Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2020

So the first question I usually get is what percent of the company or equity is that person worth? The next default of waiting until later is equally bad, since partners who bow out early will still expect an equal share of that first billion you make later. Just because it was your idea doesn’t mean you “deserve” 90% of the equity.

Cofounder 435

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Equity Intellectual Property 435

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2023

So, the first question I usually get is what percent of the company or equity is that person worth? The next default of waiting until later is equally bad, since partners who bow out early will still expect an equal share of that first billion you make later. Just because it was your idea doesn’t mean you “deserve” 90% of the equity.

Technical Cofounder 247

Technical Cofounder Equity Distribution Cofounder 247

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

So the first question I usually get is what percent of the company or equity is that person worth? The next default of waiting until later is equally bad, since partners who bow out early will still expect an equal share of that first billion you make later. Just because it was your idea doesn’t mean you “deserve” 90% of the equity.

Equity 238

Equity Cofounder Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property 238

SoCal CTO

MARCH 12, 2012

"I'm looking for a partner / cofounder who can not only head the technical aspects and build a working model of the site, but someone with the connections to put a great development team together when we need it. I've recently received several emails from people looking for a technical cofounder for their startup. Go to user groups.

Technical Cofounder 211

Technical Cofounder Cofounder CTO Hire Los Angeles 211

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 25, 2010

This is not only sad but incredibly frustrating, because it is so easy to see how a great technology can be developed and commercialized if only - if only the CTO hadn't been impulsive and insecure and brought on a business partner too early in the game. … Mark Suster has similar advice in Hiring at a Startup? Camaraderie?

Technical Cofounder 150

Technical Cofounder Cofounder CTO Hire Founder 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2014

The first question I usually get is what percent of the company or equity is that person worth? The next default of waiting until later is equally bad, since partners who bow out early will still expect an equal share of that first billion you make later. Level of responsibility and time allocated. Now comes the reality check.

Cofounder 261

Cofounder Stock Founder Technical Cofounder 261

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

By spending more time educating your board on your business you get more valuable advice from them. Understanding where your VC partner sits in their respective fund and where their fund is in the cycle of its investment lifecycle will help you understand your VCs behavior. In his spare time he raised nearly $30 million.

Advisory Board 365

Advisory Board CTO Hire Fractional CTO Los Angeles 365

SoCal CTO

MARCH 4, 2010

Background This post partly really came about as a result of a great conversation yesterday with David Croslin a former CTO at HP who recently conducted an interesting experiment. This is actually fairly common and I think it’s a bit challenging in that the technology roles (from technology advisor to CTO) in a startup vary widely.

Technical Review 170

Technical Review Fractional CTO Technology CTO Hire 170

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Make sure your plan answers every relevant question that you could possibly imagine from your business partners, spouse, and potential investors. A CEO who has “been there and done that” is traction, especially if teamed with a financial lead (CFO) and a product lead (CTO). Set realistic milestones and achieve some.

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Sweat Equity CTO Hire 281

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

Make sure your plan answers every relevant question that you could possibly imagine from your business partners, spouse, and potential investors. A CEO who has “been there and done that” is traction, especially if teamed with a financial lead (CFO) and a product lead (CTO). Set realistic milestones and achieve some.

Intellectual Property 260

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 260

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2016

So the first question I usually get is what percent of the company or equity is that person worth? The next default of waiting until later is equally bad, since partners who bow out early will still expect an equal share of that first billion you make later. Just because it was your idea doesn’t mean you “deserve” 90% of the equity.

Equity 120

Equity Cofounder Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

Make sure your plan answers every relevant question that you could possibly imagine from your business partners, spouse, and potential investors. A CEO who has “been there and done that” is traction, especially if teamed with a financial lead (CFO) and a product lead (CTO). Set realistic milestones and achieve some.

Intellectual Property 253

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 253

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

Make sure your plan answers every relevant question that you could possibly imagine from your business partners, spouse, and potential investors. A CEO who has “been there and done that” is traction, especially if teamed with a financial lead (CIO) and a product lead (CTO). Set realistic objectives and milestones.

Intellectual Property 222

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 222

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

Your highest priority right now is hiring the 1 or 2 people that are going to join your company and make a difference. There’s you and your killer CTO co-founder. I know it’s not single-handed as he has both fantastic partners at Foundry Group and many other community leaders. Community Leaders + Organizers.

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Seattle Silicon Valley Technical Review Los Angeles 317

blog.aparttimecto.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

A Part-Time CTO Technology. Flexibility - You won’t need to commit to something, either cash, equity or involving other people, upfront. Depending on the level of complexity and difficulty, it might not be the most efficient use of your time. In Plain English. Archive Jun 20th Sun In-House or Outsource?

CTO Hire 40

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Equity Vesting 40

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

aka: An Open Letter to the Next Big Social Network) - 500 Hats , November 1, 2010 I've held off writing this post for a long time, because I couldn't quite get my head around all the issues. Call it facts for hire. It would be a bit like the hired gun in the old west, but more suited for today’s times. You got it.

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Technology Product CTO Hire 175

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 5, 2015

by Marcus Turner, President and CTO of Enola Labs. We were not any different, we had corporate bylaws, which my partner and I both reviewed and signed. Our company was essentially going to be 50/50, but since my partner at the time was Indian, we decided that we would apply for HUB status as a business.

CTO Hire 100

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Advisory Board Software Review 100

thinkspace.com

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

How to Divide Equity to Startup Founders, Advisors, and Employees. The part that I’d like to zero in on is when you’ve got a high growth company what are some of the best practices out there to distribute equity to the founders, advisors, and employees? Equity for Founders. Equity for Employees.

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Equity Employee Founder CTO Hire 62

The Next Web

OCTOBER 7, 2013

They were referring to non-founder engineers, most commonly the first hire for technology businesses. Quite frankly, waiting provides more assurance around employment risk without the commensurate sacrifice in equity comp. A reason might be that negotiation techniques are not a part of their training.

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Engineer Dilution Option Pool Vesting 129

www.entrepreneur.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

What is Sweat Equity Worth? Determining how to value sweat equity is key when negotiating with investors and employees. Entrepreneurs often ask me how to value the sweat equity invested in their startup. But over the years, I have come to realize that sweat equity isn't the same thing as market value for your startup.

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Sweat Equity Equity Fractional CTO CTO 55

rapidrollout.wordpress.com

JANUARY 15, 2011

Web Startup Lessons Advice from a CTO and Entrepreneur Home About Startup Advice: When to Use a Consulting CTO There are not many to be found. He or she might call himself a “consulting CTO,&# “freelance CTO,&# “on-demand CTO,&# “CTO on call,&# “CTO for hire,&# or just a “technology strategy advisor.&#

Fractional CTO 40

Fractional CTO CTO CTO Hire Fractional VPE 40

www.reincubate.com

FEBRUARY 1, 2010

Share this: chief technical officer chief technology officer cto interim cto job description start-up startup cto web cto Weve been swapping some thoughts with Daniel Kehoe , a consulting CTO acquaintance of ours from across the pond. Some companies look for a more strategic or a more hands-on CTO.

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Fractional CTO CTO Technical Review CTO Hire 40

David Teten

OCTOBER 1, 2015

Not surprisingly, the list above also is ranked from least to most equity stake in an investment for the investor, relative to the cash they invest. How would one set up such a startup to eventually raise capital from outside VCs, who will be wary of ‘dead equity’ (i.e., equity that belongs to departed cofounders)? The cliffs?

Software Developers 60

Software Developers Software Development Software Review Technical Cofounder 60

Ben's Blog

AUGUST 29, 2010

In my last post, I mentioned that you should strive to hire people with the right kind of ambition. In addition to comments like the one above, my business partner Marc Andreessen suggested that I write a post on how to screen for the right kind of ambition. Stay in your place. While I sit here and rule. I’m king of a cow.

CTO Hire 73

CTO Hire Technical Review Leadership Sales 73

www.metamorphblog.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Here’s how the pitch sounds from the engineer’s perspective: ‘For ten whole percent of equity, you will slave away to build a prototype out of my shitty idea, not have any say in the decision-making process…and oh yeah, you could be fired at any point.’ Date for a bit, then split the equity.

Founder 51

Founder Startup Cofounder Vesting 51

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 25, 2019

Anyone you surround yourself with, whether advisors or mentors, biz partners, potential hires, programmers, business incubator, anyone you give equity to, etc.?—?treat Get to know them and work with them over a period of time before fully committing. For example, I just brought on a CTO. Don’t be in a rush.

Startup 55

Startup Technical Review CTO Hire Detroit 55

OnlyOnce

MARCH 22, 2016

We expanded the program later that year with partner companies ReadyTalk, SendGrid, MWH Global, SpotX, and Moz, as I wrote about here. and 7 companies in 6 cities around the world, producing an impressive 80% hire rate. To date, the program has served nearly 50 participants (mostly women, but a couple of stay-at-home dads, too!)

CTO Hire 48

CTO Hire Cofounder Programming Equity 48

rob.by

MARCH 8, 2012

He argued that software engineers don’t finish what they start, and that you’re better off paying a technical person than partnering with one. I absolutely want cofounders when the time comes. ” I believe that by this he means they want cash rather than equity. Finding someone to partner with isn’t easy.

Technical Cofounder 42

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Software Engineering Fractional CTO 42

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

List key partners and resources you will need, and then list your core team as well as their roles. If you don’t yet have a team yet, list the roles you need to hire for. List key partners and resources you will need, and then list your core team as well as their roles. The business model. The importance of a domain name.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Startup Company Lawyer

MAY 4, 2009

If a founder’s company raises more than $50,000 in debt or equity financing, excluding funds from the founder, within 18 months of formation, then the founder must pay a tuition fee of $4,500, which is used to cover the Institute’s expenses in providing the program. Joe Betts-LaCroix – CTO, OQO. Hiring and Firing.

Founder 28

Founder Warrant San Francisco Intellectual Property 28

blog.captainrecruiter.com

MARCH 8, 2012

Eventually I was able to scrape up a few bucks and hired Sarah to build me a website prototype. Eventually Ill hire a software geek of my own, but right now Im doing just fine without one. In 2008 I was first time startup founder with no cash. Partnering with me at that stage was speculative at best.

Cofounder 40

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Founder Software Engineering 40

www.chubbybrain.com

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

The negativity either impacted investment funding (venture capital fell off a cliff in 2009) or the customers they were targeted as was the case for Untitled Partners who were building a platform for fractional art ownership. We were obviously wrong about Untitled Partners’ ability to grow through the subsequent downturn. #19

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Cofounder Startup Technical Cofounder CTO Hire 89

rapidrollout.wordpress.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Web Startup Lessons Advice from a CTO and Entrepreneur Home About Finding a Technical Partner for Your Startup Today I received an inquiry from a student at an Ivy League university who wants to launch a web startup. How can I go about looking for a (very) good programmer willing to do this as sweat equity?

Technical Review 40

Technical Review Fractional CTO Partner CTO Hire 40

www.aaronkharris.com

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

Im a private tutor on Tutorspree Text Aug 23, 2010 @ 9:08 pm Permalink We have a CTO, and so can you! I was told that finding a CTO/technical co-founder in NYC was about as easy as climbing Everest with one leg, no O2, and carrying a dead elephant. If you want to get in touch, drop me a line at akharris at gmail dot com. startupcto

CTO Hire 40

CTO Hire New York City .Net Cofounder 40

techcrunch.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Inevitably, the excuses begin: I need to hire people to build the product. In Meebo’s case, for example, I was lucky enough to partner up with Elaine and Sandy. No looking for partnerships (who’s going to partner with you anyway?). Partner up? Like I said, forget everything else and just get your product out the door.

Technical Review 84

Technical Review Cofounder Technical Cofounder Software Review 84

www.quora.com

JANUARY 16, 2011

Smart teams understand quickly that all three skills are essential - if you can't recognize the need, you won't be able to hire for it or value it. Distribution/sales guy-Has an awesome understanding of the industry and product and can sell the vision and problem you are solving to investors, users, and potential partners. (he

Technical Review 51

Technical Review Startup CTO Hire Cofounder 51

www.collegemogul.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

We spent a lot of time asking everyone we knew if they knew anyone who would be looking to intern with a startup. We’ve had some success with hiring interns for fashion design and editorial work, so we were hoping to replicate that with a coder, even in basic HTML, CSS and PHP. On a bootstrapped budget free is great.

Technical Review 40

Technical Review Web Development Web Developer 40