Who We’re looking For

We look for entrepreneurship Skills, based around our Startup Square Model.

As we mentor our students, we begin to build an initial iteration of a startup team based on individuals entrepreneurship skills and qualities.

To successfully build a startup team, we have identified that we need to cover elements of the 4H’s. The Hustler, Hacker, Hipster and Handler.

Most applicants are firmly in one of these specific boxes. However, we are finding more often that our students have entrepreneurship skills that enable them to cover several roles.

1. Hustler – The business lead who makes the sales
2. Hacker – The principle developer who builds the product
3. Hipster – The person concerned with user experience and design
4. Handler – The person managing time and road mapping features

Hustler

The Managing Director in a small Startup is typically the Hustler. This Hustler will have the passion, the vision and the drive to understand business goals and the objectives that are needed to be overcome. These entrepreneurship skills allow the Hustler to identify the direction for the company while leading, uniting and inspiring their team

The Hustler will be able to convince people of the solution and the need, as well as having excellent interpersonal, presentation and communication skills. Their ability to listen to the customer is essential as this information needs to be reported back to the team. 

Always looking to grow the business, the Hustler will be keen to adapt to meet market demands, but will also need to ensure promises can be met. 

Handler

The Handler is not a traditional founder if looking at the startup triangle. In most cases within Alacrity, a 100% Handler is rare to find and this role is mostly absorbed into other founders roles.

The Handler will be responsible for Product Management. The entrepreneurship skills of a Handler will be product strategy, execution and adaptation. These qualities, which, in a startup, can be shared within other roles, determine the product road map. What features should be built, at what time and at what cost. These features should follow user reactions based on UI / UX feedback, and then work alongside the Hipster and the Hacker to fix these. Depending on the team, these entrepreneurship qualities can be done to a ‘reasonable’ level by the Hipster and the Hacker in the absence of a dedicated Handler.

Hacker

The Hacker lives and breathes the product. Within Alacrity, we build technology software products so, for us, this means getting hands dirty in code.

Hackers should be able to conceptualise the product. What features should clients expect and what should they do. For Alacrity, the Hackers main entrepreneurial skill will be epic programming, but they must also be dedicated and professional as they will feel the most pressure getting the first stage of the company to MVP (Minimal viable product).

The Hacker should be an experienced problem-solver who works around problems while looking at more efficient ways to develop the product.

Hipster

For the Hipster, entrepreneurial skills should be focused on the many aspects of design. The Hipster will prioritise CX (customer experience), with UX (user experience) and build an effective UI (user interface). They will use their skills in digital marketing, brand identity and user experience, to ensure the product is presented in a way the companies personas will identify with. 

The Hipster will build websites, creating the logo and brand identity as well as create digital content to support marketing initiatives. Creating presentations to investors and partners will be key early on. Portraying a professional company will be key in seeking advocates to your product.

The Hipster will create concepts and wireframes of the product to test feedback. They will build this with the Hacker taking client feedback from the Hustler and unite them into the designs.