Is It True That Technical Founders Are More Important Than Non-Technical Founders?

“It’s really hard to find the skill you have in product definition and marketing,” my cofounder, Vice President of Engineering said to me one day.

“I think it’s next to impossible to find engineers that have the technical chops and business sense you have,” I replied.

Each side thinks the other is absolutely necessary for success. And they are right.

You have to worry when the marketer believes they don’t need a good engineer, or when the engineer believes they don’t a good marketer.

You need great engineering to succeed. You need great marketing to succeed. You need great sales to succeed. You need it all to succeed.

So, when you’re building your team, you need to think about all the pieces of the puzzle. And one of the traits you are looking for is appreciation.

A great VP of Engineering or CTO truly appreciates the skill of a great marketer. A great marketer truly appreciates the skill of a great engineer. You get the idea.

Don’t bring on the marketing genius as a cofounder if the marketing genius doesn’t appreciate the value of great engineering. And don’t add that brilliant engineer as a cofounder if the engineer doesn’t understand the value of marketing.

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