Org Chart Template for a Pre-Seed Startup

What Is a Pre-Seed Startup?

“Pre-seed” is the earliest stage in a startup’s lifecycle. At this point, the founder has an idea—and has started building a team to bring that idea to life—but hasn’t gone hunting for investors yet.

The goal in the pre-seed stage is to design a viable product. Once that’s done, the startup can pitch it to investors and generate capital for further growth.

When your startup is still pre-seed, there won’t be as much need for formal job titles or hierarchy. Most of the team members will wear multiple hats, dealing with a range of responsibilities. This is the time for generalists, not specialists.

Still, even at this stage, it’s important to create an org chart for your startup. A little order can go a long way. (And for that matter, setting up an org chart can help you attract investors when the time comes.)

But what positions should your startup have on its pre-seed org chart? Let’s take a look.

What Positions Should Appear on a Pre-Seed Startup Org Chart?

Founder

The first member(s) on any startup’s org chart will be the founder or co-founders. (Note: having multiple founders is almost always better than having only one.)

A founder will almost always have another title, though. In fact, during the pre-seed stage, most or all of the titles in this org chart template may belong to founding members. The CEO in particular is almost guaranteed to be a founder.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

The CEO is generally at the top of any startup’s reporting structure. They are in charge of the overall direction of the company, and ultimately responsible for its success or failure.

The CEO’s responsibilities include:

• Providing the guiding vision for the company
• Setting long-term goals
• Developing high-level business strategies
• Managing day-to-day operations
• Overseeing the company’s finances
• Putting policies in place for what conduct is expected from employees
• Representing the company publicly
• Recognizing and avoiding potential risks
• Maintaining social responsibility
• Leading by example

Beyond this, a CEO at a pre-seed startup will often take on one or more of the other roles listed below. For example, the CEO may also act as a Product Manager. This is possible—and often necessary—in the earliest days of a startup.

Later, however, the CEO will need to delegate many of these duties to other business leaders—including those listed below—as well as a:

• Chief Operating Officer (COO)
• Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
• VP of People

Product Manager

The Product Manager is in charge of researching the startup’s potential customer base and developing a product strategy to meet their needs.

The Product Manager’s responsibilities include:

• Researching potential customers
• Analyzing data gathered through research
• Designing a strategy for the product
• Communicating the product design to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
• Conducting further product development and iteration when necessary

The Product Manager “owns” the product, and just as the CEO is ultimately responsible for the company as a whole, the Product Manager has the final accountability for the success of the product.

(And in the case of product-driven startups, the CEO and Product Manager are often the same person during the pre-seed stage.)

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

The CTO handles all of a startup’s technical needs. That means everything from developing the product itself to offering IT support for any tech the company uses.

The responsibilities of the CTO include:

• Using the Product Manager’s product design to develop the product
• Taking part in any further iterations when necessary
• Keeping an eye on current trends in the tech world
• Recommending technical upgrades and solutions for the company
• Providing internal IT support and cybersecurity
• Collaborating with vendors and suppliers

In short, they’re the go-to tech guru for your startup.

As you can see, there’s some overlap with the duties of the Product Manager. For many pre-seed startups, the CTO and Product Manager are the same person. But when they are separate, the fundamental difference is that the Product Manager decides what the products need to do, and the CTO makes it happen.

Head of Growth

The pre-seed stage is a little early for Marketing, Sales, or Customer Success, but it’s never too early to start thinking about your Growth team.

Most startups have no choice but to grow fast or fade away. So to give your startup the best chances of making it all the way to IPO, it’s best to prioritize growth from the very beginning. That way, you can build it into your company’s foundation and keep it front-and-center as you scale.

So even at the pre-seed stage, it pays to have a Head of Growth in your org chart. This role has become increasingly popular among startups, though they may be known by alternate job titles, such as:

• Growth Manager
• Director of Growth
• VP of Growth
• Chief Growth Officer (CGO)

The Head of Growth’s responsibilities can be vague during pre-seed, but at the heart of it all, their job is to identify and seize opportunities for the company to grow as quickly and efficiently as possible.

This usually means working closely with every other member of the team to establish a cross-departmental, holistic approach to growth.

Create a Public Org Chart and Scale Your Startup

If you haven’t created a public org chart for your company yet, there’s no better time than right now. An org chart provides numerous benefits for you, your staff, and your customers.

If you’re ready to get started on your org chart today, just click here, and we’ll guide you through the process.