A start up itch.....

Having previously worked for various blue-chip tech companies, individuals often have a startup itch. With mortgages settled, children grown, and the desire for one last adventure. So what should you look out for.....?

People: Startups are close-knit, kinetic affairs. In my first, the CEO sat right behind me. Always willing to offer advice after a call and sometimes even during. Everything was highly visible. So the founder and their wider team play a pivotal role. Personal chemistry is crucial. Ensuring they are open to ideas, best practice and grant autonomy.

Product: Where is the product in its current development cycle? Has it achieved PMF? Do they possess more than a cluster of early adopters in subsidised POCs and how replicable are their Use Cases for other customers?

Market: Ideally, something disruptive where innovation can challenge the incumbents. That needs to be counterbalanced with real-world application over any conceptual difficulties due to market immaturity. So where are their products in relation to that? Funding: If they are bringing on a new sales leader, they probably recently secured funding. Their founder would have been on numerous investment rounds armed with a forty-page slide deck. What has been promised and is it achievable given their current position? How will it influence expectations, goals, budgets and priorities?

Culture: Typically dynamic, vibrant environments, where course correction and strategic pivots may feel more impulse-driven. Often determined by the founder’s personality and leadership disposition. A potential source of frustration as things once agreed upon may suddenly alter due to some perceived market shift.