Do you really need a co-founder? 🦆
Hi 👋
Welcome to the latest Atom CTO newsletter where we share tech news and stories for founders and entrepreneurs who are starting and scaling businesses.
Here at Atom, we provide mentorship services to startups from around the world. Over the past few weeks a number of the incubators and accelerators that we work with have begun their latest cohorts. What has been interesting for us as tech advisors is the number of startup founders that believe they need a tech co-founder.
As we explore in one of our latest podcasts, bringing on a co-founder is a big deal, this is someone that you will be working with as an equal to drive your business forward.
The relationship is very different from one with an employee so you really need to be sure that the person you are bringing on board is the right fit for you. Are you really looking for a tech co-founder or are you actually looking for a developer or even an advisor?
This is the first question I ask when this topic arises and quite quickly, it turns out that what the founder needs is someone to help them make decisions and get things done from a tech perspective. This does not always require that person to be a co-founder.
For any of you out there that are thinking of giving shares in your company for technology expertise, ask yourself whether what you want is a real long term partner or someone that can get you over the next tech hurdle. Don't give away equity if you don't have to.
As ever, Atom CTO is here to help so if you need any advice regarding tech you want to build or tech you have then please get in touch. Email bhairav@atomcto.com
Bhairav Patel
Managing Director
Atom CTO
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Interesting insights
Latest events and articles in tech and entrepreneurship collected by the Atom team:
We’ve just discovered a great resource for the best books on everything. From AI to literature and everything in between, if ever you’re stuck on what book to read next, this website can help! 📚
Google’s clamp-down on inactive accounts: Google accounts that haven’t been used for 2 years could get deleted by Google, read more about it here. 💣
Tension and conflict is often given as the reason why many cross-functional teams fail. These tensions however, can be turned to the team’s advantage when you’ve reached the stage of ‘productive tension’. 🪢
Is money all you need, and what about EBITDA? Read this article over on the Atom website about our investment approach and find out what qualities we’re looking for in an early-stage investable business. 🔍
A strong pitch deck acts as a narrative, it paints a vivid picture of your vision and potential. Not sure where to start? Read this article for a suggested structure. 🏆
Combatting theft in Nigeria with ‘last mile logistics’ - Although Nigeria’s small sellers have succeeded in finding more customers through social media, they struggle to find trustworthy ways to deliver orders. Now, a number of local startups are stepping in to solve this problem. 🛵
AI has already made waves in the world of startups, but how can companies prepare for large-scale automation of white-collar work? In this article from Sifted, bringing together voices from experts about how to start embracing the change. 🤖
Podcasts
Here’s the latest podcast from Atom Ventures, more will be released over the next few weeks:
Implementing OKRs 🧭
A chat with Bella Bardswell and Tim Beattie from Stellafai about how OKRs can help everyone understand the goals of a business and set a path to achieving them.
You can also listen to Bhairav and Strategy and Marketing Specialist Alan Clarke on the Real World Entrepreneurship Podcast as they chat about their experiences as entrepreneurs.
Finding a co-founder 🐶
What should you be looking for in a co-founder? How can you find one that complements your own skills? Bhairav and Alan talk about what to look for in a co-founder as well as whether you really need one at all.
What legals do you need? 👨🏻⚖️
From documentation needed, to compliance considerations as well as the importance of a shareholder agreement, this podcast covers all the legal aspects of starting your own business.
What’s it like to run your own business? 👔
It can be lonely running your own business, but also very rewarding. Bhairav and Alan talk about how founders need to play to their own strengths but also not be afraid to hire speciality skills when needed.
What tech do you need for your startup? 🤖
From productivity tools and the whole Microsoft / vs Google debate, Bhairav and Alan talk about how tech choices depend on the specific needs of the business as well as how and when to build your own software.
Subscribe to our podcast here: 🎧
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/s9k3zuz
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/vuny4pc
Google: https://tinyurl.com/4d38hsuv
SoundCloud://tinyurl.com/5h4ch2jh
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