How to Build an App (v1)

No notes for slide

This content is geared towards founders of tech startups

The development process for an application is quite different than that of a website.

I’m care about this because I’ve been running a software development company for the past 3 years called Code Hangar. We build apps for early stage startups that need to get their product in front of customers quickly and need to raise their next round of funding.

I’ve been building websites and apps for businesses for about 10 years. So I’ve gotten pretty good at understanding the needs of business owners, and helping them develop their strategy for building and releasing their software.

I’ve worked with various types of businesses
Catering, construction, churches
Big brands like Darden, Longhorn,
Big CDNs
Startups

Of all those types of businesses I’ve had the opportunity to work with, Startups are my favorite.

Startups face a particular set of challenges.

Startups that are seeking venture capital are expected to follow a particular growth trajectory.

It’s really helpful to consider which of the fundraising stage you are at as a startup when determining who to hire, and what to build, when.

I primarily work with startups who are either self-funded or seed-funded.

Not only have I been able to build relationships with super impressive startup founders, I’m now starting to get to know better the expectations of the venture capital firms when they analyze technical risks associated with investing in a particular tech startup.

I’m pretty involved in Orlando’s tech community.

I’m on the board of Orlando Devs over 3000+ members

I’m a chapter leader of GDI Orlando 1000+ members

This is the question I am asked most often.

I’ve found that the advice I give varies depending on what stage the founder is at as far as fundraising goes.

I have seen front-end only prototypes used to secure seed funding.

Fully Functional MVP requires end to end functionality (front-end, backend) and whatever else the target VC firm says it needs.

When you’re thinking about who to hire, it depends on how much funding you have.

Why you should wait to build an in-house team
It takes time to get the right people
You can learn a lot of best practices and development processes from an experienced development company

Hiring mistakes can be fatal
Why in house team is best to come last (product fast, team slowly)
Hire on contract first, then W2 if all goes well, 3 months is a good contract period
Find 3 Great Candidates before hiring anyone

Reduce risk in a new relationships
The larger the scope the more uncertainty
Release early

Build > Test > Refine > Build > Test > Refine…

Build periods do well in 2 week sprints.

Testing can occur over a few days.

You should never stop developing your product.
Expect to pay monthly for sprint based app development work from an app development company.
I don’t recommend a project based arrangements.

Summary

How to Build an App (v1)

Related Books

Free with a 30 day trial from Scribd

Related Audiobooks

Free with a 30 day trial from Scribd