Warning!
This guide is specifically tailored for non-technical founders navigating the intricacies of hiring technical talent for their startup’s foundational team. You’re set if you already have a CTO on your founding team!
The Complexity of Technical Hiring
For non-technical founders, the initial hires within the product or engineering teams can be daunting. Lack of experience in this realm can lead to complications and pitfalls. Depending on the current stage of your company, different variables must be considered.
What does leadership look like on each stage?
- Stage: PRE-SEED/SEED
Goal: Find Product-Market Fit (PMF) or die trying.
Ideal Team: A handful of Fullstack Engineers
Leadership: Your best engineer should take the lead. - Stage: SERIES A-B
Goal: Scale across multiple teams.
Ideal Team: Team/s with manager/s.
Leadership: Managers or lead engineers should spearhead. - Stage: SERIES C-IPO
Goal: Expand a Product Development Organization.
Ideal Team: Multiple divisions teeming with teams.
Leadership: CTO, Directors to Senior Directors, VPs, SVPs – leaders of leaders.
The role of a CTO is clear: To build an engineering organization capable of delivering with quality and scalability ad infinitum. But until you need to scale infinitely, you don’t truly need a CTO. If you have one early on, because they are part of your founding team, great! However, don’t rush to hire one before it’s genuinely required.
Navigating the Pitfalls of Technical Hiring
One of the most frequent mistakes startups make is misunderstanding the role of the first technical hire. Often, the responsibilities of a CTO get confused with the inaugural coder. While you, as a non-technical founder, provide the vision, you’ll require someone skilled to helm your product. Some startups fall into the trap of prematurely hiring an experienced CTO when a hands-on, adept engineer is what’s needed. On the other hand, hiring an exceptional coder and hastily bestowing the title of CTO can become problematic when there’s a genuine need for a CTO to lead, envision, and oversee. This miscalculation may leave you with the hard choices of firing or demoting a precious asset.
Key pitfalls to avoid:
- Hiring a real CTO prematurely: A seasoned CTO, having been away from actual coding, will need to hire an actual Engineer, making the process more complex and potentially redundant. They are geared to lead managers, not necessarily coders.
- Confusing a stellar coder with a CTO: This misstep can lead to challenges when the genuine need for a CTO arises. Reassigning them could be seen as a career demotion, which could strain your relationship with a key team member.
In Conclusion
The crux for non-technical founders is discerning between the need for a top-tier coder and strategic technical leadership. Before making a hasty decision to hire a CTO, evaluate if a Lead Engineer, deeply involved in hands-on tasks, aligns better with your current requirements. Timing your technical hires right is instrumental in determining whether your product takes off or faces challenges.