I had that same question 4-5 years ago when I started reading Hackers and Painters as a noob. I wanted to start a startup, but had no hackers to help me. What

I had that same question 4-5 years ago when I started reading Hackers and Painters as a noob. I wanted to start a startup, but had no hackers to help me. What was I to do? I went back to school, picked up some books and started learning how to hack. 5 years later, I'm almost done with my degree, there's still a market for startups and I realize how incredibly large the knowledge chasm is between hackers and non-hackers. I have 3 ideas a day that would make decent, viable startups. Putting those ideas into practice, coding them up, designing the layout, configuring the servers and databases and finally acquiring users... that's where the value is. The idea has little value on its own. I never would have known this had I not started to learn the hacker-fu. So, may I respectfully suggest that if you're looking for hackers to help you start a software business, and are not one yourself... Take some time, read some programming books, and get in touch with your inner geek. If you are looking for a Hacker to found your business, first look inside yourself to see if there is a hacker waiting to come out. If you can't do that, then at least offer them some cash to work for you.