Cofounders Hiring & Firing

By Misha Chellam

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 12

Cofounders Hiring & Firing

By Misha Chellam

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 12

Caveat

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 12

Key Idea

People Matter. A lot.

The toughest decisions in organizations are people decisions - hiring, promoting, firing. -Peter Drucker

Your biggest challenge will be building a great team -John Doerr

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 12

Cofounders

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

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Cofounder #1
Monica

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Cofounder #2
Dave

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Cofounder #3
Walter

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Commonalities

Social proof
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Vulnerability
8

Cofounder #1
Life

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Cofounder #2
Speechwriters LLC

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Cofounder #3
Scanadu

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Differences

Worldview
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Takeaway

1. CAN you work with someone 2. SHOULD you work with someone

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Cofounder Takeaway

0. SHOULD you find a cofounder (general) 1. CAN you work with someone (specific) 2. SHOULD you work with someone (specific)

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Decision Tree

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Decision Tree
Value Hypothesis Y Key Assumption Y Design Experiment(s) Y Run Experiment(s) N N N FAIL No Cofounder

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

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Decision Tree
Value Hypothesis Y Key Assumption Y Design Experiment(s) Y Run Experiment(s) Y Sweet!
Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012
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FAIL

No Cofounder

Hackable?

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Decision Tree
Value Hypothesis Y Key Assumption Y Design Experiment(s) Y Run Experiment(s) Y Sweet!
Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 12

FAIL

No Cofounder

N Y

Hackable?

15

Decision Tree
Value Hypothesis Y Key Assumption Y Design Experiment(s) Y Run Experiment(s) Y Sweet!
Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 12

FAIL

No Cofounder

N Y

Hackable? N Cofounder

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Can
Assets

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Can
Assets

1. Technical

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Can
Assets

1. Technical 2. Industry Expertise

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

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Can
Assets

1. Technical 2. Industry Expertise 3. Past startup success

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Can
Assets

1. Technical 2. Industry Expertise 3. Past startup success 4. Other social proof

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

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Can
Assets

1. Technical 2. Industry Expertise 3. Past startup success 4. Other social proof or

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

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Can
Assets

1. Technical 2. Industry Expertise 3. Past startup success 4. Other social proof or 5. Start hustling

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Tech Cofounder

When a hacker joins an unproven, non-technical entrepreneur, he's risking his most important asset: his time. While he already knows he can code, neither of you knows whether you'll be able to deliver as the business co-founder.

http://bit.ly/FIearn http://bit.ly/FIearn2
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Find a Cofounder

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

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Find a Cofounder

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

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Earn a Cofounder

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

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Earn a Cofounder

Learn to code

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

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Earn a Cofounder

Learn to code Build the front end

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

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Earn a Cofounder

Learn to code Build the front end Hack the back end

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

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Earn a Cofounder

Learn to code Build the front end Hack the back end Hire an external team (not = outsourcing)

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 12

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Earn a Cofounder

Learn to code Build the front end Hack the back end Hire an external team (not = outsourcing) Simplify your MVP
"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

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Earn
Code: Front end: Back end: External team: Simplify MVP:
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Dont Forget

Worldview
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Hiring

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

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Topgrading
The Basics

1) Their expectations coming into that job; 2) Responsibilities in that job; 3) Accomplishments and other high points; 4) Failures and low points; 5) TORC; and 6) Reasons for leaving
"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

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Topgrading
Extra tips

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

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Topgrading
Extra tips

Problem: Waste time on unnecessary phone screens

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

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Topgrading
Extra tips

Problem: Waste time on unnecessary phone screens Solution: Get crucial info before phone screen

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 12

23

Topgrading
Extra tips

Problem: Waste time on unnecessary phone screens Solution: Get crucial info before phone screen Problem: Unhelpful reference calls

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 12

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Topgrading
Extra tips

Problem: Waste time on unnecessary phone screens Solution: Get crucial info before phone screen Problem: Unhelpful reference calls Solution: Ask candidates to arrange reference with bosses

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 12

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Topgrading
Extra tips

Problem: Waste time on unnecessary phone screens Solution: Get crucial info before phone screen Problem: Unhelpful reference calls Solution: Ask candidates to arrange reference with bosses Problem: Cold recruiting (running ads)
"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 12

23

Topgrading
Extra tips

Problem: Waste time on unnecessary phone screens Solution: Get crucial info before phone screen Problem: Unhelpful reference calls Solution: Ask candidates to arrange reference with bosses Problem: Cold recruiting (running ads) Solution: Develop your virtual bench

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 12

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Job Description

"Some insightful quote from the user or some famous person." User name, Age

Silicon Valley Founder Institute, July 16 2012

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Thanks!

mishachellam@gmail.com @mishachellam

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