Q&A: Chief of Staff @ Series-B startup. Knowledge dump

Question

Other details: Ex-consultant, and I'm very pro- joining a startup for those on the fence (even right now). I held a couple other roles at the same startup before becoming CoS (think: generalist roles, quick promotions).

I've gotten tons of useful information from WSO over the years, but there isn't a lot on this site about the consulting --> startups route. Feeling the holiday spirit so please ask away!

radio_on_internet · Accepted Answer

Do you mind sharing what kind of company? b2b saas? b2c?

B2B SaaS. We sell into insurance companies and large app developers, so we have long sales cycles and high ACVs. We have customers globally but 80-90% of the business is focused on the US.

Why are you pro-joining a startup?

In short, I love seeing the direct impact of my work in building something that's never been done before. Downstream of that, it's refreshing to work with people that are highly aligned -- ie, strong incentive alignment and minimal politicking.

radio_on_internet · Answer

Compensation is a big one, if you're coming from a banking or consulting background. Your first comp package will almost certainly be lower TC than your current one, even when you assign a reasonable value to the equity component. That said, you can get promoted and level up from a comp standpoint very quickly (as little as 9-12 months for top performers).

radio_on_internet · Answer

I had three criteria during my search:

The company was centered around AI and/or Big Data
    I cared about the mission
    I liked the people who I interviewed with

If you replace (1) with something you are interested in (can be an industry, a product category, or even a business model) and quickly kick the tires on (2), you should be able to filter out 80% of job postings. Then, I would use the interviews as the ultimate gut check on the people you meet (3). Keep in mind, the company is handpicking these people to interview you AND sell you on joining.

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Q&A: Chief of Staff @ Series-B startup. Knowledge dump

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Q&A: Chief of Staff @ Series-B startup. Knowledge dump

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