How to Find a CTO for Your Startup [Complete Guide]

A Chief Technical Officer (CTO) is one of the most important personas in any tech company. They are responsible for making all technical decisions to start, develop, and scale the business. A CTO is involved in decision-making processes and invariably keeps an eye on the latest tech trends to create and present the best possible vision and strategy to the team and stakeholders.

Growing a startup is brutal - nine out of ten startups fail. You neglect a tiny detail, and all your effort and beliefs end up with your inability to deliver the product or compete. That’s why strategic planning is a pillar of the development process, which is why a skilled CTO is essential.

It takes years and years for a future CTO to gain experience, observe trends, and explore the industry to understand patterns and mechanisms. This explains why the world's best CTOs don't get that role until the age of 24 years after getting higher education, eight positions, and four companies.

The Role of a Good CTO in the Growth of a Startup

The scope of the CTO’s responsibilities changes with the company's growth. Since we are talking about how to find a CTO for your startup, let’s focus on the following three stages:

Seed Stage

At this stage, the future company has the idea and starts thinking about bringing it to reality. The CTO - quite often a Tech Co-Founder - is responsible for the following:

• Proof of concept to make the idea possible to implement;
• Finding the maximum opportunities and tech solutions to develop an MVP;
• Keeping the processes within defined financial and time frames.

Startup Stage

A successfully passed Seed Stage means that the startup is born. The product/products are on the market and have the first users, so it’s high time to collect insight and feedback. All the updates will be based on those data.

The CTO’s responsibilities in a startup include the following:

• Maintaining the highest level of team efficiency;
• Scaling the team, onboarding new specialists;
• Designing architecture;
• Creating, presenting, and holding the responsibility for technical decisions and changes;
• Ensuring both access to information and its complete security;
• Implementing Agile principles.

Growth Stage

Moving to the Growth Stage means a startup won its market and passed the break-even point - it became profitable. Here the focus is slightly shifted towards management, and the primary CTO responsibilities include:

• Constant monitoring of technology trends and innovations;
• Nurturing a tech team to make it able to cover some of the CTO's tasks;
• Preservation of significant benefits of the product in the process of its improvement;
• Presenting the company at technical events, being fully responsible for its image and reputation in technical terms.

Types of CTO You Can Find:

The Digital Business Leader

The Digital Business Leader focuses on leveraging innovative technologies to transform a business model, products, and services. This specialist is responsible for creating the company's digital business strategies. At the same time, they may well architect digital platforms. Their key responsibilities include:

• Cooperation with business executives to identify, rationalize, and roadmap new business models and capabilities.
• Work on creating the enterprise architecture, innovation management, etc.
• Being a decision-making authority for technology investments.
• Understanding market requirements to deliver digital products and services that will be in demand.

The Business Enabler

The Business Enabler ensures that the technology is operating as designed and evolving in lockstep with the business. This CTO is in charge of operational technology and works as a team lead.

Ensuring that business and customer needs are met is the highest priority. This role is often a complement to the CIO. The CIO focuses on running the IT organization. What does a CTO do? They work across the business and IT to govern and guide tech decisions. Among their main responsibilities are:

• Making final decisions on tech investments;
• Taking an active part in creating digital business platforms;
• Working with product and engineering teams;
• Risk assessment.

The IT Innovator

This specialist is a leading architect, guiding the impact of IT innovations. Typical responsibilities include:

• Work as the central point for technology innovation;
• Choosing or creating the tech strategy, following emerging technologies;
• Leading an engineering team according to the Agile approach;
• Leveraging technologies including hybrid multi-cloud, edge computing, and automation.

The Chief Operating Officer

In big organizations, this CTO is focused on the day-to-day running of IT. The primary goal of the Chief Operating Officer is to meet the agreed-upon delivery of IT services. The COO is heavily involved in purchasing solutions for both technologies and services and is responsible for the following:

• Running and maintaining IT operations;
• Ensuring the performance of internal and external systems;
• Monitoring and responding to incidents;
• Engaging in the purchasing of systems such as CRM or ERP.

Regardless of the type of CTO, they work closely with other C-level managers on meeting business goals.

Required Skills and Qualities of a Good CTO

The primary duty of the CTO in software product development is to meet the client's requirements and wishes while maintaining stability and the highest level of development profitability. They are responsible for the direction and path that the dedicated development team walks toward the final goal.

To do this, the CTO skills - hard and soft - need to be excellent. They must be well-versed in the field and good managers and performers. If to summarize and highlight the basic requirements for the CTO, they must have a consistently high level of:

• Architecture building skills;
• Managing and support of development processes;
• Development of tech product vision and roadmap;
• Quality Assurance, DevOps;
• Self-management;
• Collaboration with product owners and company founders;
• Technical support.

What Are The Responsibilities of a Startup CTO?

CTOs are responsible for the business's technological growth. They stay current with technological advancements in your sector to adjust the technical course of your firm to remain on the cutting edge and establish the technical course for developing your product, from formulating a strategy to choosing the equipment required to carry it out.

The list of primary responsibilities of a CTO is here and waiting for you:

Team composition and management

Without the employees who make up a corporation, nothing exists. The CTO of a company should be aware of this and let the team's culture influence how they interact and work with their workforce.

CTOs are in charge of assembling and leading development teams and assisting them in completing projects. They ought to motivate their group to stay committed and make the same goals. He must create an atmosphere where people may realize their full potential.

Technology stack choice

A CTO leads the overarching technical vision and gives their team the technological stack they need to construct their product. CTOs also manage which internal technologies are adopted and put into use and the organization's hardware and server infrastructure.

Work processes management

A CTO directs the technical aspects of a project, working toward a straightforward procedure that yields outcomes. With methods for operating development CTO uses to produce a product — Agile, Scrum or Waterfall — he influences the entire development process.

Performance tracking

In order to keep staff productive, a CTO continuously monitors performance. The CTO should collaborate extensively with developers in a startup setting to see where they are succeeding and where they need improvement.

A technical leader must improve the product by listening to suggestions from the developers they manage, supporting creative ideas, and identifying ways to put those ideas into practice. A CTO's role includes helping to develop products and rewarding their team for exceptional performance.

Technical vision implementation

CTO must create a technical plan for a business that will turn the ideas into actions. With strong technical skills and a solid grasp of business he (or she) creates, develops, and translates this vision into reality.

The technical vision should outline the challenges, goals, and risk factors. This technical approach must align with the startup's overall business goals.

Company representing

Investors, venture capital firms, or accelerators are a few examples of people or organizations that frequently offer funding opportunities. It is not surprising that these funding sources carefully examine a company's management team, particularly the CTO and their technical vision mentioned above.

Representing the startup includes participating in speaking engagements, conferences and even publishing articles about the business and its work.

Soft Skills Your Future CTO Should Have

The skills that make a good CTO include strong communication and organizational skills, problem-solving capabilities, and the ability to lead and manage a team. These skills make you a valuable member of any organization and help you stand out from the competition.

Let’s find out what soft skills a CTO must have.

Passion

Passion for work CTO will help the team be more creative and innovative and stay motivated and focused. When CTO is passionate about work, the team is more likely to put in the extra effort to achieve success.

Responsibility

The CTO's role and responsibilities allow the business to grow. CTO needs to have strong leadership and management skills, technical expertise, and a strong understanding of business strategy to execute it.

Constant learning

The CTO is now more than just a technology manager; they are a business leader who helps manage technology across the organization.

A CTO should have a strong understanding of the latest technologies and their application in the workplace. The skill set for a future CTO includes identifying and solving problems, working extensively with computers and technology, and possessing strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Commitment

A future CTO must commit to a long-term vision. They should also be able to establish a clear plan, execute it, work independently, and manage multiple tasks simultaneously. CTOs should be proficient in analytical thinking and establishing and leading standards.

Communication & Alignment

The CTO is responsible for the overall management and direction of the technology department. They communicate with other departments and individuals within and, as well as stay on top of changes in the technology industry. Your CTO needs to speak with non-technical people, especially those who work for your company.

They effectively align the company's technical goals with other company goals. It includes both short-term and long-term goals. A CTO should be able to make sure that the company's technology goals are in line with its overall business goals.

Leadership Skills

As a leader, CTO is responsible for allocating resources, setting strategy, motivating team members, and making decisions that affect the company's growth. Additionally, the CTO needs to be able to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Management Skills

A future CTO should possess various skills, including project, team, time, and personal management. CTO manages a team of engineers and works with other departments, such as marketing and sales.

So your CTO should be able to connect all the dots and see the bigger picture while being aware of the technical side.

Where And How to Find a CTO for a Startup

While looking for a CTO for a startup that’ll meet all the above-mentioned requirements, look in the right places. When possible, use all the offline channels - your social circle and meetups.

The first option is the best since you get the fairest feedback and recommendations. Use social media to message your acquaintances directly and don’t hesitate to post publicly, on LinkedIn, Meta (former Facebook), and Instagram.

You can also:

• Ask successful tech leads for their recommendations and how to find a CTO co-founder in a startup. Chances are, they’ve started at the same point as you are now and can suggest you a reliable contact.
• Try to attend as many tech meetups as possible. But don’t rush into a number and pick them wisely: not everyone with a “startup” or “tech” in a headline can offer you what you need.

Add to your list meetups that are closely related to your niche and your industry. As a non-tech founder or C-level manager, get prepared since tech people love using buzzwords and jargon or just professional words and phrases you may not be familiar with.

Hackathons are also a great chance for finding a CTO for a startup, valuable links, and ideas. You can find specialists to complete the tech team as well.

Speaking of online methods, use specific online platforms for finding tech partners. A few to start:

• CoFoundersLab
• AngelList
• Indie Hackers
• Co-founders subreddit
• Co-founding threads on Discord & Slack

They are great for building and growing your network, but the important thing here is to stay aware of what you need to get and not get lost in all the information they produce and share. A good idea might be to set milestones (14 days, for example), so you can look back, analyze, and properly use connections and dat you’ve collected.

Best Alternatives for CTO

As you can see, finding a CTO for your startup is not the easiest task; it takes time and effort. Also, there are numerous success stories of releasing an MVP without an in-house CTO. As alternatives, consider Part-Time Consultant, Outsourcing Dedicated Development Team, or CTO-as-a-Service.

This well-selected option can help the company achieve the expected and maximum possible results, optimize costs and time, organize work, and avoid complications in performing technical tasks.

A part-Time Consultant is cheaper for a company than hiring an in-house specialist, which can be a decisive factor at the seed and startup stages. It's a golden opportunity to spend relatively low investments for the highest level of expertise. This cooperation model is also quite flexible.

The ideal option for how to find a CTO for app development is to reach out to some successful tech companies, which probably have experience working on a similar model. Don't forget to get the most from your social media, LinkedIn first of all.

To devote time to freelance platforms is an excellent idea as well. Freelancer.com, for example, offers you to find tech consultants by describing your project in a few sentences; quite a convenient way. At Upwork, you can find profiles with very different hourly rates, experience, portfolios, and recommendations. Other similar resources: Toptal and RemoteOK.

As a matter of course, you should constantly monitor tech info resources, follow publications on a specific topic, etc. The great chances are that some successful and skillful technical consultant will publish their work, be quoted, or share their expert point of view on a particular material. Even if these actions don’t end with signing a contract, being aware and keeping an eye on the events will be useful.

And, of course, you can get help from professional organizations, recruitment agencies, for example.

Outsourcing Development Team is a massive resource offered at a reasonable price. Hiring a trusted team you don’t meet any management issues, and the teamwork is well-coordinated and adjusted. This, in turn, guarantees to achieve goals as soon as possible. For management, it is a chance to focus on their business goals and marketing activities without being distracted by the technical part.

An architect-level developer can become a CTO for a startup. The list of their responsibilities will include:

• Work on product design;
• Work with code, test, release, and maintenance of the product;
• Collaboration with the team, maintaining the highest involvement and satisfaction levels;
• Change implementation;
• Solving problems related to internal management;
• Monitoring compliance of processes with deadlines and budget;
• Conducting daily meetups, delegating short-term tasks and goals, distribution of tasks.

As you can see, these are the most specific and technical tasks, and this is precisely the list of responsibilities that need to be covered in a startup without a tech co-founder.

CTO-as-a-Service - is the most convenient model in the case of limited financial resources because you pay only for services provided. At the same time, you get the most out of CTO’s experience and skills. The expertise is the main benefit since the specialist has already worked with different projects and can offer various points of view and solutions.

It is worth noting that the CTOaaS can be one person or a team.

The searching and hiring process of a CTO-as-a-Service is very similar to the technical consultant, but here you should pay maximum attention to recommendations, reviews, and feedback. Bear in mind that this CTO will be fully responsible for the tech team's work.

The leading "suppliers" of CTO-as-a-Service are:

• Outsourcing companies. Given all the benefits of outsourcing, after googling, check out the companies' profiles on resources such as Clutch, Manifest, and Glassdoor. By reviewing the portfolio and collecting feedback from former clients, you can get options for the most comfortable and fruitful collaboration within a limited budget of startups.
• Recommendations always remain one of the best options since the role of a CTO in a startup is very responsible. Try to contact someone with successful experience cooperating with CTO-as-a-Service; the chances of getting an unreliable suggestion are close to zero.
• Networking is everything. Attending technical events, conferences, and participating in accelerators and workshops are always a chance to get the most valuable resource - contacts. The ambitious and skilful CTO for a new startup will likely be there.

How TechMagic can Help your Startup

Today, there is a growing trend of startups turning to outsourced technical services to help them scale faster – CTO as a service is one of these services.

TechMagic provides experienced and qualified CTOs as a part of a dedicated team that can accelerate your startup's growth. We deeply understand the needs of startups, and we help you with everything from product development to marketing and beyond. Our team assists you in achieving your business goals faster and with less hassle and hiring a CTO.

Conclusion

For a startup at an early stage, it is ok to lack technical expertise in the team. Most often, ​​the idea of creating a product comes to people closer to business rather than to the technical field. This is when you need a CTO to produce technical concepts, build and supervise a dedicated development team, control the quality of their work, and be responsible for product delivery.

FAQ

1. How do I find a CTO for a startup?

   - Define what stage you’re at now.
   - Pick the best CTO option for your business for now: CTO, CTO-as-a-service, Dedicated Team, Tech Consultant.
   - Use offline and online methods, be proactive in your circle, ask for recommendations.

2. Where can I find a CTO?

   - Tech meetups and conferences.
   - Social media (LinkedIn).
   - Online platforms for finding tech partners.
   - Freelance platforms.

3. Do I need a CTO for my startup?

   It depends on the resources you have at your disposal at this moment, your goals, and what’s the most important, tech-savvy person in your team, able to hold one hundred per cent responsibility for all the tech decisions.

4. What is a CTO role about?

   The CTO is a person responsible for making all tech-related decisions. It automatically means the highest level of hard and soft skills, ability to be a strong leader and performer. The CTO impacts the business growth as all the C-level managers in a startup.

5. What are the Chief Technical Officer’s responsibilities?

   - Creating and launching an MVP.
   - Building a team, onboarding new people, managing all the internal processes.
   - Quality Assurance and debugging
   - DevOps tasks
   - Building and constantly updating the architecture.
   The list of responsibilities may be way longer and depends on your project, the type of CTO you need and choose, and the skills of tech people you already have in your team. Now, when you have an understanding of how to find a CTO to build an app and what to expect, feel free to contact us for the first consulting and we’ll help you with picking the best option.