How Founders Can Lead Technical Teams Without Developer Speak

You don’t need to learn to code. But you do need to lead tech.

If you’re a start-up founder building something technical AI, a SaaS platform, a new digital service chances are you’ve already realised that communicating with developers can feel like speaking another language.

Too often, the advice is: learn the lingo. Understand the difference between APIs and SDKs. Know what an environment is. Decode acronyms like CI/CD and IaC.

But here’s the truth: you shouldn’t have to.

What founders really need

You don’t need to be fluent in tech-speak. You need to:

• Understand how technology decisions affect your business

• Ask the right questions to stay in control

• Set direction without micromanaging

• Spot risks before they burn time or budget

• Create clarity for both the tech team and your investors

Most of all, you need someone on your side who thinks in outcomes, not just features.

Why communication breaks down

Tech teams speak in stories, estimates, blockers, branches, and sprints. But as a founder, you’re thinking in product-market fit, timelines, investor updates, and revenue.

This mismatch causes:

• Missed expectations (“Why did it take 3 weeks to build that login screen?”)

• Disconnected decisions (“Why did we switch databases again?”)

• Burnt cash (“Why are we rewriting code we launched 2 months ago?”)

It’s not that developers are wrong they’re optimising for what they know.

You just need someone who can bridge the gap.

You don’t need a translator. You need a strategist.

A translator explains what’s already happening.

A strategist shapes what should happen and why.

If you’re relying on your lead dev to decide your stack, security model, hosting provider, and release process… you’re hoping they’ll get it right. But that’s not leadership. That’s luck.

A Fractional CTO gives you:

• A tech roadmap aligned to your business goals

• Vendor and architecture choices that won’t need rewriting in 6 months

• Security, compliance, and scalability designed in from day one

• Developer oversight that improves quality and velocity

• Confidence when pitching to investors or planning your next phase

How I help

At Bagh Co., I work with founders who are building high-stakes platforms often with AI or regulated data manage.wix.com

. And they shouldn’t have to.

I act as your technical decision-maker, sparring partner, and architecture lead. I make sure the team builds the right thing, the right way so you can grow without technical debt dragging you down.

You don’t need to learn to speak tech.

You need someone who speaks business and tech fluently and keeps both aligned.

Thinking about building or scaling your product?

Let’s talk about how I can help you go from MVP to enterprise-grade on your terms.