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The Role of a CTO at Early-Stage Startups
Have you ever wondered what the CTO role is really at early-stage startups? Are you fascinated by joining a startup as one?
Being a (non-founder) CTO at early-stage startups can be highly rewarding and challenging at the same time. You will have the autonomy to shape engineering at a startup, but you will also need to be resourceful in solving many problems with little resources or support.
CTOs at early-stage startups are all about balancing everything and everyone.
At an early-stage startup, the engineering team can consist of a couple of people to less than sixty people, where the company is likely at most 100 people. CTOs are, by default, more hands-on in software architecture, code review, testing, and even continuing to write code. The work focuses on the short to medium term, and strategic work is often put on the back burner, given that the product market fit is still being determined.
CTOs in early-stage startups need to manage their peers and teams. They use their experience as software engineers, architects, or managers to coach others and influence decisions. They should also have good relationships with other departments, such as customer success, marketing, or sales.
