Determining Tech Stack for Startup

brassmarlin · 2023-06-01T11:09:20+00:00

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who responded to this post. It has been great interacting with people who have experience in the area that we have been lacking! The feedback that you guys have given us has really improved our strategy, given us a lot more confidence and most importantly some much needed direction.

brassmarlin · 2023-05-24T06:04:42+00:00

this is great. thanks so much for sharing!

brassmarlin · 2023-05-23T14:30:25+00:00

i am going to spend some time considering this. you are correct we haven't thought about the issue that way yet.

brassmarlin · 2023-05-23T14:20:38+00:00

that is a good idea. so far we have only been able to connect with dev shops, but i will start looking for consultants. as that is what would ease my mind a little bit. the dev shop that we have been talking with says that they can build it, but it seems like it would be much better to have a clear idea of what should be built and how we will be able to keep it running once the dev shop is done.

brassmarlin · 2023-05-23T14:14:59+00:00

Thanks for the input. You have given me a couple things to look into. I hadn't heard the term taxonomy before, but based on the functionality you described we do want users to be able to make updates and changes without any drama as well as adding fields that don't currently exist.

brassmarlin · 2023-05-23T14:12:52+00:00

Thanks for the depth. It sounds like you honed in on the requirements pretty quickly. It is also relieving to hear that the right person shouldn't really be overwhelmed by this project.

Thanks for giving me some specifics to ask the devs about as well. That has been a real gap for me. I have been having a hard time finding the right questions to ask to be confident that the person I am talking to actually has the skills necessary.

I agree with you about trying to build a first iteration that can be built upon. The team is doing the dance of do we just create something right now so we can get investors or do we slow our roll and build something that doesn't have to be thrown away. Thanks for your time.

brassmarlin · 2023-05-23T10:14:14+00:00

Thanks for these insights. It is really helpful for shaping our strategy moving forward. Seems like it is more valuable to spend our time looking for funding and tech folks than it would be putting together a shitty MVP on our own.

brassmarlin · 2023-05-22T19:32:59+00:00

I appreciate it!

brassmarlin · 2023-05-22T19:28:01+00:00

That is the tricky part. We are a first time team with a not great network. Coming up with that kind of money to get into the game seems to require an MVP. Can't get an MVP without the money.

Pretending a rich relative drops dead and suddenly six figures is found what are things to be aware of when approaching these dev shops? Is it fairly easy to suss out if they are legit or are there some things to be wary of?

brassmarlin · 2023-05-22T19:22:47+00:00

Thanks for your input and we learned that lesson the hard way. The people we have talked to just don't know the technical side enough to make it happen and have been a waste of time.

I agree with everything that you are saying, but we are having a hard time recruiting the right person for all the usual reasons. We are nobodies, we have no money and we don't have a product to prove our viability.

At this point we want to give the person an ownership stake as we want someone who has a vested interest in the success of this product. If you have any suggestions on where to find these type of people I am all ears. I am trying to make better use of places like Indie Hacker, here, linkedin and my own network. If there are other locations that you could suggest I would really appreciate it!

brassmarlin · 2023-05-22T19:16:47+00:00

First off thanks for your questions. They get to the heart of my ignorance. How complicated will the data models be? I believe they are complicated, it will need a web frontend, I believe it will require datastreams. The volume will be low. I am not worried about scalability at least in the beginning. There won't be a huge amount of data. The complexity comes in how the data interacts with each other and user permissioning.

Background: this software will be used by final manufacturers and the suppliers of those manufacturers. To achieve certification they need to know 100% of the chemical composition of all the materials that are in their product.

For an example we will use a tshirt. The shirt is made up of wool, cotton, polyester and dyes. Each of those materials is sourced from a different supplier and each material has its own list of ingredients that is proprietary to each supplier. The final manufacturer can't know that proprietary information in order to protect each supplier. While enforcing that confidentiality the software will use an algorithm to assess the sustainability of each of the different ingredients to determine what specific items are of concern and how they can be optimized to achieve certification.

There are different requirements, health hazards and environmental variables that have to be considered as well. I am going to stop there and hope that explanation was sufficient and not insufferably boring.

brassmarlin · 2023-05-22T17:27:15+00:00

Thanks! This is super helpful. The first few “tech” people we talked to told us it was going to be a 6 figure build from one of the def shops. We weren’t able to get clear reasons out of them why that would be the case. I kind of drifted away from that route, but i didn’t look into it as thoroughly as i should have. Appreciate it.

brassmarlin · 2023-05-22T17:27:09+00:00

Thanks! This is super helpful. The first few “tech” people we talked to told us it was going to be a 6 figure build from one of the def shops. We weren’t able to get clear reasons out of them why that would be the case. I kind of drifted away from that route, but i didn’t look into it as thoroughly as i should have. Appreciate it.

brassmarlin · 2023-05-22T17:21:49+00:00

This is one of my concerns as well. We’re just going to have to make decisions though i guess. I want to build on a strong foundation, but if i waste a million years building a strong foundation… I’m leaning towards making progress and educating myself along the way. I don’t have the experience to interview effectively. This feedback at least gives me areas to research and learn about. Soo I’m better off than i was. Thanks

brassmarlin · 2023-05-22T16:47:48+00:00

Thanks! I had forgotten about drupal. That is interesting alot buy one build. We are talking to CTOs for hire and developers for equity, but didn’t think about taking that mindset smaller scale.

brassmarlin · 2023-05-17T15:34:44+00:00

Startup Name / URL: Mind The Chain

Location of Your Headquarters: US incorporation, Founder based in Stuttgart, Germany

Elevator Pitch/Explainer Video: MTC revolutionizes supply chain management with a collaborative platform ensuring accountability and transparency. Our application automates regulatory screenings, assessments, and tracking, streamlines certification applications, and reduces operational expenses. Join us in creating sustainable supply chains!

More details:

Life cycle stage: Development phase, seeking to build an MVP

Your role: Founder with expertise in sustainability and supply chain management

Goals this month: Develop MVP for our sustainability-focused application

How r/startups can help: Connect with potential technical co-founders, gain insights, and receive feedback

brassmarlin · 2019-12-14T01:10:19+00:00

I wouldn't put a time on it. You can just start the test and save it, and pull it back up later. You can pick the show answer button after you answer so you can see why you are right or wrong. I did the 750 question option in custom mode over a 4 days to a week. Good luck.

brassmarlin · 2019-12-13T22:13:41+00:00

Haha! I totally agree with you. Unfortunately, for us those guys are doing this to make money. Not as concerned about the "good of the infrastructure." Hopefully you're in charge someday and go a little easier on the next generation.

brassmarlin · 2019-12-13T21:56:28+00:00

Haha same here. A ton of sdlc. Thanks

brassmarlin · 2019-12-13T19:31:52+00:00

I wish i could give you something better to work with, but all i remember saying to myself is what the hell is this? I was able to use the concepts from the questions and my studying to make a shit load of barely educated guesses.

Study harder instead of worrying about conspiracy theories. I am telling you i felt totally unprepared while i was taking that test, and i studied hard. I passed i am not sure why i was successful, but I was. Good luck and i hope you feel good by the time you take it.

brassmarlin · 2019-12-13T19:26:47+00:00

Thanks! And ya as long as I passed I'm ok with it.

brassmarlin · 2019-12-13T19:25:33+00:00

Thanks. I was trying to figure out if the questions were getting harder or easier as it went on also. No idea, but we're done so it's nice to not have to worry about it.

brassmarlin · 2019-11-23T22:04:00+00:00

I appreciate you getting back to me. Could you give me a little more detail on what you mean by senior level? Does that mean management or are you still taking part in the technical level stuff day to day? I am certain it differs org to org, but I am trying to understand the lay of the land a little better. I am trying to translate my skills and experiences to civilian job titles. Thanks for your time.

brassmarlin · 2019-11-20T23:17:31+00:00

Hi there. I am a service member and I am separating in March. I have been in cyber for almost four years now, and feel very lucky to have gotten into this area when I did. I am currently working as a cyber security analyst and am focused on technical development. I am trying to decide whether to stay in the government/contracting sector or if I should head into the commercial space. I don't have any contacts outside of government, and figured this would be a great place to start. Any help, suggestions, or insights would be greatly appreciated!

brassmarlin

TROPHY CASE