1.
How to Build An App
The Startup Founders Survival Guide to Software Development
Cassandra Wilcox
August 9, 2018

2.
Startup
Challenges
● Limited Resources
● Founders wear lots of hats
● Need to move fast
● Lack of technical experience
(sometimes)

3.
Startup Fundraising Stages
Idea
Self
Funded
Seed
Funded
Series
A, B, C…
$ $$ $$$$

4.
“I’m starting a business.
I need to build an app.
Who should I hire?”
- Tech startup founders

5.
What to Build, When
Invision
Prototype
Continued
Feature
Developmen
t
Software
Prototype
Fully
Functional
MVP
$ $$ $$$$

6.
Invision
Prototype
What to Build, When
● Idea Stage
● Built by YOU
● Describes app functionality
● Customer feedback
● Attract support

7.
Software
Prototype
What to Build, When
● Self Funded
● Built by freelancer
● More tangible
● Possibly throw-away
● Front-end only 👍
● Customer Feedback
● Attract Seed Funding

8.
Fully Functional
MVP
What to Build, When
● Seed Funded
● Single Platform (Web) 👍
● Development Process Matures
● Customer Feedback
● Attract Series A

9.
Continued
Development
What to Build, When
● Continuous release
● Bug fixing
● Customer feedback
● Additional features

10.
Who to Hire, When
Yourself
In-house
Team
Freelancers
Developmen
t
Company
$ $$ $$$$

11.
Freelancers
Who to Hire, When
● When: Self Funded
● Skilled in their medium
● Eventually join your team?

12.
Development
Company
Who to Hire, When
● When: Seed Funded
● Why: Experience
○ Gets you a team quickly
○ Optimized development process
○ Technical decision making
● Exit plan?

13.
In-house Team
Who to Hire, When
● When: Series A
○ Stability
○ Management staff
● Why: More Attractive to Investors

14.
Successful
Software Teams
● Specialized Team Members
○ Project Manager
○ Designer
○ Front-end Developer
○ Backend Developer
○ QA
● Defined Processes
○ Repeatable Success
● Sprint Retros
○ Continuous Feedback &
Improvement

15.
Hire slowly.

16.
Keep your scope small.

17.
Release early & often.
Test Build Test Build TestBuild

18.
There is no such thing
as “DONE”.

19.
Startup
Fundraising
Stages
Idea
Self
Funded
Seed
Funded
Series
A, B, C…
Invision
Prototype
Continued
Feature
Developme
nt
Software
Prototype
Fully
Functional
MVP
Yourself In-house
Team
Freelancers
Developme
nt
Company
What to build,
When
Who to hire,
When

20.
Q&A
Cassandra Wilcox
August 9, 2018
How to Build An App
The Startup Founders Survival Guide to Software Development