I'm interviewing a lot of startup ceo/founders in the next few weeks for my website. What are some great/insightful/funny startup questions you wish people would ask you?
Need good interview questions for startup founders
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Re: Need good interview questions for startup founders
#2Did you consider yourself bipolar before or is this a new experience for you?
Re: Need good interview questions for startup founders
#3If someone paid you $1 billion right now, with the condition that you could never work a day in your life again, and never start a company, would you do it?
Edit: rms is right. How about "If someone paid you $1 billion with the condition that you could never do anything productive ever again, and basically had to live a playboy's life forever, would you do it?"
Re: Need good interview questions for startup founders
#4If someone paid you $1 billion right now, with the condition that you could never work a day in your life again, and never start a company, would you do it? Edit: rms is right. How about "If someone paid you $1 billion with the condition that you could never do anything productive ever again, and basically had to live a playboy's life forever, would you do it?"
I think that's an easy question, as long as a non-profit doesn't count as work or a company.
Edit: Revised question is really interesting. I don't know what my answer would be.
Re: Need good interview questions for startup founders
#5Things I am curious about:
1. What made you first think that starting a company is right for you?
2. Was there anyone/anything who inspired you to manage the company the way you do, and to define the culture the company has?
3. Was it obvious that the company needed to be in place X? If X is not in Silicon Valley, why not? Do you think it was the right decision?
4. Where is the best source of good people for you? What characteristics are important for them to possess (good schools, lots of experience, dedication, etc).
That's it for now. I'll add more if I think of any.
Re: Need good interview questions for startup founders
#6What will you do if you fail?
Re: Need good interview questions for startup founders
#7What stage are these founders in? Have they succeeded, are they on their way there, are they just in a the planning stage? Different questions apply to different stages.
Re: Need good interview questions for startup founders
#8The thing is that technology is only a means, so ask a real question such as:
What "can" you design under $1 that solves a major problem in the world?
Example answer: packets of salt and sugar is all it takes to prevent/solve dehydration in many sub-saharan countries. Can it save the world? Yes. Is it executable? Yes. Is the UI simple? Yes, ziplock sugar packets. Marketing costs? evangelize.
Point is that the technical skills can be evaluated to a great accuracy more or less, it is the real-time thinking skill that matters; i.e. it is extremely ok to ask a question that demands considerable attention and problem-solving. An ideal interviewee knows that a good answer is not a matter of complete polarization, but careful articulation.
Re: Need good interview questions for startup founders
#9What was your biggest failure before starting up?
Re: Need good interview questions for startup founders
#10What stage are these founders in? Have they succeeded, are they on their way there, are they just in a the planning stage? Different questions apply to different stages.
These founders all have products at least in beta. They are in various stages of funding: some are self-funded, some have angel investors, others have institutional funding.