The Pair Program

Join us as our hosts, Tim and Mike, talk to tech startup leaders Jason Cole and Dane Baker. Jason has been building technology products, teams, and companies for over 30 years. In 2017 he founded Da Primus Consulting to help early-stage tech startups bring their products to market, and since then he and his team have provided fractional CTOs and other leadership roles for over 20 startups. Dane Baker is the co-founder and CEO of EcoCart, as well as a recent Forbes 30 Under 30 awardee. EcoCart was started with the mission to make the fight against climate change easy, affordable, and accessible for everyone, working to leverage the immense power of digital commerce as a force for good.

In this episode, you’ll learn about a crucial decision that early-stage startups make: when to hire a full time CTO.You’ll learn about:

• The different approaches startups can take when scaling their technical teams.
• When is it best to hire a full-time CTO.
• The role of a fractional CTO.
• And much more!

Welcome to Hatch Roles a new podcast minisode from the team at hatchpad. In these new minisodes, we will highlight some of the roles that hatch is currently sourcing for.

Today we will be talking about Smerf. Smerf is using cutting-edge technology to build a platform that unites gaming communities of all kinds.

Smerf is building out its engineering team and they’re looking for Lead Engineers, as well as Mid/Sr Engineers, to join their small but quickly growing team. 

As a very early engineering hire, you’ll have the opportunity to own the delivery of major features and really make an impact. Joining the team at SMERF means you’ll get the chance to develop component-based user interfaces in React Native and build seamlessly integrated features with AAA game and platform APIs. Gaming experience is not required - just a passion for it!

How We Hatched: Mingsheng Hong, Co-founder and CEO of Bluesky | Ep06

In this episode, our host Tim Winkler speaks with Dr. Mingsheng Hong, co-founder and CEO of Bluesky, a startup on a mission to make data clouds cost efficient. Prior to this role, Mingsheng was head of engineering for Google’s ML runtime (e.g. TensorFlow). Mingsheng also had a decade of experience building and delivering Big Data products and solutions at Google, Hadapt, and Vertica.

During this episode, Mingsheng takes us along for an inspiring account of his professional journey, sharing the lessons he learned along the way.

He shares:

• How his time at Google and Microsoft equipped him to found Bluesky
• The pros and cons of working at a large corporation vs a startup
• The process of raising a first round of funding as a startup
• Open roles on Bluesky’s team and the qualities they’re looking for in a new hire

From FAANG to Founder: Lessons from Two Startup Founders Who Left Big Tech | The Pair Program Ep21

Join us as our hosts, Tim and Mike, talk to startup leaders Tomas Reimers and Yasyf Mohamedali. Tomas and Yasyf have both transitioned out of working at FAANG companies into founding their own businesses. Tomas is currently a co-founder at Graphite, a code review platform designed for engineers. Yasyf is currently a co-founder at Sym, an automation tool for engineering security teams.

In this episode, we explore the journey of these technical leaders as they transitioned out of big tech into the role of startup founders.

They discuss:

• How their time at FAANG companies prepared them to found startups and how they transitioned into the startup world.
• Common mistakes that early founders make (and how to avoid them)
• How to build a culture of trust and transparency among employees of an early-stage startup
• And much more!

And much more!

How We Hatched: Mike Brown, Co-Founder and CTO of Strider | Ep05

Welcome to another episode of our series "How We Hatched" where we have candid conversations with tech founders and unveil their unique startup journeys.

In this episode, our host Tim Winkler speaks with Mike Brown, Co-Founder and CTO of Strider.

As a serial entrepreneur, Mike has had a front row seat in the world of data startups. He offers a unique perspective on what it’s like to be part of a startup at every career level – from junior engineer to being on the founding team. Mike has been awarded 28 patents for his work and is a frequent speaker on big data and its business applications. Today, Mike leads the technology development at Strider, a startup that empowers organizations with the data and tools to protect their innovations and compete for the long run.

During this episode, Mike shares an inspiring account of his professional journey and the lessons he learned along the way.

What I Learned When My Startup Got Acquired | The Pair Program Ep20

Join us as our hosts, Tim and Mike, talk to tech startup leaders Troy Crosby and Brian Retford. Troy is an engineering leader with experience from Series A through IPO and is currently the Director of Engineering at PatientIQ. He experienced a startup’s acquisition first-hand while working as an engineering manager in the real estate industry. Brian Retford is a serial entrepreneur. Prior to starting RISC Zero, he co-founded Vertex.AI which later sold to Intel in 2018. Prior to that, he worked at Google and Microsoft and was one of the first developers at mesh networking startup.

Being acquired can be stressful but is also a fascinating opportunity.

In this episode, you’ll hear the stories and wisdom of two startup professionals who have had a front row seat through the entire process.

You’ll learn about:

• Common outcomes for teams that get acquired
• The benefits of going through an acquisition and why it can be a huge win for startup teams
• How to find mentorship at your new company after getting acquired
• The challenges of acquisitions (plus, how to know if it’s time to move on)

And much more!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

12 Engineering Leadership Lessons for Success after an Acquisition by Troy Crosby

Interested in exploring a new startup career opportunity? Check out myhatchpad.com/jobs to browse startups by stage, tech stack, and salary.

Are you a startup founder or tech leader looking to grow your engineering or product teams? Check out hatchit.io/hire to learn more about how hatch I.T. can help your teams grow.

Start building for free at Interval.com today by going to interval.com/pairprogram! 

How to Build a Winning Culture for Your Tech Startup | The Pair Program Ep19

Join us as our hosts, Tim and Mike, talk to startup tech leaders Anusha Iyer and Ben Wilson. Anusha is the President, CTO and Co-Founder of Corsha. She is a technology leader with over 15 years of experience in security-minded software, analytics, and managed services. Ben is a passionate technologist and serial CTO who has been leading digital change across diverse industries for more than 20 years. Both Ben and Anusha are passionate about helping startup teams establish strong cultures that adapt through all stages of growth.

In this episode they discuss how technical leaders and teams can contribute to and establish their startup’s culture.

You’ll learn about:

• The difference between early-stage startup culture vs. the culture at a later stage company (And the challenges that come with building culture at these different stages).
• What traits to look for in technical team members who will grow with your company.
• How to build a team that is passionate about the company mission.
• How to adapt your tech strategy and processes as the startup scales.

And much more!

Interested in exploring a new startup career opportunity? Check out myhatchpad.com/jobs to browse startups by stage, tech stack, and salary.

Are you a startup founder or tech leader looking to grow your engineering or product teams? Check out hatchit.io/hire to learn more about how hatch I.T. can help your teams grow.

Start building for free at Interval.com today by going to interval.com/pairprogram! 

My Unique Pathway Into Product Management: A Tale of Two PM’s | The Pair Program Ep18

Join us as our hosts, Tim and Mike, talk to Product Managers Lauren Creedon and Shyvee Shi. Lauren is Head of Product at Goldcast, a B2B software platform for live video and digital events. Before that, she led the AI product org at Drift, and the smart camera product group at Hudl. Shyvee is a Product Manager at LinkedIn, an instructor at LinkedIn Learning, and host of the "Product Management Learning Series". Shyvee overcame many challenges while transitioning into the role of PM and is passionate about helping others navigate the transition.

In this episode you’ll hear about the unique journeys that our guests took into product management.

They discuss:

• The different career paths that can lead to becoming a product manager
• What it takes to break into the product management career track (and how to prove that you have what it takes to succeed)
• How to overcome imposter syndrome when you’re new to product management
• And much more!

And much more!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Product Management Learning Series by Shyvee Shi

Personal Productivity for Product Managers Course by Shyvee Shi

Shyvee's Post on How to Create a PM Career Roadmap

Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS by Shirzad Chamine

What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith

Chris Voss Teaches The Art of Negotiation - MasterClass

Never Split The Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss

The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change by Camille Fournier

The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You by Julie Zhuo

The Dream Manager: Achieve Results Beyond Your Dreams by Helping Your Employees Fulfill Theirs by Matthew Kelly

MIT Sloan School of Management

Rands Leadership Slack

How We Hatched: Vlad Eidelman, CTO and Chief Scientist of FiscalNote | Ep04

In this episode of "How We Hatched", our host Tim Winkler speaks with Vlad Eidelman, CTO and Chief Scientist of market intelligence startup FiscalNote. By joining FiscalNote, Vlad had the unique opportunity of bringing his data science expertise into the early stages of a product’s development.

You’ll learn about:

• How the journey of Vlad's family coming to the US as refugees sparked his interest in joining an entrepreneurial venture.
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• Why Vlad chose to join FiscalNote and how he vetted the founder and early-stage team.
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• The two key questions FiscalNote used to inspire their company’s mission.
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• Why the company focused on building the BD and marketing teams first (and how that benefited the engineering team).
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Plus much more!

Join us as our hosts, Tim and Mike, talk to startup founders David Yaffe and Sagiv Ofek. David and Sagiv have both transitioned out of working at FAANG companies into founding their own businesses. David is currently the co-founder and CEO of Estuary. Prior to joining the startup world, he worked at Google, Yahoo, and Boeing. David spends a lot of time thinking about how to efficiently scale and grow companies. Sagiv worked at both Amazon and Facebook before starting LibLab - a developer tools startup that helps companies auto-generate SDKs for APIs. Sagiv is an engineering leader, serial entrepreneur, veteran special forces officer and private pilot. 

In this episode we explore the journey of these technical leaders as they transitioned out of big tech into the role of startup founders.

They discuss:

• The differences between FAANG companies and startups.
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• The benefits of gaining experience in each environment (and how to figure out which one is best for you).
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• The lessons they carried over from working in big tech, as well as the things they intentionally left behind.
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• The challenges of hiring for a small startup.
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And much more!