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MenuI am a computer science student with a project idea I am looking to build. How do I determine whether an app or a website is better to begin with?
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Before building something, did you test your idea ? Life's too short to build something nobody wants ;)
You can use clarity, sohelpful.me to conduct some interviews, build a landing page with quickmvp.com, unbounce or launchrock to validate that you solve a real problem. Then when your idea is validated, your can build a MVP (Minimum viable product) that might be for example a website (imho faster and easier to build than an app) to test your assumptions. Then if early adopters need functionnalities that really need to run as an app, you can provide them on pc, tablet or smartphone using your core web backoffice.
If you want to discuss with me, feel free to have a free call here https://clarity.fm/laurentroger/white665 or here http://www.sohelpful.me/laurentroger
I think you're asking whether you should go PC or mobile.
The answer depends on your interaction model. Think about a messaging app. The user will be interacting with it briefly but many times through the day. This is an ideal model for mobile. By comparison, an app that requires them to type extensive text or otherwise concentrate for some time, is better done as a "PC web" app.
Another consideration is focus. A todo list manager can be a very simple, focused app which is also ideal for mobile, as you need to be very parsimonious when you lay out your screens on mobile. Look at Clear, an ultra-minimalist todo app for iOS. If you compare that to a complex groupware app like Asana, you can see that the extensive feature set means that it works better on PC rather than mobile.
If you want to talk more, we can have a call.
I always recommend starting with a responsive HTML5 site to do your proof of concept. This can help you get some of the server based workflow out of the way. Assuming that the app is designed to run as a cloud based service, you are going to want to have browser access regardless of the platform you build for (iOS/Android/Windows)
The advantage of the app is that you can take advantage of pre-built SDK's from the OS which may expedite UX/UI implementation.
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What are some good resources to find a qualified tech founder?
It doesn't look like any of the answers given have actually answered the question you posed -- so I'll do my best: The best place to look is within your OWN personal networks. At the end of the day, a co-founder is very similar to having a husband or wife. Your life will be tied to this person in almost every conceivable way. In fact, you may even spend twice as much time with this person than your actual husband or wife (if you have one). For that reason, it's important that the level of trust you have in this person is second-to-none. Finding co-founders at networking events, local universities, etc is fine -- however, be sure to spend a lot of time with this person before you decide to bring them on board as a co-founder. Starting the conversation off saying "I'm looking for a co-founder" is similar to meeting a girl and saying "I'm looking for a wife." But, again, this is why your own personal networks might be the answer. It's likely that in this group of people, you'll find people you trust who will be in your startup with you throughout the good and the bad (because, yes...there will be good and bad). I hope this is helpful...MB
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What 3 questions to pose to a developer, to gauge his expertise level?
If you're not technical yourself, then you might not be able to gauge the efficiency of a candidate's algorithms or critique her code. But there are still some higher-level, more behavioral things that a non-technical interviewer should be looking for in a strong development candidate: 1. What are some tech blogs that you follow? Explain an interesting article to me that you read from one of them. The software development world changes all the time. Best practices are constantly evolving and new libraries are regularly released which make developers more productive. If a candidate doesn't keep up with the latest software news, that might be a red flag that they're not curious or trying to improve themselves. Also, having them explain a technical concept to someone who's non-technical is a great way to gauge their communication skills. Do they seem like someone you could work with and understand easily? Do they care about pausing to make sure you understand, or do they just drone on with jargon? If you feel overwhelmed while they're explaining this answer, imagine how you'll feel when they're telling you why the product has bugs or isn't going to be done on schedule. 2. Tell me about a time you ran into a big roadblock with something you were building. How did you get past it? It's inevitable that a software developer will get tripped up or have to solve some Gordian Knot. Everyone has to bang their head against the wall from time to time. Maybe an API didn't have the data they needed or some function was running too slow and they weren't sure how to speed it up. You're looking to see how they are as a problem solver. Did they come up with a clever but hacky solution? Were they methodical or did they fly by the seat of their pants? Did they go back to the stakeholders and see if the feature's requirements were flexible? Did they work on it for hours and hours trying new things? Did they ask for help from colleagues or on the internet? No right or wrong answers here, but you want to get the sense that this isn't someone who throws up their hands when they hit some friction. 3. Tell me about your favorite project that you worked on. What work are you most proud of? By asking them about the project they're most proud of, you'll get to see what it is that they value most. Maybe one candidate is most proud of a side project they built, even if it wasn't that technically complex, while another candidate is proud of their esoteric PhD project or some specific algorithm they improved. Again, no right or wrong answers, it really depends what type of candidate you're looking for. But it lets you see into their mind a bit, and get at some of the aspects that can make someone a strong development candidate. If you want to talk more specifically about hiring for your team, I'd be happy to do a call!HB
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I am a non tech entrepreneur desperately trying to find answer to highly technical and nuanced questions on the cheap.
The best way would be to hire an expert on oDesk, etc. which is fairly cheap and also reliable. But It sounds like you want to go even cheaper than that. Try posting on StackExchange, which is free. Another cheap option is to check local Meetup.com tech gatherings in your area and ask some experts directly for free advice. Good luck!II
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Should you split equity equally with a tech cofounder if you have an MVP, some traction but you know that you're going to need a CTO when it takes off
If you and this person, *know* they won't be the CTO, then absolutely not. If there's an understanding that the engineer you are working with is going to "cap out" soon beyond the MVP, why would you ruin your cap table? This *should* help you get a reasonable amount of equity. http://foundrs.com/ The most crucial question is where this current contributor is likely going to be out of their element. Are they only front-end and have no back-end ability? If so, you really should raise (from a friend or family member) or borrow the money necessary to pay this person a reasonable cash rate. If on the other hand, they can take a successful MVP and build a reasonable back-end but will cap out on scaling it past 100,000 users, or for example, you're an enterprise company and you know you'll require a technical person to be part of closing early sales, then it's ok to give up meaningful equity. But another key question is: Are you ok to let this person define your company's engineering culture? If this person isn't capable of or comfortable managing your tech team in the early-days, this person should have no more than 10% equity. Of course, your shares and theirs (whatever you decide) should be subject to a vesting agreement (minimum 3 years and preferably 4). It's easy to give away equity when it's worth very little but as I've said here before on Clarity, imagine your company today being worth $100,000,000. Can you imagine this person contributing $20,000,000 worth of value to achieve that outcome? $30m? $50m? Here's the thing though. If this person can grow into a CTO, and wants the chance, and there's no warning signs that it will be a tough slog for them to get there, and they're a passionate believer in what's been built to date, then it's entirely reasonable to bet (with equity) that they can get there. I know a lot of CTO's of great Series A and beyond companies with amazing traction that started off as lacking a lot of the criteria of a great CTO candidate. This is an area I've helped coach a lot of startup CEOs through and have experience in myself. Happy to talk through in a call to understand the specifics of your scenario and provide more detailed advice.TW
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