This document provides advice for those wanting to be a startup CTO. It notes that you will likely fail most of the time as a startup CTO but that failure is okay. It emphasizes that startups are about market fit rather than technology alone. The document encourages focusing on choosing the right CEO over technology and learning about business topics like contracts and pricing. It outlines four ways to innovate - creating more good, less bad, cheaper products and easier to use products. Finally, it recommends avoiding following trends and focusing on the next logical product step rather than excessive innovation.

1. David Hyland-Wood
david@hyland-wood.org
@prototypo
1 February 2017
So you wanna be a
Startup CTO

2. Why?

4. You will fail
most of the time
…but that’s OK. You will probably be better off for it.

6. Startups are about
market fit, not technology
Technology is an enabler of business function and nothing
more, no matter how much we love it.

7. Two Thoughts
• You will never be ready.
• Do it when you are ready enough.

8. Who?

9. 1. Are you deluding
yourself?
2. Is your CEO?

11. Two Thoughts
• Pay more attention to your choice of CEO than you
do to your choice of spouse.
• Learn something about business. You will need to
understand licenses, contracts, management,
leadership, market positioning, pricing, investment
terms, etc, etc, etc.

12. What?

13. 4 ways to innovate
More good
Less bad
Cheaper
Easier
The last three together make a product sustainable.

14. http://www.productioninspiration.com
http://www.moreinspiration.com

15. Software is largely a service industry
operating under the persistent but
unfounded delusion that it is a
manufacturing industry."
-- Eric Raymond

16. Two Thoughts
• Avoid following trends unless there is lots of room
in the market.
• You don’t need to be overly innovative. The next
logical step often makes money.

17. How?

18. http://theleanstartup.com

19. Two Thoughts
• Avoid premature optimisation.
• Optimise for sales first, then scale, then
maintenance.