In-depth guides for founders
Comprehensive, no-fluff resources covering everything you need to know about technical leadership, hiring engineers, and building products.
Understanding Roles
Deep dives into technical leadership roles
What is a Fractional CTO? The Complete Guide for Startup Founders
Everything you need to know about fractional CTOs: what they do, how much they cost, when to hire one, and how to find the right fit for your startup.
Read guideWhat is a Founding Engineer? The Complete Guide to Your First Technical Hire
Everything founders need to know about founding engineers: what they do, how to hire one, equity and salary expectations, and why they're different from CTOs.
Read guideWhat is a Forward Deployed Engineer? The Complete Guide
Everything you need to know about Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs): what they do, how they differ from regular engineers, salary expectations, and why companies like Palantir rely on them.
Read guideHiring & Building Teams
How to find and work with technical talent
When to Hire a CTO: 7 Signs Your Startup Needs Technical Leadership
How to know when it's time to bring on a CTO: the signals that indicate you need senior technical leadership and what type of CTO fits each stage.
Read guideHow to Hire a Founding Engineer: The Complete Process
A step-by-step guide to finding and hiring your first engineer: where to search, how to evaluate candidates, what to offer, and how to close the deal.
Read guideHow to Evaluate Developers as a Non-Technical Founder
A practical guide for non-technical founders to assess developer skills, review portfolios, conduct interviews, and make confident technical hiring decisions.
Read guideFractional CTO vs Full-Time CTO: Which Do You Need?
A detailed comparison of fractional and full-time CTOs: costs, time commitment, when to choose each, and how to make the right decision for your startup stage.
Read guideFounding Engineer vs CTO: Which Does Your Startup Need?
Understand the differences between founding engineers and CTOs: responsibilities, compensation, when to hire each, and how to decide which role fits your startup.
Read guideFounding Engineer Salary and Equity: Complete Compensation Guide
What to pay your first engineering hire: salary ranges, equity expectations, and how to structure competitive offers for founding engineers in 2025.
Read guideCTO Job Description: Roles, Responsibilities & What to Look For
Complete guide to CTO job descriptions for startups: responsibilities by company stage, required skills, salary ranges, and free templates to use.
Read guideBuilding Products
From MVP to scale
Startup Tech Stack Guide: How to Choose the Right Technologies in 2025
A practical guide to choosing your startup's tech stack: popular options for SaaS, mobile, and AI products, with recommendations by company stage and team size.
Read guideWorking with Offshore Development Teams: A Practical Guide
How to evaluate, hire, and manage offshore developers and agencies: finding quality teams, communication strategies, and avoiding common pitfalls.
Read guideNo-Code vs Custom Development: How to Decide
When should you use no-code tools versus building custom software? A practical guide to making the right choice for your startup's stage and needs.
Read guideMVP Development: The Complete Guide to Building Your First Product
Everything startup founders need to know about MVP development: what to build, tech stack choices, costs, timelines, and how to avoid common mistakes.
Read guideHow to Write Technical Requirements: A Guide for Non-Technical Founders
Learn to write clear requirements that developers can actually build from: user stories, acceptance criteria, and specification techniques that reduce confusion and rework.
Read guideTechnical Leadership
Managing technical decisions and teams
Technical Due Diligence Checklist: What Investors Evaluate
A comprehensive guide to technical due diligence for startup founders: what investors look for, how to prepare, and a complete checklist to ensure you pass.
Read guideThe Non-Technical Founder's Guide to Building Tech Products
How to evaluate developers, make smart tech decisions, and avoid costly mistakes when building a startup without a technical background.
Read guide