When the ThinkApps team hit last week\u2019s SF Pitchmasters meetup, we knew we\u2019d hear some good stories from startup founders looking to build teams and find funding for their \u201cnext big thing\u201d ideas.<\/p>\n
What we didn\u2019t expect is that we\u2019d also get up on stage to share an impromptu pitch for our business. Nor did we know what a chord that pitch would strike.<\/p>\n
As people in the room talked about the challenges of finding technical talent to help move their idea to the next level (one road-tested CTO said he dismisses any inquiries that aren\u2019t backed by letters of intent or a proven revenue stream) we felt the pain. In fact, it\u2019s something heavy on our minds as we meet with incubators and startup labs and show how access to the right sort of tech talent at the right time literally changes the game for startups.<\/p>\n
We heard plenty of that at Pitchmasters. More than 30 startups from the Bay Area and as far as Singapore, Japan, and Portugal shared their stories, many of them focused on how lack of technical resources blocks them from moving good \u2013 even funded \u2013 ideas forward. Some of these startups were in town literally to look for engineers. We liked their response when we shared what we had to offer.<\/p>\n
In the coming weeks we\u2019ll be sharing new insights on how startup firms can navigate the challenging \u201csupply and demand\u201d reality inherent in finding technical expertise. We\u2019ll also show the results of a major research project we\u2019re conducting to pinpoint the biggest pains startups face as they move their vision forward.<\/p>\n