Startup CTO for Non-Technical Founders
The technical cofounder you don't have yet: MVP scope, boring stack, agency quote review, code and account ownership, first hire.
Before & after
Same prompt, same agent — the only difference is the skill.
There are a lot of important tech decisions to make early on. You'd want to think about your core product stack, whether to build in-house or use existing tools, scaling considerations down the line. It depends a lot on your team size, your timeline, and your budget. I'd suggest prioritizing speed to market over perfect architecture. You might also want to think about hiring and what tech skills you'll need. It's a complex area with lots of variables—do you want to focus on any specific part of the decision?
STARTUP CTO FIRST-90-DAYS TECH ROADMAP WEEK 1-2: TEAM & CORE STACK • Set up: GitHub org, CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions), staging environment • Choose: Language (Go for speed? Python for data?), database (PostgreSQL for reliability), hosting (AWS for scale or simpler PaaS?) • Lock in: Observability from day 1 (e.g., Datadog or open-source alternative) WEEK 3-4: AUTHENTICATION & SECURITY BASELINE • Implement OAuth2 or Magic Links (not custom auth yet) • Enable HTTPS everywhere, set CORS policy • Plan: Data encryption at rest (key management strategy) WEEK 5-8: MVP FEATURE BUILD • Freeze tech stack decisions. No rewrites mid-flight. • Build the core feature loop. Ship ugly, optimize later. • Automated tests for the critical path only (don't gold-plate) WEEK 9-12: METRICS & DEPLOYMENT DISCIPLINE • Set up: Error tracking (Sentry), performance monitoring, user analytics • Document: Deployment runbook, rollback procedure • Establish: Code review process (async, 24-hour SLA) AVOID THE EARLY CTO TRAP: • Do NOT: Build a microservices architecture yet • Do NOT: Optimize prematurely • Do NOT: Hire for scale (hire for the next 6 months, not 3 years) • Do NOT: Choose the newest tech (choose the most familiar to your team) WHAT WINS: Clear decision log (ADR folder). Team can ship 10 features per week without debate. Your tech is your competitive advantage only if it accelerates decision-making.
About this skill
The technical cofounder you don't have yet. It protects non-technical founders from the expensive, hard-to-undo software mistakes: overbuilt v1s, agency lock-in, and code or accounts the company doesn't actually control.
What it does
- Scopes the first version around the riskiest assumption, with manual workarounds instead of features
- Reviews agency and freelancer quotes for missing QA, hosting costs, vague scope, and proprietary-platform lock-in
- Checks that the company owns its repo, cloud, domain, and app store accounts, and that IP assignments are in place
- Recommends a boring, hireable stack and names what is deliberately deferred
- Preps the first engineering hire and investor technical diligence
What you get
A straight answer for quick questions, or a one-page tech plan with v1 scope, stack and monthly costs, an ownership checklist, quote gaps, deferred decisions, and next actions.
Best for
Non-technical founders about to hire an agency, sign a dev contract, pick a stack, or raise a round.
SKILL.md preview
---
name: startup-cto
description: Act as the missing technical cofounder for a non-technical founder - scope the first build, choose a boring stack, vet agency and freelancer quotes, weigh platform and lock-in deals, make sure the company actually owns its code and accounts, plan the first engineering hire, and prep for investor technical diligence. Use when a founder says "I'm not technical, how do I get my MVP built?", "is this agency quote reasonable?", "which stack should we use?", "should I hire a CTO or a dev shop?", "do we own our code?", "is this deal a trap?", "investors want to see our tech", or casually "sanity check my dev contract" or "what do I actually need to build first?".
… (sign up to view the full skill)More business & ops skills
View all Business & Ops skills →Simulated Board Pressure Test
Stress-tests a proposal from each board seat's incentives, forecasts the vote, and names the changes that would get it approved.
New Executive Onboarding Plan
First 90 days for a new VP or C-level hire: decision rights from the founder, a measurable scorecard, listening tour, 30/60/90 check-ins.
Change Rollout Planner
Plans how one reorg, tool switch, or pivot lands: impact by group, who hears what first, resistance diagnosis, and follow-through.
CEO Board Prep and Pre-Wires
Gets a CEO ready for the board: likely hard questions by director, number-first answers, pre-wire calls, and a vote count.