Building a startup team is an art. This article isn't about the founders themselves, but about what happens after the company is formed – when you start building the team and growing.

Previously, a simple startup triangle was used with three roles: Business Lead (sales/business), Software Engineer (build), and Designer (design).

But many teams lacked structure in product development, roadmaps, and prioritization. Therefore, the model has been expanded with a fourth role – and the concept of Startup Square with the 4 H's was born.

The Hustler is often the CEO or business lead. This person has passion, vision, and drive, sees the big picture and the goal, and sells the solution to customers, partners, and investors.

They are often the customer and market face externally and are responsible for identifying opportunities, gathering feedback, and creating growth.

Core competencies: communication, pitching, customer understanding, sales.

The Hacker lives for the product. This is the person who understands what the product should do, builds it and solves technical problems, and chooses the right technical solutions for long-term sustainability.

In tech startups, the hacker is often the lead coder. Without a working product, there is no company, and this makes the hacker's role absolutely central – especially early on.

Core competencies: problem-solving, coding, MVP focus, product logic.

The Hipster ensures that the product is usable, appealing, and has a good customer experience (UX/UI).

They are responsible early on for website and brand identity, visual concepts and wireframes, and digital content and communication.

The Hipster works closely with both the Hustler and the Hacker to translate customer needs into design and experience.

Core competencies: design, branding, UX, digital storytelling.

This is the new role that many early teams missed – the one who controls what gets built, when, and why.

The Handler manages product leadership and roadmap, prioritizes features and deliveries, matches development with vision and business strategy, and follows up on feedback and adjusts plans.

With a Handler, the team gets better structure, less confusion, and clearer product development – something that was often missing in traditional three-person teams.

Core competencies: planning, prioritization, product strategy, coordination.

Not every startup needs four different people from day one. Often, founders wear multiple hats early on. But understanding these four roles helps you identify gaps in your team, know what to hire for next, distribute responsibilities clearly, and build a balanced team for sustainable growth.