10 common questions and answers to scaling your technology startup. Based on years leading software organizations and coaching early stage startups.

1. 10 Keys to
Scale
Chris Fry
Angel Investor and former SVP
Eng @twitter

3. 10 keys to scale
Areas
Growth, Structure & Scale
Iteration & Speed
Retention & Culture

4. The problem of
scale @twitter
Castles in the sky

5. Growth, Structure & Scale
1. How do you
hire great
engineers?
Referrals, Same-day close,
avoid interviews!

6. Growth, Structure & Scale
2. When is the right
time to focus on
generalists vs
specialists?
First, everyone does
everything. I hire for smart
people that can learn.

7. Growth, Structure & Scale
3. When do you
introduce external
managers?
1 to 10 ratio
source internally
management is communication

8. Growth, Structure & Scale
4. What should
teams look like?
2-10 people
Have all the resources they
need
Autonomous

9. Growth, Structure & Scale
5. How do we structure the
overall team as we grow?
When should we split into
multiple teams?
Horizontal for consistency /
Vertical for speed
Layers with stacks

10. Iteration & Speed
6. How much time
should be spent on
technical debt?
Varies
Never stop the world
Use a portfolio approach (20%)
Quality is free

11. Iteration & Speed
7. How do you keep
delivering as the team
grows?
Throughput with quality
Focus on iteration speed
Automation

12. Iteration & Speed
8. How do you keep
hiring a priority at a
seed stage startup?
Grow in phases

13. Retention & Culture
9. How do scale
engineering
culture?
Have one, write it down, live it

14. Retention & Culture
10. How do you
retain people in the
valley?
Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose

15. Thank you!
@chfry