What do you look for in a startup CEO? | Hacker News Reader

What do you look for in a startup CEO?

2 pointssmokinn7 comments

Let's say there's a startup that has a fantastic product that's not yet public but is well on its way. Today the CEO got hit by a bus on his way to work. You're an investor and member of the board and whatnot and have a say in hiring a replacement CEO. What are you looking for?

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If I were in that position, I'd probably vote for not hiring a replacement CEO yet.

Maybe this is just because of my lack of business experience, but I don't really think a pre-revenue company particularly needs a full-time CEO; until you've managed to make something people want, the challenges are primarily technical.

Why I'm asking this: I know someone who's looking for a CEO for a funded startup with an apparently great product. I considered it briefly than wrote myself off, deciding I was more of a CTO type and a CEO type, assuming a CEO deals more with the business aspects of the startup.

Now however I'm wondering what a startup CEO actually does. Still not going to apply for the position but thought it would be interesting to solicit information here as to what qualities are needed for a startup CEO.

Good Teeth.

A distinct lack of a criminal record.

Sociopathic Tendencies.

Enough smarts to hide the sociopathic tendencies.

A fanatical adherence to the idea of projecting an image of ethical probity.

A deep dark secret that I can hold over him like a damocletian sword.

Or not. Realistically a CEO needs leadership skills and a keen sense of what tasks are better handled by other people; everything else is optional.

Integrity, passion, and experience in that order. My 2 cents and probably over-priced.

Business skills? Connections? Technology experience? Coder or not? Has a presence than can convey leadership, Financial experience? etc. Are any of these relevant/necessary?

Absolutely. I was being very general and would say that these are all covered in my "experience" category. Of course, all these are very fact specific. What do you need the most? What gaps need to be filled? Can you outsource your coding needs? Do you need investors or, if you already have investors, do you need someone that can keep up investor relations? I stand by my original comment that integrity and passion come first. After that, you need to make sure that the person has the skills necessary to fill in the shoes of the person you need. If you have more than one person with all these qualities, go with you gut.

To be committed, has a vision for the startup, the ability to move the startup to the next stage, and the ability to solve problems promptly and properly. And of course the ability to lead the team.

Passion for the startup, and ready to spend 18 hrs daily - if needed - just for the sake of making the startup in a leading position.

But the problem that you won't be sure if the applicant for the CEO job really has these abilities or not. You can know it, only if he/she has a history record!

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