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Ask HN: How to find a Co-founder for your startup?
Hi,
I recently joined HN. This is my first post. Sorry if I haven't followed any HN etiqoettes. I have a question for your guys.
Let's say you have a great idea and you are novice to startup world(like me). And you need very good hacker(has startup experience) who can partner and make this idea into a reality and mutually share the benefits. Now my question is how do you find a trustworthy hacker.Do you guys have any approach?
How to tackle this hypothetical situation.
1. You announce that you are looking for a cofounder. Many show interest. You contact some one and share your Idea. After that he doesn't show interest and walks out. He implements the idea by himself (or through his friend) with out your knowledge. You will be in deep trouble.
One approach I am thinking is announcing on HN ("Looking for cofounder"). Then Hackers who are available and would like to venture will get back. As I need proven hackers, I will ask for their earlier creations, their email IDs, photo. Once I am interested, I will ask them to commit on HN with their actual IDs or their creations(which would be proof that they are joining me). Then I will share my idea with them. If they are interested, I will close the post on HN that I am partnering with this person. Else,will look for some other by posting "not partnering with previous person, looking for other".
Please share your thoughts.
- MrDunham 16y agoBeing that I am just on the other side of your situation: 1. Your concern is not finding a very good hacker who will implement your idea. Your concern is getting your idea nailed down and showing hackers that YOU drive value. (Hackers have great ideas too, can build it, and don't have to share, so why is yours better?) --I solved this problem by getting a major corp. and name-brand school interested. 2. Great quote: "People rarely have time for their own great ideas, they sure don't care about yours" --Aka don't worry about them stealing your idea, 99% is execution and getting them to sign something == you signing your own death warrant. Hope that helps.
- hansy 16y agoIdea theft is something many people freak about, but in actuality it happens more infrequently than you think. I have visited several inventor's guilds where complete strangers meet up and share ideas. At my first meeting I expected to sign some sort of non-disclosure or confidentiality document to protect others' ideas, but I never did! Several of the inventors explained why: 1.) If your idea is truly good, then only you know how to immediately implement it. You will be hard-pressed to find someone that thinks exactly like you and will be able to discover the nuances of your idea. Still exercise a little caution when explaining an idea and don't give away the punchline too early! 2.) Execution is always the key to success and frankly, you would be surprised by how few people there are who have the time and resources to effectively implement your idea. Chances are, those who try, will only scratch the surface of your idea's potential. 3.) If by some freakish chance someone does end up implementing your idea in the exact manner as you had dreamed, then you just found yourself a partner!
- sushumna 16y agoHansy, very well said and all points well taken. You said "only you know how to immediately implement it", but my problem is I am not aware of web technologies and how to market it. I come from a different programming world of C/C++. Thats why I am looking for hackers as partners who can implement my ideas. will be cautious and wont give away the punchline too early.
- loki411 16y agoIf you are seriously looking for a cofounder, it would help if you posted your idea. You don't just want someone with experience, you want someone who has as much of a passion for your idea as you do. It is also important to realize that an idea is worth next to nothing (and that many people have probably thought of the idea before you). What matters is the implementation and your ability to deliver what users want.
- sushumna 16y agoPosting my Idea is no problem. I can provide the abstract of my idea. But I would like to hear from other hackers about their approach. I second your point on Idea execution. I am true believer of “Ideas are just a multiplier of execution”. - Derek Sivers
- sushumna 16y ago[Edit] Adding something about me: I am not aware of web technologies, its implementation and how to market it. I come from a different programming world of C/C++. Thats why I am looking for hackers as partners who can partner and implement my ideas.
- stc 16y agoStart learning how to code and try and flesh out your idea/app on your own. This will give you a better perspective from which to interact with potential founders and go a long way towards helping you flesh out your idea.
- notahacker 16y agoYou have to give the very good hackers with previous startup experience some sort of indication of why they would want to give up whatever they're doing to partner with you. Otherwise they're not going to get as far as sending you their photos and lists of earlier creations.
- RiderOfGiraffes 16y agoThere have been a few previous submissions and threads on this question - you might want to look up some of the previous discussions. Here are some of them: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2073239 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2073239 Guide to Finding a Technical Co-Founder http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2056630 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2056630 Can't Find a Technical Co-Founder? Do It Yourself http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2018618 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2018618 Non-programmer founders: learn code first, find tech co-founder(s) after? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1983569 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1983569 Finding co-founders, where and how http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1882090 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1882090 How to Find a Technical Co-Founder http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1872960 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1872960 Finding a Technical Co-Founder http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866516 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866516 Dont look for a co-founder. Find a Right Hand Man http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1823724 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1823724 Find Co-Founders, Don't Get Screwed http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1820875 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1820875 Not in the Valley? How do you find co-founders? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1779750 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1779750 How To REALLY Find A Technical Co-Founder http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1779092 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1779092 How find co-founder online? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1778191 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1778191 Ask HN: Finding a Co-Founder at a Hackerspace http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1689751 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1689751 Can't Find a Technical Co-Founder? Do It Yourself http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1677066 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1677066 Network Launches to Help Entrepreneurs Find Co-founders http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1576186 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1576186 Last Call: Pitch to find a Co-Founder at The Founder Conference http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1575105 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1575105 Does "finding co-founders" ever work? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1567469 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1567469 Ask HN: Where is the best place to find a co-founder? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1512715 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1512715 How to find a co-founder http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1511965 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1511965 Ask HN: How do you find/meet tech co-founders outside of the hotspots? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1509775 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1509775 Finding the Right Co-Founder for Your Startup http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1373858 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1373858 Strategies for Finding the Co-Founder of Your Dreams http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1367637 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1367637 FoodSpotting founder on finding co-founder, marketing & female entrepreneurs http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1347723 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1347723 Ask HN: How do I find the right co-founder? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1307167 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1307167 Help a Startup Out - Get feedback, find co-founders, find advisors, etc. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1297382 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1297382 Ask HN: Where To Find Design Founders http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1294713 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1294713 Vokle founder: how to find great programmers & making the most from events http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1238947 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1238947 Ask HN: I'd like to find Co-Founder(s) / Developers http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1086852 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1086852 How to Find the Ideal Co-founder: A Seattle Startup Experiment http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=912667 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=912667 Find a co-founder with this new MeetUp http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876010 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876010 Finding Your Co-Founders http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=849737 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=849737 Ask HN: Finding Developer/Engineer Co-Founder?
- duhmain 16y agoSince I'm actually in the process of building a site that helps you find co-founders, I've just set up a Facebook page that you can "like" to get an announcement when the site is up: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Find-a-co-founder/155551604502198 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Find-a-co-founder/155551604502... (I'm using a Facebook page for this because I haven't decided on a domain name yet, and if I were to ask people to sign up for an announcement email list, some people would be hesitant to provide their email address, I guess).