Spotlights
Similar Titles
Startup Founder, Tech Startup CEO, Tech Entrepreneur, Innovator in Technology, Digital Product Manager, Tech Startup Consultant, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Technology Strategist, Tech Venture Capitalist, Tech Startup Advisor
Job Description
A tech entrepreneur is anyone who leverages technology to improve problem-solving processes or creates brand new solutions to those common issues plaguing humanity. The businesses they start are high-potential, technology-intensive business opportunties, gathering resources such as talent and cash, and managing rapid growth.
Education and Training Needed
- Tech Entrepreneurs often hold a bachelor’s degree in a technical field, or in business, finance, or economics. An MBA with a specific tech-oriented focus is even better!
- While a degree isn’t necessary, at a minimum Tech Entrepreneurs need to be experts in whatever product or service they intend to market, They must also have a strong business foundation, no matter how that education is obtained
- Many Tech Entrepreneur hopefuls major in a tech field and minor in business. Some augment their studies with business courses from sites like edX, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning
- There are plenty of free business resources available at Harvard Business School Online
- Common courses include budgeting, finance, accounting, marketing and sales, project management, leadership, and communication
- Tech Entrepreneurs must understand their target customers and how to best engage them via social platforms. Popular apps and sites include TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram, Reddit, and Quora
- Digital marketing bootcamps such as Harvard’s Digital Marketing Strategy or Udacity’s Digital Marketing Course can help with spreading your message effectively
- Programs like HubSpot, Sprout Social, Google Analytics, and Tapinfluence can boost user engagement so your tech business can blow up!
- In the beginning, Tech Entrepreneurs may be doing a lot of basic legwork themselves until they can hire others. When the time comes to onboard employees, they will need to learn how to:
- get an EIN (employer identification number)
- register with the labor department
- buy worker’s comp insurance
- establish payroll and tax withholdings and other tax forms such as W-4s and I-9s
- ensure employee eligibility to work
- ensure fair hiring practices
- display required employee’s rights notices
- set up a safe workplace
- provide workers with access to applicable company policies
- manage personnel records, and establish benefits programs
Things to do in High School and College
- Tech Entrepreneurs must be experts in the product or service they want to offer. They must also master the art of sales and marketing so they can grow their business. Go to our Program Finder in the Education Tab and there are a lot of online courses that can teach just about everything needed to start a business.
- Consider the problem(s) you want your tech solution to address, and work on your business plan as you go
- Enroll in English, math, accounting, finance, marketing, business courses, and speech. Consider taking classes in graphic design, mass communication, social media marketing strategy, and digital advertising
- Volunteer for school projects where you can learn about project management, leadership, teamwork, and conflict resolution
- Learn to use basic digital tools for accounting, financial management, Client Relationship Management, workflow automation, file sharing, and risk assessment
- Launch a website and establish your social media presence. Study SEO, Search Engine Marketing, and analytic tools
- Apply for business technology intern jobs to gain work experience
- Read up on successful Tech Entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs (Apple), Daniel Ek (Spotify), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Brain Chesky (Airbnb), Travis Kalanick (Uber), Jack Dorsey (Twitter), Brain Acton (WhatsApp), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Elon Musk (PayPal), and others. Many have gone on to launch other successful ventures
- Check out Verifone’s Tech Entrepreneurs Share Their Secrets to Success and Mensch’s 50 Tech Entrepreneurs To Watch In 2021 to gain inspiration and insights
- Consider taking a MasterClass like Sara Blakey Teaches Self-Made Entrepreneurship
- Grow your LinkedIn influence by writing and sharing articles. Use your college’s alumni network to make new connections
- Learn about intellectual property rights and patent your tech inventions when feasible
- Consult a personal branding expert who can help you polish your public persona
- Get in touch with your school’s business incubator or startup accelerator programs to see what they might offer
- Read about Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists who might be able to boost your launch with an injection of cash!
How to Get Started
- Business internships are a great way to get experience before launching your own enterprise
- Since Tech Entrepreneurs are self-employed, there is not a simple path to “getting the job.” You have to create the job yourself!
- Be ready to put in long hours to develop your idea into a feasible product or service. Create a rock-solid business plan that lenders or investors can get behind
- It can take months or even years to launch a successful tech enterprise, so have a plan to stay afloat and pay your own bills as you progress
- Do diligent research! Study the market to ensure a genuine need for your product or service. Be objective and realistic about your goals
- Attend StartUp School, created by Y Combinator, probably the most respected Accelerator out there.
- Learn the essentials at Y Combinator's StartUp Library: https://www.ycombinator.com/library
- Create an MVP: minimum viable product https://leanstartup.co/what-is-an-mvp/
- Create a pitch deck: https://www.ycombinator.com/library/2u-how-to-build-your-seed-round-pitch-deck
- Apply and attend to an accelerator or incubator: https://altar.io/best-startup-accelerators-usa/
- Pitch your Startup: https://www.ycombinator.com/library/6q-how-to-pitch-your-startup
- Usually you start with a pre-seed round, then seed, Series A, B, C: https://www.upcounsel.com/funding-round-meaning
Recommended Resources
Websites
- 500 Hats
- AllBusiness
- AllThingsD
- AngelList Venture
- AudienceBloom
- Brazen
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Business Owners Toolkit
- Chic CEO
- Copyblogger
- Crunchbase
- Design Sponge Biz Ladies
- Dutiee
- Entrepreneur.com
- EpicLaunch
- Escape from Cubicle Nation
- Federal Trade Commission
- Forbes
- ForbesWomen
- For Entrepreneurs
- Forte Foundation
- Franchise.org
- Google Analytics
- Harvard Business Review
- HubSpot
- Inc. Magazine
- Investopedia
- Mashable
- Medium
- Microsoft
- Mixergy
- Neil Patel’s KISSmetrics
- Noobpreneur
- OneVest
- Paul Graham
- ProBlogger
- QuickSprout
- Quora
- Reddit:startups
- SaaStr
- SBA’s Veteran-owned business section
- SCORE.org
- Small Business Administration
- Social Media Examiner
- Sprout Social
- Startup Company Lawyer.com
- Startup Donut
- Tapinfluence
- Tara Gentile
- The BOSS Network
- Under30 CEO
- VentureBlog
Books
- Originals: How Nonconformists Move the World, by Adam Grant
- Tech Boss Lady: How to Start-up, Disrupt, and Thrive as a Female Founder, by Adriana Gascoigne
- The 60-Minute Tech Startup: How to Start a Tech Company As a Side Hustle in One Hour a Day and Get Customers in Thirty Days (or Less), by Ramesh Dontha
- The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future, by Kevin Kelly
- The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail, by Clayton M. Christensen
- Your One Word, by Evan Carmichael
- Good to Great by James Collins
- Lean Startup by Eric Ries
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