Questions to ask in your next startup interview
Here's what I would ask (in addition to the ones already listed)
- What is your current runway and burn rate?
- How much funding has been raised at what evaluation and type(s) of equity?
- What % of the company are my shares?
- What is the founder(s) background and expertise?
If you're interviewing for a startup, don't focus on the product at all, that will change. Focus on the founders and core team. Those are the people that matter. Are they CEO/CTO/CMO/etc level material? Mature, focused, driven? Able to accept harsh truths and make tough calls? Have a strong vision for the future, but are pragmatic now? Can you see them being able to fire someone? Negotiate with other companies?
If they don't seem to have what it takes to go from a tiny startup to big company, you may want to reconsider.
> When considering any startup, you should always ask to meet the [investors]. If they don’t let you meet or speak candidly with these individuals, then run as far away as possible.
This seems a bit odd to me... Maybe it could work on a place like San Francisco where a lot of VC companies are located. I guess you can just meet them during lunch or for coffee.
But how would you manage that on a european startup where a lot of investors come from different countries with different timezones? Are you saying that every potencial hire should schedule a skype meeting with each investor?
Also, what about crowd-funded companies? Do you still contact every investor, even though some of them might just have chipped in $100 bucks because they saw a video pitch?
> When considering any startup, you should always ask to meet the founders, investors and any relevant people (employee, external partners, vendors, etc) you would be working with...
Unless you will be working with the founders and investors, you won't and shouldn't meet with them. Find out what working there is like for your potential peers, and whether you'd like working with them. Maybe your job would be working with one of the founders (technical architect say) or maybe the company is still so small that the founding team all fits around a table. In THAT case it makes sense to talk to the founders, because you'll be working with them.
Subtitle suggestion: If you can afford to not get/take the position.
For those curious, the startup the author[0] was referring to was Mobcrush[1], where she was Head of Business Development.
+1 to the idea of asking important questions across all the people you talk with.
Also: 'what is your most favorite part about working here?' and then follow up with "what is your least favorite part about working here?'
The latter is guaranteed to cause discomfort if the work environment is toxic, without being impolite or crude.
The single best question an interviewee ever asked me:
"How has working for your company helped you grow as a developer?"
6. What percentage of the company do those options represent, and can I see the cap table?