The Truth about Startups

J. Bradley Chen
Chief Technology Officer
Appliant.com

Although a strong computer science education is great preparation for participating in a startup, there are a huge number of things for which a CS graduate or undergraduate degree doesn't prepare you. In this informal presentation I'll share some of what I've learned about small software companies since leaving Harvard in 1998 to help start Appliant.com. I'll specifically address some key concepts in evaluating an opportunity to join a startup.

Biography

J. Bradley Chen is Chief Technology Officer of Appliant.com, a Seattle-based software company that provides infrastructure management services for e-businesses. Prior to joining Appliant, Dr. Chen was an assistant professor of computer science at Harvard University. Dr. Chen has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and bachelors and masters degrees from Stanford University.