Let’s face it, finding a technical co-founder is hard for a lot of non-technical entrepreneurs.
This is ThinkCERCA’s thank you to Built in Chicago for creating a place where Chicago startups and Chicago talent can meet, connect, and build great companies together.
Last I heard there were over 200 startups in Chicago’s 1871. That’s a lot of digital companies in one spot, which means a lot of demand for developers. In most, if not all, cases, it isn’t just the skill to write great code that a startup needs. It is the skill and knowledge to lead, solve problems, and build a team that makes a great company.
So how do you write job description that can compete with big companies who are also looking for exactly the same kind of people? Crazy hours, no pay, or much, much, less up front pay, and benefits...well...! Beat that Google!
As if competitors like Google weren’t tough enough for the first time entrepreneur who may have nothing to show potential partners but a beautiful dream, every entrepreneur has to compete with every other entrepreneur with a great idea.
But there is something that is far more challenging to compete against than big companies or other great startups. The best CTOs are probably also perfectly capable and interested in starting their own great companies!
ThinkCERCA is proof that despite these odds, great teams can find each other, especially with the help of great communities like Built in Chicago and 1871.
I posted a CTO description in Built in Chicago just days after entering the first class of the Impact Engine. An hour later I got a reply from my co-founder, Ten Chu. Two hours later, Ten walked over from his office at Nokia in the Boeing building and we talked for hours.
The next day Ten came back and chatted with Arun Sivashankaran who was advising Impact Engine companies on technical issues. Ten took off for Mumbai the next day, and I continued to talk to many more incredible candidates who I was able to reach through Built in Chicago.
In the end, it was Ten, who had been keeping an eye on the Built in Chicago job boards who was the perfect match for ThinkCERCA. He was a seasoned leader of developers for world-class companies like Nokia and the Chicago Tribune. He was also an experienced entrepreneur who, as a Booth student, built and successfully sold ParkingAnytime (a trailblazer for SpotHero.)
Ten is just an unbeatable combo of wisdom, knowledge, hard work, humor, kindness, and a passion for improving education. That’s what ThinkCERCA was looking for. That’s what Built in Chicago helped us find.
Built in Chicago is an integral part of what makes this magical time of innovation in Chicago work. For the Impact Engine companies, there is no doubt that Built in Chicago has helped us get off to a great start in our journey to building great companies.
