsey or Bain followed by an MBA isn't worth more than the work you put in to get here. (Although it is meaningful.)

* Check references on the other person and do background work. It's amazing how little folks put into this compared with, say, the amount they put into their first hire. This is a source of much pain.

* Qualitatively, you MUST feel a sense of respect for the other person, and it helps if you find them outright impressive. Again, a source of major pain.

------
smanuel
> In its early stages, the only thing a startup “absolutely needs” is
> traction; traction will have to happen before everything else; before
> funding, before media exposure, and now before co-founders as well.

Well, the author just described a good portion of the startup scene which do
many of these things _before_ traction. Traction happens _because of_ media
exposure, which happens _because of_ funding, etc.

> and now before co-founders as well

If the founder is the CTO, yes. Otherwise, how can you get traction without a
working product. I don't get it.

~~~
yeka
> Traction happens because of media exposure, which happens because of
> funding, etc. I believe funding isn't the only source of media exposure. You
> can get traction by creating something people want first, then use a lot of
> channels like HN itself, reddit and product hunt to get your initial
> traction. Those initial efforts may get you in an accelerator, or even get
> you your first seed round. So I think there is a lot a founder can do before
> hitting the funding milestone.

~~~
smanuel
I don't think HN, reddit and PH can help much with consumer products/services
or for some sectors like... healthcare.

> by creating something people want first

You can create something people want and people may never know about it.

------
endergen
I recently came off of a string of startups being CTO and I can attest that
the attempt to recruit me has increased 10x since the last time I was on the
market.

------
zouhairmaj
Very nice article. A very interesting approach on the industry and the
struggle of non-tech founders in a market fostered by technology.

------
loukmannacik
This is a huge project ! that will take a lot of startup ideas to reality !

