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You have an amazing startup idea, but you don’t have the knowledge needed to turn it into software or an app—much less the resources to hire a developer.

At that point, many entrepreneurs look for a developer co-founder, also known as a CTO (Chief Technology Officer).

Even though that can be a viable option in many cases, it’s important to understand that splitting your startup with someone simply because you don’t have technical knowledge to deal with code can be risky—and can also become expensive in the medium and long term.

To better understand the pros and cons of not choosing a CTO, we’ll describe the role this partner plays in a startup and what alternatives exist if you’re an entrepreneur with a great idea but don’t know how to bring it to life.

What does a CTO do?

A CTO is responsible for the technical side of the company. They basically “get their hands dirty” and build the product, whether it’s a smartphone app, website, web app, or offline software.

For many startups, hiring an internal development team is economically unfeasible and freelancers, while cheaper, can bring high risks: rework, project abandonment, or low-quality delivery.

That’s why many startups bring in a developer partner who, in exchange for a percentage of profits, takes responsibility for developing the product itself.

Even though it works in many cases, sharing your profits with a CTO is not the only option.

A less popular—but much cheaper and safer—alternative is hiring a specialized company. In addition to stronger guarantees that the product will be delivered the way you want, a company can also provide expertise throughout the process with a controlled investment.

Building your app with a specialized company

The first point in favor of hiring a specialized company is the level of commitment. After all, making someone a partner simply because they will develop your startup’s “product” doesn’t mean they will be committed to the business as a whole.

With a specialized company, you can hire them to create the MVP and stop working with them after a certain point—or even cancel the project if it doesn’t meet your expectations.

Another major advantage is speed. Good development companies have teams focused on deadlines and results, leaving you free to concentrate on other areas of the business.

The team’s experience also matters a lot. During the work, if communication is strong, you can receive valuable advice from the professionals involved in software development.

At X-Apps, for example, the entrepreneur receives full support from a multidisciplinary team not only to build the app, but also to refine the idea and validate the product in the market.

We even developed software for Telios, a startup with two partners who preferred to stay focused on the business and rely on us as development partners.

How to choose a specialized company

Finding a company that truly “embraces” your idea and develops a differentiated app is definitely not easy. To make the process easier, here are a few tips:

• Learn about previous experience. Carefully review the company’s portfolio and, if possible, contact previous clients to learn how the work went.
• Check whether the people supporting you have strong communication skills. You’ll need to talk frequently with the representative to ensure your product meets expectations.
• Make sure the company understands your project and that you “speak the same language.” When the service is truly good, the company offers references that help your business development.
• Make sure the company can handle bureaucratic aspects. Also ensure the contract is in order and that you won’t lose any rights over your product.
• Verify integration and technology transfer possibilities. Unlike X-Apps, some companies don’t provide the app’s source code, making it impossible to internalize the team or transfer development in the future.
• Understand the company’s working methodology. At contracting time, you may need a project with fixed scope or open scope. Both have pros and cons, so it’s important to understand each model before hiring.

There’s no magic formula for choosing the company that will develop your startup’s software. But by checking all these points, you increase your chances of choosing the right partner to bring your product to market.

Avoid choosing a partner simply because they know how to build an app—because, as the saying goes, cheap can end up expensive.

Before any decision, request a quote from X-Apps

Contrary to what many people imagine, developing your startup’s software doesn’t always require a huge investment. To learn more, talk to one of our specialists now.

With your information, we can assess the project costs and provide a more accurate quote to turn your idea into reality.