When assigning technical leads, take care to put them in a situation where they will succeed easily, especially if this is their first time with a tech lead role. The tech lead role is one of the most challenging roles to go into because you live in a sort of limbo where you are still mostly doing IC work but have much more responsibility.
If it goes badly the first time, you might lose a high potential IC over a project that was doomed from the beginning. Try your best to set up all your new tech leads for success, and eventually you might just get lucky and find your replacement in one of them (you know, for when you’re hit by a bus or a bike or something).
@rowasc! 