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Can a non-engineer start a tech company?

3 points by farmerwu ↗ HN
I'm not an engineer. I'm an MBA with a BA in Chinese history. But in my current job, I've spent six years analyzing wireless companies. I've found a really clear opportunity, a product which customers will need. I also have a team that can help me build it. Does the HN community think I can run this business?

3 comments

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cgherb911
absolutely, just surround yourself with good engineers and experienced startup professionals
russell
No, you are doomed to flipping hamburgers. ;-)

Actually, you may have a better chance of success. A successful business needs a bunch of other skills other than engineering like fund raising, marketing, sales, contacts. One thing you must do is find a top-notch engineering partner that you trust. I have had to help a couple of startups that handed off development to a cheap overseas company and got back a subpar product delivered late.

gloucesterQa
A non-engineer can join an engineer to start a tech company. But need to know enough to be able to understand what co-founder is doing in engineering.

It's rare a pure tech company to have been started by a non-engineer especially something big like Google.