I think one of the most important thing in the early stages (of a tech startup) is building a prototype to show others what the idea is really about. I think th

I think one of the most important thing in the early stages (of a tech startup) is building a prototype to show others what the idea is really about. I think this requires a good mix of programming and design. Most of the time good design is not needed for the initial prototype but that depends on what you're making. To fully answer your question I'll say that it depends on the way you plan on creating value and what you need to prove your idea. If you have a new idea for a better way for people to interact with the cable TV then design will probably be the most important first step. If you plan to revolutionize a business process by bringing it online then a good understanding of the business and enough programming ability to build a prototype (you're not trying to solve a hard problem here, just create a decent website) is far more important then the design. For example I currently work for a company that has product that looks terrible (by my standards) and yet it's doing great in terms of growth because it solved the right problem.