Presented by Isaac Sukin at an event by Dorm Room Fund and the Wharton Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Club, "Recruiting Engineers and Managing Products for Non-Technical Startup Founders."

1. Product Development
for Non-Technical Founders
Isaac Sukin

2. Talent Options
Type Hourly rate
Student $20-40
Outsourcing $15-35
Freelancer $40-150
Consultant $75-250
Agency $100-400
Employee $20-80
Cofounder Equity
Yourself Opportunity cost

3. Where to Look
• PennApps
• Campus events
• General job boards
• Specialized job boards
• Social media
• LinkedIn
• Other networking events

4. Attracting Engineers
• Many top coders are bombarded by recruiters
• Recognize that they might be doing most of the work at the
beginning
• Focus on the right perks
– Professional development (responsibility, open-source)
– Environment (team, interesting problems, workspace)
– Upside
• Focus on the entire candidate experience
– Fast communication
– Transparency
– Don’t be redundant
– Be consistent
– Evaluate for the skills you’re looking for
• Lean towards ability to learn over topical knowledge
• Do your research

5. How to Know Who to Hire
• Strong communication skills
– Ask them to explain technical concepts in a way
anyone could understand
• Amount of experience (ask for resume)
• Pursues side projects (ask for github)
• Ask a more technical friend to help assess the
hire’s work quality
– For more experienced people you can also ask for
references
• Validate preferred technology choice based on
cost of switching and maintenance
• Find out whether the hire prefers purity or
practicality

6. Working with Engineers
• Try to learn their language
• Work closely to develop precise
specifications and expectations
• Give them space
– A lot of software development is creative, not
mechanical
• Let them choose their toys
• Be flexible with working hours