If you’re an early stage startup thinking you need to hire a CTO, what you probably really need is a “Founding Engineer”*. Startups have a tendency to over-inflate titles. While a fancy title might seem appealing, it’s important to prioritise the actual needs and growth stage of your startup.

What’s the Difference? 🔍

– Founding Engineer: A dynamic, hands-on developer, driving your product development, adept at turning ideas into tangible, market-ready realities and shipping at pace.
– CTO: A strategic executive-level role. Aligns technology with business goals, demonstrates commercial acumen, brings extensive leadership experience, and shapes key strategic decisions to enable sustained growth.

Why Start with a Founding Engineer? 🏗

– Immediate Needs: Early-stage startups need to focus on product development.
– Budget-Friendly: You typically cannot afford, or justify an experienced full-time CTO (consider a part-time or fractional CTO instead 😉)
– Flexibility: Calling someone a CTO when that’s not really what they are could cause problems down the line (e.g. when you do actually want to hire a proper CTO).

What to Look for in a Founding Engineer 👀

– Full Stack Expertise: Versatile in both front-end and back-end development, capable of handling a broad range of technical tasks.
– Experience: They’re seasoned, they’ve walked the walk. They have a proven track record (e.g. as a senior or lead developer)
– Adaptability and Problem-Solving: Comfortable with ambiguity, able to adapt to change quickly.
– Strong Communication Skills: Effective in articulating technical concepts and collaborating with both technical and non-technical team members.
– Entrepreneurial Mindset: A self-starter with a strong sense of ownership, driven to build and innovate in a startup environment.
– Cultural Fit and Resilience: Aligned with the startup’s values and culture, and resilient under the high-pressure, fast-paced startup conditions.
-Growth potential: Many Founding Engineers can (with the right support) evolve into CTOs as the startup matures and the need for strategic tech leadership increases.