Why don't you ask your friend to apply to TechStars (www.techstars.org/), the Colorado YCombinator clone? To answer your original question, it depends on what

Why don't you ask your friend to apply to TechStars (www.techstars.org/), the Colorado YCombinator clone? To answer your original question, it depends on what incentives drive the individuals you hire. For some it's the experience, for some it's working at a startup, for some it's the money, for some it might be working on java. Figure out what the individual want's, both long term and short term and if working at your company is a bridge to where that person want's to go. Make the interview more about the candidate and less about your company. The good thing is that you understand that it's a two part problem, i.e.: 1. getting someone good 2. making sure they stay A lot of companies stop at 1.