Become CTO (First Time)
52 weeks · 0 milestones
Earn your first CTO title at a funded company or venture-backed startup — offer letter or board resolution as proof.
Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Audit what the CTO role covers in your organisation: technical strategy ownership, engineering people management, cross-functional product alignment, board/investor reporting, and vendor/partner decisions. Interview or shadow an existing CTO or VP Eng to surface the invisible parts. Produce a written role-scope document that separates the technical-leadership accountabilities from the engineering-management accountabilities.
Proof required
Submit your CTO role-scope document (min 800 words) showing at least five distinct accountability domains with concrete examples from your context. Include a reflective paragraph on which domains you are currently strongest and weakest in, reviewed by a senior technical leader (CTO/VPE/CTO emeritus) who can challenge your self-assessment.
What gets checked
- Document names five or more distinct CTO accountability domains with concrete examples
- Self-assessment is challenged in documented Q&A with a named senior technical leader
- Weakest domains are identified honestly, not just strengths
Resources
Enroll free to unlock learning resources →Mastery
Will Larson — Staff Engineer book
The leadership trajectory from staff IC through executive — understands both sides
Unlocks after completing Foundation + Depth