S1 #1 Prakash Janakiraman
Unlocking the Secrets to Building Strong Engineering Teams
Prakash Janakiraman is a pretty well-known name in the world of startups. For those of you who don't know, he co-founded Nextdoor, the world's largest neighborhood social network. He's a seasoned technologist, entrepreneur, and investor with years of experience building global-scale consumer applications. And he's been in key leadership roles at Google and Shopping.com before this.
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with several startups and founders and I found Prakash's approach incredibly methodical and deliberate in its approach. So, when he agreed to join us for an interview I immediately knew what I needed him to talk about - building a strong early engineering team!
One key takeaway from our conversation was the importance of intentionality in setting the culture, mission, and values of the company from day one. Prakash emphasized the significance of building a team that embodies these values, which ultimately contributes to the success and longevity of the company.
Another valuable lesson from Prakash was the creativity that went into the hiring process at Nextdoor. He emphasized the importance of thinking about hiring in a different way for early-stage startups and shared his approach of hiring for generalists with specific expertise. This approach not only allowed for a diverse and well-rounded team but also fostered a culture of collaboration and resourcefulness.
One of the most impactful stories shared by Prakash was the serendipitous hiring experience of an engineer who turned out to be a perfect fit for Nextdoor. This experience highlighted the importance of finding the intersection of appeal and the right career opportunity, especially for early-career individuals. It emphasized the value of embracing unique opportunities and recognizing the potential in unexpected candidates.
There are several insights to be gleaned from Prakash's interview, whether you are a founder looking to build an early engineering team or an engineer looking to join as an early engineer at a startup. So, do listen to the episode - it is out now and available on Spotify, YouTube, Apple and Amazon.
And when you are done, don't forget to share it with a friend!
About Us:
1st10 was founded on the simple philosophy that there is nothing more important to the success of your startup than the first ten engineers you hire. Because the first ten will impact the next ten and any wrong misstep can be the difference between success and failure. 1st10 works with visionary founders and exceptional engineers to build world class engineering teams.
1st10 was founded by Boris Epstein, original founder of Binc, the firm best known for pioneering embedded recruiting in Silicon Valley. Binc built early teams for Pinterest, Ripple, Stripe, Square, Airbnb, Reddit, Tesla and many more. Binc was acquired by Robinhood in 2021.