This document provides an overview of Tony Parisi's experience and services as a consultant CTO for startups. It discusses goals for startups, strategies for product development, funding options, building an effective team, and technical considerations. Key recommendations include focusing on a clear goal and strategy, developing a minimum viable product to get early user feedback, adopting agile processes, and designing for scalability from the start.

1. CTO Playbook2011Tony ParisiCTO at Large

2. Who I AmEntrepreneurConsulting Architect and CTOTechnologistWeb 3D Inventor and Evangelist

3. What I DoConsultAdvisePlanDevelopManageChallengeCajoleComfort<StealthMobileGamingStartup>

4. What This IsStartup StuffProduct, Process, People Tony’s Tech ToolboxWhat This Is NotGaming GoodiesSuccess Secrets

5. Startup Stuff

6. GoalsMake Great GamesWhat are your goals?What is the company mission?Where do you see yourself and/or the company in X months? Y years?Change the World$ Cash In $Build My Empire…prove to my friends I’m not a total loser

7. StrategyPick one and stick to it.Your go-to-market plan may be very different from your long term goal.Choice of platform may– or may not– be a core strategy decision.Focus. You can always expand that focus or PIVOT later.Get clarity on this early and often; challenge yourself.Some examplesLaunch a killer FB game; expand to mobile later.Develop a platform, and find a partner to make a game.Raise the bar in game play, and become famous for it.Create a money machine: Beg/borrow/steal revenue.

8. FundingIf you are self-funding, you only have one job (initially): make a great game that generates $.SelfPartners/CustomersPublishersInvestorsPartners, Customers and Publishers have additional requirements (genre, platform etc.) and introduce additional risk.Investors invest in team and market opportunity first; technology and game play second.Investors invest in platforms, not titles.Consumers buy titles, not platforms.

9. TeamStartups require long hours, huge sacrifice and absolute dedication-- against the odds, during bad times as well as good.Your team should be a PACK™Passionate

10. Aligned

11. Committed

12. Kick-AssLack of alignment will kill a team. It is not a matter of if, but when.If your team is not 100% committed, investors and partners will smell it. No part-timers!Your livelihood depends on your team creating something new, different and awesome. Your team needs to kick ass.

13. Product, Process, People

14. Product Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

15. Get User/Player Feedback Early and Often

16. Be Thou Data-Driven, Ceaselessly

17. Collect Data From Day OneAwesome MVP rant on Jon Radoff’s bloghttp://radoff.com/blog/2010/05/04/minimum-viable-product-rant/