Building the earliest team: first hires, startup jobs, compensation without cash, and the culture decisions made before there is a culture.
10 articles
When a startup needs advisors, how to find the right ones, how much equity to give, and how to structure the relationship so advisors actually move the needle.
When to make your first startup hire, who to hire first, how to attract talent without a big salary, and the offer and onboarding that set an early team up to win.
How startup stock options work for early employees: option pools, strike price, vesting, exercising, and what an offer of equity is actually worth before you accept.
How to find a CTO for your startup: co-founder versus hire versus fractional, where technical leaders actually look, how to vet them, and what equity to offer.
The best platforms and apps to find a co-founder in 2026, what each one is good at, and how to actually get a reply once you are on them — a founder's field guide.
A practical, founder-tested playbook for finding a technical co-founder in 2026: where to look, how to pitch, how to run a trial project and when to commit.
How to find startup jobs, evaluate early-stage roles and equity, and stand out to founders — a practical guide to joining a startup at the right stage.
How to pay early team members when cash is scarce: the salary-versus-equity trade-off, typical ranges, vesting, and a framework for fair startup offers.
The roles a founding team actually needs, how to find and align them, and the team-building habits that keep early startups from imploding under pressure.
The qualities that matter, the questions to ask, and how to vet a potential co-founder's compatibility before you split equity and sign anything.