Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2013

I challenge any startup to show me they have avoided all of these: One of the founders isn’t delivering. When I was a software development manager, I tried to get a “bottoms up” time estimate from the team, and then pad it by 50%. entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki startup founder marriage business' Marty Zwilling.

Founder 250

Founder Startup Software Developers Software Development 250

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2019

In fact, I would broaden the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” The reason is that good attributes apply equally well to “external” partners, as they do to internal partners, like a co-founder or CTO. Look at the big picture first of development, finance, and marketing/sales.

Cofounder 221

Cofounder Software Review CTO Hire Founder 221

SoCal CTO

MAY 27, 2010

I was just interviewed by Frank Peters - Tony Karrer and the Founder-Developer Gap. I received a follow-up question from an early-stage startup about the Founder Developer Gap that I’ve described before and that was part of the interview with Frank. It was a lot of fun for me. This is another potential gap.

CTO Hire 170

CTO Hire Developer Founder Startup 170

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2022

In fact, I would broaden the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” The reason is that good attributes apply equally well to “external” partners, as they do to internal partners, like a co-founder or CTO. Look at the big picture first of development, finance, and marketing/sales.

Partner 385

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Cofounder 385

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. I LOVED it because, the presenting part was over quickly and we got into specific issues that the founders had in terms of getting things built. CTO Founder - Do they really still need a technical advisor?

Technical Review 332

Technical Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO Software Review 332

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. Developers (and Founders) are challenged to know how much is okay in terms of bugs.

Technical Cofounder 280

Technical Cofounder Developer Fractional CTO CTO Hire 280

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2020

If you have a software development background like mine, I’m sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. Outsourcing is defined as contracting the work to another company, usually located in a developing country, like India, China, or Eastern Europe.

Intellectual Property 306

Intellectual Property Non-disclosure Agreement Software Review Technical Review 306

SoCal CTO

APRIL 23, 2010

I’ve come to realize that I have lots of posts around startup software development scattered around in different posts. Thought it would be good to capture them in one spot and also include links to related posts from other sources.

CTO Hire 219

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Los Angeles Developer 219

Hearpreneur

MAY 28, 2019

Marcelo Ricigliano is the co-founder of 4Geeks Academy , a Miami based coding academy with campuses in USA, Chile and Venezuela. 4Geeks Academy students gain real-world software development skills that traditional education left behind but are required to meet the demands of our digital economy. What makes you unique?

Software Developers 117

Software Developers Software Development Software Venezuela 117

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2023

If you have a software development background like mine, I’m sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. Outsourcing is defined as contracting the work to another company, usually located in a developing country, like India, China, or Eastern Europe.

Software Review 285

Software Review Technical Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property 285

SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2013

What's Going to Go Wrong A lot of founders don't really understand Lean Startup principles. They look at the following high level definition of Lean: and they interpret that as write up an executive summary with your ideas and hand it to developers to build. Don't be fooled by a Common Misunderstanding in Agile Software Development.

Technical Cofounder 219

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Software Developers Software Development 219

The Next Web

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

Aaron Skonnard is the CEO and co-founder of Pluralsight , an online training resource for Web developers and IT professionals. Let’s look at five advantages code-savvy founders and CEOs bring to their investors and businesses: 1. Navigating the tech landscape. Is this whole “iPad” thing going anywhere? According to the U.S.

Founder 125

Founder PHP Software Developers Software Development 125

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 6, 2017

As he notes, you have to be able to advance the learning curve fast in software development because changes occur at such a rapid pace. What were the three biggest challenges you faced in moving into the totally new business arena of the garment industry from software, and how did you solve them?

Founder 189

Founder Pakistan Software Developers Software Development 189

TechEmpower

AUGUST 14, 2023

Startup founders make decisions on a daily basis – significant decisions that will have lasting impact on their business. Are developers following best practices in their code and life cycle? CTO Founder – Do they really still need a technical advisor? No good innovator turns down advice!

Technical Review 260

Technical Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO Software Review 260

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2011

Since my background includes software development, I often get the question about when to build a solution in-house, versus outsourcing it to a local company, near-shore service, or off-shore organization in China, India, or Eastern Europe. If your software is your solution and “secret sauce,” don’t entrust it to outsiders of any kind.

Intellectual Property 225

Intellectual Property Non-disclosure Agreement Non-Compete Vietnam 225

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2012

Since my background includes software development, I often get the question about when to build a solution in-house, versus outsourcing it to a local company, near-shore service, or off-shore organization in China, India, or Eastern Europe. If your software is your solution and “secret sauce,” don’t entrust it to outsiders of any kind.

Intellectual Property 222

Intellectual Property Non-disclosure Agreement Non-Compete Vietnam 222

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

A while back I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ For a Startup, Two Heads are Always Better Than One.” In this context, I’m broadening the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” In this context, I’m broadening the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.”

Partner 258

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Equity 258

Up and Running

MARCH 12, 2019

For a lot of non-technical founders—that is, entrepreneurs with a business idea but without technical expertise— sourcing software development talent is critical. In many areas, however, the high demand for tech talent appears to be larger than the supply of qualified tech and software developers for hire.

IP 80

IP Software Developers Software Development Intellectual Property 80

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2014

A while back I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ For a Startup, Two Heads are Always Better Than One ”. In this context, I’m broadening the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” In this context, I’m broadening the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.”

Partner 269

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 269

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2014

If you have a software development background like mine, Im sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. Outsourcing is defined as contracting the work to another company, usually located in a developing country, like India, China, or Eastern Europe.

Intellectual Property 238

Intellectual Property Non-disclosure Agreement Software Review Offshore 238

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 21, 2014

No one wants to be *that* founder--the non-technical founder poking around developer meetups asking for a unicorn with a Github account. Plus, it gives you some street cred if at least one software developer thinks that what you are building should and could be built.

Founder 126

Founder Software Developers Software Development Venture Capital 126

SoCal CTO

JUNE 13, 2011

Some common themes from the discussion: Know Where You Are Going Before you can possibly make a choice around language and framework you need to ask all the important questions that are talked about in Startup Software Development – Do Your Homework Before You Develop Anything and Startup CTO or Developer.

Framework 330

Framework Programming Ruby Fractional CTO 330

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 14, 2014

The funny thing about stats is that you can basically come up with a stat to justify any argument or position--and the whole female founders in tech conversation has a ton of numbers that people put out there as various types of proof and justification, or blame. First time founder friendly. Well, it''s gotta mean something, right?

Founder 156

Founder Venture Capital Cofounder Software Development 156

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 10, 2012

Code Collaborator is tool which helps software developers review each other’s work, just like an editor of a book. So the economics are obvious: If two developers would each normally spend an average of 30 minutes on a code review, once a day, that’s 20 hours of total time in a business-month. And we did.

Software Review 256

Software Review Product Software Developers Software Development 256

SiliconHills

OCTOBER 25, 2019

Instead of seeking venture capital, Joyce Durst, Co-Founder, and CEO of Growth Acceleration Partners decided to bootstrap the software development company. Before co-founding GAP, Durst served as CEO of venture-backed startup Pinion Software, a security software company. At that company, she raised […].

Software Developers 91

Software Developers Software Development Partner Software 91

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 26, 2021

As an entrepreneur mentor, my mission is to foster the attributes in you as a startup founder that I believe will lead to success. Gates was a software developer genius, but Ballmer upheld the marketing and business side. Sometimes good things are easy to see in others, but hard to see in yourself.

Entrepreneur 341

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Partner Software Developers 341

SoCal CTO

APRIL 27, 2011

I'd suggest: Startup CTO or Developer , Startup Founder Developer Gap , Part-Time CTO , Technology Advisor , CTO Founder , Acting CTO. There are a bunch of questions in Startup Software Development – Do Your Homework Before You Develop Anything , Startup Founder Developer Gap , and in Startup CTO or Developer.

CTO Hire 282

CTO Hire Los Angeles Hiring Technical Review 282

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 24, 2020

Remember that investors will not appreciate a business plan that features exorbitant salaries of the founders. Rustam Gilfanov is an IT company co-founder, IT businessman and international investor. Today, this company is the largest software developer for the gaming industry, marketing and finance.

Business Plan 263

Business Plan Ukraine Cofounder Startup 263

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2011

A while back I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ Ten Steps in Choosing the Right Startup Partner ”. In this context, I’m broadening the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” In this context, I’m broadening the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.”

Partner 240

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 240

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2010

A week ago I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ How to Select an Ideal Startup Co-Founder ”. In this article, I’m broadening the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” In this article, I’m broadening the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.”

Partner 230

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 230

deal architect

FEBRUARY 16, 2021

In the 31st episode of the series I am joined by James Governor, co-founder of Redmonk. In September 2000, Steve Ballmer was ahead of most executives in loudly cheering for software developers. The video below leads off with his exuberance.

Developer 195

Developer Cofounder Software Developers Software Development 195

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 26, 2010

But often the result of a Founder hiring a developer or lead developer or even a VP engineering is a gap created between the founders and the developers. I’ll address the specifics of what this Founder Developer Gap looks like below. Can the Right Lead Developer Address This? Accounting?

CTO 225

CTO Fractional CTO CTO Hire Technical Review 225

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 6, 2025

AI-Enabled Customer Support Platform : Develop a platform that can handle a high percentage of customer support workloads, allowing companies to optimise their workforce for higher-value tasks. They want to fund startups that enable generalist software developers to manage these teams of agents.

Software Review 78

Software Review Technical Review Startup Software Engineering 78

TechEmpower

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

When speaking with founders and CEOs, we often hear concerns like this: My project manager is losing confidence in the development team. The Founder-Developer Gap and A, B, C Players The challenges that business leaders face when assessing development teams are a good example of the Founder-Developer Gap.

Development Team Review 260

Development Team Review Developer Software Review Technical Review 260

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 27, 2011

Timecodes: 00:00 Welcome, our guest is Eric Ries, founder of the Lean Startup Movement. 1:05:35 Middle class job of the next generation: software development! Oh, and if you didn’t guess, the title, “if you don’t have a discrete hypothesis you are incapable of failing” is, of course, an Eric Ries quote.

Silicon Valley 301

Silicon Valley Lean Social Media PR 301

ReadWriteStart

DECEMBER 15, 2022

Why It’s Critical to Choose a Modern Software Development Technology. Additionally, it becomes critical to choose a modern software development methodology suitable for crafting digital ventures. The experience of the agency’s initial founders likely dictates early business domains to target.

Incubator 188

Incubator Startup Software Developers Software Development 188

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Another one to avoid cash burn for software development is a contract for percent of future revenue. For example, a web-based startup should be able to operate for a year if they raise $500,000 from the founders or angels. This will equate to 2 working founders (taking no salary), hiring a 5-person development team for a year.

Burn Rate 232

Burn Rate Startup Salary Equity 232