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eu
Intro 4
Basics 5
What does a startup CTO actually do? | Blog post 5
The Role of the CTO: Four Models for Success | Ebook 5

Business 6
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future Hardcover | Book 6
The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business |
Book 6
Building an Innovative Learning Organization | Book 6
The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning: How to Turn Training and Development into
Business Results, 3rd Edition | Book 7

Money 8
Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist | Book 8
CTO Equity and compensation at Startup | Blog post 8
How Much Equity a Technical Cofounder Should Get | Blog post 8
Co-Founder Equity Calculator | Tool 8

Lesson Learned from Founders 9

#define CTO | Blog post 9
Five years, building a culture, and handing it off. | Blog post 9
Learnings from 80 startup CTOs | Blog post 9
Surviving being senior (tech) management. | Blog post 9
How to Go From Google Engineer to First-Time CTO | First Round Review | Blog post 10

Management 10
On Managing Developers (techcrunch.com) | Blog post 10
The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win | Book10

Tech 11
The SaaS CTO Security Checklist | Checklist 11

Education 11
MIT OpenCourseWare | Free Online Course Materials | Course 11
Stanford Engineering Everywhere | Home | Course 11

Team 12
Teammates First Deadlines Second | Blog post 12
Managing and Motivating Developers: Tips for Management Cluefulness | CIO | Blog post 12
21 Rules of Thumb for Managing Software People and Teams | Blog post 12
7 simple rules for hiring great developers | JavaWorld | Blog post 12

Culture 13

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 How To Use Your Unfair Advantage To Create an Unforgettable First Day For New Hires | Blog
post 13
Building a Strong Company Culture, with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky | Blog post 13

Networking 13
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Wikipedia | Book 13
9 networking tips for introverts | CIO | Blog post 14

Work-life Balance 14
CEO Secrets on Work-Life Balance – 10 Must Dos | Blog post 14

Public speaking 14
An Introvert’s Guide to Better Presentations – Matt Haughey – Medium | Blog post 14
Great Presentations: Tips From Great Presenters | Blog post 14

Remote Teams 15
How to Protect Your IP When Outsourcing | Blog Brainhub.eu | Blog post 15
The Ultimate Guide to Remote Work - Zapier | Ebook 15

Sales 15
Jeff Szczepanski- The Developer's Guide To Running Sales Teams on Vimeo| Video 15
A Guide to Sales at Tech Startup—Lessons from Pipeline Summit 2016 | Blog Post 16
Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business Into a Sales Machine with the $100 Million Best
Practices of Salesforce.com | Book 16

Productivity 16
14 super-busy startup founders share their single best productivity tip | Blog post 16
How to Be Productive The Mindmap of 35 Habits of... | Funders and Founders Notes |
Infographics 16

Other 17
Gitlab Handbook | Book 17

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Intro

Becoming a CTO is really hard.

There is nothing more valuable than a real experience, but in addition to the experience, you
can find a ton of useful resources over the internet to help you get started.

Therefore we've put together an amazing list of (recommended by other CTOs) resources
(blog posts, books, presentations, videos etc.). The reason why we're doing this is to help you
to become a better CTO/Technical Leader in your startup or company.

If you have any feedback on how we could make this list better regarding the content or
improving it in any other way - let me know!

Good luck on your path to building amazing teams and technology!

Matt Warcholinski
Co-Founder at Brainhub - JavaScript Development Teams for hire

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Basics
Want to Know the Difference Between a CTO and a VP
Engineering? | Blog post

by Mark Suster (@msuster)

A few people have asked me to try and define the perfect startup organization chart. I don’t
believe that one exists. Every team configuration is different. But I do have more insight into…

What does a startup CTO actually do? | Blog post

by Eric Ries (@ericries)

What does your Chief Technology Officer do all day? Often times, it seems like people are
thinking it's synonymous with "that guy who gets paid to sit in the corner and think 'technical'
deep thoughts" or "that guy who gets to swoop in a rearrange my project at the last minute
on a whim.

The Role of the CTO: Four Models for Success | Ebook

by Tom Berray, Raj Sampath (@tberray)

One can argue that this role is among the least understood of all c-level (CEO, COO, CFO)
positions in the executive suite. But given the impact of technology on business organizations
over the last twenty years, it may be the most promising when considering ‘competitive
strategy’ in the future.

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Business

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the

Future Hardcover | Book

by Peter Thiel, Blake Masters (@peterthiel@bgmasters)

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future is a 2014 book by venture
capitalist, PayPal co-founder, and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel along with Blake
Masters.

The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book

That Will Change the Way You Do Business | Book

by Clayton Christensen (@claychristensen)

The revolutionary business book that has forever changed corporate America. Based on a
truly radical idea—that great companies can fail precisely because they do everything right—
this Wall Street Journal, Business Week and New York Times Business bestseller is one of the
most provocative and important business books ever written.

Building an Innovative Learning Organization | Book

by Russell Sarder (@russellsarder)

How to create this culture in your organization, with detailed explanations, practical examples,
and step-by-step instructions so you can get started right away. Written by a recognized
thought leader in the training industry, this informative and insightful guide is your roadmap
to a more effective organization.

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The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning: How to
Turn Training and Development into Business
Results, 3rd Edition | Book

by Roy V. H. Pollock
The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning presents an innovative approach that
accelerates the transfer and application of corporate learning.

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Money

Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and

Venture Capitalist | Book

by Brad Feld, Jason Mendelson (@bfeld@jasonmendelson)

Get the inside scoop on what venture capitalists want to see in your startup Venture Deals
provides entrepreneurs and startup owners with a definitive reference for understanding
venture capital funding.

CTO Equity and compensation at Startup | Blog post

by Tony Karrer (@tonykarrer)

A ton of data on Start CTO Salary and Equity at Venture Backed Companies.

How Much Equity a Technical Cofounder Should Get |

Blog post

by Nathan Hurst (@nahurst)

Through Hirelite, cofounders often ask me how much equity a technical cofounder should get.
The graphic below balances the risks cofounders take with their relative contributions to help
answer…

Co-Founder Equity Calculator | Tool

Co-Founder Equity Calculator is based on almost 3 years of one-on-one discussions with
entrepreneurs through the co-founders meetup and the startup conference.

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Lesson Learned from Founders

#define CTO | Blog post

by Greg Brockman (@gdb)

I joined Stripe as an engineer in 2010. I began by working on the backend infrastructure:
designing the server architecture, creating our credit card vault, and producing internal
abstractions to make people’s jobs easier. I loved writing code…

Five years, building a culture, and handing it off. |

Blog post

by Kellan Elliott-McCrea (@kellan)

Five years ago I joined a tiny site, with a struggling software product. I wasn’t sure how long I’d
stay. I was coming off 5 intense years helping scale Flickr. But I had some theories about…

Learnings from 80 startup CTOs | Blog post

by a few CTOs and Javier Escribano (@fesja)

I participated in a startup CTO meet-up organized by Rodrigo Martinez, an early stage investor
at Berlin-based VC firm Point Nine Capital. There were the top Spanish startup CTOs and
several other European CTOs. I have summarized the notes I took.

Surviving being senior (tech) management. | Blog

post

by Kellan Elliott-McCrea (@kellan)

As a CTO one of the most consistently challenging responsibilities to feel like I was doing well
was supporting the senior leaders who reported…

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How to Go From Google Engineer to First-Time CTO |
First Round Review | Blog post

by Ian Langworth (@statico)

Artillery Co-founder and CTO Ian Langworth talks about the tactics required to make the jump
to technical leadership.

Management

On Managing Developers (techcrunch.com) | Blog

post

by Jon Evans (@rezendi)

I've been a software engineer, a novelist, a journalist, and a manager–and managing
developers is easily the trickiest thing I've ever done.

The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and

Helping Your Business Win | Book

by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford

(@realgenekim@kevinbehr@gspaff)
In a fast-paced and entertaining style, three luminaries of the DevOps movement deliver a
story that anyone who works in IT will recognize. Readers will not only learn how to improve
their own IT organizations, they'll never view IT the same way again.

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Tech

The SaaS CTO Security Checklist | Checklist

Protect your applications from cybersecurity threats by following the SaaS CTO Security
Checklist.

Education

MIT OpenCourseWare | Free Online Course Materials

| Course

by MIT OpenCourseWare (@mitocw)

OCW makes the materials used in the teaching of MIT's subjects available on the Web.

Stanford Engineering Everywhere | Home | Course

by StanfordCPD (@StanfordCPD)
Stanford Engineering Everywhere (SEE) expands the Stanford experience to students and
educators online and at no charge. A computer and an Internet connection are all you need.
The SEE course portfolio includes one of Stanford's most popular sequences: the three-course
Introduction to Computer Science.

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Team

Teammates First Deadlines Second | Blog post

by Oren Ellenbogen (@orenellenbogen)

Even though you’ve got plenty to prove, one of the things that should be on your mind when
you’re managing people is how you can engage them in a way that will make them respect you
and earn their trust.

Managing and Motivating Developers: Tips for

Management Cluefulness | CIO | Blog post

by Esther Schindler (@estherschindler)

Encouraging productivity from your programming staff--at least in the developers'
estimation--requires a few special techniques.

21 Rules of Thumb for Managing Software People and

Teams | Blog post

by Mickey W. MantleRon Lichty (@RonLichty)

An oft-overlooked tool in a manager's arsenal is the 'rule of thumb'—a short, pithy statement
embodying a powerful message that makes a lasting impression on the listener. Mickey W.
Mantle and Ron Lichty, co-authors of Managing the Unmanageable: Rules, Tools, and Insights
for Managing Software People and Teams, identify eight major management challenges and
21 rules of thumb to help managers address those challenges.

7 simple rules for hiring great developers | JavaWorld

| Blog post

by Dan Tynan (@tynanwrites)

Top developers can write their own ticket in today's tech hiring market, so how do smaller
operations or startups attract skilled talent? From weeding out rocks stars to mentoring on
the job, hiring managers explain how they build dev teams that really work.

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Culture

How To Use Your Unfair Advantage To Create an

Unforgettable First Day For New Hires | Blog post

by Oren Ellenbogen (@orenellenbogen)

Even though feeling productive is a strong emotion, it is also a short-lived one. In order to
create a long lasting emotion, a real WOW effect, you have to create a personal bond.

Building a Strong Company Culture, with Airbnb CEO

Brian Chesky | Blog post

by Zach Bulygo (@zachcb1)

Alfred Lin and Brian Chesky explain what culture is and how to build a strong one.

Networking

How to Win Friends and Influence People - Wikipedia

| Book

by Dale Carnegie
It is one of the first best-selling self-help books ever published. Written by Dale Carnegie
(1888–1955) and first published in 1936, it has sold over 30 million copies world-wide, and
went on to be named #19 on Time Magazine's list of 100 most influential books in 2011

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9 networking tips for introverts | CIO | Blog post

by Sharon Florentine (@myshar0na)

Successful networking can be difficult for anyone, but it’s especially challenging if you’re
introverted and shy by nature. Here, experts share networking tips that should make the
process easier, if not completely painless.

Work-life Balance

CEO Secrets on Work-Life Balance – 10 Must Dos |

Blog post

by Steve Tappin (@SteveTappin)

We interviewed many top CEOs, asking them what they do to maintain this balance and came
up with 10 top tips.

Public speaking

An Introvert’s Guide to Better Presentations – Matt

Haughey – Medium | Blog post

by Matt Haughey (@mathowie)

Improving your public speaking despite hating crowds

Great Presentations: Tips From Great Presenters |

Blog post
Consider this a pre-flight checklist for delivering world-class presentations

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Remote Teams

How to Protect Your IP When Outsourcing | Blog

Brainhub.eu | Blog post

by Mateusz Warcholinski (@mwarcholinski)

Want to outsource software development for your company but worried about security?
Here's how to protect your Intellectual Property while outsourcing.

The Ultimate Guide to Remote Work - Zapier | Ebook

by Wade Foster (@wadefoster)

Working remotely and running a remote team seem like black magic to many. Yet at Zapier,
we've been working remotely since our founding in October of 2011. This book shares
everything we've learned about running a remote team—our successes and our failures.

Sales

Jeff Szczepanski- The Developer's Guide To Running

Sales Teams on Vimeo| Video

by Jeff Szczepanski (@inscitekjeff)

Business of Software Europe 2014. Jeff Szczepanski, Stack Exchange. For technical founders
and software developers in general, building out the sales aspects.

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A Guide to Sales at Tech Startup—Lessons from
Pipeline Summit 2016 | Blog Post
When I started to do sales full-time at Brainhub last year, I did what I usually do to master my
skills — I tried to find people wiser than me and copied their skills&hacks. So, of course, I
started…

Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business Into a Sales

Machine with the $100 Million Best Practices of
Salesforce.com | Book

by Aaron RossMarylou Tyler (@motoceo@maryloutyler)

This is NOT another book about how to cold call or close deals. This is an entirely new kind of
sales bible for CEOs, entrepreneurs and sales VPs to help you build a sales machine. What
does it take for your sales team to generate as many highly-qualified new leads as you want,
create predictable revenue, and meet your financial goals without your constant focus and
attention?

Productivity

14 super-busy startup founders share their single

best productivity tip | Blog post

by Rob Walling (@robwalling)

In this post, busy CEOs and founders of 14 fast-growing companies shared how they hack
their productivity.

How to Be Productive The Mindmap of 35 Habits of...

| Funders and Founders Notes | Infographics

by Funders and Founders (@fundersfounders)

The Mindmap of 35 Habits of the Uber-Productive.

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Other

Gitlab Handbook | Book

by Gitlab Team (@gitlab)

The GitLab team handbook is the central repository for how we run the company. Printed it
consists of about 500 pages of text. As part of our value of being transparent the handbook is
open to the world, and we welcome feedback.

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