SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

Todd Gitlin of Safire Partners was nice enough to compile some data on CTO Equity and Compensation at Venture Backed Companies for the LA CTO Forum and present last year. The data is a bit tough to deal with via a post, so I've shared it two ways: You can find a PDF with some analysis at: CTO Equity Compensation PDF.

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CTO Hire CTO Coach Equity Companies 273

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 30, 2013

Mentor relationships are not immune to the laws of human interactions. Without active management on the part of the protégé, the meetings with their mentor will become less frequent and less impactful, ultimately accelerating the end of the relationship. Stages Of A Typical Mentor Relationship. Access part I HERE.

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CTO Coach Mentor Activity Satisfaction 241

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 have questions about the types of developers you need and even whether you need a Startup CTO or Developer or both. I’d prefer that you don’t make the same mistakes.

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CTO Coach Startup Web Guide 211

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

I've posted quite a few things on the topics associated with being a Startup CTO. Here are some resources that come from other sources: Want to Know the Difference Between a CTO and a VP Engineering? Lessons Learned: What does a startup CTO actually do? Lessons Learned: What does a startup CTO actually do?

CTO Hire 175

CTO Hire CTO Coach Startup Equity 175

SoCal CTO

JULY 23, 2012

I seem to encounter a lot of people who want to attach a CTO label to me as I'm the only programmer on the founding team of three. While I do fill that role at the moment, I'm a little hesitant to refer to myself as a CTO as we still haven't launched a product, acquired a single user, or turned or a penny in profit.

CTO Coach 231

CTO Coach CTO Hire Outsource Development Develop 231

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

I've posted quite a few things on the topics associated with being a Startup CTO. Here are some resources that come from other sources: Want to Know the Difference Between a CTO and a VP Engineering? Lessons Learned: What does a startup CTO actually do? Lessons Learned: What does a startup CTO actually do?

CTO Hire 175

CTO Hire CTO Coach Resource Startup 175

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 26, 2010

I’ve been having discussions with several people recently about the role of the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) in very early stage companies. In December 2007, I described how I commonly take on an Acting CTO Role in a Start-up. I used an image from Roger Smith that describes the varying roles of a CTO as the company matures.

Fractional CTO 225

Fractional CTO CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach 225

SoCal CTO

APRIL 27, 2011

Several people have recently come to me to help them source and/or hire full-time CTOs for their startup having found me through my post that looks at: Startup CTO Salary and Equity Data. The first thing I do is suggest they explore if they really need to hire a full-time CTO for their startup and if so, what kind of CTO they need.

CTO Hire 225

CTO Hire CTO Coach Technical Review Startup 225

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

I had a recent email dialog with the founder of a company looking for a CTO for their startup. Did they really need a Startup CTO or Developer or both? And do I fit as a Part-Time CTO , Technology Advisor , CTO Founder , Acting CTO ? He needed some kind of CTO and as well Developers.

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CTO Hire CTO Coach Equity Development 241

SoCal CTO

MARCH 9, 2010

In my post, Technology Roles in Startups , I described some of the different ways I engage with startup companies such as CTO Founder , CTO , Part-Time CTO , Acting CTO , Consultant, Advisor and Advisory Board Member. Now, most often technical advisors are part of a broader advisory board.

CTO Coach 150

CTO Coach Technical Review Technology CTO Hire 150

socalTECH

AUGUST 2, 2013

One Los Angeles group, MentorNight , believes it now has the largest mentor network outside of the local accelerators and incubators, and now has over 100 mentors looking to help up and coming entrepreneurs. According to Diep, the group is now holding one event a month to connect mentors and mentees. READ MORE>>.

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SoCal CTO

APRIL 23, 2010

How to Work With a Contract Web Developer How To Bootstrap Your Startup

Outsource Development 219

Outsource Development CTO Hire Startup CTO Coach 219

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 18, 2011

I received an inquiry from a reader of my blog and thought I would provide some thoughts, but would definitely welcome input: I am an unpaid CTO of a small startup. Find a lawyer and someone who does CTO searches for VC backed companies in your area. They both would have lots of thoughts and ideas. What type of shares?

CTO 167

CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach Equity 167

SoCal CTO

MAY 19, 2008

Andrew Warner from Mixergy posted - Before Looking for Funding, Get an Advisor. Of course, it's sometimes hard to find advisors. Like Christian Gammil (who I recommend as an advisor) working with entrepreneurs is something I really enjoy. eHarmony for start-up / advisor relationships? That's great advice.

Startup 150

Startup Mixergy eHarmony Course 150

SoCal CTO

MARCH 2, 2015

As the organizer of the LA CTO Forum , I get lots of inquiries by job seekers and people looking for CTO / VP Engineering talent. I’ve written quite a bit about aspects of this topic, especially from the perspective of startup founders looking for talent – you can find these in: Startup CTO.

CTO Hire 150

CTO Hire CTO Coach Los Angeles Angel 150

socalTECH

JULY 27, 2021

Pasadena-based robotics developer Miso Robotics said this morning that it has named Christopher Kruger as its new Chief Technology Officer, and also named several new members to its board of advisors. Current CTO Ryan Sinnet will become Chief Research Officer at the company.

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CTO Coach Chief Technology Officer Pasadena Research 124

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. I am looking for one or two startups that I can work with on their road to success as a virtual C-level officer, board member, advisor or other relationship.

Technical Review 170

Technical Review Technical Advisors CTO Coach Startup 170

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 18, 2011

I received an inquiry from a reader of my blog and thought I would provide some thoughts, but would definitely welcome input: I am an unpaid CTO of a small startup. Find a lawyer and someone who does CTO searches for VC backed companies in your area. They both would have lots of thoughts and ideas. What type of shares?

CTO 150

CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach Equity 150

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Equity-Only CTO and Equity-Only Developers Technology Roles in Startups Want to Know the Difference Between a CTO and a VP Engineering? In this talk, we spent most of our time on Technical Advisors: Every Web/Mobile Startup Must Have One and how they should be helping you: Specify the right things to be built.

Technical Review 338

Technical Review CTO Hire CTO Coach Software Review 338

SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2012

When I talk with early-stage companies, often the discussion starts with them asking me about Hiring a CTO for Your Startup , or Finding a Technical Cofounder for Your Startup or How to Find Programmers for Your Startup. In many cases, during my Free Startup CTO Consulting Session with them, we discuss where they are in in the process.

CTO Hire 205

CTO Hire Outsource Development CTO Coach Development 205

SoCal CTO

MAY 21, 2013

These are often the same things that cause a founder to reach out to me about helping their CTO, VP Engineering, tech team, off-shore development, etc. CTO Knowledge and Skill I personally believe that the best CTOs will have a technical/developer background. Some of the top symptoms are: Frequently missed deadlines.

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CTO Coach Development Develop Startup 219

SoCal CTO

APRIL 28, 2014

they need a developer more than they need a CTO. Ideally, you would have had a technical advisor, had better up-front definition, had more iteration, then you would not be in this situation. Other Topics Covered I also covered topics that are covered more thoroughly in the following posts: Document Your MVP for a Developer.

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Development Develop CTO Coach CTO Hire 280

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

I acted as the occasional mentor, advisor and coach to Ethan. Ethan recruited a great team of people to help build this proposition including Lisa Robinson running marketing and Rahul Thathoo as CTO who have been working tirelessly for the past year. The company was called Red Beacon.

CTO Coach 359

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SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

500 Hats , February 1, 2010 When to Use Facebook Connect – Twitter Oauth – Google Friend Connect for Authentication? 500 Hats , February 1, 2010 When to Use Facebook Connect – Twitter Oauth – Google Friend Connect for Authentication? First Principles. Berkonomics , November 29, 2010 Rice Alliance IT/Web 2.0

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Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Coach 378

SoCal CTO

MARCH 12, 2012

I've talked about that in lots of other posts, so you can visit some of these to help determine what you specifically need: Startup CTO or Developer Startup Software Development – Do Your Homework Before You Develop Anything Key ingredients in the equation are: How complex is the system? Your technical advisor can likely help.

CTO Hire 211

CTO Hire CTO Coach Startup Equity 211

socalTECH

JUNE 1, 2012

Michael Wong: I was previously CTO of an agency called Breakthrough Ads. My cofounder, Steven Elliott, was CTO of a company doing artificial intelligence and automated chat technology. The big thing for us has been those connections to investors and mentors. The feedback, mentors, and connections are amazing.

CTO Coach 223

CTO Coach Startup Mobile Artificial Inteligence 223

socalTECH

JANUARY 14, 2009

Symwave said that Manian joins Dell CTO Kevin Kettler, Best Buy's Brian Chubboy, and Intel VP Gil Frostig on its advisory group. Laguna Niguel-based Symwave, a venture backed firm focused on analog and mixed signal semiconductors, said Tuesday that it has added Vahid Manian as a member of the firm's Technical Advisory Board.

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CTO Coach Education Networking Marketing 124

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 19, 2012

I asked some of the same questions I ask in my Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions and then I get to a very common conversation: Me : Do you have specs? This should be an iterative process with advisors and customers providing feedback on the product. Conversations with a technical advisors or possible developers should be iterative.

Development 354

Development Develop Technical Review CTO Coach 354

socalTECH

MAY 29, 2018

Marina Del Rey-based startup Guardian Circle , the developer of a social-based system and app that helps people summon help from their friends, said last week that it has added futurist Peter Diamandis as an advisor as part of a "token sale" the company is running. International Space University, and Planetary Resources. READ MORE>>.

CTO Coach 100

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 31, 2013

For those of you who haven’t heard, President Obama and US CTO Todd Park have established a National Day of Civic Hacking this weekend, in cities across the nation. Developer mentors and judges from AT&T, i.am.angel, Google, Scopely, CGI, Factual, and ESRI and the City and County of LA will support coders during the weekend.

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CTO Coach Startup Mentor Ideas 295

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 28, 2016

Thursday, December 1, 2016 -- TechFire: Kleiner Perkins' Eric Feng (former CTO of Hulu and Flipboard).TechFire A partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers (KPCB), one of the most prominent venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, Eric also has deep ties with the Los Angeles tech community, having served as the founding CTO of Hulu.

CTO Coach 100

CTO Coach Hulu Venture Capital Los Angeles 100

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

We are not “finders” and usually serve the role of advisor and attorney. Sometimes we draft business plans and coach the entrepreneurs on their pitch, and sometimes we even help develop a business model. Los Angeles is a great place for startups. We occasionally get involved with very early stage startups.

Startup 150

Startup SEO Pepperdine Blogging 150

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

You’ll get sales information from your VP of Sales, marketing information from your VP Marketing, tech information from your CTO and so on. But I knew that to be a good decision maker I needed first hand knowledge rather than just a summary from my CTO. But as a CEO you can’t rely solely on this information.

Startup 308

Startup CTO Coach Technical Review CTO Hire 308

socalTECH

MARCH 13, 2013

Risheq was the founder of Celllynx, Thacker was a co-founder at Datallegro; the firm has some notable advisors, including Mission Ventures' Leo Spiegel and Michael Dunn, the former CTO of Hearst, Time Warner, Dell Online. READ MORE>>.

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CTO Coach OCTANE High Tech Mission Ventures 180

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 10, 2010

Aliso Viejo-based Predixion Software , the provider of cloud predictive analytics run by Simon Arkell, said this morning that it has added a former Microsoft executive as an advisor. Baker was most recently CTO of Visible Technologies, and was previously involved in Microsoft's BI team within its SQL Server product unit.

CTO Coach 172

CTO Coach Palomar Miramar Software 172

SoCal CTO

MAY 27, 2010

There are a bunch of questions in Startup Software Development – Do Your Homework Before You Develop Anything and in Startup CTO or Developer. This is somewhat the heart of what a CTO does. I would highly recommend considering getting a really good technical advisor early in your process. Do not hire a CTO at this point.

CTO Hire 170

CTO Hire Development Develop Startup 170

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Beware of Mentors. " Today I had two conversations with early stage startups (see Free CTO Consulting ). In both cases, I was the mentor telling the person that the idea, as I understood it was "not great." I saw a great post from Tristan Kromer Pivoting on Investor Feedback a.k.a Either: "That’s interesting.

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Customer Custom CTO Coach Startup 227