I have recently completed my tenure with a startup and thought it would be worthwhile to share my experience with those who are planning to work with a startup or already working with one.
So, here are top 5 questions to be considered before joining a startup:
1) What is the founder's vision for the company?
The founder should be able to clearly lay out the product's value proposition. Google defined its vision as "organising the world's information", and that has allowed it to build or acquire the right technology. If the startup is not guided by an overarching vision, it may result in chaos when time comes to make product choices, especially the difficult ones.
2) What is the product roadmap?
Check how the product is currently being implemented, and whether it aligns with the vision of the company. If the founder's vision is to expose product as a platform, but the current development is a monolithic piece of code, there is a risk that decisions would be made that are short sighted.
3) What team is in place?
Examine who are the other team members, and what experience do they bring to the company. Does the company have right team to execute the vision. The team should be able to handle all the aspects as varying as technological and legal challenges.
4) Where does the team work from?
Does the startup has a space where all team can sit and work together. It might be a problem for early startup to lease office space, but then both Apple and Google started in a garage. It is very important that team meets and work together on a regular basis, else it would be very difficult to keep up the momentum.
5) Whether I would enjoy working here?
This is very difficult to determine just by talking to the founder and other team members. So, try to make an arrangement where you can work for a week and see whether you like working there. Take it as an opportunity to see whether you are good fit for the company, and vice versa.
So, here are top 5 questions to be considered before joining a startup:
1) What is the founder's vision for the company?
The founder should be able to clearly lay out the product's value proposition. Google defined its vision as "organising the world's information", and that has allowed it to build or acquire the right technology. If the startup is not guided by an overarching vision, it may result in chaos when time comes to make product choices, especially the difficult ones.
2) What is the product roadmap?
Check how the product is currently being implemented, and whether it aligns with the vision of the company. If the founder's vision is to expose product as a platform, but the current development is a monolithic piece of code, there is a risk that decisions would be made that are short sighted.
3) What team is in place?
Examine who are the other team members, and what experience do they bring to the company. Does the company have right team to execute the vision. The team should be able to handle all the aspects as varying as technological and legal challenges.
4) Where does the team work from?
Does the startup has a space where all team can sit and work together. It might be a problem for early startup to lease office space, but then both Apple and Google started in a garage. It is very important that team meets and work together on a regular basis, else it would be very difficult to keep up the momentum.
5) Whether I would enjoy working here?
This is very difficult to determine just by talking to the founder and other team members. So, try to make an arrangement where you can work for a week and see whether you like working there. Take it as an opportunity to see whether you are good fit for the company, and vice versa.
