Who could build a better tech startup today?
In this post, I am comparing two archetypes. The first is the high-level persona, the MBA, who is adept at marketing, finance, and strategy. The second is the detail-oriented persona, who can make a stable, scalable digital product.
What I have observed is that, in market comparison, the cost of building has not become less; it has flattened. Because of that, solving technical problems has become an operational activity rather than capital investment. The riskiest lever is now access to markets, positioning, pricing, customer insights, and human-centred design.
An MBA in this context, today, can go five levels deep into building a tech product, outline an experience, and build a business with relative ease. That is four levels too deep before you gain traction.
The real value is moving back to basics: build something that people will use and find valuable. To test these basics today, you need higher-level strategic and human skills more than you need to dwell on the technicalities of the build at the start.
If you are a builder and you start a company, behave like an MBA till you hit traction. Your build skills have more value when the company succeeds. And if you are an MBA type and you are successful, raise funds, because you will need people.