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09/06/13 | Uncategorized

4 Factors in Choosing the Right Startup

A veteran of several startups list the questions you should ask yourself before signing up to work for one. 

By Cristina Cordova (Business Development, Stripe)

You could look at an endless number of factors to determine whether to join a startup, but here are some of my major considerations. I’ve also found that when these factors change (the product is no longer interesting, the growth potential has decreased), it’s likely time to move on. In order:

People

Do the people you’d be working with make you feel like you’re the dumbest person in the room?

Would you put your career in the hands of the founders?

Would you want to be friends with your potential co-workers even if you weren’t working at the company?

Growth Potential

Will this company be fast-growing, but not compromise its values for growth?

Will the growth the company experiences allow you to learn new skills, learn about different markets and become a leader?

If the company succeeds in its mission, does it have a high likelihood of staying independent or selling to a company you’d want to work for?

Product

Is the product that the company has built something you’re interested in working on, contributing to, or selling?

Does the product have the chance to beat existing competitors?

Do you trust the product/engineering team to build something great?

Role

Will you be happy doing the job you’ve received an offer for (and only that job) for at least two years?

This post originally appeared on Cristina’ personal blog

What would you add to this list?

13f9e8eAbout the blogger: Cristina (@cjc) works on business development at Stripe. Prior to Stripe, she led business development at pulse as the first employee and sole business development employee for over two years. Prior to Pulse, she worked on marketing at Tapulous (a mobile gaming company acquired by Disney in 2010) and on product quality operations at Google. 

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