How to Hire a CTO for a Startup

An extensive network isn’t a must, and a premium account has features that allow you to complete this task faster. There are also online platforms dedicated to connecting entrepreneurs and tech professionals. CoFoundersLab, AngelList, Indie Hackers, and the co-founder subreddit are among them. These events usually gather like-minded people that aim to make technological breakthroughs. If you already have a vast professional network on Twitter or LinkedIn, you can make a post and ask people to share.

For example, you don’t expect a CTO to code but to know how to make your team write beautiful, easy-to-support code based on modern technologies that fit the product’s objectives. In-house IT specialists require an experienced IT leader who can set up and manage their teamwork. You can test initial hypotheses, launch an MVP, collect metrics, and experience a couple of pivots without technical expertise on board.

You want to grow your company

But, as mentioned earlier, it’s important to set clear requirements, as hiring will result in eternal suffering with boundless candidates otherwise. A few popular websites to rent a CTO are Indie Hackers, Angel.co, etc. Though you might not be in a position to offer a package the candidate can receive from an established firm, you could offer the candidate equity in your company. That can help them feel more personally invested in your company and deliver the best results.

As discussed above, CTOs are likely to work in established firms with steady revenue. Hence, finding just an efficient CTO for hire won’t be enough. As you’re a start-up, offering high salaries wouldn’t be feasible. So, you will have to look for other ways and techniques to win their trust.

Do I need a CTO for my startup?

Tech professionals hardly engage with the universal hiring platforms. You could post to various job platforms and grab the attention of passionate and interested candidates. Among managers, CEOs, or business owners, as CTOs are individuals who’re more likely involved in the technical community. It’s where they receive their knowledge and experience about the latest trends from, after all. Interview the candidates for integrity and motivation first, knowledge and experience second.

You will spend less time looking at CVs that do not have anything in common with your vision and will not have to talk to people who have no right competence to work in your field. In this guide, we will explain who CTO is, why they are so important and why it is so difficult to find someone. In the practical part, we will focus mostly on how startups specifically can find a CTO, what makes a CTO great and where to find them. We also have prepared some information for those who can not find a CTO and are looking for alternative options instead.

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If you lack technical knowledge, hiring a CTO might be a challenge. However, there are ways you can ease the process of choosing the right person. There are CTOs of all flavors—some who have scaled businesses before, some who are technical wizards, some who are visionaries, some who have walked your path before, and some who haven’t. Take the time to follow these seven steps, and you’ll increase your chances of finding the perfect CTO for your startup. Don’t expect to find a great full-time CTO if all founders aren’t committed to the startup full-time.

• Here, we mean the full digital transformation of your business, migration to an advanced tech stack, implementation of cutting-edge technologies, expansion to foreign markets, etc.
• Cultural differences–are usually common between western startups and agencies in Africa and India.
• It will even allow you to outsourceand reach a yet wider talent pool.
• This is an individual you will be working intimately with and entrusting your ‘big business idea’ to.
• Assess this technical part of their skillset jointly with their soft skills and business/entrepreneurial proclivity.
• They’ll know if the developers are doing a poor job or slacking.

Clearly define the role and responsibilities of the consultant and how they will fit into the overall project team. Make sure the consultant understands the company’s goals, objectives, and expectations for the project. A virtual CTO is an experienced technology leader who works with a company on a part-time or occasional basis, usually remotely. The main benefit of hiring a CTO consultant is that you get access to the expertise and skills of a CTO without having to make a long-term commitment. The search and decision process can be daunting and with investors on your tail to move things along this can be very stressful for you. As long as you get the right fit for your business at the right time you should be well on your way to success.

Benefits of Hiring a CTO

There are a lot of freelancers, so you can find an appropriate specialist. Below you can find the table with CTO’s responsibilities https://globalcloudteam.com/ depending on the persona type. It’s common to distinguish two types of CTO — operational lead and technical lead.

However, it is essential to have clear requirements since recruitment will turn into endless suffering with too many candidates otherwise. Tech strategy is the scope of budget planning, responsibilities, goals, etc. It helps to understand roles of a cto better what the company is trying to achieve and what means they need for it. CTO is the one who takes responsibility for creating such a strategy. They also make sure that owners, investors, team leads know and understand the strategy.

How to Hire a CTO in a Startup

Ensuring the company is equipped with the appropriate technological resources for both short and long-term purposes. The next most important step is to define and prioritize your requirements. The candidate needs to know what you are looking for and what are your top priorities so they can function better as the CTO of your company. This soft skill is also complemented by a CTO’s inclination to be flexible.